A practice plan for a lacrosse goalie will change throughout a season, but for the most part should remain the same. A sound lacrosse goalie practice plan is built on principles that rise above the current state of the team or performance of the goalie.

Time is important for a goalie. Not just time with the team, but time alone or working one-on-one with a coach. It is a very mentally intensive position and it takes time to find the right zone. That is the goal of a lax goalie practice plan. It is consistant and simple. A place where coach and goalie meet for a time of repetitive and fundamental work.

Building muscle memory is the key, not save percentage or speed of the shot. It will take thousands upon thousands of shots for the necessary movements and responses to become reactionary for a goalie.

Pre-Practice or Pre-Game Routine

The before practice and before a game routine should look very similar. The old saying goes that we play the way we practice.  Before a lax goalie warm up starts, dynamic stretching should take place. This includes jogging, high stepping, hip stretches, lunges, and others. The goal is to get the blood flowing and loosen up the major joints.

Just before jumping into the net should be longer passes with a teammate or coach. This is to warm up the stick, throwing arm, and eyes. Practice rolling out to the left and the right as if you were rolling out from behind the net on a clear. This will warm up the feet, eyes, and shoulders.

Warm-Up in the Net

Predictable repetition should be the mindset at the beginning of a lacrosse goalie warmup session. The point is never to shoot as hard as possible. They can begin as just faster than passes and pick up the speed as the time goes on, but at the beginning the focus is to drill the movements.

Start with high shots to the top-right, top-center, and top-left. The goalie should be stepping toward every shot with their body and following up with the trail foot. When a save is made, the stick should always be square to the body so if the shot should happen to miss the stick, it would be saved by the body.

After 20-25 shots to the upper range, move to hip-right and hip-left shots. Focus on off-hip shots, keeping arms out and away from the body as they bring the stick across and meet the shot. When an off-hip save is made, the stick should be perpendicular to the ground, out and away from the body.

After 20-25 hip area shots, move to saving low shots. Goalies tend to stoop for these shots. Coach to bend at the knees so as to meet the ball square. Next come bounce shots. It is important for lax goalies to always step out and meet the shot at the point of impact with the ground. The head of the stick should be clamped firmly to the turf. Once the ball has been stopped, they are to clamp the ball and pass back to coach.

When the ball is loose on the crease area, treat it like a game time situation. Pretend that there is a group of attackmen there trying to scoop it up and score a garbage goal. Clamp the ball, box out with your body, and drag the ball to a safe place inside the crease. Get the ball up and start looking down field for the outlet pass.

After each area has been warmed up, it is time to pick up the pase of the shots. Shots should be taken from all areas of the arc, not just squared up shots from the center of the cage. Work the angles and pipes so goalies are used to facing shots and positioning their body to cover up the maximum amount of net.

Drills

After the general warm up, it is a good time to move into some shooter-goalie drills. The first is called “Shot-Turn”. This is a simple drill that should be practiced everyday. It starts with the goalie is the goal, standing ready in their stance, looking through the back of the net with their back facing the shooter. Right before the shooter releases their shot they shout “SHOT!” At this sound, the goalie turn round and saves the shot.

The next drill requires two shooters. It is a good way to put lame or sick players to work. The focus is to get the goalie moving from pipe-to-pipe in the goal. The two shooters stand at about 10:00 and 2:00 and pass the ball back and forth. As they pass, the goalie must move through their arc and center themselves to the ball’s new position. Random shots are taken to make sure that the goalie is remaining honest. Shooters should move around, allowing the goalie to adjust to shots from a variety of places and angles.

Mixed with the Team

Bringing a goalie into team shooting drills is a dangerous thing. Luckily  most lacrosse coaches have noticed the negative effects this can have on a goalies mindset, health, and confidence. It is important to include a goalie in team shooting drills, it just must be done is a smart way.

Structured shooting drills that incorporate members of the offense and defense are a really good thing for a goalie. It gives them the opportunity to face shots and command a defensive player on their positioning.

1v1, 2v2, 3v2, 3v3 are all great shooting drills to work in goalies. Encourage the offense to move the ball quickly and the defense to respond in kind.

What if I don’t have a goalie coach?

Lacrosse is the fastest growing game in the USA and is swiftly growing across the globe, yet still there is a shortage of lacrosse goalie coaches. If there isn’t a goalie coach on your team, that isn’t an excuse. You just need to take ownership of your position and your own training. Make sure that you communicate with the head coach what you need to succeed  Most field players have NO IDEA how to train a goalie.  They do however know how important a strong goalie can be for a team. Share this article with them or others from MTC. Commit to coaching yourself and keep pushing yourself to become better.

Getting better can start right now. Sign up for our 7-part free goalie stance course to get started! Seriously. Do it!

Niko Amato is the starting keeper for the Maryland Terps and is living every lacrosse goalie’s dream. He is preparing to play for a Division 1 National Championship Game for the second year in a row. Niko proves that he is an elite competitor by learning from his experience from last year’s national championship appearance.

[quote float=""]“But the most helpful part of being in the same situation as last year’s is the days in between the games and the times leading up to face-off. Because you really want to try and manage your emotions and not spend too much energy before the game. Just kind of peak at the right time.” -Niko Amato[/quote]

For a lacrosse goalie, a good warm up can be the difference between coming out hot and landing flat. As Niko points out, the most important component of a goalie’s warm up is the mental preparation that takes place before they even put on the gear.

Find the Right Atmosphere

Good mental preparation for a game starts with the right atmosphere. Some goalies like loud pump-up music to get them in the zone. Others prefer to settle down with calming music. Doesn’t matter which style works, just make sure that you create the time to make it happen. Routine is important!

Setting the Tone

Life can get crazy! Stuff at school, home, or work can quickly bog down an athlete’s mind. When you’re mentally preparing for the game, all of that needs to be left in the dust.

Take a few moments to simply breath. To bring their focus onto the game and the tasks they need to complete.

Thinking about the negative doesn’t help to suppress it in your mind.  Encourage them to say to themselves “Focus on the game” rather than to say “Stop worrying about that test.”  Keep the focus on the action you would like your mind to take.

Separate from the Team

Being around teammates during the pre-moments of pre-game can be a determent to a goalie’s mental warm up. Often there are players who are not mentally focused for the game and they’re talking about anything but the job at hand.

Try to find a quiet place where they can separate from the action. Here they can just sit and focus their mind on the actions their body should take during the game.

Find Your Style

Every lacrosse goalie is going to have their own unique style. Every approach to the game is going to be different. It is important for a goalie know that they have the freedom to act within their style, as long as it still fits into the team’s overall system.

If it helps you to stand on their head in the corner of the field before the game starts, knock yourself out. Just remember to take the game seriously and prepare your mind for battle.

If you would like some more nuggets to help the goalies on your team take their game to the next level, the sign up for our free 7-part Build a Strong Stance e-course. It will help lay the foundation for success in the future. Just enter your email in the box bellow to get started!

You don’t have much time to make an impression on college lacrosse coaches.

You shouldn’t waste a single second when playing in front of them.

This list of vital behaviors applies goalies going to lacrosse camps, tournaments, travel teams, and even your high school lacrosse games. The bottom line is that you never know when you’re being watched, so always act like you’re always being watched.

Show Hustle

Playing between the whistles always gets a coach’s attention. It shows them who you are as a player and as a person.

Show Respect

Respect the referees, respect your coaches, respect your teammates, respect the trainers, respect the event coordinators, respect the fans, respect your parents, respect the concession workers, respect everyone. Coaches want to see what you are like when you think no one is looking.

Show Leadership

Talking and directing from the goal can help your chances of being seen by college coaches. The truth is that college coaches have a lot of games to watch, so it is important that you are using the opportunity to highlight your ability to lead a team both between the whistles and during the game.

Show Competitive Spirit

When you let a shot past, quickly shake it off. Use your body language to tell all watching that you are in control and hungry for the rest of the game. Competitive spirit is difficult to quantify, but easy to see when it is missing. If you have a goal of being a collegiate lacrosse goalie, you have to be ready for a fight.

Show Communication Ability

Communication is so critical for lacrosse goalies. You’re really a quarterback out on the field. Effective communication not only helps your team perform effectively, it also tells a lot about who you are as a player. It shows leadership, confidence, and presence. It shows that you think you belong there and deserve a look.

As you can see, I mentioned nothing about technique or performance. If you want to play at the next level those are a given. The intangibles are just as important to develop. They will mold you as a player and more importantly as a person.

Have seen any of these points to be true? Would you add any? Drop us a comment, we always love to hear from you!

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