GOAL KEEPER BASICS AND BEYOND

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1 GOAL KEEPER BASICS AND BEYOND by Coach Thomas Neil Zacoi The goal keeper is the most technically demanding position on a lacrosse field. Not only should she be the best athlete on the team, the GK must be able to make good quick decisions and have a very short memory. According to my mentor Ms. Denise Westcott, head women s lax-coach at Mt. St. Marys University in Maryland Goal keepers must be a little crazy! Because there are so many salient points that need to be discussed, I have written the article in headline form. Ready Position Start by straddling the Line of Center (a.k.a. the middle of the goal) and place your heels against the goal line. Hold the butt end of the stick in one hand and extend the stick forward as far as you can reach. The point where the scoop touches the ground is where you should stand in the Ready Position. Stay rock solid on the balls of your feet do not stand flat-footed or lean to the left or right. Bend your knees, lower your butt and tip your body forward slightly at the waist, trying to keep your toes, knees and shoulders in a straight line. Next, keep your elbows in (no chicken wings), and your hands extended out and up! Hold the stick almost perpendicular to the ground with the throat at eye level! Lastly, keep your shoulders square and your body behind the ball at all times. It s imperative that you don t flinch or duck on a shot because you may expose an unpadded portion of your body! You will also send a subliminal message to your opponents that you are afraid of the ball and they will exploit your fear! Lastly, stay in the ready position while the ball is in play but shuffle step in the direction the ball goes while it s in play. Hand Position when Catching - Gauge the distance how far apart you should place your hands on the shaft by holding the stick at waist level. Keep your top hand near the throat and slide your bottom hand away so both are positioned just inside your hips. Next, lift your arms while simultaneously turning the stick head up with the pocket facing forward. Extend your hands out and up with the throat of the stick at eye level. Do not lock your elbows or squeeze hard. The grip pressure should feel as though you were holding a live bird without crushing it. As the ball enters the pocket give with the shot using your arms like shock absorbers. Simultaneously, use your bottom hand to twist the stick so the shaft is parallel to the ground and the pocket points up. This position will make catching and controlling rebounds easier. Remember, don t react attack! By that I mean you must step to every shot! The step doesn t have to be big nor is it necessary to bring your trail [ 1 ]

2 foot forward and in line with your lead foot. Even if the movement is slight, it will help dampen the velocity of the ball. Lastly, it s vital to keep your shoulders square to the ball, not the opponent NOTE: By not squeezing tightly, you won t prematurely fatigue your arms! Plus, the way we re made, your muscles will voluntarily tighten without you even thinking! Hand Position when Throwing - Hold the butt end of the stick in your non-dominant hand, the slide your top hand a third of the way up the shaft. Finish the stance by lifting the stick into the triple-threat position and placing your stick side foot back. Some keepers will turn their body almost perpendicular to the target. Just in case you ve forgotten, the triple threat position is when you hold the stick up, back and over the shoulder on the dominant side of your body. NOTE: New keepers must avoid standing too close to the goal line; holding the stick back too far and into the goal. An astute umpire may see it and award a goal to your opponent. Foot Position Try to keep your feet square or slightly rotated out. It s not a bad thing if you don t but it is imperative that your stance is comfortable and rock solid! Shuffle step don t walk or cross one foot over the other during play. Do not wear boy s shoes, soccer shoes or Nike Shocks. Purchase Warrior women s cleats or any shoe made on a women s last. Body Positioning in the Goal Circle (ball in front) Stand on the traditional arc. Foot Work Take little shuffle steps; playing the ball not the ball carrier. Stick-Side and Non-Stick-Side High Saves Thrust the stick up to the ball. Stick-Side and Non-Stick-Side Mid Saves Thrust the stick over to the ball. Stick-Side and non-stick side Low Saves-Thrust the stick down to the ball. It is old-school to turn the stick like a propeller to make saves on the non-stick-side of your body! That said, it is imperative that you move quickly to the ball. And, you quickly twist the stick with your bottom hand so it is parallel to the ground and with the pocket facing up. Bounce Shot Saves Get your body down and behind the ball. Stay low and rise up. [ 2 ]

3 Stick Position When the Ball is in X Hold the stick so the head is just above the top pipe. Concentrate on the ball; do not move your feet or wave the stick back and forth! Body and Foot Position When the Ball is in X- Stand on the Traditional flat arc with the line of center in the middle of your stance. Turn your body slightly in the direction of the ball. Refer to the Goal Keeper Footwork & Body Position Article in this website. Crease Rolls- Anticipate, step and hug the pipe. When the ball carrier crosses the Goal Line Extended (GLE), take a big step out to just inside the goal circle. When the ball crosses the leg of the Arc, start shuffle stepping to keep pace but play the ball, not the opponent. Refer to the Goal Keeper Footwork & Body Position Article in this website. Step to Each Shot Absolutely essential! Short Clear Technique Do not change your hands from the Ready Position. Use a quick wrist snap! You will need to practice this technique to get comfortable and confident using it! Remember to throw to the most open teammate and avoid clears in the middle of the field! Long Clear Technique Keep your hands up and away from your body, stand open not square, snap your wrist and step toward the target; follow through by sweeping the stick across your body. If possible, throw the ball to an open teammate! Clear Long Rather than Short If you are ever in doubt, clear long rather than short to the flank rather than the middle of the field (a.k.a. No Woman s Land). Handling a Break-A-Way Quickly move back toward the goal line and stand on the Traditional Arc in the middle of the goal! Crouch a little more than usual. When the ball carrier enters the Arc, explode forward to the goal circle to meet her and when she shoots try to block the shot. Don t look at the ball carrier concentrate on the ball! Whatever you do, do not fidget or move nervously from side to side stand as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar! [ 3 ]

4 Defender in Your Face Go behind the goal and use it to screen your opponent! If necessary run out on the same side as your dominant hand. For example, right handed keepers would run around the goal circle to the left and exit to the right. Reverse these instructions for a left-handed keeper. Saving Shots Going Out-Of-Bounds It s a good practice to run after every errant shot with your stick extended! This is one good reason why the keeper should warm up with the team especially during running exercises. Vocalization A MUST DO! If nothing shout Right! Left! X and Crash! The keeper is the captain of the defense because she sees the entire field in front of her. She must personalize her field commands so each teammate knows who she s talking to. For example, Cathy go right or Jane you ve got two! [ 4 ]

5 Coming Out of the Crease to Pick-up a Ball-You bet! That said the keeper must have good foot work, stick skills and be confident. It s also vital that the defenders visually check back and sprint back if the keeper needs help! Trailing the Play Absolutely! The keeper must heavily support ball side. If a defender or mid-fielder gets pressured along the sideline, the keeper should be standing 20 yards behind her in support. Warm-Up at Practice Tennis ball tosses with the keeper in the ready position without a stick, and her non dominant hand behind her back. Make sure she steps to each ball and shouts something! Using numbered and colored balls are a plus! Jump rope, juggle, suicides, shuffle steps (back and forth or around the Arc), ladders, Foot Fire, ball tosses, hand slaps, rapid-fire (make sure you give the keeper time to recover) and long clears to moving targets. Warm-Up at Games Take shots from around the Arc; making sure the keeper steps to all and throws the ball back quickly and accurately. End by taking six shots from the middle of the Arc (six each low, mid and high) at the dominant and non-dominant sides of her body. Game Advice - Although the entire game is important, the first and last five minutes in both halves is the most important! Words to Live By - The game isn t about you it s about the team. The team and teamwork are everything! Remember these two thoughts, never let your teammates see you give up and the only thing worse than losing is quitting. Disclaimer - No matter how well a goal keeper article may be written, nothing can replace handson instruction taught by a qualified goal keeper coach. Western PA is blessed to have three and a quarter! Coach Tim Hastings can be reached at , Coach Sarah MaGan can be reached at , Coach Drew McMinn can be reached at and your truly (the quarter) can be reached at That said, all college coaches and a few high school coaches can do a credible job teaching the position, too. Achievement is difficult. It requires enormous effort. Those who can work through the struggles are the ones who are going to be successful. Jackie Joyner-Kersee [ 5 ]

6 UNIVERSAL BALL POSITIONS by Coach Thomas Neil Zacoi US Lacrosse 113 W. University Parkway Baltimore, MD tel These are the verbal, positional commands that the goal keeper will be shouting while the ball is in our D-zone. Vocalizing the UNIVERSAL BALL PSOITIONS Top Left Top Center Top Right Side Left Back Left Crease X Side Right Back Right STX Lacrosse 1500 Bush St., Baltimore, MD tel [ 6 ]