GOALIE TIPS

8. The Mental Side of Goaltending

You've all heard the saying before. Goaltending is __% Physical and __% mental. No matter what numbers you've heard stuck in there it's obvious that goaltending has a definite mental aspect. From time to time, a goalie may start to panic if a bad goal gets scored on them in a game or practice. Most of us have been in this situation at one time or another, but having the ability to meet this panic with a sense of calm confidence will prevent one bad goal from turning into a few bad goals.

Some good things to do in order to prevent panic:

-Before the game take a few moments to close your eyes and visualize a great game that you played in the past. Think about what you did, and how well you stopped the puck.

-If you need to, take a few seconds in between stoppages or between periods to close your eyes and take a few slow deep breaths

-Talk to yourself! (as funny as it might sound) Remind yourself of the 3 C's "I am calm", "I am confident", and "I am in control".

Doing this will help prevent goaltenders from "overplaying the puck". Sometimes I have watched goaltenders who get so into the game they end up over-playing their angles and over-challenging the shooter. The key is to RELAX out there!

-Curtis