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Like
the Quicktime video clip above shows, the balance board can
be a real effective training tool for goalies.
The
board should be made big enough that you can stand on it with
your feet apart just like in your game stance. The tube can
be made from flexible PVC plumbing tube with 10-15 cm (4-6
inches) diameter. It's a good idea to put rubber strips at
the end of the board as stoppers for beginners.
Here's some drills
for you to get started:
- Stand on the
board in your basic stance with stick, catch and blocker.
Have your other goalie or coach stand on the side and put
his/her fist into the "save zone". With random
timing, you will have to react to the opening of the fist
by making an explosive save movement towards the hand. Make
sure your starting position is correct and you are looking
forwards. The fist should not be opened until the goalie
has obtained a good balanced stance. Do 20-30 reps per hand
or until your movement starts to slow down. In one dryland
practice session you can do 2-3 sets per hand. Make sure
you do these drills at the early part of the session.
- The goalies
stand on their boards facing each others. They take turn
in being a leader and follower for 2 min each. The leader
executes explosive saves in random order and the other goalie
tries to follow as fast as possible. (See video)
- Good basic training
is also to have your coach throw baseballs to you while
standing on the board. Make saves with your catch and blocker
while maintaining your balance. For younger goalies use
tennis balls for safety purposes.
- Now let's really
challenge your balance as we want you to roll medicine or
basketball around your board while maintaining your balance.
- As a last drill
have your coach standing in front of you with tennis balls
in both hands. While you are in your stance without gloves,
your coach will drop the balls in random order and your
job is to catch them before they hit the ground. Once this
becomes easy move your hands first to your side and then
to your back and finally do the drill from a very deep position
with your knees really bent.
I
hope this article gives you a good starting point for usage
of this simple and effective training tool!
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