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Copyright
Ó 2004 Michael Vaughn
One
of the most difficult things for a goaltender to master is
quickly and efficiently closing the five-hole without creating
other openings for the shooter to exploit. Most goaltenders,
if asked what they need to work on the most, will almost unanimously
agree; the "five-hole". But then why is such an
obvious problem, so hard to correct? It really comes down
to understanding why the five-hole is so difficult to cover.
The
majority of goaltenders today play a Pro-fly style or a modified
version of this style. This style can best be described as
having the feet positioned very wide apart and going down
with the pads positioned on the edges, the gloves held out
to the sides and the upper body kept more vertical. This gives
the greatest amount of net coverage. While this style is great
for overall coverage, it can cause problems. With the feet
so wide apart, it can be difficult to get the necessary push
from the skate blade to get good lateral movement. It is essential
to keep the feet positioned proportionate to the individual
goaltender's own body size. All too often I see kids trying
to look like the pros with their feet so wide apart they have
lost all lateral movement. This leads to hesitation and loss
of speed when trying to close the five-hole. Any goaltender
has to remember that many of the professional goaltenders
they are watching on TV are very tall individuals who can
position their feet very wide apart as this does not hurt
their lateral movement. The best thing to do is to find the
foot spacing that is wide enough for this style but still
allows for a strong powerful push on the skate blade. Normally
this is putting the feet shoulder width apart plus 12 inches
(30.5 cm). If you start from this position and then practice
slowly widening your stance until you can detect a loss of
lateral speed, you will have found your ideal foot spacing.
Remember this foot spacing and practice it. Repetition will
make it feel natural.
A
few other pointers can also help protect the five-hole. When
going down to the ice, your pads should not hit together at
the top until you are just contacting the ice. If the pads hit
sooner, the pads are too tall and when they hit, it will slow
down the closure of the five-hole. If your pads are too short
when you contact the ice, there will still be a spacing between
the tops of the pads. How big the space is will tell you how
short you pads are. Keep your stick on the ice. It can help
fill in the five hole area. Many goaltending coaches will teach
to pull the elbow in and turn the blocker glove sideways when
going down. This is not very effective for low shots along the
ice and will contribute to a more exposed five-hole. Practice
your foot work T-pushes, shuffles, and even the seldom used
skate save. Practice on shots without your stick low and along
the ice just a few inches to the outsides of your pads. Quick
feet and small quick lateral movement will give you greater
control and keep you from over committing or reacting first
to the puck or shooter. This will give you more time to properly
react to the shot. |
