I hope everyone is enjoying the Men’s NCAA tournament as much as I am. We’re down to the final four – Maryland v Brown and UNC v Loyola. Can’t wait for the championship – 1 week from today. My pick to win it all is Loyola.
For this week’s post I wanted to share a video ESPN just released with one of their Sport Science series dedicated to our beloved position – lacrosse goalie.
Very interesting video that I wanted to share with all of you!
Now here’s a couple of takeaways I had from this Sport Science breakdown.
Lacrosse goalie is a tough position
If you’re like me, you have the mentality that you can save every shot. And that’s great, that’s how I want all goalies to think.
But some shots are literally impossible to defend because of the physical limits of the human body.
According to the video the fastest a human can react to visual stimuli is roughly 200 milliseconds. But a 105MPH shot from 30 feet reaches the goal in 190 milliseconds. Not enough time for the goalie to react.
Same as a 80MPH shot from 20 feet away – that reaches the goal in just 171 milliseconds.
The equivalent in baseball is a batter facing a 200 MPH pitch! A fully ‘roided Barry Bonds couldn’t handle a 200 MPH heater.
At the 1:28 mark notice how MLL goalie Drew Adam’s eyes fixate on the shooter stick head to pickup the release point.
This is really an awesome part of the video for demonstrating where you should be looking when a shooter rips one at you.
I think too often lacrosse goalies don’t realize how far away from a shooter’s body the release actually is. Instead they’re focused on a point closer to the body and it adds that extra millisecond to pickup the shot.
This is especially true when goalies face the inevitable shot from a long-stick defender. Most goalies don’t pickup the release point from long sticks very well due to the 6 foot pole.
Instead of focusing on the shooter’s shoulder or body, focus on the shooter’s stick head and even anticipate a little where that shot will be released from so you can pickup the ball coming right out of the stick and react accordingly.
In the firing squad drill you notice how much slower Adam’s reaction time is. That example is a little extreme but our reaction time is certainly slower if we’re not seeing the ball right out of the shooter’s stick.
Rattlesnake Strike
I love this metaphor of a rattlesnake strike for quick hands.
Adams moves his stick from 0 to 20MPH in 125 milliseconds which is actually just slightly faster than a rattlesnake strike.
In order to build up that level of hand quickness, make sure your practice routine includes plenty of reaction drills, and heavy bar drills.
A rattlesnake strike is a good metaphor for quick hands and attacking the ball. Going to work that into my coaching lexicon.
ESPN also did a similar video on Paul Rabil’s crankshot that doesn’t have anything to do with lacrosse goalies but is definitely an interesting watch for the lax fan.
Lacrosse is my passion! The game has given me so much and this blog is my way of giving back to the lax community. Specifically the most bad a$$ part of that community - the goalies! After learning to play goalie from scratch, I wanted to create a site where I could share what I learned with others so they too can become champions in the crease and in life. Learn more about Coach Damon.
Want virtual goalie coaching sessions from the best coaches in the game? Look no further...
The Lacrosse Goalie Summit replays give you access to best goalie coaching out there. Coaches like Ted Bergman, John Galloway, Matt Deluca, Brian Phipps, Kyle Bernlohr, Liz Hogan, Caylee Waters, Lyndsey Munoz, Chris Buck, Taylor Moreno, Sean Quirk, Goaliesmith, Meg Taylor, Drake Porter, Emily Sterling, Brett Dobson, and so many more. These sessions give your youth the confidence and the tools to be amazing in the crease!
Click an event to learn more about the goalie coaching sessions included!
Join The
Lax Goalie Rat Online Camp
Full Goalie Education
The only lacrosse goalie training that covers ALL of the areas necessary to be dominant: technical, physical, and mental.
Over 80 Videos Yours For Life
Revisit the drills and mental inspiration every season! Plus new videos added to the camp are yours for free.
Supportive Community
Access to private forums to interact with other goalies, coaches, and Coach Damon on a personal basis.