Goalie Hand-Eye Coordination drills

August 26, 2020 By HockeyGirlz & AdvantEDGE Goaltending

Hand-eye coordination is one of the most important skills a goalie must have.

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It is the ability to use your eyes and hands simultaneously that allows you to track the puck visually. This is a HUGE deal to goalies because the better that you can control the puck the better chance you give your team at winning games.

According to Corey Hirsch, Hockey Canada’s goaltending consultant, this skill is probably the biggest thing a goaltender learns. Without having mastered it properly, he says; “you’re not going to stop very many pucks.”

In this article, Hockeygirlz member Sianna Gerelus in partnership with AdvantEDGE goaltending, will give you some great drills to improve your hand-eye coordination and have you controlling more pucks the next time you’re on the ice!

“One of the things I tell my goalies is that it is one thing to stop the puck but it is another thing to control it and that is what separates ‘good goalies’ from ‘elite goalies’.” -Coach Dana AdvantEDGE Goaltending

Drill 1

This drill requires:

Tennis balls

Catch gloves

Ping pong balls

Lacrosse balls

Lava balls

Comfortable shoes Partner

Check out AdvantEDGE Goaltending's Youtube for more great goalie content!

Drill 2

This drill requires:

Tennis balls

Drill 3

This drill requires:

Lava balls

Tennis balls

Catch gloves

Bucket (trash can, or anything deep)

Bucket( or anything as high, that can be easily jumped over)

Drill 4

This drill requires

Tennis ball

Instructions

Throw the tennis ball in the air and catch with the other hand.

Seems easy right? But there’s a catch

If you miss the ball (fail to catch it) you have to go up/down once( as shown in the video by HockeyGirlz member Sianna). For each ball dropped, you have to go up/down an additional time.

Drill 5

This drill requires:

A reaction ball

Instructions

Throw the reaction ball on the floor with one hand, and catch with the other.

*Note*

This drill can be a bit challenging, especially if you are a beginner. As seen by Caelan, one of our HockeyGirlz team members, it is possible to lose the ball from time to time. So if that happens to you, no worries! Just run after it and keep it going :)

Drill 6

This drill requires:

Tennis ball

Wall

Instructions:

Throw the tennis ball against the wall and rotate catching hand (catch with right hand, then catch with the left). Make sure your eyes follow through the whole time.

For more advanced training, add an additional tennis ball or use a reaction ball.

Gotten the hang of it? Try going up and down slowly in a butterfly.