Break The Mold
Success comes in many different styles of goaltending. Look at the NHL today and you will see that the top goalies in their craft are very different in the way they play. Tim Thomas, Carey Price, Jonas Hiller, James Reimer, Pekka Rinne, Roberto Luongo, Cam Ward and Henrik Lundqvist are all vastly different in the way they tend the net. They all have different attributes, such as size, athletic abilities, mental capabilities, flexibility, etc., that make them unique. They have all developed their own game within these distinct traits to become their own goalie.
Since every goalie is different, each goalie should be allowed to develop his/her own style! You should play goal your own unique way, and this personal style will change over time as your height, flexibility, and athleticism all change.
Many other goalie camps and coaches have a strict idea of how the goaltending position should be played. Either they believe that goalies should play the way they did or that they should play the way a certain NHL goalie plays. Conversely, The Goalie Academy believes that you should develop under your own unique set of skills and we will help you grow within your own style. We don’t want you to be like anyone else. We want you to be you! We want you use the natural attributes that are distinct to you personally and develop within these parameters to be your own goalie!
If It Isn’t Broken, Then Don’t Fix It!
The Goalie Academy prides itself on the ability to only change what needs to be fixed. If an aspect of your game works within your style, then we are not going to change it to a method of play that we prefer. We don’t want to change you to fit the style we prefer, like other camps and coaches.
While all NHL goalies are different, they all have a some aspects of their game that are similar, which allows them to play at such a high level. The Goalie Academy has also broken down these key aspect of goaltending, which apply to every goalie regardless of style, that we teach. The are The Principles of Goaltending or the basic “laws” of the position that allow goalies to maximize the percentage of pucks stopped over time.
The Principle of Goaltending include Maximizing Net Coverage, Efficiency, Balance & Control, Range of Motion, and Timing.
