Self-Evaluation: Take the Holidays as a Time For Reflection
With the holidays approaching and with them the vast array of holiday tournaments, it is a good point in the season to reflect on your progress. Especially for the younger goalies, taking the time to sit and analyze your strengths, weaknesses and motivations will benefit your play and hopefully allow you to continue your success or to turn your season around. To do this, take 5 minutes and ask yourself these questions. Try to be as objective as possible (i.e. be honest and fair with yourself. Try not to include biases or opinions, but realize your downfalls and strengths as this will make you a better player).
Strengths:
What are your overall greatest strengths?
- Angles. Are you always on your angle?
- Lateral movement. Do you rarely let in shots where you had to move across the crease?
- Aggressiveness. Do you make most saves with your skates outside of the crease? Do you use your stick to make poke checks (only on the forwards backhand though!!)
- First shots. Do you make the initial save?
- Rebounds. Do you stop the first, second and even third shot?
- Breakaways. Can you count the number of breakaway goals you've let in on one hand? (so less than 5 breakaways have scored).
Weaknesses:
What are your overall weakest areas? Don't be afraid to be critical!
- 2 on 1s. Do most one-timers and 2 on 1s score?
- Deep in the net. Do you play on the goal line?
- Mental game. Do you let in back-to-back goals (i.e. two goals within a span of 3 or 5 minutes).
- Stick. Does your stick always cover the five hole?
- Angles. Do you line up with to the puck or to the shooter's body?
This is just a starting point. Hopefully you'all can use this to improve upon your game!
~Rox