Sunday, March 3, 2013

How to stand out at try outs

It's tryout season, a nerve racking time for any goaltender. Tryouts always seem to have too many goalies who never get enough shots. There are however a few steps you can take to make sure you are standing apart from the crowd.

1) If possible ask the coach or person running the tryout what they are looking for in a goalie. Hopefully you get some kind of answer like rebound control or someone who is aggressive. This will give you areas to focus your game on during the tryout.

2) Don't waste any ice. Even coaches selecting teams tryouts are difficult and it always feels like you never saw of some kids. As a goalie make sure you are one of the first ones on the ice and a grab a spot on the boards to do your crease movements while everyone else is skating around. If you are waiting for a few other goalies to take shots and you have a little room work on skating or stretching just stay out if the way of the drill.

3) Make sure you see enough shots. Do not let another goalie hog the net. Agree on how many shots you will take and kick the other goalie after they hit their shot limit.

4) Do not give up two goals in a row. You never know when the coaches will be looking so make sure you are not giving up a string of goals or they may not look your way again.

5) Have fun. You can always tell when a goalie enjoys being on the ice. This type attitude is contagious and the type teams need to have to be successful.

Try to follow these 5 steps during your next tryout and good luck to all of our goalies out there.