WHAT IS SKILL DEVELOPMENT?
The RINK Goalie Development team is focused on providing age and skill specific training for all goalies. RINK provides small group training and 1 on 1 sessions with a low goalie to coach ratio on a custom-sized (35' x 60') goalie ice or full-sized NHL ice. As goalies progresses through their career, countless experiences are implanted upon a goalie’s mind. Through these experiences, each goalie begins to build an approach. This approach combines these experiences with core fundamentals and the individual’s distinct strengths and limitations.
During a RINK experience, athletes will seek to hone, refine, and master various skill sets within their game. A combination of on and off-ice development will provide goalies a well-rounded and focused approached to their development.
Movement & Positioning
Skating is the foundation of every hockey player’s game, and the goaltending position is no different. We build on this foundation for goaltenders through position-specific movement including edgework, power-skating drills, and PSM crease patterns.
Reaction Ability
With all the techniques being taught in the goaltending position now, sometimes the ability to simply react to pucks and make saves gets overlooked. This is still the bottom line for goalies. A goalie’s reaction ability encompasses their puck tracking, reflexes, rebound control, and overall save-making ability.
Battle & Compete
To build upon a goaltender’s reaction ability, Battle & Compete is also vital for success. The habits and ability to compete to make saves and follow up on rebounds and scrambles are built into our curriculum at every level.
Hockey IQ
Goalies are often classified on their own, but they are hockey players just like any other position on the ice. Their ability to understand the threats on the ice, read the play, and understand what their team and opponents are trying to achieve will help them become more effective goalies.
Net Play
Offence continues to be generated often from below the goal line. We put a high level of focus on net play techniques and tactics. Understanding how to position yourself on your post technically and when to use each different technique will make a big difference in stopping these offensive chances.
Puck Handling
A goalie’s game is more than just about making saves. It is about the overall prevention of goals and helping the team win. The ability to handle and play the puck is a big part of that. We make sure to build puck handling into our training for goalies at a young age.
WAYS TO DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS
Now that you understand what skill development is, what is the next step? The next step is finding the type of training that best suits your needs and schedule as a goalie. At the core, we offer 4 main ways to develop your skills. With 1 on 1 Sessions being the most popular way to train as a goalie followed by Programs, Camps, and Clinics.
Our Introductory Programs welcomes players to the game of hockey. Players will gain an understanding of their edges on their skates, their flats, how to stop, how to control the puck, how to pass the puck.
Our Development Program is built upon the execution of basic goalie techniques and to provide goalies with an understanding of adjustments they can make to enhance their individual games. These sessions are heavily focused on keeping the foundation they have built from the introduction stage while also introducing the understanding which movements to make in different situations.
Our Advanced Programs are built upon the execution of basic goalie techniques and to provide goalies with an understanding of adjustments they can make to enhance their individual games. These sessions are heavily focused on keeping the foundation they have built from the introduction stage while also introducing the understanding which movements to make in different situations.
Our High-Performance Programs focus on the refinement of advanced goalie techniques by continued reinforcement of previously learned topics while adding in more game like situations. The synchronized continued development of the fundamentals and functional intelligence will allow goalies to more effectively read, react and execute the proper technique in game situations.
Our Elite Programs are customized to advance and align skills necessary for effective execution of position specific demands in a game situation. Programming focuses on mastering control of all goalie specific movements, specific work on post integration while they get continued development in their puck handling abilities.
Our Prospect Programs are designed to further advance the physical and mental aspects of each individual player based on position, level and hockey specific demands, through on and off ice training and performance workshops.