White: Compact Glove Save

"Compact" does not mean "compressed". The happy medium between a compressed save position and a "loose" one is a COMPACT save. A compact glove save is still a reactive one, but it maximizes net coverage through the integration of the entire torso in the movement (not just the arm/hand). When I talk to goalies about executing compact glove (and blocker) saves I emphasize three key elements: #1. elbow rotation; #2. shot-side knee placement; #3. torso shift. #1. ELBOW ROTATION: we want to limit the rotation of our elbow as much as possible so that our forearm stays close to parallel with our body. If my elbow rotates so that my forearm lies at an angle closer to perpendicular with my body then I will be pulling my hand back out of my sight line (reducing puck focus/coordination) and leaving a lot of net exposed. When we look at a goalie "straight-on" during a glove (or blocker) save, it should appear that the thumb of the save hand is close to the body (but remember, not jammed against the body: elbows should be forward on the torso to allow gloves to move in front of the body plane). #2. SHOT-SIDE KNEE PLACEMENT: If you are going to execute a glove save from a "down" position (dropping from your stance) then the shot-side knee (knee on the 'impact' side of the body) MUST get down to the ice. Doing so allows you to minimize elbow rotation (keeping the hands out front), helps you get your torso into the movement (if the shot-side knee is up then you fall away from the shot path rather than move into it) which improves extension capabilities, and quickens post-save response since the lead-side knee has to be on the ice before you can execute a back-side push (*don't believe me, try it). #3. TORSO SHIFT: this does not mean you try to use your body to block pucks directed to your gloves (I preach a strong reactive game, not "lock and drop"). It means we try to reduce any possible holes in coverage by adding our entire upper body to the mix. When we can react from the waist up, instead of just with the gloves, it improves our puck tracking as well because it keeps our hands close to our eyes (field of vision). If we execute properly, our shot-side shoulder should finish over/beyond our shot-side knee. These three elements allow goalies to make smaller save movements which, in turn, make saves quicker. Just as we strive to take the shortest path to the shooting lane because it is the fastest way there, we want to apply the same principle to our individual save movements. Believe me, when you play at the elite levels you do not have much time to react. If you need time to set-up & execute big swinging save movements that expose a lot of net, you are not going to be able to keep up with the pace of play. Be smart and efficient and you will be much quicker! *Special thanks to CJ White (Curry College, NCAA Div.III) and Nick Marshall (shooter).