The Star Drill

The star drill is a great drill to teach young goalies the art of moving around the crease!

If done correctly, this drill will generate create good habits moving around the crease, and the goalies will become more “Crease Aware” (knowing where they are in their crease). Here’s the diagram, as well as a variation to take the concept to the next level:

The Star Drill
Goalie starts at the post, then skates the following sequence (see our post on the 11 Visual Targets for Hockey Goalies)
1. Position 11
2. Position 6
3. Position 9
4. Position 1
5. Position 6
6. Position 3
7. Back to Position 11
8. Repeat the opposite way

Variation
Goalie performs start drill, reacting to the passes of the three forwards
1. Forward on the goal line passes to the forward in the middle, then skates to the near dot
2. Goalie reacts by skating to Position 6
3. Middle forward passes back to the forward who made the first pass
4. Goalie reacts by skating to Position 9
5. Forward on the dot passes across to the forward on the other goal line, then retreats back to his or her original position
6. Goalie reacts by skating to Position 1
7. Goal-line forward passes to middle forward, then skates to near dot
8. Goalie reacts by skating to Position 6
9. Middle forward passes back to the forward who just passed to him
10. Goalie reacts by skating to Position 3
11. Forward on the dot passes back across to the forward on the other goal line (who started the drill), then retreats back to his or her original position

Have the goalies perform this 2-3 times each. As they begin to improve, allow the forwards to shoot at random intervals.

REMEMBER: have the goalie adjust to the rebound if they are not able to cover or trap the puck. Create good habits, don’t let them just stop the puck and move to the next area.

For more advanced goalies, you can do the same drill but allow the players to move around in a triangle more freely rather than passing and shooting from the designated areas. When allowing them to move freely in a triangle passing and shooting, they will be working on their offensive attack while giving the goalie a great workout.

Regards,

Hands