Lesson breakdowns
See the skill. Understand the why.
Each breakdown walks through one goalie skill with diagrams, step-by-step how-tos, coaching cues and the most common mistakes. Pick a game situation, a habit or a skill to find the right lesson.
Game situations
What's happening on the ice right now?
Good habits
The habits that make every save easier.
Skills & fundamentals
The building blocks every goalie needs.
Where to start
Not sure where to begin? Start here.
All breakdowns
Level 1 lessons
Level 1 · Lesson 0
Goalie Body 101
Three big body ideas every goalie skill builds on: base of support, center of mass, and the jobs your joints do.
Open breakdown
Level 1 · Lesson 1
The Ready Stance
The ready stance is how a goalie stands when the puck is coming: feet a bit wider than the shoulders, knees and hips bent, chest up, hands in front, eyes on the puck.
Open breakdown
Level 1 · Lesson 2
Eyes on the Puck (Tracking)
Following the puck with your eyes and your head, from the shooter's stick all the way into your body (and beyond).
Open breakdown
Level 1 · Lesson 3
Goalie Skating
Goalies skate differently from players. The core skills are the goalie C-cut (to move forward and backward), the stop, the shuffle and the T-push.
Open breakdown
Level 1 · Lesson 3 deep dive
Goalie C-Cuts
How goalies move in and out of the net while staying square: forward C-cuts to challenge, backward C-cuts to retreat, and how to steer with them.
Open breakdown
Level 1 · Lesson 3 deep dive
The Shuffle
Small side-to-side steps that keep you square and ready to make a save the whole time. How to push, the most a single shuffle should move you, and when a shuffle beats a T-push.
Open breakdown
Level 1 · Lesson 3 deep dive
The T-Push
The goalie's fastest way across the crease. Look, point, push, glide, stop and set, and why swinging your arms slows you down.
Open breakdown
Level 1 · Lesson 4
The Butterfly
From the ready stance, the goalie drops to both knees while the lower legs (pads) flare out to the sides, building a wall along the ice. Hands stay up and in front; the stick covers any gap between the knees.
Open breakdown
Level 1 · Lesson 5
Getting Back Up (Recovery)
Standing back up from the butterfly into your stance, so you're ready for the next shot.
Open breakdown
Level 1 · Lesson 6
Glove, Blocker and Stick
What each tool is for and why: catch with the glove, steer with the blocker like a mirror, and seal the ice with your stick.
Open breakdown
Level 1 · Lesson 7
The Brave Brain
The mindset of a great goalie: before, during and after the game.
Open breakdown
Level 2 lessons
Level 2 · Lesson 1
Positioning: Squareness, Depth and Angles
Good positioning is being in the best possible place to stop the puck before the shot is taken. It has three parts:
Open breakdown
Level 2 · Lesson 2
The Butterfly Slide and Push Slide
Both movements involve pushing with one leg while sliding sideways on the ice with your other knee. The key difference is how you start:
Open breakdown
Level 2 · Lesson 3
Playing the Post (Standing Post Position)
Sealing the post is using your body and equipment to cover all the space right next to the post. It’s used when the puck is below the goal line (behind the net) or on a sharp angle near the side of the net. At…
Open breakdown
Level 2 · Lesson 4
Rebound Control
Deciding where the puck goes after it hits you: into your glove (catch it and freeze it), to the corner, or trapped under you. Not bouncing back out in front.
Open breakdown
Level 2 · Lesson 5
Handling Rebounds
Where the rebound goes decides how you move. Learn when to cover it, push over, get up, or combine them, and how to arrive set for the second shot.
Open breakdown
Level 2 · Lesson 6
The 3 Stances: High, Mid & Low
Why your stance should change with the puck: high when it's far, mid in the middle, low when it's close. Plus how to set on time, not early.
Open breakdown
Level 2 · Lesson 7
Tracking Passes
Following the puck when it's passed, picking the right move to get there (shuffle, T-push or slide), and knowing where the other players are with quick head checks.
Open breakdown
Level 2 · Lesson 8
Traffic and Screens
Finding the puck when players are standing in front of you (a screen), and staying square and set while you do it.
Open breakdown
Level 2 · Lesson 9
Routines and Goals
A routine is the same set of steps you do before games and between whistles. A goal is one specific thing you're working toward.
Open breakdown
Level 3 lessons
Level 3 · Lesson 1
Post Integration: VH, RVH and Overlap
Three post positions for sharp angles and pucks below the goal line. Learn which one the puck calls for, and how to get out of each one.
Open breakdown
Level 3 · Lesson 2
Reading the Play: Rushes, Breakaways and Zone Time
Use clues from the puck carrier and the situation to know what's likely before it happens, then react quickly to what actually does happen.
Open breakdown
Level 3 · Lesson 3
Angles Between the Dots: Down the Wall and Across the Ice
Change the angle and depth on time when the puck moves down the wall or across the ice, and crowd the puck with your hands when it's in tight.
Open breakdown
Level 3 · Lesson 4
Rotations: Standing and in the Butterfly
Turn your head, chest, hands and hips to stay square to the puck before you move, standing up or in the butterfly: look, rotate, then push.
Open breakdown
Level 3 · Lesson 5.1
Weight Centered During Movement
Keep your weight over the middle of your body while you shuffle, T-push, slide and recover, so you stop on your spot, square and set.
Open breakdown
Level 3 · Lesson 5.2
The Right Stance at Both Ends, and a Direct Route Between
Start and finish every move in the stance the play needs, take the shortest path, and know when a low-to-high play calls for a curve instead.
Open breakdown
Level 3 · Lesson 5.3
The Trailing Shoulder When You Rotate
When you rotate into a slide, bring the trailing shoulder around with the lead so both arrive together and square, with the holes sealed.
Open breakdown
Level 3 · Lesson 5.4
Cheating Your Hips as the Puck Goes Down the Wall
As the puck carrier goes down the wall, keep your chest on the puck and let your hips cheat toward the slot, where the dangerous pass goes.
Open breakdown
Level 3 · Lesson 5.5
Loading Your Push Leg on a Wide-Angle Drive
When a wide drive reaches the load zone, load your push leg in the stance you're in, then push on a pass or cut and release straight down on a shot.
Open breakdown
Level 3 · Lesson 5.6
High-to-Low Slides
On a shot-pass from the point to the back door, read it, rotate, and slide diagonally back to the post instead of straight across.
Open breakdown
Level 3 · Lesson 6
Puck Handling
Stop dump-ins, set them up for your defense, and use your hips to fool the forechecker. Stop it first, then play it.
Open breakdown
Level 3 · Lesson 7
Game Management and Communication
Run the game from the crease: set the pace your team needs, help teammates with your voice, and lead with your body language when things go wrong.
Open breakdown
Level 3 · Lesson 8
The Confident Goalie Mind
The habits that keep you steady through good games and hard ones: the Reset, process goals and self-talk.
Open breakdown
Level 3 · Lesson 8.1
Visualization
Picture simple saves in detail before you make them: through your own mask, slow first, then at game speed.
Open breakdown
Level 3 · Lesson 9
Hip Health for Goalies
What the butterfly asks of your hips, the habits that protect them, and a 15-minute off-ice routine.
Open breakdown
New breakdowns are added regularly.