We had a great session in the Bubble at UPenn this February 10th and had BV Drone's out to get some clips of the goalies getting after it! We've wrapped Winter 1 and Winter 2 training, but keep an eye out for events coming in April and beyond! #lacrosse #lax #laxgoalie #lacrossegoalie #goalie #goalietraining #FoundationLacrosse #Growthegame #phillylax #njlax #njlacrosse #lacrossecoach #laxcoach #goaliecoach #goaliedrills ..read more

We’re a little late getting these up, but we had BV Drones out to take some footage from Week 4 of our December/January “Winter 1” training…there are some great clips of the fellas working hard with our coaches/shooters and a look at a few drills/scenarios we put the goalies through! We’ll be posting more highlights soon, and keep an eye out for details on upcoming training this Spring/Summer! #lacrosse #lax #laxgoalie #lacrossegoalie #goalie #goalietraining #FoundationLacrosse #Growthegame #phillylax #njlax #njlacrosse #lacrossecoach #laxcoach #goaliecoach #goaliedrills ..read more

Here’s a new variation on an old-school Ball Toss drill you can use to get warmed up or dial in your footwork! Rather than starting stationary and waiting for the “toss”, we begin by tossing the ball to a partner and get the ball back with a quick tennis hit. The purpose of this variation is to work on re-setting quickly while still attacking the shot. The throw to initiate “unsettles” the goalie out of their stance briefly, forcing them to reset and re-step when the “shot” is returned. This simulated resetting on a rebound or more frequently as we’ve “unsettled” moving along our arc and need ..read more

We worked this drill with the boys this Fall during our Fall Training Program and it was a hit! This is a great way to work on seeing and stepping to the ball (can’t read the tennis racket) and getting tons of reps in footwork on inside shots off of feeds from behind.  The step to the ball is a focal point, but just as much is the turn and re-settle prior to that step. This is a great way to get two goalies going at once if you’ve got the cages for it, and a fun warm-up just to get the feet moving. Coaching points are: -get the feet settled in the turn as quickly as possible -re-step fr ..read more

Positioning in the cage is a huge part of any goalie’s success, and being in the right spot, playing angles correctly, and being aware of what a shooter sees as they wind up is key to next-level goalie play. Sometimes, however, the positioning gets all the focus while the actual READINESS of the goalie gets lost as a point of focus. If there is ONE reason that leads to goals more than any other, I’d say it is not being ready pre-shot, and whenever we are working on moving in the cage, it needs to lead to goalies being ALIGNED properly, but also READY in that alignment. Getting from pipe-pipe ..read more

A really common technical issue we see with goalies at all levels is the tendency to get their hips rotated and losing their ability to keep their body square to the shooter. This makes it tougher to get your nose on the ball, makes you smaller in terms of how much of the net you’re covering and reduces athleticism. All of this leads to more goals and rebounds. We’ve put up a couple of drills that work on this (long pole drill being the biggest) but is there one thing we can focus on that will finally fix this issue? In short, YES. Where our toes go, our hips and body will follow. When a goali ..read more

We’ve had a number of questions recently about what exactly we do with our goalies during a 1-on-1 session. The best part about 1-on-1 work is that it is tailored to the needs of the goalie (what shots they are struggling with, technical issues they have, or what kind of event they are getting tuned up for), so it varies a ton from session to session. We’ll start to share some clips with the hope that you can get an idea of what we do, and hopefully incorporate some of this on your own at home! This session was with one of our HS goalies getting ready for a final summer of the recruiting proce ..read more

Breaking things down leads to perfect technique, perfect technique leads to great play! A goalie’s technique needs to become automatic, so when the time comes to attack a shot, it’s second nature. It takes a ton of reps to get there, but more importantly, it takes a ton of GOOD reps. We’ve also got to keep in mind that reps with “bad” technique actually UNDERMINE the good ones. This is why goalies should aim for an 80/20 breakdown in their training. When we talk about the 80/20 rule for goalies, we want 80% of the “reps” to be in a controlled environment that gives them a chance to consistent ..read more

One exciting trend we’ve started to see more of is small group training occurring outside of Rec/Club/HS practices. As coaches and parents alike are becoming more knowledgeable and passionate about the game their kids have fallen in love with, more and more we are seeing groups of 5-8 players getting together for a little extra work. In these situations, though, we see a common issue: “We want and have a goalie...so what do we do with him?” Too often, it can get pretty rough for the goalie, as they get a few obligatory warm-up shots and then are thrown to the wolves. So how do we get the most ..read more

In the NFL, having a truly GREAT QB makes all the difference as a coach. Find a Brady, Manning (or Nick Foles baby!) and whatever you do as a coach becomes much easier. In lacrosse, a GREAT goalie can have the same effect, and for 4 years I was fortunate to get to work with a truly elite goalie in Brian Neff. Brian ended up with us at Ursinus College after getting numerous Division 1 looks, and he immediately got to work. After a great freshman year that saw him finish in the Top 10 of most statistical categories, Brian graduated as a 3-time All-American and Player of the Year while leading h ..read more