| Hockey in general and minor hockey more so, has one | | | | Exactly the same thing happens when an unqualified |
| inherent problem. | | | | person tries to teach goaltending. The goalie picks up |
| The general consensus is that current and former | | | | improper techniques and all of the bad habits of the |
| goalies automatically make good goalie coaches... | | | | coach. Of course the trainer will pass along a few |
| WRONG! | | | | good points but almost always the bad far outweighs |
| Minor hockey associations are usually on very tight | | | | the good. This is magnified enormously when a coach |
| budgets, and in trying to get their goaltenders some | | | | that has never played goal tries to improvise his |
| form of coaching, they usually turn to a parent or local | | | | training methods. |
| goalie that is kind enough to volunteer his/her time. | | | | Coaches think coaching goalies is as easy as firing lots |
| While the thought is nice, what almost always results is | | | | of pucks at them. "They have to get better the more |
| inferior coaching whereby the goaltenders actually | | | | rubber they see". Nothing could be farther from the |
| become worse. This is especially true the younger and | | | | truth. The more something is repeated the more it |
| more impressionable the goalie is. | | | | becomes entrenched into the brain. So if a goalie |
| Consider this. You are an English speaking person. | | | | keeps doing something incorrectly the harder it |
| Does this qualify you to be an English teacher? | | | | becomes to correct. The current certification for |
| Absolutely not! What would happen if you were put | | | | coaches contains virtually nothing in the way of basic |
| onto a room of non English speaking people and told | | | | goaltending skills. We have devised our own form of |
| to teach them English? After an incredible amount of | | | | coaching certification program to give coaches a level |
| time you would have arrived at some form of crude | | | | of basic goaltending knowledge, this has proven to be |
| communication. You also would have passed all of | | | | quite valuable to the minor hockey associations we |
| your poor grammar and use of slang language onto | | | | work with. |
| your "students". | | | | |