Glove positioning

Ah the age old question of where the goalie’s glove should be. How many times have you, your friend, your coach, your cousin’s uncle’s sister’s friend yelled, “Keep your glove up!” It’s easy to say, but it gets a little tricky to understand and apply once you put the gear on. So let’s get to it, where should your goalie’s glove be?

If you looked in a mirror, is this how you look right now?

You’ll notice, every goalie has a different position for their glove. Some keep it low and tucked in, some keep it up high and rotated inward. So unfortunately, your cousin’s uncle’s sister’s friend is wrong. It’s not “keep your glove up”, but “keep your glove ready.” Your goalie should have their glove ready, in a slightly relaxed position in front of their body. Your goalie might like to make the windmill glove save, or prefers to catch the puck like it’s a baseball. The point is, the glove needs to be in a position ready to strike and snatch the puck.

The 3 keys to remember:
– Glove ready
– Relaxed, not rigid
– In front of the body

Dahan Goaltending does an excellent job of elaborating further on hand placement. Notice there is no mention of glove up or down or rotated, but rather in front of the body.

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