Unfortunately, trigonometry is one of those few classes in school you’ll actually use in your real life. When you hear a coach or parent say “Cut down the angle!”, they’re saying apply math to your hockey problem. Scary, I know. “Square to the puck” is another term we’ll talk about in the next Goalie Coach Knowledge post.
Let’s get to it then. What is depth and what is angles. First off, we’ll start with angles, because they are one of the first things your goalie needs to understand. Think of geometry, what shape can you draw when you have three points? A triangle!
“Great, what do triangles have to do with hockey?”
Quite a lot actually. Check out the pictures below and imagine you’re the puck carrier. Your goalie should be between those two solid lines drawn towards both posts. That creates the “angle” (notice it looks like a triangle?) Additionally, your goalie should be centered on that angle. That’s where the dashed line from the back, middle bar of the net out to the puck should bisect your goalie’s stance. *Notice how it’s from the puck and not the player’s body*
If your goalie is off their angle, it means they are not centered on that imaginary line that runs from the middle of the net to the puck.
Cutting down the angle means your goalie is coming out of the net so those two solid lines are easier to touch with their pads and hands. And that is what is called “depth”. See how they’re tied together?
Look at the images below. Notice how much steeper of an angle it is when the puck is closer to the net? The deeper (depth) into the angle your goalie is, the less chance it has of going up over them or to the side and past them.
If your brain hurts a little it’s okay! We’re talking 3D chess here and it takes a little getting used to. Another way to imagine this is like staring at a projector in the classroom. The closer you get to the projector, the larger your shadow appears and more of the view of the screen (or net) you take up. That is the idea of depth!
There’s rules of thumb, such as USA Hockey’s, but this can confuse your goalie. The best advice I give is encouragement to challenge the shooter with the puck. Try to keep your goalie’s heels on the top of the crease as long as possible (“Base” in USA Hockey terms).
If I have still confused you, check out this Youtube video by Dahan Goaltending. They do an excellent job and maybe their explanation will click for you and your goalie.
What matters most here is that you and your goalie understand angles and depth! How you came to understand it isn’t as important. Get in touch if you’d like drills and techniques to practice these concepts further, and keep an eye out for another Goalie Coach Knowledge post on Squaring up to the Puck.
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