Where is a goalie supposed to have his/her hands positioned in a ready stance? Are they supposed to rest at the side of the body or be held out in front? Should they be held high or allowed to hang low?

Just like all philosophies in goaltending, no ONE way is correct. Every goalie coach is going to say something different. Until recently, I was taught that the hands should be out in front of the body. If you can picture letting your hands dangle at the side of your body, and then bringing them almost straight out in front of the body. This theory is supposed to allow the goalie to take away more net from the shooter. Although the amount of net taken away on a regular shot is minimal, it is still assumed that taking away as much net as possible is a good thing.

A quick story...this past season, I was fortunate enough to be called up to the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League. During my stay there, it was brought to my attention by head coach Scott Gordon that I was not controlling my rebounds very well with my hands. And to make things worse, I was getting beat over my arms and shoulders. I was told to relax my hand and arm positioning enough so that I was able to free up my glove and blocker hand. I had been straining so bad to keep my hands in front of me that I wasn't able to make the saves I should (or could) have been.

The idea of keeping my hands back in a relaxed position was something that I had never thought of. To make things worse, Coach Gordon had explained things in a way that made sense and it scared me. At least if he had explained it to me, and I felt it didn't make sense, I could walk away feeling he didn't know what he was talking about. Instead, every aspect of this philosophy made sense to me. It just seems to be the pattern in my goaltending career. New stuff is scary. I've learned, though, that if it makes sense and it scares you, it might not be as bad as we think.

I've put together another article devoted solely to this hands back/relaxed philosophy. My goal was to explain it in a way that would be scientific, make sense, and in the end scare those of you who have your hands way out. Check back soon for that interesting piece.