Timothy K.

I've been the head JV coach, and assistant varsity coach for WC East High School for the past 2 years. I was LaxEvo goalie instructor at their private training sessions for goalies. I've been running private goalie lessons in the Chester and Delaware County area for over a year now. I have ample experience working with goalies of all ages, and skill sets.

I was a 4 year varsity player at WC henderson during 2003-2006 where I was a 3x first team all-league goalie. I was the Dukes starting goalie that was awarded championship game MVP honors during our first Champ Camp victory in 2006. I was the 4x starting goalie for Chester County's Keystone State Games. I was a 2x All Region goalie for Harford College in Maryland. I was a LaxEvo games All-Star in 2004.

My sessions are tailored around the player that I'm working with. If I am working with a younger goalie who is just starting out a lot of my drills are going to be designed to really work on the fundamentals of playing goalie. For example, with a new comer to the position I really want to get them feeling comfortable and confident in goal. I do this by first making them walk the line. This means that the goalie will follow the head of my stick to all 9 main scoring areas that they are expected to defend. This helps the goalie commit this knowledge to muscle memory that way when I start shooting on them they already feel confident in how they're expected move to each of these main areas. After they've walked the line a few times, I have them get in goal, and take my time in a long warm up process with shots that are designed to get them in a groove. I take this opportunity to assess which type of ark is conducive for each goalie and to spot out any bad habits that need to be rectified. If I notice a goalie is doing something wrong such as stepping with the wrong foot, I place the ball in the position needed, and make them take the correct step 5-10 times to really get the muscle memory of the save down before moving on. I want to maximize my goalies ability to save the ball and I do this by showing them how to properly position themselves in the cage. There are three main arks- low, medium, and high. After going through an extensive warm up I can tell what ark is conducive for each goalie, and begin to train them on how to play that specific ark. Positioning is a crucial aspect of being a goalie, and it's something I spend a lot of time working on. After they have gone through extensive work in these drills, I go on to teach them the importance of communicating to their defense, and exactly how to go about this. Clearing and stick work is a major aspect of goalie, and a underrated one that I've noticed not enough goalie coaches put an emphasis on. Saving the ball is extremely important, but so to is the ability to get the ball out of the defensive zone. I make sure to take the time required to show each of my goalies the proper mechanics of throwing, and what types of throws are needed in every imaginable situation. From there I begin to train the goalie how to incorporate all of these aspects of playing the position into one cohesive style that is designed to maximize their playing abilities.

If I am working with higher level goalies, I still stress the fundamentals as well as the advanced skills needed to play at the higher levels. They too will be expected to walk the line prior to each session to get their legs warmed up and their minds ready to hop in goal. I start with a warm up that is designed around the goalie I am working with that day. From there, I use a pipe to pipe drill that was handed down to me by Hugh Donovan former MLL Champion for the then Baltimore Bayhawks. This drill really is one of the best drills out there, and a favorite of mine. It is designed to train the goalie to maximize their ability to attack the ball while keeping their hips square to the shooter. This is one of my favorite drills to do personally when I am in goal training. From there I run drills that are designed to improve the balance of the goalie and their patience. I do this by simulating D1 and professional level players shooting styles while on the run. From there I teach my goalies how to read a shooters body language, and how to use the knowledge of a shooters tendencies to their advantage. Any high level goalie will tell you that the way we save shots going 100+ mph is by reading where the ball is going before it even leaves the stick. After they have learned these skills, I go on to teach my goalies how to bait shooters into shooting where they want them to. I am a firm believer that goalies should turn the tables on the shooters by forcing them to react to where the goalie is. From here, I go on to train my goalies how incorporate all of these aspects of the game into one cohesive playing style that is going to maximize their ability the same way I do with my beginner goalies.