Letters from goalkeepers

I e-mailed you before about how to get better but I have a few more questions. I was playing Basketball, after the water polo season was over, instead of playing winter water polo. I quit Basketball because I missed water polo too much. Just recently, after 1 1/2 months of not practicing, I got back into the goal. It was harder than it was 1 1/2 moths ago and I didn't block very many shots. I've watched your DVD "Water Polo Goalkeeping: Skills, Drills, and Angles". What can I do, at home, to get back into shape? How can I get better in practice when field players and goalies practice together? I know that passing drills in practice help and so does treading water, but what else can I do? Thanks a lot.

In the off season I played a lot of basketball (and I played hard), ran long distances (hard), and road my bike. Weights help but be careful with them. Cardiovascular strength is most important (that is why all the basketball and running). Coming back to the water is always hard for the first few days/weeks. Water leg strength takes time to develop. If you don't have the leg strength in the water you will be on your hands too much and you will find it difficult to block the shots. This is because you are too heavy on your hands (or heavy hands). In other words your hands are too deep in the water.

I just started to try goalie this year for my school's water polo team. I watched your DVD (Water polo Goalkeeping: Skills, Drills, And Angles). I also printed out your workouts. Every day in practice I do the side to side drill, offset drill, pull downs, and lob shots, but I just can't seem to block much except for the balls going over my head and every now and then a left corner shot. I can not block right corner shots very well and lob shots are hard but I can block a few of those. What should I do to improve these areas?

First must come leg strength. That is what helps to keep your body up. Without leg strength, blocking balls will be very hard. As you are doing side-to-side, are you looking at your hands as they reach for the corner? How are your hands placed? As you would to block a shot? Side-to-side teaches you the size of the cage, the ability to block the second/third shot (you can't block the second if you can't block the first, so this is a skill that will develop over time), and it is a conditioning drill. It is a drill that after doing a set of 6 to 10 (you should be working on doing a set of 6 as hard as you can and working on placement of hands and body as outlined in my video) you should fill winded, rest for about 15-20 seconds and do another set, repeat this 4-6 times daily. The off set drill is only good if you can reach the corner when doing side-to-side. If in side-to-side, you can't reach the corner, don't do the off-set drill. Pull-downs is an explosion up to "yank" (or pull) the ball down. You should do this hard for 5-10 minutes. Are you tired after doing pull-downs? Are you walking laps?

I have a clinic at Westlake HS in Westlake Village, CA on Nov 13,14 2004(click on http://www.wpgoalie.com/clinic%20signup/sign-up%20for%20West%20Lake%20HS,%20CA.htm for registration) and at Wheeling HS in Wheeling, IL on Jan 29, 30 2005 (click on http://www.wpgoalie.com/clinic%20signup/sign-up%20for%20Wheeling,%20IL.htm for registration). At my clinics you will see me perform the drills, explain the drills, and have me watch you and you also get to watch others do the same drills.

Hey Steve,

I'm having trouble blocking the close corner shots. They either go above my hands or under my arms as I'm
coming out of the water. What can I do to reduce this?

Hi Hailey

In my clinics and on my DVD I explain this shot blocking skill. You need
to use the angle to your advantage by making the cage a 9 foot cage instead
of a 10 or 11 foot cage. This is done by turning your shoulders ever so
slightly back into the cage and taking an angle that will put your hands
just behind the side bar. By doing this you can cover more of the cage by
going a shorter distance and you won't hurt your hands on the bar.

If you have been to my clinics this is something we spent a lot of time on
because it is very important to understand how not you hurt yourself with
the side bar. Many goalkeepers shy away from the post and it is a big cause
of not blocking corner shots. If you are having shots go under your arm you
might be committing yourself too early and if they are going over your head
it could be leg strength. This are also things I cover in my clinic and
video. The pull-down drill we work on the clinic helps in this aspect.

Thank you for your question. Please let me know how this helps.

Steve Hamann

Steve- I'm looking for some drills Sean can do on his own this summer to help build leg strength and quickness for the fall. During the season, we do a lot of jumping and strength drills (touching corners, walking the ball across the cage); I'm wondering if there are some drills to focus on reaction, staying light on your hands, and "blocking the second shot".

Light hands are created by making "white water" and not having "heavy hands". This is a very fast action of the hands on the surface of the water to keep the body balanced thus leaving the hands ready to move to the ball. One drill to work on this is to line 4 shooters parallel to the cage 4-6 meters away, each with a ball. Each shooter is to shoot at the cage as you whistle for each shot. Shorten the time between each whistle. This is a way to keep the goalkeeper moving to block the next or second shot.

week, and during today's practice, we were doing rear-backs and wet shots.
I wasn't doing too good on the wet shots, because I realized that I never
learned how to do them. if you have time, could you explain to me how to
defend a breakaway or 1 on nobody situation. In Illinois, this is a big
part of the game, because there is so much speed and not as much set-up
offense, so it would be great if I could stop them. thank you very much. also,
could you maybe explain how to angle myself in the cage. I always seem to drift
to the near post and end up right on top of the post, which leads the back
side wide open. I know we went over this in the camp, but I just want a little
refresher course on the shooters' angles. thank you.
sincerely, Corey

HI Corey

First your movement in the cage. You must find a focus point at the other
end of the pool to center yourself. I have used a light fixture behind the
cage at the other end or the lane line (if there is one) that is directly
under me when I am in the center of the cage (I can see the line under me to
help center myself). I also quickly turn my head ever so slightly to both
sides to center myself. As I move left or right toward the corner I reach
out with my hand trying to find the post. This helps my movement to the
corner.

Off the water shots, inside water, break-a-ways (one on you), WET SHOTS--the
drill "pull-downs-in-the-cage" that we did three different times (or maybe
twice) is the drill I use to develop the skill to stay up. It is all legs
and light hands at this point. Your body must be in a vertical position,
hips down (not up behind you as for an outside shot), hands light on the
surface of the water and your legs holding you up. The pull-down drill is
one you must do everyday with sets (1, 2, or 3) of at least 10. Size is a
most important aspect of this drill and for wet shots. Hands light, body
up, and work like a "mad dog".

On the one on you shots, you must not commit. The drill we did when we
committed ourselves and tried to stay up, is one you must work on.
Remember-first we tried to stay down and not take the fakes, they we changed
the drill to jumping up and tried to stay up. That is up you need to work
on. Time, it takes time and leg strength.

How do you develop leg strength-easy/HARD and make sure you work each lap to
your best ability. Do not "dog" this drill.

I hope this helps. If I can fill in with more help, please continue to
write.

Good luck and let me know how you are doing.

Steve Hamann

I was just wondering if you knew any good workout's that will build endurance in a goalies legs. I have the strength to get up to a high level. I just need to be able to stay at that level.

Thank You
Mike

Hi Mike

If you have strong legs the next thing that would help build endurance is
taking lots of shots without rest. Work every shot hard and learn to take
most if not all the shots during a 20 to 30 minute shooting drill. During
this period work on your ability to maintain good height out of the water.
On outside shots, my back and shoulders are out of the water. I want to
show good size to the shooter to put doubt in his mind. The other thing
that you must learn to do is to keep your legs kicking as you explode up.
That is very hard to do but it can come with practice. In my clinic and
videos I work with the above ideas.

Thank you for your email. I hope I was of some help. If you have other
questions, please send them to me.

Steve Hamann

Steve,
I attended your camp in Victorville, CA, I remember you saying that if we
have any questions we could e mail you and well, I have a question. I am
going to women's open in Moraga, CA and my coach is working on legs with me
but I was wondering if you had any drills that would help with reacting and
"quick hands".

Hi Kendra

Quick hands first require a strong leg base. The drills we went thought at
the clinic to develop leg strength would be a good place to start for leg
strength. The two hand pull-down drill, I feel is a great drill for me to
work on my hand speed. You can also do drills out of the water. Standing
on the pool deck with someone in front of you point quickly and you react to
where they point. Also standing on the pool deck with someone close to you
tossing a ball around your head and you reaching for it. A hand slap drill,
my hand under your hand-I try to slap the top of your hand and you try to
pull your had away before I can slap your hand.

Anything you can think of that helps with hand-eye coordination would work
well.

I think the two hand pull-down is the best: you work on leg strength,
blocking the second and third shot, quick reactions, creating good size in
the cage, etc. It is a great drill.

I hope I was able to help, thank you for your email and please continue
sending your questions. Remember your questions make me think of ways to
help.

thank you

Steve Hamann

Hi, I'm Ryan from Malta I'm 17yrs old and I'm the national goalkeeper of the u/18 team. I read the goalkeeper workout and its really interesting and I learnt some skills which I never was thought of. I read as well the Clinic outline unfortunately to attend this clinic for me its a bit difficult because it's a bit far but im preparing to go abroad for a training camp of about 5 months but I still don't know where, my club is helping me to find a club possibly in Hungary or Italy but my problem is the I'm scared that I wont improve enough. I would like your advise maybe you know a good club in Europe which gives importance to goalkeepers. Last April I played in the Junior European Championships in Portugal and it was my first experience to play water polo abroad and I did well although we didn't qualify with a penalty during the golden goal. This year my team (Sliema A.S.C) won the league and I'm the reserve goalkeeper and I play with the u/17 and u/19 team which we won the league as well. Im feeling a bit pressured because the 1st goalkeeper of the senior team is soon going to retire in like 2 years so I need to improve. I'm not afraid of this but I would like to know how you used to handle this type of pressure, I'm sure you played in great finals. Thanks for your interesting site because it helps a lot of young goalkeepers like me to achieve their dream.

What you need is someone who can show you basic skills. There are just a few things that you must do very well. Leg strength, the ability to control side shots (bad angle shots), off the water shots, plus the second and third shot. You want to be big in the cage on some shots (close in shots, 6-8 meters straight in front of the cage) and be very sly on outside bad angle shots (make shooters feel that they have a good shot and take it away from them. I love that move). You must learn from watching other goalkeepers and shooters. Try to figure out what the goalkeepers do well and how to do it and what mistakes they make and try not to make them. Learn from how the shooters shot. There are not that many different types of shooters (most types of shooters can be put into 3 or 4 types of groups).

Dear Steve,
How would you go about strengthening your legs. I want to be able to jump so that my torso is out of the water, I can only explode to the middle of my stomach.
Thank you,
Tara

I want to thank you for all your insight at the clinic we had at SJSU. I continued to work with all the girls on your techniques throughout our preseason training. We completed our preseason with scrimmages at Stanford a few weeks ago. The goalies did an outstanding job, and greatly in part to what we learned at your clinic.

I want to share one particular play because I think you will appreciate it! Nicole was in the scrimmage against Stanford and it was the second quarter. There was a cross pass and shot (near side) and Nicole did a great job baiting the shot and diving to cover it. She blocked it but the ref attempted to call it a goal. He motioned and blew the whistle. Nichole wouldn't have it...she picked up the ball, didn't even look at the ref and the girls countered...and she sold the ref!!! He just let it play on! It was great. In all honesty she probably blocked it inside the cage but she had two hands behind it, and the ref wasn't on the goal line. I think you would have loved it. Overall, the goalies did a great job, we had lots of blocks and

Now one question that has arisen a lot is when do you square up on them verses baiting the near side? Is there a rule of thumb? I have been telling them if they are outside of the post...and not walking it in on the 4 than drop the shoulder. What do you tell them? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Now to your question, 'when do you bate and when do you square up?' It is a feeling. When I feel good, really good, and I mean I feel really great, when I feel I have the "edge" on the shooter, I bate a lot. When I don't feel I have the "edge", I play a lot more honest or "square up". It comes with a lot of practice and a lot of errors in practice. Until the goalkeeper knows that cage, it is very hard to teach the "when". When I know the cage (I can feel where I am, I can sense the post, I know where my defense is, I can glide across the water with minimal use of my hands), I will know when it is time to bate and I will know when it is time to be honest.

Lets look at a right handed shooter on the goalkeepers right side, as the shooter moves further to the right (creating a "bad" angle shot, that is, in favor of the goalkeeper) and further out from the cage, the more the goalkeeper can move to their left. As the shooter moves more to the goalkeepers left (creating a "good" angle shot, that is, in favor of the shooter) and in toward the cage, the goalkeeper must move to their right. As the shooter moves closer to the cage (and the shooter is still outside of the cage width of the cage), the goalkeeper must start to feel for the right post with the right hand. It is very important that they do not move out of the cage to try to cut off the angle. If the goalkeeper tries to cut off the angle by moving out, they will open themselves up to a lob. We do not want to give shooters too many options for their shot.

So as they (the shooter) move more to the outside, I will move a little to my left. As the shooter moves to my left, I must move to my right and at the same time feel, with my right hand, for the right post. As the shooter moves towards me, I must stay "home" to cut off the lob. A lob close in, if the goalie is out, is a very, very high percentage shot and "we" don't want to give that to "them".

I hope this helps some and please email me if I have not given you what you need with your question or if you have other questions. I started to write this yesterday and I am sorry I did not get it off then but I had to leave to see my daughter play volleyball for Mendocino College in their last league game. They won and have ended up in a 3-way tie for first at 12 and 2. My daughter, Jaclyn, and her team played very well. I am a proud Dad.

At my last clinic in Portland, OR. I discovered another great idea on how to
explain to others on how I use my hands as I am preparing for a shot--as I
am 'sculling', I create a lot of white water and what I am doing with my
fingers is pointing them up. Two things are happening: The white water is
mostly air bubbles thus when I pull my hands out of the water to block a
shot, I am pulling my hands through mostly 'air'. Second, with my fingers
pointing up I am slicing through and not pulling my hands up (like you would
if you are swimming do the pool). Try this: put your hands about 4 inches
under the water and pull up. You should fill a lot of resistance as you
bring your hands up. Then create a lot of white water 'sculling' and pull
your hands up!