Why the center shift on aerial shots is so important
As a goalie coach, I find one of the most challenging elements to relay to young goalies is the center shift on mid to high shots. Young'ins love to use their hands to stop pucks, but seem hesitant to use a shift in their upper body to be more effective in tracking and trapping aerial pucks.
The center shift is a mainstay now with many butterfly saves for shots along the ice, but it is often ignored when a shot is released off the ice. Younger goalies may find it challenging to shift by releasing their set position to move their body core towards the new line of the shot. There is a coordination challenge for them to track and catch/trap a puck while they're in motion themselves. In addition, since the center shift, if performed while still in one's stance, should be done with a short shuffle to maintain squareness, many younger goalies find it difficult to not open up into a t-push (their default lateral movement).
Why do most goalie coaches prefer to see this center shift on high shots. I see its advantage in five areas.
- Less holes. When a goalie reaches or extends they open up more holes in and around their arms. They may also lose stick control and lose important 5-hole coverage.
- Balance. When a goalie has to extend to make a save, they may move to much weight outside their center of gravity. They may find themselve unready to make a post save movement or worse, end up on the ice in a prone position.
- Better angle on tips or deflections. Even pucks shot off the ice can be tipped and deflected. An extend arm save has little chance to make save on a tipped shot by itself, but with more body core centered on or near the deflection point the goalie has a better chance to make a blocking save.
- Hand-eye coordination advantage. This point was raised very well in Zach Sikich's Prohybrid Training Series. As well, many baseball players will attest to the importance of having the head/eyes closer to the object that one is trying to get a hand on. By shifting the body to the puck, the eyes are getting closer to the puck-line thereby enhancing the hand/eye coordination. The shift also allows the goalie to catch or block the puck with the hand ahead of the body. Many extension saves with the hands actually make contact with the puck behind the body line. This poor hand position makes it even harder to track and catch the puck.
- Forcing the shot read. As a coach, I like to see my goalies focused on the game and being proactive rather than just reactive. By coaching small movements and constant readjustments, it forces the goalies to really focus on the puck and its trajectories. When your whole body is involved in the game, you can't help but keep your head in it as well.
Principle: Trust your reactions but hedge your bet with your body!
The Achilles Principle of Center Shift
After writing the previous entry on the center shift for high shots, I immediately attended a session where I worked one-on-one with a very well-trained Pee Wee goalie. When I finished my standard plan for the day, I found I had extra time so I thought I would work with him a little on the center shift for high shots.
It was a concept that he already understood very well from previous goalie instructors in the local area. I did notice one element that may adversely affect the center shift comment. An issue of over-driving on the center shift where the goalie instead of shifting to defend one side of the net actually shifts over so far that they end up protecting the goal post rather than the net.
My young student with excellent movement fundamentals could easily drive over too far on high shots taken from the reactive zone. While this allowed him to get his whole body in front of most of the shots and even gave him a chance to reach wide shots, I thought to myself that the center shift could be taken a little too far. I was especially concerned that if there was a tip threat or deflection possibility on the offline shot, the goalie could be too far over to react or even reach a deflection that went back across the grain. In addition, while experienced goalies may be very efficient in their movements, the excessive movement could be an unnecessary waste of energy.
The problem was compounded when the goalie used a butterfly slide center shift. He quite often overpowered himself, and while reaching most shots with his hands, he ended up spinning on his knees and losing squareness. This situation would put him in a poor position to react to secondary shots or rebounds.
To that end, I thought about Zeno's Paradox of Achilles and the Tortoise. It basically outlines a mathematical paradox where Achilles is in a footrace with the tortoise who has a head start. The story describes the paradoxial principle, "That which is in locomotion must arrive at the half-way stage before it arrives at the goal." Aristotle. While not exactly the same, I felt that the goalie should only need to shift over 1/2 the amount the shot is off the center shot line. If the shot were to reach the goalie 30 centimeters off the centerline (middle of the net), the goalie wouldn't need to shift more 15 centimeters to maximize net coverage.
This principle could also be used if there is a tip or deflection that changes the direction of the shot.