Are coaches unknowingly holding their goalies back?
In this solo episode of the LAX Goalie Rat Podcast, Coach Damon Wilson shares the 12 most common mistakes he sees youth and high school coaches make when developing lacrosse goalies. While these coaching habits are usually well-intentioned, they can stunt a goalie's confidence, technique, and long-term growth.
From unrealistic expectations and poor shooting drills to neglecting mental training and limiting stick skills, Damon breaks down practical ways coaches, parents, and goalie coaches can create an environment where goalies thrive instead of merely surviving.
Whether you're a coach, parent, or goalie, this episode offers actionable insights that can immediately improve goalie development.
In This Episode
- Why goalie is a specialty position that requires dedicated coaching
- The importance of giving goalies individual instruction during practice
- Why unrealistic expectations damage confidence
- How poor shooting drills create bad habits
- Why goalies should participate in wall ball and line drills
- The danger of blaming the goalie for every goal
- How coaches unintentionally increase game pressure
- Why honest communication builds confident goalies
- The importance of physically training goalies—not just taking shots
- Why goalies need opportunities to fail during practice
- Teaching mental toughness alongside save technique
- Developing stick skills and confidence outside the crease
- Why every goalie develops differently and shouldn't be forced into one style
The 12 Ways to Destroy a Goalie's Development
1. Neglect the Goalie
Goalies need specialized coaching. Simply sending them to face shots without instruction isn't enough. Every practice should include dedicated goalie coaching focused on stance, positioning, movement, and technique.
2. Place Unrealistic Expectations on Them
Expecting inexperienced goalies to make elite-level saves only creates frustration and self-doubt. Coaches should set realistic performance goals based on the athlete's current level of development.
3. Use Unrealistic Shooting Drills
Standing shooters 10 yards away and letting them repeatedly fire time-and-room shots doesn't resemble game situations. Practice should recreate realistic shooting angles, movement, defensive pressure, and decision-making.
4. Exclude Goalies from Stick Work
Goalies need strong stick skills just as much as field players. Wall ball, passing drills, catching, throwing, and dodging all improve clearing ability and ultimately make better goalies.
5. Blame the Goalie for Everything
Every goal is a team responsibility. Defensive breakdowns, turnovers, missed slides, and poor communication all contribute to scoring opportunities. Constantly blaming the goalie destroys confidence.
6. Put Extra Pressure on the Goalie
Telling a goalie the outcome of the game depends entirely on their performance adds unnecessary stress. Coaches should help reduce pressure—not increase it.
7. Play Mind Games
Goalies deserve honest communication. They should understand where they stand on the depth chart, what they need to improve, and why coaching decisions are made.
8. Underwork the Goalie
Simply seeing shots isn't enough. Goalies also need athletic development, reaction training, conditioning, hand-eye coordination, footwork, and explosive movement training.
9. Never Let Them Fail
Growth happens outside the comfort zone. Practices should challenge goalies with realistic shot speed and situations where they won't save every ball, allowing them to build resilience and improve weaknesses.
10. Ignore the Mental Game
Mental toughness is every bit as important as physical technique. Coaches should actively teach confidence, recovery after mistakes, positive self-talk, and emotional resilience.
11. Never Let Them Leave the Crease
Modern goalies must be comfortable handling the ball, leading clears, dodging pressure, and making smart decisions outside the crease. Stick skills have become an essential part of the position.
12. Coach with a "My Way or the Highway" Mentality
Every successful goalie doesn't look the same. While fundamentals matter, there are many effective styles of play. Great coaches teach principles while allowing athletes to develop techniques that fit their strengths.
Key Takeaways
Goalies Need Specialized Coaching
Goalie development requires far more than simply taking shots. Dedicated instruction, technical feedback, and purposeful drills lead to long-term improvement.
Confidence Is Built Through Smart Coaching
Reasonable expectations, honest communication, and positive reinforcement allow goalies to develop confidence instead of fear.
Practice Should Mirror Games
The closer drills resemble real game situations, the more transferable those skills become on game day.
Mental Training Can't Be Ignored
Teaching goalies how to respond after mistakes is just as important as teaching proper save mechanics.
Individual Style Matters
Every elite goalie shares fundamental skills, but each develops their own unique stance, movement patterns, and style. Coaches should encourage individuality rather than forcing every goalie into the same mold.
Memorable Quotes
"Goalie is a specialty position, and it deserves to be coached that way."
"Confidence is developed through realistic expectations."
"If you can't explain what skill a drill develops, it's probably not helping the goalie."
"Teaching mental toughness is just as important as teaching save technique."
"Coach the fundamentals—not identical styles."
Who Should Listen
This episode is perfect for:
- Youth lacrosse coaches
- High school coaches
- Goalie coaches
- Lacrosse parents
- Youth and high school goalies
- Club program directors
- Anyone responsible for developing young goalkeepers
About the Host
Coach Damon Wilson is the founder of LAX Goalie Rat, where he helps lacrosse goalies, parents, and coaches develop better fundamentals, stronger mental games, and smarter training habits through online coaching, camps, podcasts, and educational resources.
If you enjoyed this solo episode of the LAX Goalie Rat Podcast, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, leave a review, and share it with a coach or parent who wants to help goalies reach their full potential.
