Minor hockey coaches are forever working to find the formula to create the most effecient practice possible. Drills are picked because they specifically work on one particular skill and players receive a high number of reps practicing that skill, while other drills are used because they incorporate so many useful skills and game elements; a lot of bang for your buck.

I am constantly analyzing the drills I run in practice, and trying to identify how I can get a little more out of it next time without losing any of the elements that it already has. With my background being in goaltending, I find that an easy way to modify a drill to get that "extra little bit" out of it is to get the goalies more involved, without necessarily putting more shots at them.

A couple of years ago, one of the coaches on our staff remarked that our U11 goalie "doesn't compete" as hard as he should in team drills. That it shows in the speed at which he gets up after making a save.

Upon reflection, I realized it is because we didn't really intentionally practice getting up quickly, or diving to make a save. Sure, when we worked with him individually, we worked on quick recoveries, but that was only when it was 1 : 1 coach to goalie time where he was instructed exactly what to do. In scrimmages and games, he would scramble to keep the puck out of the net, but the puck could often find its way out of the zone before he was back on his feet in a set position. So we began building scramble and recover opportunities into our drills. 

An easy way to do this is to simply change how you put a puck into play to begin a drill. Take the 1 v 1 battle drill below. 

 Coaches love battle drills. They are competive, and allow for many teaching points. Many of these drill begin with a coach pushing the puck into the corner, and the rep begins. 

The primary focus of a drill like this is defensive positioning, puck protections, compete levels, etc... But I ask the question, how can I work in a goalie skill outside of, "stopping the puck"? 

So we begin the drill with the goalie starting in a sprawled position. He is lying flat on his stomach, leg extended, and rather than pushing the puck into the corner, the coach fires a puck of the goalie's pad, which rebounds into the corner. The goalie now has to recover to their feet, find their post, and the drill continues exactly as it would elsewise. 

All of the same elements listed earlier are still worked on for the players, but now the goalie is working on more than simply, "keeping the puck out of the net".

 A progression from here would be to have the goalie simulate a 2 on 0, and slide over into the sprawling save. The coach can wait in the same spot for the goalie to slide, and then shoot the puck off the sprawled pad. This once again has the goalie working on a few more skills leading into the battle that occurs. 

These ideas can be transfered into any kind of drill. We incorporate the concept of getting our goalie involved right from the beginning of the drill in skill development and special team work. It helps keep goalies engaged in practice, and help them get game-like experiences as well.