What separates a good lacrosse goalie from an elite lacrosse goalie? In this short blog, I am going to uncover what I have observed is the single most important factor.

Without wasting your time, I’m going to give you the answer right off the bat. So if you just want the answer, you can stop reading in about 10 seconds, but if you want to explore the WHY, stick around.

Simply put, elite lacrosse goalies are willing to put their body on the line, regardless of the circumstance of the shot. That’s the answer. They are fearless and put their team and winning the game above all else. But what does this actually mean?

Putting your body on the line means that you are willing and disciplined enough to be in the right position. There are 2 factors in positioning when it comes to lacrosse goalie: actually physically knowing where to stand, and then having the balls to stand there. knowing that the ball may hit you. This is the factor that coaches time and time again don’t address. Knowing where to be is one thing, actually doing so in a live shooting drill or game is a whole different ball game. At the end of the day, you need to put in the reps and be honest with yourself. Did I shy away from the ball, or did I put my team above myself and take up as much cage as possible?

The 2nd component of putting your body on the line is being willing to make use of your body to make saves when your stick is not a viable option. Picture this: The shooter catches the ball off a quick skip pass at 5×5. They catch the ball and quick stick it 2 inches to the left of your leg. Should you use your stick to make the save, or should you use your leg? I say your leg, not because I want you to get hit by the ball, but because as a human being, you literally are not capable of moving your hands fast enough to that shot. It is a more efficient use of your energy to simply step to the ball with your left leg and soak it off the shin. You can apply this same logic to all kinds of different scenarios, but at the end of the day, the elite lacrosse goalie has no problem doing this, while a good lacrosse goalie will often try to use their stick. 

The truth is, I’m only scratching the surface with this blog. If you want to learn more about the mental side of the game and take a deep dive into what it truly means to be a fearless lacrosse goalie, my new book is perfect for you. The Fearless Lacrosse Goalie takes a look at 8 different perspectives from d1 and national team goalies and the tools that they use to stay locked in for all 4 quarters, conquer the fear of the ball, and to bounce back from adversity fast under the fire of a live game. You can get your own copy of the book here.