The Modern Understanding of Tracking
- Goalie tracking is scientifically defined as 'Object Interception,' a skill shared with baseball batters, tennis players, and soccer goalkeepers.
- Foveal (central) vision — not peripheral vision — is the primary visual system used by goalies when tracking a puck in flight.
- Three distinct visual skills — smooth pursuits, saccades, and fixations — work together during goalie tracking depending on game situation and shot location.
- Understanding the science of object interception allows goalies and coaches to train visual-cognitive skills with greater specificity and intent.
- Research from sports vision experts, including work referenced by Dr. Chris Woo (whose clients include Stanley Cup Final starter Adin Hill), supports applying cognitive science directly to goaltending development.
This article in our Goaltending Science series is from Brandon Thibeau, inspired by his work as the founder of the IQ Goalie e-digest newsletter series. Instagram: @IQ_Goalie
Thibeau is a former Canadian Hockey League and Canadian University goaltender. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s of Science degree in Physiotherapy. He is currently coaching U18 in Nova Scotia and is a Scout in the QMJHL.
T racking is an interesting topic. When you ask goalies and coaches for a definition of tracking, many different answers are given.
According to researchers in the fields of sports vision and cognition, Tracking can also be called “Object Interception”.
In simpler terms, an object in flight must be intercepted by the athlete and often directed to a desired location.
Some sporting tasks that fall under the umbrella of Object interception include baseball batting, cricket batting, Volleyball receiving, Tennis returns, Table Tennis returns, Soccer goaltending, Lacrosse goaltending and many more.
Let’s explore some scientific studies and concepts that can help us understand how Tracking works in Hockey Goaltenders.
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