Pro Tips with Michael Lawrence
- Overusing a narrow stance creates an exploitable gap — the 'cuff area' between the glove and pad — that educated shooters now deliberately target with low shots.
- Michael Lawrence teaches a 2-set stance system rather than relying solely on a narrow stance, giving goalies situational options based on the play.
- A 'holding feet stance' is Lawrence's solution to prevent goalies from getting caught transitioning out of a tall, narrow stance when a shot is released.
- The narrow stance vulnerability is especially prevalent in junior hockey, where bad habits have formed around the trend.
- Lawrence recommends goalies develop a holding feet butterfly through dedicated drills, with stance selection varying by goalie size, skill level, and comfort.
We’ve heard a lot of talk about goalies adopting a “narrow stance” and the benefits of using it more right up to the NHL, but goalie coach Michael Lawrence of the OHL Sudbury Wolves noticed a couple of troubling trends in the way it was being used at every level.
While benefits of a narrow stance have been widely discussed, including improved mobility and less likelihood of getting “stuck” in a lower, wider stance, the reality is goalies are also getting caught either in, or transitioning down from a taller, narrower stance by shooters being educated on how to exploit it from distance with low shots just over the pads.
“It’s created this part of the game right now for shooters where they are going for that ‘cuff area’ between your glove and your pad when you go down and it’s because you are over-using a narrow stance,” said Lawrence, who teaches more of a 2-set stance system. “Guys are trying to make saves from that tall, narrow stance just because it’s a bad habit and it’s a trend we are seeing for sure, especially in junior hockey right now.”
With that in mind, Lawrence, who spent 10 years coaching in Switzerland’s top pro league and twice won the Spengler Cup with Canada before coming back home to the OHL last season, put together a series of videos for InGoal Magazine explaining what he calls a “holding feet stance,” and drills that will help goalies of all ages develop it.
We’ll start with the “why” and explain the benefits of a holding feet stance and butterfly with Lawrence, who runs Pro Goaltending in Ontario, on the ice with multiple cameras:
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