Parents: 5 Reasons your Child is Great in Practice and Struggles in Games

What do you hope I don't disappoint you here? Because this isn't so much about how can you solve the problem. Maybe we could get into that into a in a future session, but we'll see what you say when we're done here. This is really just answering the question, why does my child thrive in goalie sessions but struggle in games? A parent recently asked this on the Goalie Parents Canada Facebook group, and it stood out to me because in the comments, one reader, very kindly, thank you, linked to our episode of the podcast with Dr. Saul Miller.

And, and I thought they were absolutely right and on track that this is a common challenge and the mental side of the game plays a huge role in it. Now now there's no single answer without knowing the specific goalie, the type of training they're getting, the level they play at, but but there's some general thoughts I have as to why this is happening. First and foremost, I wanna say it's normal. Many goalies feel great in practice and then struggle in games, and that shift can be confusing and frustrating for both the goalie and, quite frankly, their parents. But it's not a sign that they're a, quote, unquote, bad goalie.

It happens to goalies at every level, and helping them deal with the situation soon is important. And number two, games add pressure, chaos, and unpredictability. In a controlled goalie session, the pace and difficulty are intentionally set at a level that your child can largely manage. So they make enough saves to feel good about their game but miss enough to show that they're being challenged. And that's just good coaching.

Now, of course, most of the shots they see are clear, predictable, and designed to work on specific skills, while the game is the opposite. Players are everywhere. Sticks and bodies block vision. Pucks take deflections. And even at young ages, the play can shift angles constantly, especially for the younger kids.

And, Woody, ask beer leaguers too. One rush might look like an NHL release coming in on you and the next, like a knuckleball from a falling beginner. It's rarely this distinct, of course, but the unpredictability of the game can take years of experience to handle. Number three, back to the mental game, it matters a lot. As goalies move up, most can stop anything they see clearly, and the difference becomes the ability to read the game and what's happening between the ears.

Even small amounts of worry, self doubt, or overthinking create hesitation. Hesitation in movement and in processing what's happening in front of them, and hesitation leads to goals. Goalies have to play in a flow state, something maybe we could talk about in the future. As Woody likes to say with a nod to Top Gun, if you think out there, you're dead. Or perhaps we should say, if you think out there, someone with a striped jersey will be pulling the puck out of your net.

mindset work with a sports psychologist or a mental skills coach can be a tremendous investment. Ideally, I would say before things start going sideways because it's much easier to stay on track than to pull a young goalie out of a spiral.

And, of course, the internal struggle is hard enough, but we all know goalies face immense external pressure from teammates, coaches, and as you get older, team management who think that more than one goal in 10 shots means you're having a bad game automatically, and they let you know it. That's why mindset work with a sports psychologist or a mental skills coach can be a tremendous investment. Ideally, I would say before things start going sideways because it's much easier to stay on track than to pull a young goalie out of a spiral. Number four, confidence is fragile, especially when practice and game results don't match. If a young goalie performs well in sessions but struggles in games, they'll eventually start questioning themselves.

And once that happens, the game stops being fun, which is the last thing we want. That's not to say we have to protect them from being scored on or losing games, but we do have to give them the skills to handle it and to evaluate their performance independent of results. Us moms and dads need to learn this too. Number five, reading the game takes years. Goalie sessions teach foundational skills, efficient movement, tracking, save execution, typically clean, predictable scenarios.

the ability to apply those skills in the chaos of a real hockey game comes through game reps. Goalie coaches are increasingly adding more game like play and goalie sessions, but it's still not the same.

It's true right up to the pros, and that's okay. The game is built on a foundation of basic skills, but the ability to apply those skills in the chaos of a real hockey game comes through game reps. Goalie coaches are increasingly adding more game like play and goalie sessions, but it's still not the same. And ironically, at the youngest levels, they can be the hardest to read because the players often don't know what they're doing. We, of course, have mentioned before hearing this about the transition just from the American League to the National Hockey League where the game is much more predictable.

Now if that's happening to goalies at the highest level of the game, imagine what's happening to your younger players. Playing the game is simply much more difficult than goalie training. Final thoughts. This is a long journey. It takes years to master the skills of goaltending, and it takes time to develop confidence, composure, and the ability to evaluate performance beyond goals against or wins and losses.

Support your goalie on the mental side of the game as much as the technical side, and it will pay off for years. Hang in there. It's a rewarding path, but it's not an easy one.