Dallas Ice Jets

It is no secret that the sport of hockey has changed over the years. It is now faster, the players are more creative and they shoot the puck a lot harder and faster so the position of goaltending has also evolved. Goaltending is the most critical position in the game of hockey, so these athletes that guard the net deserve the best instruction.

The goaltending difference
At the Ice Jets Academy, we teach everything about both the art and the science of goaltending. We believe that goalies should be taught to master all skills necessary to play the position. The more skills you have, the better you will be throughout your playing career. Our Academy goalie training program' provides young aspiring netminders with a blueprint for long term success. The core of our teaching is to objectively work on specific fundamentals and goalie techniques that will develop consistent play and provide goalies with the tools to enhance their conditioned response to game situations with the end result being saves.

Unparalleled goalie instruction
We offer our goaltenders the necessary coaching and more hours of goalie training than almost any program in North America. Goaltenders practice five times a week for more than two hours a day with their respective team, which includes one hour per week of individualized instruction with Goalie Coach Billy Pye.

Teaching the principles of goaltending
Our Jets Academy has developed The “Principles of Goaltending” from which we teach the position. With three main laws, we can teach goalies of every style, ability, size, and shape, where other programs and coaches can only teach their "way" of playing the position. Look no further than the NHL to see that Martin Brodeur is different from Ryan Miller, who is different from Marty Turco, who is different from Roberto Luongo and so on. The fact is that many different "styles" are successful and there isn't one that is better than the others. We believe that a goalie should develop under his own style, thus we will teach the methods that best fit the individual goalie’s style of play. All goalies are different. Different sizes with different abilities thus they play differently. We believe that there is a time and place for every fundamental move in the goalie’s repertoire, so it is our obligation to teach all saves. This is the art of goaltending.

We also teach the different situations under which a goalie will make every type of save. At the Jets Academy we teach them all. We use a multi-dimensional approach to goaltending - a fusion of old school fundamentals combined with new age movements. We know from experience the real reasons why goalies should do certain moves and those reasons are the principles of goaltending.

Progressive goalie fundamentals
In order for goalies to be successful in stopping the puck, we teach "progressive goalie fundamentals,” which means working hard to perfect all aspects of the position. While the game has changed over the years, the importance of skating, positioning, anticipation, and rebound control remain the building blocks of the position. Knowing “how to play goal” is as important as physical skills.

We strive to provide goaltenders with the ability to become more than just one-dimensional shot blockers, but rather develop them into consistent, successful goaltenders with a wide range of options and knowledge of the position. We know that consistent skill development does not come by accident. It is the result of correct coaching, skill repetition, intelligent practice design, and dedication from the student to learn in a fun and competitive environment. We teach the goalies to play the situation, rather than just simply trying to block the puck, and that at the appropriate moment in a game a goalie must use every fundamental save technique within his tool kit. For our Academy goalies, we provide direction for understanding the more intricate details of goaltending and knowledge of the intangible skills necessary to be an effective goalie.

On-ice training
On-ice goalie training includes:
•    skating movements
•    stance
•    finding the angle
•    depth awareness
•    rebound control/recovery
•    butterfly
•    body rotation positioning
•    pad saves
•    glove and blocker saves
•    butterfly slides
•    blocking versus reacting
•    transitional play/tight situations
•    wrap arounds
•    breakaways
•    traffic situations
•    playing the puck
•    reading the shooter
•    game awareness
•    importance of off-ice training.

Laws of goaltending
We build upon the three laws of goaltending:

1. Athletic movement
2. Precise positioning
3. Efficient save execution.

From these three laws we teach the five principles of goaltending:
•    maximize net coverage
•    maximize first save ability
•    maximize rebound control
•    maximize recovery
•    master timing.

We believe in providing goalies with instruction surrounding all the basics of goaltending and working in a progressive manner. We also are very selective of the drills we perform on the ice to ensure that the goalie practices each drill in a fundamentally-correct fashion. We truly believe that 'practice alone doesn't make perfect, but perfect practice makes perfect. The number of repetitions of a drill is of little significance if the drill is not properly completed. To that end we believe in a lower number of repetitions performed with technical perfection and with greater intensity.

For this reason, all of our drills encompass the three main components of rapid skill development:
•    Short intervals to keep energy and focus high
•    Competition for high intensity
•    Game situational for transferring practice skills to game saves.

Drills that encompass these three components ensure that our goalies get the best possible training in addition to the immediate instruction and feedback they receive.

Ice Jets Academy goalie coach Billy Pye
When putting together a goalie-specific training program, the most important aspect is the coaching. Billy Pye has been the leader in goalie training in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for the past 10 years. With his extensive playing background on junior, college and professional teams along with his intelligent teaching methods, Billy understands what his goalies needs are and equips his students with the necessary knowledge to ensure development.

Academy goalie advantage
It has been often said “goalies are just targets.” Most coaches just want one thing from their goalies: "stop the puck!" With that being said, a goalie is not likely going to win over the wishes of his coach, himself or his team unless he works hard and gets consistent training from a proven goalie coach. At the Ice Jets Academy we offer our goaltenders the necessary coaching and more hours of goalie training than almost any program in North America. Goaltenders in the Academy practice five times a week for more than two hours a day with their respective team, which includes receiving one hour a week of personal goalie training with Coach Pye.

With the Ice Jets Academy our goalie training is built into our program and allows each of our netminders to maximize their abilities. We strongly believe consistent practice utilizing proper techniques and a high number of repetitions over the course of a hockey season will raise the level of our goalies. Come experience the Ice Jet Academy goaltending difference and train yourself to be unbeatable.