No matter what sport you play, having a quick reaction time is important. Ice hockey goalies particularly need a fast reaction time and developing your reaction time can easily be done at home with a partner or parent! Grab a couple of tennis balls and you’ll be ready for some reaction drills!
Start with practicing your juggling Juggle for 10 minutes. If you have the 3 balls juggle down, start trying new tricks. Try juggling 2 balls with 1 hand (practice with your right and left hand), try juggling the three balls off a wall or the ground. Once you have a trick mastered, get creative and try out a new trick. New tricks keep your mind guessing what is coming next by eliminated the muscle memory aspect, improves your hand-eye coordination, peripheral vision, and focus.
Drill 1 Facing a wall, distance can vary depending on how hard you are throwing the ball and how hard you want to make it on yourself. If you are by yourself start with a basic bounce off the wall to yourself. Make sure to be in your goalie stance the whole time, hands in front of your body (like they should be in your goalie stance), and watch the ball he whole way into your hand by turning your head, don’t just watch it by moving your eyes! If you have a partner great! Have your partner throw the ball and keep the goalie guessing by having a random pattern with the throws.
Progression This one will require a partner or parent. Put on your glove and blocker. Place some sort of netting or target about 8 - 10 feet away from your blocker side and slightly behind you. Repeat the drill above by snaring every ball that comes to your glove side and directing every ball on target that comes to your blocker side.
Drill 2 You do not need your glove and blocker for this drill. This drill is in one of the videos below. Have your partner hold a ball out in front of them, shoulder high. Stand about a foot or two away from the ball and put your hands behind your back. As soon as your partner drops the ball you react as fast as you can and catch the ball before it hits the ground.
Drill 3 Have your partner hold 2 balls out in front of them, shoulder high. Place your hands about a foot away from your partner's hands. As soon as your partner drops the ball you react as fast as you can and catch both balls before they hit the ground. This drill can be modified by changing the height of the balls, making the balls uneven heights, varying the distance from the ball to the person catching the ball, dropping the balls at different times, and many more.
These drills can be made harder by using racquetball balls or reaction balls!