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RSG Development Levels

Advanced (RSG2)

If they are still having a lot of difficulty in these three basic areas then they should join our Foundations program which focuses on laying down this technical foundation. If, however, these goalies have established strength in these areas then they are probably ready to enter our Advanced program.

The emphasis of the Advanced development level is to refine technical skills while taking the participant's positional and post-save game to a higher standard. It is in these areas that goaltender’s often find their greatest technical gains. Improving both shot preparation and post-save efficiency leads directly to greater performance consistency. During ice sessions, athletes will engage in a program focusing on technical refinement and tactical training. Participants will begin to gain greater control of save executions, recovery and position-specific movements that drive their positional efficiency. Sessions will concentrate on goaltender mobility (pre-save and post-save) and establishing stronger & more consistent position with an emphasis on center-net play. In this development level, goalies will be introduced to a more sophisticated approach to their development, not only through the technical work but also as they assess both sides of the puck. The ability to read the play effectively allows the goalie to dictate the flow of attack. Finally, positioning while down will be introduced in this level to begin the process of driving a goalie’s positional recovery skills forward. This development level is for goaltenders who have established a base of strong fundamentals. Specifically, goalies should have strong basic skating, goalie specific movement and save skills.

The Advanced program is designed to take a goaltender with a strong fundamental base and begin to introduce more advanced teachings in the areas of:

  • Shot preparation

  • Puck control/Post-save response

  • Tactical responses

  • Transitional skills

There are some categories of goalies that should enter this program. They include:

Young goaltenders between the ages of 7 -11 years of age who have 3 years or less experience as a goalie

Goaltenders under 11 yrs of age who have never attended an RSG program

Goalies who have never attended a specialized goaltending program

Goalies who are on the bubble between Advanced and High Performance but have never been to one our camps 

High Performance (RSG3)

High Performance represents the third level in our development program. This program works towards honing tactical and transitional skills and expediting a goaltender's physiological and psychological resource development. Goaltenders are expected to have outstanding technical skill and be in superior athletic condition prior to registering for this program. Participants must be at least 12 years of age to attend. On-ice, goalies will embark on a detailed analysis of shot preparation and positional play to see how it can be properly integrated into their style of goaltending. It is here that goaltenders will begin to calibrate their “up” game with their “down” game. This is done by integrating highly efficient down mobility into their game. These modern methodologies represent the forefront of goaltender development. Dynamic post-save response blends with the goalie’s primary objective which is to occupy space and then be reactive, as required, off of this core coverage. Offensive and defensive strategies will be reviewed to determine how to play a greater role in team transition while tactically, creative stick use is established. Finally, this program will interface with the participant's physical and mental preparation for upcoming training camps and the season. The High Performance program is designed for amateur goaltenders who demonstrate outstanding technical skills. To be eligible for this program goalies must be at least twelve years of age and demonstrate highly refined skills in the areas described above. They must be playing at the highest level for their age bracket (e.g.AAA, Travel Team, Varsity High School, etc.). This program takes the areas that were introduced in the Advanced development level and applies a greater and more sophisticated emphasis.

For example:

  • Advanced Positional Play

  • Advanced Positional Play while Down

  • Advanced Shot Preparation Skills

  • Development of a Center-Net Game

  • Dynamic Post-Save Response

  • Enhanced Body, Angle and Depth Components including enhancing width and compactness

Here are some examples of goalies that should enter this program. 

They include:

Goalies must be at least 12 years of age

Goalies who have attended RSG in the past are more likely candidates for this level

Goalies with a strong “Level of Play” indicator who have attended previously and who have strong backgrounds in experience and previous goalie camps

Goalies who demonstrate strong aspirations to compete at higher levels

Goalies who are on the bubble between Advanced and High Performance but (a) previously have been to RSG camps (b) have attended strong goalie camps. These goalies should be more aggressive with their camp choice

Goalies who are on the bubble between High Performance and Elite but (a) do not have outstanding indications of being a prospective player due to size, level of play,experience, athleticism etc. These athletes may be very well schooled, however, and have strong technical skills so that the High Performance is better suited for them than the Elite Level.

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