Topic: blocking the rollover

[tonyfromak]

Who has the highest percentage blocking the best rollovers in the world? And why is that?

[snake eyes]

Louis Cartwright and he uses a defense called the curly shuffle. No BS watch some of his matches "king  louie" was a dominant goalie and also had a great 2 bar.

[foozkillah]

Louis Cartwright and he uses a defense called the curly shuffle. No BS watch some of his matches "king  louie" was a dominant goalie and also had a great 2 bar.

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curly shuffle? How many years since King Louie's been on tour ?  I dunno, but the past few years, and against technically perfect snakes, I'd say Todd, RobM, and other premier goalkeepers are the only ones anymore THAT I'VE SEEN LATELY, who could consistently fight off all these snakes at the top world level...  Spredey's and Billy's and Ryan's .. etal... And a lot more clean, smooth snakes out there from the young'uns and up-n-cummers... helped by the availability of streaming events and the archived vids ...
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I'm sure Louis could get right up there again,  if he dusted off and started playing on tour again.. but it seems different  the past few years with these snakes... and the defenses in the Open events.. a lot more percentage D, whether with shuffling or baiting, but still always spending the highest percentage of their 2bar and Goal figure blocking 2 of the 3 major lanes that the forwards shoot.  Not so much feathering anymore in between 2 lanes..  And that percentage D works on the basic level for pulls and pushkicks too..  the Goalkeeper does his/her best to find the forward's shooting lanes for whichever shot is favored, and strives to ALWAYS be blocking 2 of the 3 main shooting lanes at the time the forward shoots...  Shuffle, shake, bait n jump, predictive or whatever.. the defender still has to be blocking 2 of the 3-4 basic lanes at time of the shot.
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why? Coz those are the lanes that that forward has shot for in practice, pickups and matches... for hundreds of thousands of times, prolly for years on tour..  (no idiot practicing on shooting the 3/16 lane or the 17/32 lane... etc .. ).. the best in the world practice the same lanes most players do.. Only the best world players have much tighter more defined lanes than most and more at their disposal.;
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A great confusing shuffle that seems to waste time not blocking lanes might work on this forward or that forward, or some big hole baiting D that switches, but then there'll always be a forward who doesn't care.. and just shoots his/her shot.. and if you're not defending 2 of those 3-4 lanes a high enough percentage of the time... You get shredded...
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And that's what usually separates the pros/PM's from duffers.. they play percentage, just like almost every sport/game in the world that involves direct combat or faceoff..  They are WILLING to concede a certain percentage of either passes or goals scored.. as long as they are in good defense.  Duffers will freak and get a hernia to get that dream, totally shut down the opponents' 5 and brick the forward's 3. This may actually happen for a good duffer, for 1 DYP night or 1 pickup night out of 300, and then he/she wonders why the other 299 times they can't seem to anticipate everything...  But then that's why they're basically idiots trying to play hero ...

[Old Meister]

If you shoot a rollover you know what you look for to trigger your shot. I look for a weakness in the pattern. I want to see it after a bit, not right away as baiting usually is in the middle of your time allowance. So, keeping that in mind, when blocking I like to set up a pattern just long enough to let them make up their mind and then change everything. Now they are looking and reconfiguring and then switch back again at that perceived point. Now they either have to go for a shot they aren't sure of or call time out as the time is running out. That is the key, make them decide and then make them decide again. Next possession, you go at it differently. You work it, play games with them and have fun doing it so they know you are doing it to them. I hope this makes some sort of sense to you,,,

[tonyfromak]

Thanks for the info. Do goalies have a technique for moving fast to long holes, but not over running the hole?

[Old Meister]

If the forward is good then racing is probably not a good technique. But the truth is you need a number of techniques and have the ability to switch back and forth and at different speeds to create a random presentation that is hard to figure out. Then the trick is is to let them think they figured something out and use that to block the shot you caused them to take. I sometimes stop watching the movement of the forward and watch my spacing and movements instead. I want to see what he is seeing. I don't want to react to him/her, I want them to react to me. Let them see a hole, even consciously let them see the same one in the same scenario on a couple of possessions. You can really get deep into the game playing and it is fun. Be herky jerky like you will over react but then don't, be middle speed and smooth with deceptive small movements that make just enough doubt to give them fits. Work with what works when you see that they are waiting for a certain change that they like. Make them shoot when and where you want them to shoot.