Back-Up Goalies

Has anyone paid attention to the backup goalie other than the pre-game warm-up?
More often than not, I’ll say never.
Back Up goalies are usually the most ignored player on the court during games. Honestly, I sometimes forget to talk to them when I’m focused on my game. It should not be this case.

All Back Up goalies listen up. You still have an important role to play here. You should be vocal & be involved in the game. 1st, You can help your teammates prepare their game by psyching them up.
Work with your goalkeeping partner to develop a routine to encourage & pump each other up.
Scout the opposition’s goalie and tell your teammates his/her weakness.
Learn to improve yourself by studying the game and both goalies on either end. Never stay on the bench and enjoy watching the action go past like a spectator. I hate it when people do that. Go join the stands if that’s what you do.

Even when you’re not scheduled to play, take the pre-game warm-up seriously. You never know when you’ll be needed to enter the game. When that happens, a well prepared goalie will fare better than one who’s not ready. Remember this, a backup not playing well will only seal his/her fate as one (unless injury hits the first choice).

A tip for coaches here, you can task your backups to help you with statistics or intelligence gathering on opponents. Develop yourself to be a better coach by making use of stats info.

I know its tiring & unfair for back-ups to be spending so much energy on a game that you’re not likely to play. But without this attitude to humble yourself and learn from the game, you’ll deepen your learning curve and take a longer time to achieve your target.