Your stance is the starting point for everything in goaltending. A proper stance allows for quick, controlled movements, efficient saves, and balance in all situations. We have three different stances in our toolbox to allow for maximum efficiency and effectiveness based on the situation. Let’s take a look at the three stances!
TALL STANCE
A tall stance is used when the puck is on the perimeter and there is no immediate shooting threat. By staying tall, goalies can maximize their vision, tracking the puck and reading the developing play without committing too early.
A tall stance is also crucial when there’s traffic in front. It allows goalies to look over or around screens, keeping their eyes on the puck when it’s in the top half of the zone. This positioning helps them anticipate passes, adjust to changing shooting angles, and react quickly when the puck moves to a scoring area.
✅ When to Use a Tall Stance:
Puck on the perimeter with no immediate shot threat
High-zone puck movement
Situations with heavy traffic or screens where vision is critical
✅ Why It Works:
Maximizes vision and puck tracking through traffic
Conserves energy
Allows quick movements and adjustments into neutral or shot stance.
NEUTRAL STANCE
A neutral stance is the most commonly used stance for goaltenders because it provides the perfect balance of mobility, readiness, and control. Positioned between a tall stance and a deep shot stance, the neutral stance allows goalies to adapt quickly to any situation on the ice.
This stance is ideal when there is a potential shot threat but a player may have other options.
A neutral stance typically involves feet shoulder-width or slightly more than shoulder width apart for most goalies with an athletic posture, allowing for maximum mobility and quick transitions into:
Tall stance – To improve vision when the puck moves to the perimeter and out of danger.
Shot stance – To be ready for a quick release from a more dangerous shooting area.
✅ When to Use a Neutral Stance:
When the puck is in a scoring area but there is more than just a shot option
When the puck is moving laterally in the zone, requiring quick adjustments
During a rush situations where both a shot or pass are possible
✅ Why It Works:
Maximum Mobility – Ideal for lateral movements like T-pushes and butterfly slides, allowing the goalie to stay square to the shooter. Easy to make small shuffles to stay square as shooters move laterally with the puck
Balance & Control – Keeps the goalie in an athletic, ready position.
Adaptability – Quick transitions into either a tall stance or a deeper shot stance depending on the play development.
SHOT STANCE
A shot stance is the deepest and most aggressive of the three stances, used when a goalie is anticipating an immediate shot. In this stance, the goalie is fully prepared to drop into butterfly to make a reactionary, blocking, or potentially sliding save in the case of a breakaway situation.
Goalies in a shot stance widen their feet to maximize coverage and prepare for a shot. Despite the deeper position, the goalie must still remain balanced and athletic. Goalies should not lean too far forward nor backwards. Weight should stay on the balls of your feet to ensure good tracking and body control.
This stance is ideal when there is a high-percentage scoring chance or a direct shooting threat, such as on a breakaway, a player who gets a pass in the slot, or a player who is on the rush and has no pass option.
✅ When to Use a Shot Stance:
When the puck carrier is in a prime scoring area and ready to shoot
During breakaways or shootouts when a shooter gets inside the hashmarks and is a shooting threat.
When defending quick-release shots in the slot
In high-danger situations where a blocking save or lateral slide may be needed
✅ Why It Works:
Maximum Net Coverage in high danger situations.
Reaction & Blocking Options – Ready for both reactionary saves (glove or blocker) and blocking saves with the body.
Let’s take a look at some NHL goalies using different stances throughout a play.
In this clip, Mackenzie Blackwood expertly transitions through all three stances as he reads the developing play:
Tall Stance: When the puck first enters the zone in high ice, Blackwood starts in a tall stance. This allows him to maximize his vision and track the puck without committing too early.
Neutral Stance: As the Wild player continues to attack, Blackwood shifts to a neutral stance, enabling him to make small shuffles to stay square to the puck carrier while remaining ready for a potential pass or pull-up.
Shot Stance: When the attacker drives below the hashes, signaling a likely shot, Blackwood drops into a deeper shot stance to maximize his net coverage and prepare for the save.
This sequence is a textbook example of how to transition seamlessly from tall to neutral to shot stance, maintaining balance and control throughout the play.
In this clip, Dustin Wolf demonstrates excellent stance management and decision-making while defending an in-zone play against the Sharks:
Tall Stance: As the puck moves around the perimeter, Wolf utilizes a tall stance to maintain clear sightlines around a screen, keeping his eyes on the puck the entire time.
Lateral Movement & Shot Stance: When the puck is passed cross-ice, Wolf executes a quick T-push to get across his crease and then transitions into his shot stance, arriving square and set before the shot is taken.
This sequence highlights Wolf’s smart decision-making and efficient stance transitions, making a potentially dangerous scoring chance look easy. If he had committed to a shot stance too early, he likely would have needed to slide over, risking exposure to the top portion of the net. Alternatively, without the tall stance to track the puck through traffic, he might have been late reacting to the pass.
This clip is a perfect example of how reading the play and using the correct stances can make all the difference for a goaltender.
A goalie’s stance is the foundation of every save, influencing balance, movement, and overall effectiveness. But it’s not just about having the right stance—it’s about knowing when, where, and why to use each stance effectively.
At the highest levels, goalies manage their stances so seamlessly that it often goes unnoticed. They make small adjustments throughout the play, staying balanced and in control at all times. In contrast, youth goalies frequently underuse their tall stance—limiting their vision and mobility—and overuse their shot stance, creating over aggressive goalies who are often times out of position.
Mastering stance management is about more than just technique. It’s about understanding the game, reading plays, and making strategic decisions in the crease. Small adjustments in stance can lead to major improvements in positioning, reaction time, and save efficiency.
Learn to manage your stances effectively, and you’ll build a foundation for elite goaltending.
Check out our Goalie IQ program and see how we can help maximize your toolbox.