Between the Pipes Newsletter:
May Edition
"Momentum goes both ways.
Don’t move, feel sluggish. Start moving, feel like moving a little more.
Don't talk, feel timid. Start chatting, conversation gets a little easier.
Don't ship, feel stuck. Start creating, ideas begin to flow."
James Clear
The Power of Being Present
“Important thing is to not to look back in the past and try to focus in the present moment and capitalize on the opportunities.” – Novak Djokovic, tennis player.
Goals
Shots
Matchup
Being present can help athletes to stay focused, block out distractions and leave the stresses and worries of everyday life behind when it is time to perform. This allows athletes to access the optimal mindset for elite performance, placing all of their concentration on their game.
Check out this great article about how to stay in the present moment.....
Kobe Bryant on being present in stressful situations
Stay Ready So You Don't Have To Get Ready
Sergei Bobrovsky was the Florida Panthers goalie for much of the season. At the end of March he became ill and missed extended time. His backup, Alex Lyon stepped in and carried the Florida Panthers into the playoffs. During the final eight games of the season, Lyon went 6-1-1 with a .942 save percentage and 1.87 goals against average. As a result, he was given the starting job in net in their opening series against the record setting Boston Bruins. Bobrovsky, a two time Vezina winner (NHL's best goalie) and a future Hall of Fame candidate, had this to say upon his return “I am getting ready and waiting for my chance. I am happy for Alex and happy for us. This is a big deal and it did not come easy." He could have very easily sat back, complained and blamed other people for being benched. Instead, he supported his teammate/team and waited patiently prepared for his opportunity.
That opportunity would come in game four, with the Panthers trailing in the series 2-1. In that game, Bobrovsky was less than stellar giving up five goals on 30 shots for a 83% save percentage. In his post game press conference, instead of hanging his head in defeat Bobrovsky mentioned his team needed to "work hard, play one shift at a time and be patient" to climb out of the 3-1 series hole. The Panthers did just that, winning three games in a row, including a Game 7 on the road, knocking off the number one seeded Boston Bruins. Bobrovsky was stellar in between the pipes saving 33 of 36 shots including big stops in overtime.
Bobrovsky battled through adversity and showed up when his team needed him most and because of that, they will advance to the next round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. His head coach Paul Maurice had this to say about his performance “The leaders carry the weight of your team. He needed to carry that weight, and he was brilliant.”
The moral of the story.......Stay ready so you don't have to get ready!
Testimonials:
Why Focus Lacrosse
Hoyt Crance Yale '19
As an accomplished player and coach, Tim Cassi has developed an incredible understanding of what it takes to become a successful goalie at all levels of the game. Whether you are a young goalie who just stepped into the crease, a coach looking to learn more about the position, or an accomplished goalie looking for additional pointers, Focus Lacrosse is an excellent resource detailing the goalie position. Throughout my high school career, I could always rely on Tim to find issues with my game and create effective drills to eliminate these issues. Without a doubt, I can say Tim/Focus Lacrosse played a critical role in my development as a goalie and was a major reason I was able to play Division 1 Lacrosse.
MIAA Goalie- Incoming College Freshman
I have been working with Tim at Focus Lacrosse for 4 years. He was hands down the best goalie coach I had throughout all of the years I have played goalie. I liked Tim more than other coaches because he teaches you to focus on the one thing that actually matters, seeing the ball. Of course proper stance and play style is great for younger kids, but when you get older it is hard to find a coach that can teach you more. He constantly would come up with creative drills to help me lock in, see the ball and save the ball more than ever before. The ability to see the ball and save it, sounds like an easy concept, but one that is often overlooked and very challenging to do. Due to his creative drills, it allowed me to think about the goalie position differently, and allowed me to have great success in the cage. Having a better understanding of how to track and see the ball, helped me get out of playing ruts, because he taught me to only think about moving my stick and body to where the ball is going.
GW Mix - Former MLL President and GM/ Former UPenn and Franklin and Marshall Head Coach
Tim Cassi is one of the most effective and innovative goalie coaches I have ever been around. He constantly works to enhance the mental and physical drills and exercises he incorporates into his goalie training sessions. For almost ten years, Tim has been consistently developing some of the best goalies in Southern California, including a number of US Lacrosse All-Americans, CIF Champions and NCAA Division I starters. If I wanted to play goalie at the highest level possible, or wanted to be able to coach kids to achieve that same goal, I would spend as much time as I could learning from Tim Cassi and his FOCUS program.
Focus Lacrosse Online Platform
The Focus Platform includes access to content for players and coaches to help goalies see and save the ball and coaches teach it!
