Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 11/23/11
Staff Report
What can goalies do to prepare for the spring campaign in the off-season?
Plenty, says legendary Greg Cattrano.
Cattrano, the former Philadelphia Barrage world champion and NCAA Goalie of the Year at Yale, held his Co-Ed Goalie Clinic Sunday at Shipley School. A group of several dozen boys and girls worked on Cattrano’s motto: becoming more aggressive by attacking the ball and developing a positive attitude.
Cattrano, who is returning to Shipley for his third Co-Ed Clinic on Jan. 15, said that during the winter months goalies can continue to work on staying focused by strengthening their mental approach.
“The season is a few months away and goalies can start getting into the right mindset for the position even if it’s cold out,” he said. “I do a lot of visualization. I will be sitting on the couch watching TV, thinking about someone shooting on you.
“I did this before games on the weekend. Before I even stepped onto the field I saw every shot. Nothing surprised me. I visualized every type of shot I could see. That definitely helps when you get on field especially in the offseason when you’re not seeing shots.
“You just can’t sit back. My whole philosophy is that the more aggressive you are, the more saves you make and the more inspiring you are to your team. It’s inspiring watching a goalie that is fired up rather than having them sit back with their head down.”
Cattrano was a member of the Major League Lacrosse champion Philadelphia Barrage in 2004 and also was a standout for many years with the Long Island Lizards and Baltimore Bayhawks. Cattrano, a three-time MLL Goalie of the Year, also was a member of the US World Cup team in 1999 and was the NCAA Goalie of the Year in 1997 at Yale.
Leave a Reply