3 Tips for Better Butterfly Pushes Today 

I am a lot like you, started as a stand up hybrid in the 90's. I had to learn butterfly pushes in my 40's. After a couple seasons frustration, I finally got private lessons from PGI in Edmonton, and a couple big things that clicked 1) The weight shift is WAY more exaggerated than it looks on camera. While learning especially, you want to start with the majority of your weight on your push leg, almost like you're going to get up on that leg. Once you get better, you learn the balance, and can decrease the weight shift. 2) when pushing, keep your lead leg/knee tense or stiff, which keeps your push from just spinning you in circles. As for toe ties you were talking about, I didn't like Brian's Smart Toes, or the HAL ties, the velcro kept coming undone. I made my own out of bungee paracord and parachute clips from Hobby Lobby. I will email you pics and a short video later VOG. Thanks for the videos!

Cool! I'm from Ukraine and speaking English little bit, but I understand you very well. You speak very accessible, thanks!

followed your tips, got my skates sharpened to 3/8" and it made a huge difference. Thanks

Look, rotate, push. Something goalies of all skill levels can practice! I'll focus on this next skate! Nice vid 👌👌

This is awesome. I played in high school and college in the late 90s/early 2000s and didn't touch the ice for 15 years until I randomly got the bug to buy gear last year. The position and the gear has changed so much. Any time I've tried to push or do something even resembling a push in the butterfly, the results have been hilarious. And I am seeing now that I thought I was supposed to flare that leading leg the whole time. Now that I see this video, and your explanation, it's clear why that made no sense whatsoever. Great stuff.

Thanks for the awesome tips!! I’ll definitely be going over this with my daughter as she has always struggled with these!!

I used to teach skiing (25 years or so). Started as a goalie at 55!!! With double hip replacements. I know, I’ve been called a lot of adjectives!!! I just wanted to relay my thoughts or your theoretical stills. In my view you’re a 10/10. The videos are clear as hell vs other coach that I’ve looked at. Probably much better goalies but lacking clarity I.e stand up vs butterfly!! He answers…just “because”. No explanations why!!! Really. Keep it up Francis LeGoalie Legault (out of Ottawa) Go Sens Go??

Great video! Re watched it before my first time back on the ice in a few years. Also appreciate the vocal renditions at the end! Keep it up man.

Weight distribution is also important when powering into the slide. I was always taught to keep your lead shoulder over your lead knee.

Cool set and good info. Thanks man

Very helpful. Thanks!

Recent subscriber to your channel, and I’m really enjoying the informative and entertaining tendy content. You’re probably the kind of goalie who cheers on the other goalie’s big saves. You’re my kind of guy. Keep up the great work!

You made an entire YT channel out of goalie content. That is totally awesome! And you have 5.5k subscribers...that is incredibly fast channel growth. Congratulations.

This is a much simpler way to put it. I feel a lot of people tend to over complicate and over explain the way butterfly pushes work. Thank you.

Thanks for making this video! (Yes, I'm a bit late to the party I know). I'm not a butterfly goalie whatsoever but my son is a new goalie and I know he's been struggling with improving his butterfly pushes. These seem like great tips to help him out 👍

I’ve stopped using those toe strap. Made a big difference for me. After a 12year break from hockey there’s a lot of new things to learn. Thanks mate

I loved the video VO, I have a few technical tips here. When rotating, my style lets me strategically throw my shoulders to be square or over shoot slightly, then I tighten my core to rotate the bottom half of my body keeping the whole "ducks on water" type of play. This will help get a larger faster rotation along with allowing for my choice of staying in the butterfly or using a t-push to get out of the butterfly (if the puck is out of harms way) If I decide to stay in the butterfly, if you shift your weight and get your chin to your push leg knee, this will shift the center of mass to be closer to your skate giving you the same outcome as getting a hollower skate cut and a much more "safe" explosive movement. This is major for me as I am 50/50 on my feet vs butterfly. I can do so much footwork where I developed these small technical things so that I can fly around the crease! This is also something I teach my high school goalies. Also IT IS IMPERATIVE for everyone's health to have loose toe ties at an inch or more, or if you like the tight feeling, elastic toe ties will do the job. this reduces immense amounts of stress on the hips and ankles. This helped me when I came back from a dislocated ankle alleviating pain and with my rvh being painful for my hips in certain angles (i.e. on fast wraps where I needed to seal as fast as possible, your hips will tend to fall into the post instead of going up into the post.) The elastic will let your ankle flex while keeping your hips and leg where you want it. Keep up the great content!

Awesome in depth content love it 👊🏻

Great don’t stop I really love your video!

I’m not a goalie myself but I am a goalie dad. I’ve learned a lot of new stuff from your channel. Thanks for all the info.

I feel totally awesome, thanks Wayne. :)

Enjoyed your video and there are some great tips for an old goalie coach who only slid into second base.

I use a 1/2” cut. I love it.

Wow i cant believe how much u helped me im 52 and clearly getting old always been a hybrid goalie and now iv learned something ill let u know monday how thing went and if it helps

Outstanding job, guy. Just got cowling-free skates and I'm working hard on these pushes. Hoping and expecting this will help. Thanks again!

That really helped

Love you videos. Keep them up. I'm a beer leaguer as well.

This is something I was really struggling with, thanks Wayne!

i love u plz make more vidios it is helping me a lot. Thanks

Great video definitely helped

Dude that duration bit really helped it click for me. When I try, I end trying to make it too explosive instead of focusing on keeping that blade in contact with the ice until the equipment breaks it! Trying that this weekend! Thank you!

May have been mentioned before but along with hollow, I highly recommend getting your skate blades (runners) profiled also. Changing the crown on your skate will help with pivoting and shuffling while enabling you to cut a deeper hollow so your push offs get that grip or bite we’re all looking for. Love your stuff!

Just discovered your channel and I love it! Very informative, plus your interests are similar as I do video production (great VO voice btw!) play goalie and I think I saw some Star Wars figures in the background! Keep the great content coming!

Keeping the skates sharp is a great tip, another option to the deeper hollow is offsetting the hollow... if you move the center of the hollow towards the outside of the skate it makes for a taller sharper inside edge and a shorter outside edge which makes them great for bite on the ice when you need to push and easy to shuffle when you want to slide. Sharp skates and dull skates all at the same time. ;) Our skates are sharpened every 2-3 weeks, when you get use to it and the edge goes, you know it, it makes a huge difference.

Hi I’m new and this video helped me, so thank you and you got a new subscriber!👍🏻

Can't stress enough the "sharpen your skates" point. As a beginner I thought I was doing something wrong until I sharpened them. This is the most important tip for pushes.

Hello !, I am a bantam goalie, and I did hockey for 3 years ( 1 goalie year ). My rookie year I was immensely complimented for my skills, everyone thought I was a year 3-4 goalie. So I was going great, got 2nd place in a big tournament, and overall proved my worth as a goalie. Bam, I moved. This place was 100 degrees every day, no ice rink ( Belize ). I was super sad, the thing I loved and was good at was gone. A year later, I moved to Mexico. I learned Spanish, spent time with family, and well, has a blast. But I still couldn’t play hockey because they didn’t have a team, Literally like no one knew hoe to skate. I was feeling depressed from school and my parents, and without hockey. I just moved back from where I was originally, realized, I missed Peewee ! I started training for hockey season to arrive. Another person also wanted to be the main goalie, I didn’t think I’d get it cause I was away for 2 years, and they had been the goalie last season. I somehow managed a 90% save rate, while they got around 50-60%. I was surprised to hear I got head goalie. But, I noticed that, their .. skill level hasn’t been going up. So I have time to I prove my stance, strength, and skill to STAY head goalie. I’m having a hard time with padslides n stuff, so these videos really help !!

You've earned yourself a new subscriber. 🤟 New goalie myself . Not even 3 months in net this far. My butterfly pushes are pretty much non existent 😂

the last time i was in goal is some 38 years ago,only had the pads and skates they gave me,now i know why the goal tending has changed so much.i wonder how much lighter it all is now

Really hoping you can do a video involving inline hockey, specifically for sliders vs no sliders, and whether or not toe ties and boot straps help or hinder

Thanks! I'm a 36yr old trying to do exactly this! I know I need to improve my butterfly pushes, but these pointers will really help!

Beautie channel. I'm self taught beer league goalie. Just found your channel your advice is great going to hit the ODR tomorrow to tweak some stuff. Thanks !!!!

Great video! Should I be pushing more with the heel or ball of my skate blade?

Used to play back when i was younger, and looking at getting back into it (~7 years off). I was never able to do this, i always spun in circles instead of laterally. Any tips on how to not spin?

Do you have a how to power push video?

Step Steel blades also help a lot with attack angle and allowing your blade to stay in contact with the ice for a longer period of time.

I just started this year and I kept turning when I pushed off. I looked up how to get better butterfly pushes and learned that if you really tense up the side of your chest to which you are goung (almost like you are about to get punched, HARD), it makes it a lot easier.

Is this by chance the Haverhill High rink?

Is there anything which can be applied to your pads to make them slide easier??

What I struggle with is do a follow up push (2 in a row, opposite direction). Any tips?

Iv watch it 3 time today... And now im cant wait to tomorrow to try everything.... Im pretty new to goalie and im askimg myself how tight are your pad strap? I think i straped them too tight

No listen you are totally awesome

you just gotta feel that edge

My 10 year old just started. Hes wearing warrior G4 juniors with an older pair of high quality Csnadian made Bauers skates. Problem is the G4 toe strap doesnt fit through the skates front opening. I have to put through the arch/middle. I think this is making it too tight. So in butterfly, he cant get the blade to the ice. Just picked up a new pair of CCM skates with a good toe and heel opening. Going to reset everything tonight. All that said, he had some great saves. He let 4 by in his first league game, but hes playing with some really talented kids.

I can’t seem to slide directly to the right or left. I seem to always end up “pivoting” in my spot. How do I learn to go directly to the side? (Less than beer league. Only open hockey. Old school stand up goalie learning something new.

It’s hard sometimes because your skate doesn’t go the way you want to

Shockcord toe tie are awesome.

How tight or how lose should my sons heal strap be? He’s pretty well lined out on all his straps tightness to get his pads to feel and rotate correctly but I’m not sure how much to snug up on his heal strap.

my 8 year old son, & I are enjoying your videos. He's is trying so hard to learn to butterfly slide like this. Would you happen to have any tips/videos for goalie parrents? 😉 I have never played but my son loves it, & if i could learn how to help him become better would be awesome.

VOGoalie sounds like George Washington in AoE III lol

I'm 44yrs old, just like you just a beer league goalie that taught myself how to play butterfly when I got rid of my old koho pads for my rbks. Now my son 13yrs old is in his first year of any sort of hockey, he got asked to play in net and sure enough he loved it and shows an interest in it. He's really smart with his angles, shuts the 5 hole down pretty effectively and decent with his glove and blocker. I even caught him once trying to put his head infront of a shot when he was down and out so fear doesn't get in his way. But being a small 13 yr old he really needs to learn to move sideways in his butterfly and recover to his feet quickly. I'm having a hard time trying to get him to execute the butterfly slide, I'm just not good at teaching it I guess. Any tips for a little kid?

Man, watched this this morning and didn't even realize, that's Graf Rink!

holly your step steel extreme

Theres are a number of comments on the tea of skate sharpening and hollow, as one who works in a hockey shop, there are several bad ideas through this thread. A deep hollow does not ensure a sharp edge, it just means thee is more that can dig in. Sharp edges come from getting the blade ground, and only stays for a limited time on the ice. A 5/16 hollow is very deep, limits other goalie movement, such as shuffles and puts strain on the joints over time. A shallower hollow, like 5/8, my personal preference will give good grip, and is maintained but sharpening the skates more often. I sharpen mine every 4-6 skates. As for an "offset" hollow, even Henrique Lundquist, was moved out of this by the Rangers, and very quickly. Theres a reason the pros are moved out of these.

Some great tips, but the most effective thing to understand when you are learning the butterfly slide is to keep your center of gravity over your five hole. If your weight sits over your leg down knee you wont be able to dig you skate in the ice and will likely spin in circles

I use a 5/8 cut.

i used to practise these everyday when i started playing goalie once you learn it, you never do it on purpose you just do it now

Do you have any tips for reading the shooters on breakaways ie; dekes?

Holy crap that’s my high school teams home rink

I have a hard time shuffling left and right if my skates are sharp, how do people skate with that sharp skate?

Can you do reverse skills?

You should be a goalie coach! Great video

I miss you : (

Wayne I started a channel and would really appreciate if u would look also show us how you tape your stick

"Even flow, thoughts arrive like butterflies, oh he don't know, so he chases them away"

what pads are those?

I get my skates sharpened every week and thay are still always dull what can I do to ceep them sharper longer?????

Look, extend, retract, push, follow through with second pad.

Yo

Here a tip put weight on pushing leg

How the hell did you get the time to become a great goalie with a portfolio of tips AND get the voice of a professional radio/podcast host!?

I look like that last push.. i just cant seen to do it.

Great video, with a level of detail that a lot of pro coaches don't include in their videos. well done. please don't sing anymore.

Yeah. My weakness !!! Shooters forget that !!! I see a Grammy coming your way. LoL

I am better now

Is this your real voice

some pads slde better so if they work for you use those pads

The oriental version of Dwayne the a Rock Johnson. Great voice. Do you do voice overs? Duh? Felt like a commercial.lol

I'm really stuck on goalie pushes. Ty Bublitz not Sean

0 dislikes gj

3/8”

And I dreamt I saw the bomber jet planes riding shotgun in the sky, turning into butterflies above our nation.

I just seem to spin around instead of slide across ;/

I’ll give you much better advice. DON’t use the butterfly. Just look at all the shots up high that get in. Use a combination for standup, crouch and go down when you need to. Standup and learn standing up skating from one post to another. Watch the old time goaltending on RU-vid. One the greatest books ever written for goalies was from the Great Jacques Plante, called goaltending. Hard to find, but even today, it’s a great book.

Bro your voice is so creamy. I’m getting into goaltending myself after 15 years away and I have to say things have certainly changed. I bought all new equipment and Hi got my field back relatively quickly but my first get out I had to use player skates. Just picked up my goalie skates. Back on the ice on Sunday coaching. I’m using your videos as reference since I find you very informative and your voice once again very creamy lol

Great tips.

Thanks for making this video! (Yes, I'm a bit late to the party I know). I'm not a butterfly goalie whatsoever but my son is a new goalie and I know he's been struggling with improving his butterfly pushes. These seem like great tips to help him out 👍