Learn the butterfly recovery in hockey goaltending: getting up from the butterfly over the leg in travel direction. With milestones, hip care and equipment.
The butterfly recovery is the way from the butterfly back onto your feet: you get up over the leg in the direction of travel so that head, hands and feet already point to the puck again. It decides whether you are still in the game after a shot and a rebound.
The honest answer to “Isn't getting up just getting up?”: no. If you simply push yourself up, you stand too late and look in the wrong direction. The Hockey Alberta goaltender guide breaks the recovery into six points: eyes and head turn first to where you want to go; the lead leg is pulled under the body; elbows stay against the body, hands and hips point in the direction of travel; you get up with the outside, back leg, push directly with it and stop only with the lead foot [1].
There is also biomechanics on the recovery: in 14 goaltenders on the ice, hip internal rotation in the recovery was clearly smaller than in decelerating while skating or in the butterfly itself [2]. That means: the recovery is the friendliest of the three movements for your hip, as long as you perform it cleanly.
You recognise a good recovery by the fact that the next shot does not surprise you.
You kneel in the butterfly: eyes on the ice, chin in front of the knees, knees together, pads flared outward, elbows against the body, hands in front of the body, stick on the ice [1]. Milestone: ten clean butterflies in which the posture is right on video.
Before your body moves, you turn eyes and head in the direction in which you want to get up [1]. The body follows the gaze. Milestone: your coach shows you a target, you turn your head there before you move, five times in a row.
Pull the lead leg under the body. The elbows stay against the body, hands and hips point in the direction of travel [1]. Milestone: ten repetitions in which the hands do not sag backwards.
You get up with the outside, back leg and push directly with it. You stop only with the lead foot [1]. Milestone: ten recoveries in each direction in which you arrive in the stance without an extra step.
Your coach shoots, you go into the butterfly and get up as soon as you see the rebound. That corresponds to the tracking principle of the guide: you follow the puck after the save and start the save process anew [1]. Milestone: in seven out of ten rebounds you reach the stance with your eyes on the puck.
The hip is the goalie's most sensitive spot. In a measurement of 14 goaltenders, hip internal rotation when decelerating while skating was 54 % greater than in the butterfly and 265 % greater than in the recovery [2]. A survey of 132 goaltenders and 43 coaches showed that 25 % perceived the butterfly as very or extremely demanding on hip and groin [5]. Warm up hip and groin, increase the pace only slowly and stop if your hip or groin hurts. This guide explains and motivates, it does not replace supervised training or a coach.
Practise the recovery first in slow motion with a pause at the intermediate step. Hold briefly when the leg is under the body and check whether hands and hips point to the target. This is coaching experience, not a study.
The movement from the butterfly back into the stance. You get up over the leg in the direction of travel, with your gaze, hands and hips already towards the puck [1].
According to the Hockey Alberta guide: head and eyes first, the lead leg under the body, elbows against the body, push off with the outside, back leg and stop only with the lead foot [1].
Less than decelerating while skating: hip internal rotation was clearly smaller in the recovery than in the butterfly and in decelerating [2]. A warm-up remains important anyway.
No. After every save you must be ready to follow the rebound and start again [1]. When you get up depends on the game situation.
Full goalie equipment including a mask. Masks varied in protection depending on impact location in one test [3].
Learning the Blocker Save: Steering the Puck into the Corner with the Stick Hand