Goalies: How to stay cool in the crease?

[SnipesMalloy]

I have started playing goalie in ball hockey, mostly pickup and indoors. I wear pretty much all the ice hockey equip and not the lighter road hockey gear. The last couple outings this summer, I have been so close to barfing, I think because it's so hot in the rink. And I may have had heat stroke because of it... Are there a few things I can do to stay cool? How do you guys do it?

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[Beezeral]

What clothes are you wearing underneath your pads? For non-ice Hockey you should stick with gym shorts and a t-shirt. Also, hydration is key. Both leading up to playing and when actually playing. I wear my ice hockey pads when playing roller hockey and never have a problem staying cool.

 

[Howie Hodge]

As Beezeral says; stay hydrated.

Try pre hydrating, and maintain it. General rule of thumb is:

Drink 17 to 20 ounces of water 2 to 3 hours before you start your game. Drink 8 ounces of water 20 to 30 minutes before you start playing or during your warm-up. Drink 7 to 10 ounces of water every 10 to 20 minutes during playing. Drink 8 ounces of water no more than 30 minutes after you play.

Hope this helps.

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

On top of water mentioned above, i drink one Gatorade on my way to the rink. Especially when the temperature outside is on the high side.

Also you have to keep drinking water during the game.

 

[Howie Hodge]

On top of water mentioned above, i drink one Gatorade on my way to the rink. Especially when the temperature outside is on the high side.

Also you have to keep drinking water during the game.

Gatorade is good also; provides other nutrients we can deplete better than water can.

I used to drink a 32 0z Gatorade at least 2.5 hours prior to playing, and it helped immensely on hot days.

 

[SnipesMalloy]

Thanks guys for the advice! I thought I was hydrating enough. Not exactly keeping track of an amount. I sometimes feel like if I drink too much water before, then I will surely barf during the game.

I like the idea of a Gatorade before. I'll for sure try that.

And for equip and everything, I wear a jock, under armour t shirt, ankle socks, shoes, tendy pads, goalie pants, goalie chest protector, blocker, trapper, jersey, and road hockey helmet.

I just got a hair cut, maybe that'll help cool me down as well?

 

[Kurtz]

Thanks guys for the advice! I thought I was hydrating enough. Not exactly keeping track of an amount. I sometimes feel like if I drink too much water before, then I will surely barf during the game.

I like the idea of a Gatorade before. I'll for sure try that.

And for equip and everything, I wear a jock, under armour t shirt, ankle socks, shoes, tendy pads, goalie pants, goalie chest protector, blocker, trapper, jersey, and road hockey helmet.

I just got a hair cut, maybe that'll help cool me down as well?

I wear basically the same stuff as you do...but play without the Jersey. The Jersey bottles the heat and can even be a bit binding. Sure, you'll look a tiny bit smaller without it, but it doesn't really help you make the save...other than maybe a shot that goes directly under your pit...but how often does that happen, really? I think I let in a squeaker through every 3-4 games that could maybe have been stopped if I had the jersey, but in ball hockey, you're letting a dozen through anyway, so it beats killing yourself.

I've also seen a couple of guys that wear extra large mesh jerseys with really large pores. That would work too, I suppose.

Oh, and your pads could be slowing you down too. I recently bought an awesome set of ball hockey goalie pads that offer knee protection, and stay vertical when you go down on one knee in the same fashion that hockey pads do. Not cheap (for ball hockey equipment), but super light and offer more than enough protection for ball hockey.

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

Thanks guys for the advice! I thought I was hydrating enough. Not exactly keeping track of an amount. I sometimes feel like if I drink too much water before, then I will surely barf during the game.

I like the idea of a Gatorade before. I'll for sure try that.

And for equip and everything, I wear a jock, under armour t shirt, ankle socks, shoes, tendy pads, goalie pants, goalie chest protector, blocker, trapper, jersey, and road hockey helmet.

I just got a hair cut, maybe that'll help cool me down as well?

Just a random question? Are you playing on a full sized rink?

One thought i had...

I played in an outdoor road hockey tournament about a month ago and even though i am an experienced goalie in decent shape. I was gassed after two 30 minutes games. The rinks were extremely small. ( 3 parking stalls by 3 parking stalls). So i was unable to relax and catch my breath during the games and it completely depleted my body of all my energy after two 30 minutes games. I probably faced 60-70 shots between the two games because the rink was so small.

I had to play 2 more games later in the day but i was basically useless by that point because my muscles tightened up and i couldn't move anymore.

So if you aren't playing on a full sized rink and playing pick up with no stoppages... Maybe you aren't getting that 30-60 second break (e.g. stoppages of play, play at the other end of the rink) you need to catch your breath and get a splash of water.

If that's the case and you play for a long enough period of time you'll certainly burn out from exhaustion.

 

[HansonBro]

After the play leaves the zone, focus on breathing. Do your best to get your body back to its "rest" state

Good tips above, especially on pre hydrating