Majoring In The Minors

As a goalie, you’re constantly fine-tuning your game, working on your stance, your positioning, your reactions—but are you focusing on the right things?

Too many goalies get caught up in minuscule details that don’t move the needle, while ignoring the big-picture habits that truly lead to success.

It’s time to stop “majoring in the minors” and start focusing on what actually makes a difference.

What Does “Majoring in the Minors” Mean?

It’s when goalies obsess over small, insignificant details instead of focusing on the core fundamentals that lead to success.

Examples of majoring in the minors:

❌ Worrying about how your glove “looks” instead of improving hand positioning and tracking.

❌ Changing your stance every week instead of perfecting what works best for you.

❌ Blaming your performance on tiny gear adjustments instead of focusing on reaction time and positioning.

❌ Spending hours on flashy, one-off drills you saw online instead of working on the core fundamentals of crease movement, puck tracking, and save execution.

When you waste energy on things that don’t significantly impact your game, you’re missing out on what really matters.

What Should You Be Focusing On?

If you want to take your game to the next level, focus on big-picture fundamentals that separate elite goalies from the rest:

✔️ Puck Tracking & Vision – If you can’t see it, you can’t stop it. The best goalies in the world excel at tracking the puck from the shooter’s release all the way into their body.²

✔️ Efficient Crease Movement – Great goalies don’t move more than they have to. Mastering your edges, getting set early, and taking clean angles are way more valuable than gimmicky drills.¹

✔️ Game Situations Over Isolated Drills – Yes, technical drills are important. But if you’re not applying them in realistic game-like situations, they won’t translate when it matters.³

✔️ Consistency & Mental Toughness – Goalies who control their emotions, reset after mistakes, and maintain a structured mindset win more games.³

✔️ Proper Recovery & Preparation – Success starts before you hit the ice. Sleep, nutrition, and off-ice training play a massive role in game-day performance.⁴

The “80/20 Rule

In business, there’s a concept called the Pareto Principle—80% of results come from 20% of the efforts. The same applies to goalies:

✅ 80% of your success comes from the fundamentals: tracking, movement, positioning, and mental preparation.

🚫 20% (or less) comes from minor adjustments, flashy drills, or aesthetic details.

When you focus on the 20% of habits that drive 80% of success, your game improves faster, your training becomes more efficient, and you develop skills that actually matter when the puck drops.

Key Takeaways

✔️ Stop obsessing over small, insignificant details that don’t impact performance.

✔️ Focus on tracking, movement, positioning, and game situations—the things that actually win games.

✔️ Apply the 80/20 Rule to make sure your energy goes toward the most important skills.

✔️ Train smarter, not harder—major in the majors, not the minors.

Thanks for reading.

-Dr. Jamie

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