The first video I watched changed my entire perspective on the position.
It was this video:
The only label on the video was Friars Lacrosse Camp so I wasn’t even sure who the coach was. But I knew that his way of explaining the position and how to make saves really resonated with me. It made perfect sense.
Fast forward to the end of 2021 and I still didn’t know the name of the coach so I put out a request to my Instagram to see if anyone could help me track down this coach. :
Brian Phipps was the first respond: it’s Chris Burdick.
Coach Chris Burdick has a long and impressive background in the sport of lacrosse, including coaching experience in Major League Lacrosse with the same Bayhawks team that Phipps played for and won a championship with.
He’s got 14 years of NCAA Division-I head coaching experience. He has been named a conference Coach of the Year at the Division-I level, a national Assistant Coach of the Year at the Division-II level, and in 28 seasons of NCAA lacrosse, Burdick has led his teams to a total of 11 NCAA Tournaments and 21 conference (regular-season and tournament) championships.
Burdick was a recruited walk-on at the University of Delaware and worked his way into the starting rotation as a sophomore. As a senior, Burdick posted 237 saves for the Blue Hens, ranking him in the top 10 in single season saves. That makes him the 2nd Blue Hen goalie I’ve interviewed along with Matt DeLuca.
Coach Burdick even did his graduate thesis breaking down the goalie save movement. Safe to say this guy knows his stuff and it was a pleasure to talk lacrosse goalie with Chris.
Hope you enjoy this episode and learn a thing or two that you can talk into your own goalie game.
P.S. - Whenever you're ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:
1.Lax Goalie Rat Academy - The Lax Goalie Rat Academy is a premier membership program that gives you the tools and skillset to level up your goalie game. Technique, drills, mental game, lacrosse IQ and direct coaching from Coach Damon to turn your goalie into a leader and a confident save machine. Join 400+ goalies inside.
2.Lacrosse Goalie Super Mom/Dad - Some call lacrosse goalie the hardest position in sports. That's not true. It's the goalie Mom or Dad. I put together this course specially for the parents who know nothing about lacrosse but still want to help their son or daughter be the best they can be. Learn how to train them but more importantly learn how to support them on this emotional rollercoaster.
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Lacrosse is my passion! The game has given me so much and this blog is my way of giving back to the lax community. Specifically the most bad a$$ part of that community - the goalies! After learning to play goalie from scratch, I wanted to create a site where I could share what I learned with others so they too can become champions in the crease and in life. Learn more about Coach Damon.
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