Carry the Basket For Spaced Hands (Functional Movement)

Goaltending is not just about explosive movement—it’s about controlled movement. The best goalies don’t just get there fast; they get there with structure, with balance, and with full control of their stance assembly. One powerful cue that reinforces this mastery is: “Carry the Basket.”

What Does “Carry the Basket” Mean?

Picture yourself holding a basket in front of your body, full of water. If you drop one hand, tip it forward, or let the pressure go slack—everything spills. That’s exactly what happens when a goalie loses hand spacing or alignment during a T-push.

In a proper T-push:

• Your hands should stay active and loaded, not drifting in or falling back.
• The glove and blocker maintain equal spacing, just wider than shoulder width.
• Your upper body rotates with intention, not with flailing movement.
• You arrive in your High Crouch stance already set, instead of adjusting after landing.

“Carry the Basket” gives goalies a visual and physical anchor—a cue that keeps the upper body, hands, and torso working as a single unit through movement.

Why This Cue Works

Most technical breakdowns during crease transitions come from the hands going quiet or falling behind the body. When that happens:

• Glove reaction time slows.
• Blocker coverage shifts off angle.
• The goalie has toreset their stance after moving, which wastes time and creates holes.

By maintaining pressure as if you’re carrying something stable in front of you, your hands stay activated, connected to your core, and ready to react the moment you land.

What Elite Goalies Do Differently

Watch any high-level goalie transition across the crease—you’ll notice something consistent:

Their hands arrive with their body, not after it.

They don’t lift, swing, or readjust their glove and blocker on the stop. Their hands lead with purpose, stay loaded, and finish in the exact spacing they started with. That is the “Carry the Basket” mindset in motion—movement with structure, not just movement with speed.

Key Takeaway

When transitioning in the crease to get center and square to the shot lane:

Don’t just get there—arrive in stance.

Carry the Basket through the entire push and your hands will stay loaded, never trailing behind your feet.

 Click the link to view the Self-Led Skill Drill: Carry the Basket – Spaced Hands

The Skill:
Execute T-push transitions with consistent hand spacing.

The Objective:
Move through the crease with a controlled upper body—hands steady like you’re carrying a basket from the start of the T-push to the High Crouch finish.

How to Train It:

• Rep this movement pattern during training or team sessions.
• Build awareness and refine your technique—small adjustments lead to big results.

Final Tip

• Use mirrors, video, or a coach’s feedback to check your alignment during practice. The more consistently you “carry the basket” in drills, the more automatic that alignment becomes under game pressure.