06/16/2026
⛰️ GGR 2026 Reflection
Grateful for the opportunity to learn alongside coaches and goaltenders from around the world at the 2026 Global Goaltending Retreat.
There are many excellent professional development opportunities out there, but few rival GGR’s depth and authenticity.
This year I was honored to co-facilitate with Justin Goldman The Goalie Guild —a compassionate and masterful designer of emergent learning. Thank you for the opportunity, brother!
A few 🔑 takeaways from this year’s GGR experience:
1️⃣ Learning is messy, dynamic, and non-linear. We coaches would be wise to say less (Goldy). Check our egos, give more space, and become co-designers of the learning environment. Then see what emerges. Creativity can only flow from the subconscious when one is relaxed, without distraction, autonomous, and unafraid.
2️⃣ The deepest kind of motor learning is embodied—it’s felt Goalies don’t need constant external feedback from coaches, but opportunities to attune to their own body and mind. Apparently we American goalie coaches can sometimes look like a bunch of distracting cheerleaders on the ice 🙃
3️⃣ There are many movement solutions to any given task. Some skill acquisition requires no tech assistance, while tools such as the KAT pantherteckat , markerless 3D motion capture (Meg Harrington), and others can illuminate novel insights. Excited to explore where these technologies lead us in skill acquisition, injury prevention, and coaching methods.
4️⃣ Be where your feet are. The art of reduction. These were timely messages, especially coming from Mike Valley . Our lives are a collection of nows. The better we can appreciate the here and now, the richer the journey.
5️⃣ Hockey is about people and relationships. Perhaps cliche. But it’s true. GGR is full of passionate individuals who have chosen to influence the world through goaltending. Deep, lifelong kinships continue to form through this retreat. Some have already lasted decades, Luke Venker Luke Venker . They inspire us to be better coaches, more open-minded people, and to elevate closer to our highest selves.
Grateful for the GGR community, and looking forward to the next one!
