Goalie Positioning Calculator

Optimal cage position from shooter angle.

Shooter distance from goal (m)

Shooter lateral offset (m)

Goalie arm span (cm)

Goalie water height (cm)

Tab to move between fields

Shooting angle (°)

29.3

Optimal distance out (m)1.75

Lateral position (m)0.65

Horizontal coverage (%)94.9

Vertical coverage (%)55.6

Overall coverage (%)72.6

Reaction time available (sec)0.18

Near post gap (m)0.55

Far post gap (m)1.4

How to Use This Calculator

Enter the shooter's distance from the goal line in meters — penalty shots are from 5 m.
Set the shooter's lateral offset in meters from the center of the goal (positive = right side).
Input the goalie's arm span in cm (fingertip to fingertip) for horizontal coverage calculations.
Enter the goalie's water height in cm — how high they rise above the surface when fully set.
Read Optimal Distance Out from the goal line and Lateral Position for the goalie's ideal starting spot on the angle bisector.
Check Overall Coverage % and Near/Far Post Gaps to identify the most vulnerable zones the goalie must protect.

How the result changes with Shooter distance from goal (m)

Shooter distance from goal (m): How far the shooter is from the goal line. Penalty shots are from 5m.
Shooter lateral offset (m): Horizontal offset from center of goal. 0 = dead center, positive = right side.
Goalie arm span (cm): Goalie's fingertip-to-fingertip arm span. Larger span = more horizontal coverage.
Goalie water height (cm): How high the goalie rises above the water surface when set. Goal is 90cm tall.

Shooting angle (°): The angle of the goal visible to the shooter — wider angle = harder to save.
Optimal distance out (m): How far the goalie should position in front of the goal line.
Lateral position (m): Goalie's optimal horizontal offset from center (on the angle bisector).
Horizontal coverage (%): Percentage of the apparent goal width covered by the goalie's arm span.
Vertical coverage (%): Percentage of goal height covered by the goalie's water height.
Overall coverage (%): Combined coverage score (geometric mean of horizontal and vertical).
Reaction time available (sec): Time from shot release to ball reaching the goalie at average shot speed (~18 m/s).
Near post gap (m): Open gap at the near post — the most vulnerable spot.
Far post gap (m): Open gap at the far post.

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Shooter distance from goal (m) = 5, Shooter lateral offset (m) = 2, Goalie arm span (cm) = 185, Goalie water height (cm) = 50 = 4 input(s) provided
Calculate Shooting angle
Shooting angle = abs(leftPostAngle - rightPostAngle) * (180 / π)
29.3 = 29.3
Calculate Optimal distance out
Optimal distance out = shooterDistM * comeOutRatio
1.75 = 1.75
Calculate Lateral position
0.65 = 0.65