The Sense Arena, one of the worlds first virtual reality training systems for goalies, has taken the goaltending world by storm. In the sport of goaltending, there have been few improvements in technology and style of play that have the potential to change the way goalies play the game forever. Virtual Reality Goalie Training is one area of technology that could take goalie training into the living room and forever change the position of goaltending.

While there are folks that will hesitate to adopt the technology, there’s no question that VR goalie training isn’t going away anytime soon. Regardless of your stance on it’s ability to whether or not it’s possible for goalies to train in VR, Virtual Reality is just beginning. We are quite literally on the forefront of the impact virtual reality will have on both goalies and the entire sport of hockey.

And now that you’re here, you’re not far behind.

Sense Arena is currently used by multiple NHL teams, including the Vegas Golden Knights, Arizona Coyotes, Los Angeles Kings, and the New Jersey Devils.

Editors Note: If you’re considering purchasing the Sense Arena VR Training tool, use code “goaliecoaches50″ for $50 off your order. Purchase at SenseArena.com

While most of the goaltending community has been talking about the Sense Arena for quite some time, we’re a little late to the party. This weekend, we unboxed the Sense Arena for the first time. We’ll be updating this review with our feedback as we continue to work with the Sense Arena software.

The Sense Arena finally arrived! These posts of the unboxing were on our Instagram @goaliecoaches

Sense Arena Review, Will It Work for Goalies?

The Sense Arena is not necessarily new in the goalie space, but questions do exist on how it actually impacts the on-ice results a goalie gets from their off-ice training. Inside our Goalie Parents Facebook group we’ve had quite literally, hundreds of questions on whether or not the Sense Arena is worth it. It only made sense (see what we did there) then, that we offered actual insight into the Sense Arena training system. Consider this our official Sense Arena Review. Just a heads up, if you’re considering buying a Sense Arena system, do it.

Is Sense Arena Worth It?

Currently, Sense Arena is one of the only options for VR goalie training on the market. With the market cornered, highly realistic simulations, and (relatively) affordable price, the Sense Arena is well worth the money if you’re considering investing in a VR goalie training solution. On top of its obvious benefits, it’s a ton of fun for both goalies and parents.

The Sense Arena VR training system brings a unique element to the world of goalie training, allowing goalies to train from virtually anywhere. With the cost to hire a good goalie coach in today’s day and age, many parents will be able to justify the start up cost to training with the Sense Arena. Of course, nothing will ever be able to replace the effects and benefits of training with a real hockey puck, taking real shots, on real ice, but as an added tool the Sense Arena will likely find tremendous success in the training market.

What Do NHL Goalie Coaches Think About Sense Arena?

As of now, there is very much so a mixed, 50/50 opinion on the Sense Arena at the NHL level, from my conversations with NHL goalie coaches. While several have been big supporters of it, I’ve also sensed a bit of hesitation around the new tool. Having talked with at least 6 coaches who are currently employed by, or were employed by, NHL teams, I think it’s safe to say that the next several years of NHL and pro-adoption will be telling of how Sense Arena is used at this level.

While there certainly are NHL players using the Sense Arena platform currently, there are likely many more demonstrating the product behind the scenes.

If you’re considering purchasing the Sense Arena VR Training tool, use code “goaliecoaches50″ for $50 off your order. Purchase at SenseArena.com

NHL Goalies That Use Sense Arena

• Philipp Grubauer
• Oscar Dansk
• Keith Kinkaid
• Mackenzie Blackwood
• Matt Villalta
• Elvis Merzlikins
• Zach Fucale
• Antoine Bibeau
• Maxime Lagace
• Scott Darling
• Joey Daccord
• David Rittich
• Ian Scott

Philipp Grubauer training in Sense Arena.

Here is Los Angeles Kings prospect Matt Villalta using the Sense Arena on ice.

If Sense Arena can get the on-ice game simulation part of their training system figured out, where it’s set up perfect for the rink you’re training on, this system has the potential to disrupt the entire goalie training industry as a whole. Of course, nothing will ever replace the feel of a real puck. However, adding an element like this gives kids with no access to a coach the chance to take their training on ice, literally, like never before.

How Much Does Sense Arena Cost?

The Sense Arena has a fixed hardware fee, currently at $699, and a monthly subscription of $66 USD per month.

While it would be great to cross-examine the pricing structure between different VR training options for goalies, there isn’t a competitor at this time that I feel compares to the training offered by Sense Arena.

What Does Sense Arena Look Like?

If there’s one knock on the Sense Arena it’s that you can tell this isn’t a real arena you’re training in. Ok, getting the obvious out of the way, here’s what the Sense Arena training environment looks like as well as a few clips from what you’ll see when training with this tool.

Fake Shots while training with Sense Arena. 

This video demonstrates what the goalie sees inside the Sense Arena training tool. As you can see, in this case, the shooter approaching the zone is an actual shooter. Once the shot is released, the puck enters the Sense Arena device as a virtual puck. When you make the save, it does sound like a real save inside a real arena. Pretty cool!

3D Replay inside Sense Arena.

Benefits of Sense Arena for VR Goalie Training

Outside of the benefits we’ll dive into below, one of the best parts about the Sense Arena is that it gives parents who have never played goalie the chance to feel what it might be like to stop a puck. At the end of the day, there are only 64 goalie spots in the NHL at any given time and realistically, we’re not all going to make it that far. So with that in mind, any chance us parents get to spend more time with our kids is an obvious win.

The Sense Arena currently costs $699 with an additional monthly subscription, for those who can afford it, I highly recommend it if not for the obvious training benefits, but for the fun that can be had by the entire family!

While I can only imagine the fun I’ll have playing Fortnite with my kids in VR, the Sense Arena is anything but a video game. The Sense Arena is designed to be a realistic, very real training tool for elite hockey players up to the NHL level. As we mentioned above, the Sense Arena is currently used by multiple NHL teams. As the platform grows and it’s development team continues to evolve, the software will likely become much more realistic.

Read The Release With Interactive Video Drills

We’ve put together a full page dedicated to Sense Arena Goalie Drills, so keep that in mind when going through the drills we’ll cover here. That page will be continually updated with drills for goalies training with the Sense Arena.

Read the release drills are designed to help goalies develop better puck tracking ability.

Increase Reaction Speed with Animated VR Goalie Drills

The Sense Arena helps goalies increase their overall reaction speed with drills designed to improve reflexes, develop a better box control understanding, and help to predict plays better. On the topic of box control, we’ve got a library of box control goalie drills as well.

Screen Drills

Help Better Understand Box Control

The Sense Arena has built in tools that will help goalies learn the concept of box control and build an understanding of how it helps their game. In reality, angles as a goalie are essentially box control. We’ve got a guide on it that we’ve linked up above, I highly recommend taking a look at that to help understand what it actually is and how it helps goalies on the ice.

Shot Replay

Upper Body Tracking

VR Goalie Training Plans

How To Use Sense Arena For Goalie Training

The Sense Arena can be used for both on-ice goalie training as well as off-ice goalie training. In both situations, the Sense Arena offers a realistic, VR training tool that simulates situations and different drills goalies can use to elevate their game.

Should I Invest In The Sense Arena?

Whether or not you like the concept of VR goalie training, the Sense Arena is here to stay. As is Virtual Reality. At this point, maintaining a stance that VR goes away would be like saying the internet is going away. It’s not, so we’ll either have the opportunity to embrace it and help make it better or to shun it. While there are obvious situations where VR cannot and will not replace the real experience of going onto actual ice and stopping an actual puck, it helps gets kids in the game. It shows them that they can work on their game.

As far as Goalie Coaches as a whole is concerned, we wholeheartedly endorse this new training technology. Just remember, Rome wasn’t built in a night. If we stopped innovating after the first set of goalie pads, can you imagine what the position would look like?

Sense Arena Review from Bonsey TV

For those of you interested in a full video review of the Sense Arena, check out this video from BonseyTV. Bonsey is well known in the goalie space, especially over on Instagram.

Does it work for goalies?

We’ve been training with the Sense Arena platform for several months now and between our own experience, alongside that of professional goalies we’ve spoken with directly using this – we can confidently recommend the platform for goalies of all ages. While VR goalie training will never replace the on ice experience of training with pucks and real shooters, the Sense Arena is far and away the top off ice training program for goalies.

If you’re considering purchasing the Sense Arena VR Training tool, use code “goaliecoaches50″ for $50 off your order. Purchase at SenseArena.com