YOU WILL NEVER BEAT A PLAYER WHO NEVER GIVES UP!
1 – Competitiveness can bridge the skill gap between you and another player. If you are a relentless competitor, you can knock even the most skilled player off of their game. As a relentless competitor, you make your opponent earn everything they get. Even in a sport like hockey where aggressive play is required, most players aren’t used to dealing with relentless competitiveness in others. By being competitive, you can shake their focus. A tough competitor can often force a highly skilled opponent to back down.
2 – Listen to scouts and watch the draft and you’ll see that players are judged as much on their compete level, as they are on their skating, stickhandling, and hockey sense.
3 – Being fiercely competitive earns you respect. If you give your all each and every shift, you will earn the respect of your teammates, coaches, scouts, and even your opponents.
4 – Being competitive carries over into your every day life. In school competitive students work harder and get the best grades, at work, competitive employees stand out and get the best jobs. Being competitive helps you stand out and gives you an advantage over others.
You can’t always be the strongest, most talented, or most gifted player on the ice, but you can always be the most competitive. When you find yourself up against someone who is bigger, faster, stronger, or more skilled, you can compete with such intensity that you literally cut him down to size and force him to play below his ability. I’ve seen it time and time again where compete level trumps skill level. Competitiveness allows you to bridge the gap between pure skill and pure heart because, without both, you cannot reach the highest levels in hockey.
Kevin L. Willis, PhD
Sport Psychologist
Level 5 USA Hockey Coach