I’m really bummed that I can’t find an article that I wrote a while back that was all about how to make sure your next game is your best game ever ... A bold claim I know but I have discovered key factors that every player can use to make sure their next games is one of the best games they’ve ever played.
A while back I wrote a blog post for a hockey site and I can't find it online anymore
which is a big bummer because it was about how to make sure your next game is your best game ever …
A bold claim I know, but over the years I have discovered key factors that every player can use to make sure their next game is one of the best games they've ever played!
So, over the next 3-days, I want to break down 3 important factors that can literally make or break a player's game
and to make sure that you know about them and also make sure you know how to USE them to your advantage …
Trust me, there are a lot of things that can affect how a player plays week after week,
but I promise that if you get really good at using these 3 important strategies in your game preparation, they will quickly see how easy it is to make sure your player shows up each week ready to play their best hockey.
Are you ready for the first factor?
EXPECTATIONS
We know that expectations are a real thing ...
we have them for ourself and we have them for others …
The trick isn’t to try and control or eliminate expectations because honestly, that is impossible.
The trick is to manage expectations to ensure a good balance between normal and high – eliminate low and unrealistic.
First, we need to be able to let go of expectations related to outcomes. It’s better to focus on the process and let outcomes take care of themselves.
It’s also smart to let go of expectations on how you think performance should look. Sometimes you just have to win ugly
Learn to recognize but then let go of thoughts of what others expect of you. Again, the goal is to focus on the PROCESS and let the performance speak for itself
It’s funny, but the more I work with players the more I see how they can get hung up on expectations about stats, or what line they should be on, or how others should treat them …
All of these things are beyond a player's control so having expectations about stuff like this is just asking for frustration and stress.
Here’s a list of questions for every player, coach. and parent must consider when it comes to expectations:
- What expectations do you have for your performance? Are they normal? – Are they high? – Are they realistic?
- How strict are your expectations? – do you HAVE to reach them or else?
- How do you feel if you don’t reach them? – angry, frustrated, afraid?
- Have your expectations hurt or limited your success? – How?
- What happens to your mental game when you’re not performing as expected?, How does that affect your performance on the ice?
- What are some expectations you feel others have for you?, How do you know?, How do they make you feel? (excited, fired-up, inspired, afraid?), Do the expectations others have for you affect your performance? and if so, in what way?
Getting to the bottom of expectations involves doing a little self-discovery, but when you do, you can start to manage expectations instead of letting them manage you.
Tomorrow, in part 2 of this series we’ll be talking about something that is so powerful that it can literally improve player performance in a single game.
It’s as easy as ABC.
And I’ll also share with you a new program that is available that has the power to take these simple skills we’re talking about and turn your player into the complete package …
... what I call The Complete Player.
See you tomorrow for part 2