Part-2 in my series of how to make sure your next game is your best game ever is all about how to prepare for practice and games in a way that most players don’t, but because you do, you give yourself a huge advantage over others ... it's as easy as ABC.
Yesterday, I told you I would be sharing 3 things that you can start doing right away to help you play better and have more fun in hockey …
The first factor was how important it was to manage expectations … internal expectations (expectations the player has for themselves) and external expectations (expectations that others have for the player)
If you’re a human living on earth, you’ve experienced both of these at some point
and you’ve also experienced the impact they can have on performance, both good and bad …
Today I want to give you another factor to add to your game that will have a HUGE impact on your performance …
This factor is so powerful, that I have seen it literally turn a players game around in ONE GAME … not kidding.
I learned this from my friend and mentor Dr. Saul Miller, author of Hockey Tough, and an amazing Sport Psychologist working with professional teams across the globe.
I even included this strategy in my book, Hockey Grit, Grind, and Mind because of how powerful it is and because I see over and over how this one skill can change a players game.
Today we’re talking about a players ABC's
ABC’s are specific skills you perform on the ice to be effective.
These are skills that when you execute them supremely well you know you’re going to have a great game.
They are different for each player depending on what you need to do to perform well in a specific game or what you should work on to improve your skill for future games.
They can even be different from game to game depending on what’s needed to be your best and help your team win.
Your ABC’s are mental goals that you can put your focus on, IN AN INSTANT, to reduce distractions, and focus performance on the things it takes to play your best.
There are hundreds of things you could use as your ABCs … the important point, however, is to HAVE THEM READY TO USE, the second you need them.
Your ABCs are useless if you don’t have them when you need them
If you think you’ll be able to come up with something to put your focus on when you get distracted and you didn’t come prepared, then your TOAST!
Here are just a few examples of things you could use as ABCs …
- keep your feet moving
- back-check down the middle
- head on a swivel
- sharp passes
- finish your checks
- take the body
- 3rd guy high
- win puck battles
- talk on the ice
- on and on and on
what are some ABC's you could use? … add yours to the comments below!
A players ABC’s are just one of many factors that make up their mental game.
Developing mental toughness in hockey comes down to learning the right skills
and strategies that make up mental toughness, and then finding ways to incorporate these powerful skills in their game so they are there for them when they need them.
As a Sport Psychologist, I, too often, see parents and coaches wait until a player is struggling with the mental parts of the game before they reach out to find a fix.
And while the player is struggling, their motivation and passion for the game begin to fade.
I hate seeing players leave the game because they never developed a mental toughness cote of armor and so I created coaching resources and programs to make sure that lack of coaching material wasn’t the reason for these players not getting the coaching they deserve.
This is why I created the 30-Day Mental Toughness Challenge.
To give players, coaches, and parents an easy way to start adding mental toughness coaching to their game.
Using a full-out sprint over the next 30 days, players can start learning about all the different areas of their mental game, and more importantly, they can start learning strategies and skills to deal with these challenges so that they can build their mental toughness and out-tough the game …
Sometimes it just comes down to knowing some of the inside secrets around confidence, focus, drive, determination, willpower, grit, to strengthen these skills and make sure they aren’t the reason you are not finding success or having fun in the game.
CLICK HERE to learn more about the brand new 30-Day Challenge and be sure to get signed up today …
Don’t get left behind, train your brain like you do your game, and find out how great a player you can be.
Tomorrow I’ll share with you what I think is the most important mental skill in hockey