Gaining The Mental Edge!

As physical as the game of hockey is, so much more is mental than you’ll ever believe! Resilient, mentally tough athletes (and people) always find a way to succeed! I believe there are 3 different scenarios that will test your mental toughness as a hockey player:

Managing uncontrollabes.
- Your favorite stick broke, the ice sucks, the ref made a bad call, the coach changed the lines… Acknowledge them, see them as challenges and realign your efforts.
Self-inflicted mistakes – Have a short memory!
- Being properly prepared to perform will eliminate a lot of mistakes right out of the gate. With the self-inflicted mistakes of poor play, develop an in-game routine of controlled breathing and visualization to calm down while re-focusing to get your mind back in the game.
Safely playing through pain + discomfort.
- This is not regarding serious injuries. More so, when you feel that burn in your legs, or your trying to catch your breath, or knowing that blister is killing you – Dig deep and find a way to persevere!