Dedication

This Week's Tip:

Dedication

Not really a 'tip' as much as a philosophy. How dedicated are you to your goals, hockey or otherwise? Do you know what your goals are? (Clue: write them down. Once they're on paper you can read them everyday to reinforce what you're going after). How much 'extra' are you doing? Are you going through the motions or working as hard as you can, then doing a little bit more? Be honest with yourself.

Check out Sam Gagner-Edmonton Oilers star of the future (Clip 1) and Mike Komisarek-Montreal Canadiens star D man (Clip 2) and see how hard they work to prepare in the off season for their next 82-plus game campaign.







Here are 3 'extra things you can do to help your performance:

1. Every night before you go to bed and twice during each day, close your eyes and picture yourself making the right play--scoring a big goal, making a great pass or hit, or a great save. This is known as visualization (note well: it works for stuff other than hockey)

2. Make it a goal to identify 2 aspects of our game to improve then figure out one thing you can do each day to improve those aspects (ie: improve your shot by making sure your shoot 50-100 pucks a day against the wall up at the local school yard, or do 100 squat jumps to improve leg strength--these don't take a lot of time but done every day for 20-30 minutes you're sure to improve.)

3. Take going to lessons and camps as a STARTING point for your training, the place where you learn the skills. Then do EXTRA outside of camp based on what you learned. The camps end at some point. Your training and dedication shouldn't end when the camp does.

Note well: If you're not doing the extra, someone else is. And that someone may come along and take your spot on a team that you think you've got all sewn up. Coaches can tell who's put in the work and who hasn't.


Quote of the Week:

"When a fear presents itself, that's the time to move into that fear. In taking on that fear, confronting it, there's going to be some kind of positive breakthrough and growth. The phrase 'That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be' usually follows!"

-Stew Carson