Published 9/15 by Stew Carson
Have you ever
seen something happen in your mind
before it happens for real?
Many a young hockey player has imagined scoring the winning OT goal in game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals.
What if you could use your hockey fantasy to help improve your play?
The power of the human mind is
incredible and largely under-developed.
This post we look at
visualization as a powerful tool to help in your hockey success.
NOTE WELL: It works. Ask any top athlete and they'll tell you training the mind is as much a part of their success as any physical or nutritional training.
With positive self-talk and the ability to visualize success you form a belief system that allows you to see yourself being great, to see yourself in the moment, in the act of succeeding--before it happens.
Scoring the OT goal
Making a solid first pass to a teammate
Making a big, game-changing hit.
Making a great save.
Making the right coaching decision.
Inspiring your players or teammates.
Here are some tips on how you can get good at visualization (it's a skill, just like shooting, passing or skating).
5-Minute Power-Play:
Before each game, find a quiet area and close our eyes. Visualize yourself succeeding, making the
right
play. It could be as simple as an outlet pass, or some other basic play
that happens a bunch of times throughout the game, or a single
important, game-changing play. It's up to you.
Keep
your eyes closed until you see the action play like a movie in your
head. Don't stop until you're able to focus enough to see it clearly,
over and over.
Now tie an emotion to your thought. Don't just
think the outcome,
feel
the outcome. Don't just see yourself carrying the trophy or being
mobbed by teammates after scoring the game winning goal, connect with how great it will feel to have achieved your goal.
2-Minute Power-Play:
Ensure
that you view the movie through your own eyes, as you would on the ice instead of being outside yourself.
This makes the visualization more powerful and realistic, allowing you to connect better with your thought and emotion.
Finally, add your favorite music to help bring the emotion into the mix.
2-Minute Minor:
Distractions
will make it much tougher to focus . Do your best to find a quiet place
to visualize your success. Being around teammates who might try and
distract you won't help you develop your visualization skills. This can
make visualizing right before the game, on your way to the rink, or
even at home, some of the best times to practice.
Penalty-Kill:
Like
any skill visualization takes practice. Some people may look at you
kinda funny. Make an effort to incorporate this into anything and
everything you do, then watch the results. It will only take one time
for you to see your movie played out to it's successful result on the
ice, for real, to make you a believer.
