Building mental toughness can help you become a mentally powerful hockey play- er, who does not allow others to control and influence their emotions and reactions. Instead, you will be able to react positively to negative situations.
Building mental toughness is the first step you should take to strengthen your state of mind on the ice rink. Once you have reached peak mental toughness then you will never believe that anything is impossible. You will have what it takes to reach your maximum potential. It will enable you to focus on your most important goals with a calm mind despite if you are under a great deal of competitive pres- sure. The more you put yourself in mock scenarios, the more your confidence and self-worth will grow until your mind grows to its ultimate strength! Mental tough- ness doesn’t usually develop naturally so it is up to you and your coach, if you have one, to develop it thoroughly.
Mental toughness requires a combination of first building your confidence and self-worth and then placing yourself in mock situations to gain actual experience. Your mind will not be able to differentiate between a real game and a practice. First and foremost, you can set up different scenarios during a practice in which you would find yourself under pressure. Focus on practicing how you would han- dle that pressure as opposed to the pressure itself. Your body language can also make a huge difference. Negative body language opens the door for having a poor attitude. Being aware of your body language during a race or competition can help you condition yourself to always carry yourself like you are confident. Keep your eyes on the prize and not the audience as your mind will follow your eyes.
While mental toughness techniques differ from sport to sport, there are three main factors that play into mental toughness for hockey:
-You must be willing to make sacrifices – for example, out-practicing your competition.
-You be willing to find a way to win in every situation, no matter what.
-You must be able to keep your composure and focus in every game.
Developing a Will to Win
All athletes have a goal of wanting to win but sometimes a loss or setback can discourage you from going after that goal. A “will to win” is the ability to keep going forward despite any obstacles or adversities that stand in your way. It is often a mixture of determination and commitment to winning even if you’re on the loosing team. It’s more of a matter of “how” you win and not “what” you do to win. The best thing about having a will to win is that it gives you a competitive advantage in the area of mental toughness.
Developing a will to win begins during your practices. Practice as hard as you play. By practicing with a competitive mindset you can begin to turn competitive play into a very useful habit. You must also not wait for the will to win to bestow upon you naturally because it won’t – you have to make it happen yourself. It’s up to you to take the lead for your team and show them that you’re going to take the game no matter what.
Develop Self-Confidence You have to first develop your self-confidence before you can become a great athlete. Your confidence level often determines your ability to achieve your goals. The more confidence you have, the more likely you will succeed and vice versa. You can have all the physical strength and endurance in the world but you must also have belief. If you believe you can make a three-point shot then you can make it! If you don’t, then your chances of making it may be low.
There are many things you can do to build your confidence and belief in your- self. Many of these techniques are simple. For example, you can stand tall, dress well, practice speaking in front of the mirror and practice positive self- affirmations. Surrounding yourself with supportive friends is a great way to boost your confidence. Since hockey is a team sport, that shouldn’t be too hard. You and your teammates can support and build each other up to promote each other. An optimistic attitude can also help you achieve and maintain a strong level of confidence. There are a few more things you can do that go hand in hand with hockey:
-Strength training, exercising, and eating healthy are the core foundations for having great self-confidence and being a great athlete.
-Knowing how to use the 80/20 rule to your advantage is an important, core habit that you should learn before trying out any of the next couple of habits. Basically, this rule suggests that you should focus on the most important 20% of what you're working on to increase your peak results by 80%. For example, if you are a well-rounded player whose weakness is blocking shots, focusing on this skill can help you improve your game over- all.
-Many people with low self-esteem tend to wallow on negative past experi-
ences. By thinking about times when you felt you’re greatest, you can use those examples to push forward into the future.
-Learn how to become more aware of when you start thinking negatively and then say “stop,” either out loud or internally.
-Meditation is a powerful way to help yourself engage in your thoughts and learn how to control them. Meditation is easy and you can do it anywhere, as long as you dress comfortably and you have a peaceful, quiet place to do it. It can be very refreshing for your mind and it can really help you harness your confidence.
Use Adversity to Boost Self-Confidence
With many sports comes a run in with adversity, usually in the form of an in- jury, a decrease in your performance, criticism, failure, team conflicts, etc.
Adversity is unavoidable in hockey but if you react to it in an open-minded way, you can use it to help you grow your self-confidence. Many players allow adversity to discourage them, which often leads to the path of mentally giving up. They often think that they are such great players that it will never happen to them but it will, eventually. Players who don’t allow adversity to get them down are those who are better able to grow and improve.
The best way to use adversity in a positive way is to follow these two important steps:
-Anticipate Adversity – If you believe that you will never face adversity then you will eventually be in for a nasty surprise. By expecting that you will experience it at some point, you can better mentally prepare yourself for a letdown and plan on how to deal with it before it strikes.
-Keep Moving Forward – If you victimize yourself due to adversity, you will never be able to move ahead. The best question to ask when adversity strikes is, “What can I do next?” Don’t dwell on your set-back – make a plan on how to get past it and continue to grow into a great hockey player.
Focus on Focusing
Many great athletes have one trait in common – the ability to block out all thoughts that are irrelevant to the competition. To be successful, a player must be in the game both physically and mentally. There is often a 3-way battle in your mind that focuses on the past, present and future. The key is to learn how to keep your focus on the present. Focusing on the past will often rehash your past mis- takes and failures. Focusing on the future generates too many “what if” ques- tions. To focus on the present means to practice your ability to trust your skills. Focusing on the present enables you to focus on doing your best in that moment.
A great way to practice on sharpening your focus is to think about past compe- titions (re-watch them if possible) and try to pinpoint the moment at which you ap- pear to lose focus. Then make a list of things that you find to distract you often.
Once you have your list, create a mental phrase, such as “keep going,” to play in your head every time you run into one of your distractions during a game. By mak- ing your focus a number one priority, you can bring out the best in your perfor- mance.
Practice Building Your Composure Sometimes players can let their emotions take control over their attitude and motivation, especially during a competition. It is not uncommon for players to get frustrated or upset with their team members or coaches when someone does something to cause a setback. Losing your cool during a competition can not only cause a conflict amongst your team but it can also make you look immature. There are a couple of things you can do to practice staying calm and composed during a game.
Practicing your composure during a game is another great way to practice building your focus. If you dwell on the fact that a teammate made a mistake then half of your focus is taken away from the present moment, which could affect your own performance and lead to more mistakes. You must also remember that every- one is human and it is okay to make mistakes once in a while. Nobody is 100% perfect and you cannot avoid making a bad judgement or missing a shot.
A great way to redirect your energy is to use it in a positive way. For example, if a team member is unable to block every shot from the goal, it could be a sign that they need more training. Spend your energy on helping that team member im- prove their skills so that your team as a whole and decrease the chances of making any mistakes.
Relieve Tension and Play Loose Athletes who are anxious about losing or any other setbacks during a compe- tition often tend to have tense muscles, which can affect their performance. This type of fear also makes it more difficult for you to focus and perform to your peak physical abilities. Many coaches have a routine for helping their players relieve tense muscles, usually by saying a phrase such as “relax,” or “stay focused.” Play- ers can also help themselves relax and play loose.
First, you should be able to know what it feels like to perform with tight and loose muscles. You can test this by tightening your arm muscles and trying to take shots and then trying again without the tension to see the difference in perfor- mance. Once you’re able to recognize when you’re playing tense, you must then know how to manage that tension. The most common and effective way to help yourself relax is to practice a breathing exercise to help you calm down. The fol- lowing is a very effective breathing exercise:
Cool Breath Breathing Exercise:
1.Stick the tongue out of the mouth and curl the sides of it up. Your tongue
should look like a roll or straw.
2.Lift the chin up pointing to the ceiling.
3.Breathe in using the diagram and draw air through the tongue.
4.Hold the breath for a few seconds, uncurl the tongue and move it back into the mouth.
5.Exhale through the nostrils and move the chin down.
Do this exercise six times and gradually increase to twelve times over time. The more practice you get in, the more ingrained this exercise will imprint on your brain.
Eliminate Pre-Game Anxiety While it is perfectly normal to experience excitement and butterflies before a big game, some players experience pre-game anxiety, which can lead to a decline in performance. This happens to many players who place strict expectations on their performance. While it is important to hold yourself accountable for your perfor- mance, placing too high of standards on yourself can lead you to have expectations of success, which can deal a blow to your self-confidence if not met. It can also cause you to second-guess your abilities before you even begin playing, which can lead to tension and worrying.
Focusing on what you can control rather what you can’t is a very productive strategy for staying calm. While it is easy to focus on things that are out of con- trol, such as losing a game or being unable to train due to an injury, the best strat- egy is to focus on what you can control, which is mainly your attitude. A positive attitude cannot change things but it can definitely help make the situation easier to live through.
Self-belief is also crucial! One of the biggest issues with those who do not suc- ceed is that they do not believe in themselves. They do not think that they are as good as everyone else or that they are not able to do something as well as others. With enough practice and a bit of confidence, you can do anything that anyone else is able to do. Have faith in yourself and you will be amazed at how far you can go. Sometimes a successful person simply has a strong desire and a good work ethic. If you do something enough times you are bound to become an expert at it. As long as you never give up, you are bound to succeed.
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