With these crazy times all around us, many of our normal activities and hobbies have been put on pause. School is now through a computer screen and reading peoples' facial expressions have been put on hold. Everyday brings a feel of uncertainty but no matter the circumstances, we need to be willing to adapt and accept the challenges we face. There's no place I'd rather be than on the ice coaching and being able to share the passion we have for hockey. With the new protocols in place because of the coronavirus, we as an organization feel it is important to put your safety first.
With pausing our season, we face a challenge as hockey players. Hockey is one of the most time consuming activities and the dedication it requires can be a challenge especially in the beginning of the season when you are starting back up. Take a minute and reflect back to the beginning of the year and stepping back onto the ice after summer break. How many butterflies did you do before you questioned yourself on why you chose this position? Now think about your most recent practice and how many times you did butterflies without getting tired in the first half hour. By being on the ice consistently, you find a rhythm and groove. During this period it is called "BEING IN THE ZONE". A point where it seems like pucks are just hitting you and you're in position on every shot, rebounds are staying out of danger and you're hoping your team gets a penalty so you can get more shots in the game because you are IN THE ZONE.
Having your body connect with your mind is what gives us this feeling of confidence. Your mind has to be sharp and aware of everything happening on the ice. Physically you have to have the endurance to push yourself and the stamina to last. If you're physically out of shape and losing your stamina, then your mental game will start to diminish. It is crucial that we stay active and keep our endurance or we begin to fall backwards and all that work we did to get where we currently are, was for nothing. Goalies, it is important for you and your team that you take care of yourself physically by working out (riding a bike, running a treadmill, doing HIIT workouts, sprints, etc). Hand-eye is also important for timing on saves and being able to track pucks and control them out of danger. You can do this by bouncing balls off the wall and catching them over and over.
Try to challenge yourself and see how many times you can catch a ball off the wall, or how many times you can deflect a ball with your blocker into the corner of the room or into a basket. You can watch hockey games and try to read plays and anticipate the next play so your mind stays in its element. It is important to stay disciplined about your physical and mental endurance so that you're ready to pick up right where you left off. Find your off-ice groove and create a rhythm so that when the green light is given to come back, you're not on your back!
