Feature Story
The little secrets of standing out on the ice
By Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS
If we honestly look at the way
young hockey players across North America are being developed, we would be led
to believe that the “more is better” philosophy holds true – especially when it
comes to ice time. If a young player aspires to reach the highest level
possible, there is no question that they will need a great amount of ice time
and skill in order to get there. But when we are talking about trying to
separate yourself from the competition and really stand out, just getting more
ice time is the easier answer. Everyone wants to skate more – because chasing
that little black piece of rubber around the ice is fun.
But the truth is, it’s what you
choose to do off the ice that will really make you stand out on the ice. In
fact, it’s all the “little” things that really make the BIG difference. The
choices that truly dedicated players make like stretching every night before
going to bed, making sure they are staying well hydrated all day long, training
off the ice even when they don’t really feel like it and spending 15 minutes
working on their stick-handling or shooting every day, that really separate the
good players from the great players. This attention to the little details
carries over on the ice, too – finishing every single drill to the end instead
of coasting in for the last few seconds and setting goals for yourself before
every time you hit the ice so that you stay focused.
Let’s be honest – this stuff isn’t
“sexy” and it’s not as fun or exciting as playing and practicing on the ice.
But it’s your willingness to do these little things on a consistent basis that
are going to allow you to stand out from the crowd and get noticed. Because the
reality is most players who say they want to play at the highest level possible
aren’t willing to make these little choices to be great every single day.
No one gets excited about drinking
more water, doing push-ups or setting goals.
And the truth is, when we look at
the big picture, the reason you choose to drink more water has nothing to do
with being more hydrated. Your choice to do push-ups has nothing to do with
getting stronger. Your commitment to setting goals for yourself has nothing to
do with meeting that small daily goal. The reason you do these little things
every day is that they help you to get closer to your ultimate goal that you
are so committed to achieving.
You don’t do push-ups to get
stronger – you do them so that you can make the varsity team, get a college
scholarship or make the Olympic team. The real reason why you choose to do all
these little things off the ice is because of the passion and commitment you
have towards achieving your ultimate goal on the ice. You choose to be
excellent each and every day because that is what the elite players do.
And excellence doesn’t just happen
when you are out on the ice. It happens as a result of the little choices you
make on and off the ice each and every day.
To learn all the
little secrets to gaining a huge advantage out on the ice, visit www.totalfemalehockey.com/mentorship.shtml. Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS, is an expert in
the development of aspiring female hockey players. She is a former NCAA
Division I captain and played in the National Women’s Hockey League for six
years. She is currently the Girls
Hockey Director at the PEAC School for Elite Athletes in Toronto and is the
Director and Founder of Total Female Hockey. You can get complete access to
Coach Kim’s articles, videos, interviews and advice on how to take your game to
the next level at www.totalfemalehockeyclub.com.
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