“No-one plans to be average but those who don’t plan will end up being average”
There is so much more to hockey than having good hockey skills and just turning up for training and games…
When you look at top hockey players, one thing I can tell you is they didn’t get there by luck or purely on natural talent! There is a champion mindset that is required to reach higher levels.
There isn’t one simple solution to reaching your potential because it is made up of a lot of small things which you repeat consistently. This is often referred to as the 1 percenters.
You got to be willing to do what others don’t.
If you want to go further in hockey, your mindset will determine a large part of your success.
In this article I have summarised some of the most common qualities and key traits that I have seen in a lot of the top hockey players.
The key is not just thinking about it but actually “making an unconscious change” which is where I specialise in helping players.
10 Key Traits in Top Hockey Players
1. Passion
You must have passion to succeed in any walk of life. I define passion as a combination of commitment and positive emotion. It is something that get’s you fired up!
This is more important than any skills you learn…
because you must fall in love with the process of improving if you want to grow and keep developing as a hockey player. Often we become so focussed on the end goal and forget about enjoying the process towards success.
2. Confidence
You have to believe in yourself or no-one else will. In fact, I would say confidence is one of the most important attributes in being successful in anything you do.
Think of going for an interview as an example – it’s not just about what’s on your cv, you have to appear confident in your ability that you can do the job.
Same thing on the hockey pitch, with confidence you will do things that you didn’t even know you could do, because nothings is holding you back.
Anyone can have confidence, regardless of your past or any setbacks you’ve had, you just have to learn how to get it!
3. Optimism
Top players don’t waste time and energy dwelling on mistakes that happened in the past. Instead, they learn from their mistakes and move forward by getting focussed in the present moment.
The ability to stay positive regardless of what happens around you is a skill that can help you in every avenue of life and it is a learn’t skill that can be improved by training unconsciously.
Most people are not aware of the limiting beliefs that hold them back from being their best. This is where I can help players to uncover these beliefs and get the brain working for you, not against you.
4. Consistent
Have you ever played a game where you surprised yourself of how well you played?
What is stopping you from doing that in every game?
One of the differences between average and top players is that the top players are often more consistent than the average. Maybe it’s their consistent motivation, preparation, fitness, diet, etc.
Consistency is what get players noticed. There’s no use being a “shot in the dark player.” It all starts with learning how to control your inner critic.
5. Persistence
If you are 0-3 down in a game, do you keep giving 100% effort?
There will always be challenges as a hockey player, the trick is how you handle them.
“90% of what happens is actually based on how you respond to situations.”
When something is important to you, you are usually willing to work harder than anyone else. You need to be eager to learn and willing to ask for feedback and advice from others.
Successful people don’t let what others think of them get in the way of their success.
Persistence is NEVER giving up!
6. Good Communicator
Hockey is a team sport and you need good communication skills and to be able to relate to others to be successful.
Communication is not just about talking, it is also listening, taking on feedback and controlling the inner voice in your head.
A large part of communication is also related to body language.
What is your body language saying?
If you are not confident, coaches can see it. The best way to manage your body language is to learn how to take control of your thoughts so that you can communicate positive actions.
7. Uniqueness
The majority of people are average, so don’t just follow and do what everyone else does. Know what makes you different and work on maximising that.
A lot of people only focus on their weaknesses, but you have to also stand out from others. If you want to be great you have to do things differently and to understand where your opportunities are.
We all have the answers within us, but most of us don’t know how to unlock or access it. This is where some mental game coaching can really help you to find the answers and discover your hidden potential.
8. Good Time Management
I often hear excuses like “I don’t have enough time to train” or “I need to focus on my studies” and my advice is that you DON’T need to choose between hockey and your studies or work.
Hockey can help you so much with your studies or work in terms of focus and stress release, plus it makes you feel good (most of the time) and we all LOVE to feel good.
Rather learn how to make the most of your time to be effective in the time that you do have. This is something that top hockey players do really well.
In fact, research shows that those that do well in sport, also do well with studies so you can’t use that as an excuse anymore. Make time to work hard and also play hard.
9. Courageous
You got to be prepared to take risks and be willing to make mistakes. After all making mistakes is part of the learning process.
Get out of your comfort zone and do the things that scare you the most, because that is when you will learn the most.
Anything can be improved with a bit of courage, patience and practice. It’s not that I don’t have any fears, it’s just that I don’t let fear stop me.
10. An Action Taker
The biggest difference between knowing what to do and doing what you know is… TAKING ACTION!
You may know what you need to do but if you aren’t doing it then ask yourself – why not?
You may not know the answer straight away but I can bet that it has something to do with your mindset.
My clients get fast and long lasting results because I teach them how to get what they want by developing the mindset that gets them to take action!
Which traits do you need to improve?
If you struggle with motivation, procrastination, confidence, fear of failure, anger, frustration, poor diet or if you are stuck with any bad habits…
then mindset coaching and accountability could be just what you need to move forward.
I can teach you how to master your mind to get those results that you have been striving for.
It could be to push yourself more in fitness or to do more skills training, to play better more consistently, making good decisions on or off the field, trying out for a higher level team, getting selected or overcoming difficult situations/setbacks, etc.
Get in touch today & request a free consultation to find out how you CAN take your hockey to a higher level.
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8 STEPS TO REACH THE NEXT LEVEL IN HOCKEY
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