Almost every hockey parent or coach has said the following words:
I wish [insert player here] was better at [insert skill here].
It might be, “I wish Johnny were a better skater.”
It might be, “I wish Jennie was better at shooting.”
The first question I always ask is, “Do you have Johnny doing any extra skating?” or “Do you have Jennie doing any extra shooting?”
The answer is almost always “No”.
If we wanted our charges to become better swimmers we would take them to a pool or a lake or a pond and have them swim. If we wanted our young athletes to be better soccer players we would take them out on a pitch or the yard, give them a soccer ball and let them work at their craft.
For some reason, this logic rarely translates to hockey.
In hockey we often hear the word “wish”.
“I wish my child could skate faster.”
“I wish my child would score more goals.”
“I wish my child would work harder.”
The wish mentality doesn’t move you towards your goals. It just teases you into believing that you might eventually achieve them.
Your actions, or lack thereof in this case simply don’t align with what you want.
If your goal is to be a better skater then get skating instruction and skate. If your goal is to be a better shooter then get shooting instruction and shoot.
It isn’t magic.
Instruction + a plan = development towards your goals.
This photo is a clip from a video posted to our team site. This young lady is out in the dark with only a flashlight and a porch light…. she is shooting pucks to reach her 1,000 a week goal. Amazing and inspiring. She has instruction. She has a plan, but most of all she is doing the work!
If you want to improve you have to find someone to teach you and then you need to do the work. That’s it! It really is that simple.
What are your goals? Do you want to play higher level hockey? Do you want to score more goals? Do you want to win more races to the puck?
Are your actions aligned to reach them?
We are here to help! This is the good stuff. Very things are more rewarding than helping young athletes reach their goals. Perhaps you need help setting goals? Perhaps you don’t even know where to start?
We’re here to help! I
Send us an email or contact us here and we can start the process that will take you to your goals. It’s an incredible journey.