How to Use Mental Preparation to Perform More Consistently
“Some games I’m good and some games I’m horrible. I’m up and down, hot or cold. I’m just not consistent!”
Does this statement sound familiar?
Perhaps, you have caught yourself thinking similar things.
Consistency is what all athletes strive to achieve.
Every hockey player will have good days and bad days… It’s inevitable!
If this is true, does that mean I can never be consistent on the ice?
That depends on your definition of consistency.
Do you define consistency in terms of effort or results?
If you define consistency in terms of production or plus/minus stats, you will be left disappointed.
This definition does not take into account a whole host of factors that are outside your direct control, such as:
- Ice conditions
- Coach’s lineup
- Sickness and injuries
- How many games you have played that week
- Match-up on the ice and the strength
- Playing style of the opposing team
What consistency really comes down to is consistency of mental and physical preparation and consistency of effort.
If you train and play with the same level of focus and full effort, the results will take care of themselves.
That is the focus of center Nick Schmaltz, the 2014 first round draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks…
Schmaltz displayed top-level skills over the last two seasons but struggled with consistency.
During his rookie season in 2016-17, Schmaltz had six goals and 22 assists in 61 games.
Last year, Schmaltz scored 21 goals and had 52 points (tied for second on the Blackhawks) in 78 games.
Schmaltz’s goal for this season is to become an elite two-way forward and he understands that it all comes down to consistency.
SCHMALTZ: “Some games I’m dominant with the puck and creating chances all over the place, and some games I’m kind of not doing the things I do when I’m successful. So if I can put it together every night, play that same way, use my feet and make plays, [I think]we can definitely be a dynamic line [with Patrick Kane and Brandon Saad] and be one of the better lines in the league.”
If you want to play to the level of your potential, you need to be consistent in the following areas:
- Be consistent in practice – Give maximum effort. Hustle. Focus on developing your skills each practice with the goal of being better today than yesterday.
- Be consistent in your mental game – Every time you step on the ice, adopt the same competitive mindset. Look to develop your confidence every day. Take time every day to improve your mental game. Find a professional that can assist you in taking your mental game to the next level.
- Be consistent in your mental approach to games – Focus on your strengths and the team’s game plan. Give nothing less than your best effort. Stay focused on the play in front of you and not what happened in the last minute or last second for that matter.
- Shoot for excellence – Practice the way you want to play and play the way you have practiced. That is how you achieve consistency in your game.
Improve Consistency in Hockey:
Since consistency is rooted in your mental preparation, you need to pay particular attention to your mental game.
Approach every practice as if it was a game, starting from the time you step into the locker room.
Be consistent in your effort and focus for every drill, every skate around and every scrimmage.
Consistent mental preparation leads to consistent performance.
Start with a more consistent focus…
Improve Concentration in Sports!
If you’re an athlete who is frequently distracted, loses focus in competition, or wants to learn more about how to focus better under pressure, The Focused Athlete is for you!
Concentration and the ability to focus under adversity is what championship athletes do best.
It only takes one distraction to enter your mind for you to lose a critical point, miss a putt, or lose a second off your lap time. You cannot afford to let distractions run wild in your mind and cause you to make errors at critical times in the game!
The Focused Athlete is a complete system to teach you how to focus like a champion and harness the power of a zone focus every tie you step on the playing field, court, track or course in practice and games!
This workbook and CD program consists of 2 audio CDs that include 14 days of focus boosting exercises and a simple to follow workbook that guides you through each of the 14 days, helps you apply strategies, and customizes the exercises to your personal focus challenges.
Discover:
- How to use preshot routines before shots or serves to help you be more task-focused instead of worrying about results.
- How to quickly identify distractions that sabotage your concentration and how to quickly refocus after distractions.
- How to use pregame routines to help you harness the power of zone concentration before competition.
Learn more about one of our most popular CD programs in The Confident Athlete Series…
The Focused Athlete: A 14-Day Plan For Superior Concentration
What are customers saying about our mental game programs?
“I coach 2002’s at a AA level. I’m convinced that half of them are held back more by their minds than their bodies, maybe more than half. I like your 10 costly mistakes players make. The language is targeted at older kids, but the ideas are simple enough to convey to younger players. I’ll be using some of this for our game this afternoon!”
~Steve Taylor, Hockey Coach
“The resources that you have available on your website have been wonderful. A sound mental game may be more important then the actual physical part of the sport. Yes you have to have the talent, but the mental game is what sets apart a very good athlete compared to an elite athlete. Thanks again.”
~Darren Hughesman
Boost Your Self-Confidence And Focus With Expert Mental Game Coaching!
If you’re a top performer during practice but find yourself under-performing in competition, the most likely culprit holding you back is your mental game.
Master mental game coach Dr. Patrick Cohn can help you overcome your mental game issues with one-on-one personal mental game coaching.
You can work with Dr. Patrick Cohn himself in Orlando, Florida or via Skype, FaceTime, or telephone. Call us toll free at 888-742-7225 or contact us for more information about the different coaching programs we offer!
What are our mental game coaching students, parents and coaches saying?
“Peaksports.com web site is so exciting. I researched them all and without a doubt your mental training site is the best! The vast amount of programs you provide helps athletes and coaches achieve higher levels of excellence in sports.”
~Doug Bolander, Hockey Coach
“Great stuff on the hockey psychology report! Thank you very much for sharing. We are going to go through the report tonight at practice. Keep up the awesome work.”
~Sean Woodhouse (Coach Woody)
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