The Mental Game Challenge of Self-Intimidation
Self-intimidation is a common mental game challenge for hockey players.
You lose confidence by making comparisons to your competitors.
Most of the time, you’re make negative comparisons, which can make you feel inferior.
You might be thinking that the other team is better in terms of their skating ability or defense for example.
How Do You Know If You’re Making Comparisons
Here are some signs to look for:
- Worried about the reputation or other team’s record
- Caught up with the hoopla of the game
- Make comparisons against teams you think are better
- Doubt your ability to play your best
- Feel inferior to the competition
- Give too much energy to your competition pregame
For the Montreal Canadiens in their series with the Penguins, self-intimidation wasn’t a factor. The Canadiens stunned the Pittsburg Penguins with a 4-3 win in the Eastern semifinals to force Game 7. Michael Cammalleri contributed to the win scoring two goals Monday night.
“For us, it’s the reality. If you pinch yourself, you’re beat. I remember when you first come in the league if you start sitting around staring in awe and catching flies you’ll be out pretty quick. Now we belong. We’re having fun. For us, hey, we’ve got an opportunity to knock these guys off in Game 7. Let’s go enjoy it and I’ll say the same thing I’ve said every game: ‘Let’s see if we can’t go and play a great game,” said Canadiens Michael Cammalleri.
The best solution is to build long-lasting confidence in your game.
Players who intimidate themselves tend to lack confidence in their abilities.
Think about your strengths as a player. Are you good on offense, anticipating plays, or passing skill? Make a list of these. That way, you’ll remind yourself of your strengths to improve your confidence.
You Also Want to Focus on Your Game
Players have a tendency to focus too much on the competition and psych themselves out.
You’ll want to think about your strategy for the upcoming game and what you need to do to be successful today.
Your hockey psychology tip is to stop making comparisons to other teams or players.
Focus on your own game and your strengths.
You’ll be better prepared, focused and more confident for the game.
Related Articles on Hockey Mental Game:
- Mental Game Lessons from Union College Hockey NCAA Win
- Wayne Gretzky on The Mental Game of Hockey
- Your Mental Game and Hockey Tryouts
*Subscribe to The Sports Psychology Podcast on iTunes
*Subscribe to The Sports Psychology Podcast on Spotify
Mental Coaching Programs for Hockey
Our mental game coaching programs for hockey players helps athletes improve confidence, concentration, let go of errors quickly, and stay composed during crunch-time. Read more about sports psychology for hockey players at Peaksports.com
Please contact me by phone at 888-742-7225 or by filling out the webform below to learn more about our personal mental training programs for hockey players or teams:
Dr. Patrick Cohn helps athletes and teams worldwide from a variety of sport backgrounds improve mental toughness for sports. He’s helped junior to NHL hockey players improve their mental toughness.
As the president and founder of Peak Performance Sports (Orlando, Florida), Dr. Cohn is dedicated to instilling confidence, composure, focus, and teaching powerful mental game skills to help athletes, teams and corporate professionals perform at maximum levels.
Dr. Cohn also teaches sports parents and coaches of young athletes how to help athletes achieve peak performance through sports psychology training. In addition, he teaches his mental game coaching system, the MGCP certification program (Mental Game Coaching Professional) to qualified coaches, trainers, and sports psychology students in training.