With the new season just around the corner, I wanted to share the 3 Cs of girls’ hockey success with
you today.   And since we’re still on summer vacation mode, I’m going to keep in short.

1. CREATIVITY

The majority of girls hockey players that I’ve coached are very literal and over-analytical.  Which means that they tend to do exactly what the coach writes on the board or explains in the room, even if it makes them a less effective player.  For example, when the coach draws out a breakout on the board and asks the winger to have their feet moving up ice near the hashmarks in order to receive the puck, most girls hockey players will be able to execute it perfectly.  The problem is that the puck might be 10 feet away, and instead of going after the puck, they’ll continue to skate the pattern the coach asked for.

It seems to me that most girls hockey players are “coach pleasers” which means that they’ll do exactly what the coach asks of them.  It’s not a bad problem to have, except for the fact that hockey is a game of mistakes and the play rarely unfolds exactly the way it’s written up on the board.  The truth is that most girls don’t watch that much hockey on TV or go out to play pick-up hockey regularly throughout the season.  So their exposure to the game is largely isolated to when they come to practice or play in games.

So in reality, us coaches are going to have to build in games, drills and scenarios that promote creativity into our practice  if we want our players to be more comfortable with being creative out on the ice.  And players – do your best to think outside the box and be creative.  Take what your coach shows and teaches you and apply those concepts to the game.  But recognize that the game
never unfolds exactly as planned and it’s the players who can be creative within the context of the systems and strategies of the game that are going to have success at the next level.

2. CONSISTENCY

In order to be a success player at this level and the next, you need to be consistent. Being consistent in your play makes you a very valuable teammate.  Your teammates  need to know they can count on you to deliver the same high-level performance every time you hit the ice.  Your coach needs you to be consistent so that they can put together a game plan that showcases everyone’s strengths and makes  the entire team successful.  And the scouts who are looking for players for the  next level need you to be consistent too.  They are investing a lot of time (and in some cases, money) to have you be a part of their college team and need to have a solid grasp of exactly what kind of player you are so that they can determine how you can help their team succeed.  If you are great one game and invisible the next, that may hurt your chances of getting to, and excelling at, the next level.

3.  COMPETITIVENESS

This is the biggest key of all. You can be as creative and consistent as you want, but if you aren’t willing and able to compete as hard as you can each and every game and practice, you will limit how successful you can be in this game.

Competitiveness is not just going “full out” in practice and games once the season starts.  That’s a big part of it, but if you don’t prepare throughout the summer, you won’t have the foundation in place to compete at the highest level possible all season long.  Whether it’s your off-ice training or mental preparation, making wise nutrition choices or working on your hands and shot, all the work you are doing this summer to prepare for the season is going to pay off big time when it comes to your ability to compete at the highest level possible all season long. You may be willing to compete at the highest level possible, but if you haven’t prepared yourself physically and mentally, you simply won’t be able to compete anyone who has been putting in the work on the “little”
things all summer long.

You’ve only got about 4 weeks left until the season starts. And while that’s not enough time to dramatically change the shape you’re in or drastically improve your skills,  it is enough time to make significant progress towards your goal of having the most successful season possible.

Keep Working Hard, Dreaming BIG and Taking Action.

Your friend and coach,

Kim