There is a huge difference between talent and skill in girls’ hockey. Talent is something that is natural.  Saying that a player is talented implies that they just threw skates on one day and were a natural out there.  There are certainly players out there with a lot of natural talent.  And it sure is helpful if you have it.  But if you want to play at the elite levels of hockey, being naturally talented is not essential.  Skill, on the other hand, is absolutely critical.

Skill is something you have to acquire through hours, days, and years of training, practicing and learning.  It’s hard work spending hours upon hours working on your shot, practicing your stickhandling, or working out in the gym.   The truth is that to be really, really good takes more time and effort than most players are willing to commit.  Most players simply aren’t driven or dedicated enough to do the work that is necessary to develop the skills needed to succeed.

It’s hard not to get frustrated that you don’t have the same natural talent as other players.  It’s even more frustrating to know that you have to put in twice as much time (or more) to achieve the same level of skill mastery as those players.  Sometimes it seems as though those naturally talented players get all the breaks.

But natural talent only gets you so far.  It may give you a head start, but it won’t get you over the finish line. Never give up on your goals and dreams because you don’t have "talent".  There are a lot of naturally talented players who don’t put in the time and effort to become elite players and plateau very early on.  And there are many players who start out as mediocre but put in the time and effort needed to excel and leapfrog over those with natural talent but no drive.  Greatness comes from skill cultivated through hard work, not talent.

Forget about talent and focus on skill.  Grab hold of dedication and drive instead.  Push yourself every single day to be better than you were the day before.  Outwork everyone.  Spend these last few weeks of the summer getting better. Instead of sitting back and relaxing your way into the season, crank up the intensity. Take those extra shots in the driveway.  Do an extra stickhandling session (or two).   Do that extra set of sprints at the end of your workout. Push yourself to a whole new level.

Don’t just be willing to do the work.  Get excited about doing it.  Know that it will give you a serious advantage once the season starts.  Because hard work leads to skill, which trumps talent every time.

Work Hard. Dream BIG.

Your friend and coach,

Kim

Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS

Director, Total Female Hockey

Girls’ Hockey Director, PEAC School For Elite Athletes