It is natural to get nervous before a big game. One of my girls hockey coaches always told me that having butterflies in your stomach, or feeling like you are going to throw up before the game, meant that the game really meant something to you. That may be true, but you also don’t want to be so nervous that it distracts you from playing your best.

So what do you do to keep your nerves in check before the big game?

I remember back to when I was playing women’s hockey in college and having butterflies in my stomach before every game. It actually made me more nervous NOT to have those butterflies - I got used to them as part of my pre-game preparation.

I asked one of my Total Female Hockey Club superstars to help me answer the question of how she deals with pre-game jitters as a girls hockey goalie.

Check out her advice below:

“There’s going to be games where you feel nauseous. I can remember quite clearly a game where I swore I was going to throw up. I was playing two age groups up with people 3-5 years older then I was. Their goalie, who also happened to be my goalie coach, was injured so they asked if I would be willing to play for them. My assistant coach from my all-star team is also plays on their team, so I knew that I better have one my best games.

My trick for overcoming that feeling of nausea and nervousness is to accept those feelings that you hate so much. It’s kind of like a sibling that’s constantly bugging you. If you just accept the fact that they are going to keep annoying you and don’t bother thinking about it, they stop. It’s the same thing here - accept the feelings and move on. If you keep thinking about it you’ll most likely start having negative thoughts and that’s one thing you can’t have when you’re going into anything in life, especially a big game when you’d likely have the most nervousness.

Have positive self talk, visualize yourself succeeding and have confidence, no matter what happens out on the ice. If you feel best, you’ll play your best.”

Stay focused on the things you can control out on the ice. Work hard and have a positive attitude and you will be well on your way to playing your best - and keeping those nerves in check.

What do you focus on when you start to feel really nervous before the big game? What keeps you ON your game and what takes you OFF of it?

Share your thoughts below.

Your friend and coach,

~ Coach Kim