Here’s what determines the level of success a girls’ hockey player achieves:

It’s NOT…

::  The team you play for
::  The camps you go to
::  Or the coaches you listen to

And it’s NOT…

::  How hard you shoot
::  How fast you skate
::  How fit you are

What truly separates good players from the great ones is the mental side of their game.     

I’ve talked a lot about confidence and focus in the past, but today I want to talk about something even bigger than that…

Your EXPECTATIONS.

A great player doesn’t wish, hope, want or strive for success.

She EXPECTS it.

She 100% believes in her ability to successfully achieve her goals.

This doesn’t happen overnight - it is a process. Success breeds success.  And it’s the accumulation of small victories over time in practice, in the gym and in games that lead to bigger victories and help you to believe that you can achieve any goal you set your mind to.

When I think back to my final year of high school, I realize that I expected to be the best player every time I hit the ice.  Whether I always succeeded in being the best player or not, I expected that I would be and that’s what drove my success.  I didn’t just want to be the best - I expected it.

So what are your expectations for yourself when you hit the ice?

Are you holding yourself to a high enough standard?

Or are you letting yourself off the hook? 

Are you stepping outside your comfort zone?

Or are just playing up to your potential? 

Are you consistently making the hard choice to be great?

Or are you making the easy choice and just going along with the crowd?

As we head into the second half of the season, a new year and new decade, you need to start setting higher expectations for yourself and holding yourself accountable to meeting and exceeding your goals. 

You’ll be amazed at what can happen when you believe in your ability to achieve all the success you’ve dreamed of.

Work Hard, Dream BIG and Expect Success.

~ Coach Kim

Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS

Director, Total Female Hockey

Girls Hockey Director, PEAC School For Elite Athletes

As a coach who works with girls hockey players both on and off the ice, I help players develop the skill and athleticism they need to take their game to the highest level possible.  But there is one thing that a player absolutely MUST have if they want to realize their hockey dreams - and it’s the one thing that I, and every other coach out there, CAN’T teach.

We can teach you all the skills you need to play at the elite level… But we can’t teach you PASSION. 

We can show you all the systems and strategies…But we can’t teach you how to be committed or dedicated. 

That has to come from inside YOU. 

The difference between good players and great female hockey players is very, very small.  Players who can skate, shoot, pass, save and stickhandle are a dime-a-dozen, but players who have the uncommon level of desire to become the best are very rare. 

You have to be willing to do things that other players aren’t willing to do in order to separate yourself from the competition.  Because it’s those things you choose to do when no one else is watching that will make you stand out from the crowd.

Great players choose to be excellent every day. 

They don’t just show up for the big games.  They put in the same level of effort, whether it is the championship game of a tournament or a normal weekday practice.  They finish every single drill as hard as they can, even if their teammates are slacking off.  They set goals for themselves before they hit the ice so that they can stay laser-focused on what they want
to achieve.  They also put the same level of commitment and dedication into what they do off the ice.  They train off the ice all year around and they stretch before they go to bed each night.  They make healthy nutrition choices and make sure they are drinking enough water.  They spend ten extra minutes working on their stick-handling and shooting every night.  They work as hard in the classroom as they do on the ice.

Let’s be honest - this stuff isn’t “sexy”.  It’s much more fun to go to practice or play games.  And it’s much easier to be motivated when there are 15 other players chasing after the same goal. 

But great players don’t make the easy choice.  They make the HARD choices and hold themselves to a higher standard.  

Because if making it to the next level was easy, everyone would be there. 

There is a huge difference between saying that you want to be the best and actually taking the action necessary to move closer to your dreams.
 

If you want to be the best, you have to choose to be excellent every day.

Because that just what elite female hockey players do. 

Excellence doesn’t just happen when you are out on the ice.  It happens as a result of all the little choices you make on and off the ice each and every day - when no one else is watching or keeping score.

Keep Working Hard, Dreaming BIG and Taking ACTION.

~ Coach Kim
 

Director, Total Female Hockey

Today is my 30th birthday, and as a special gift to you, I wanted to share this interview that I did about the mental game in girls hockey with my friend Kevin Neeld, who is a former elite hockey player and an off-ice player development coach as well. Enjoy!

KN: Kim, I’d like to start off by asking you a question that a teacher of mine once asked me: What percentage of hockey performance do you think is mental?

I have two answers to this. In the beginning, when players are still acquiring basic skills, like skating, passing and shooting, that you might be at a 50-50% split between mental and physical. Once players have the ability to play the game without having to consciously think about performing the physical skills, I’d say we shift closer to a 70% mental and 30% physical split. I’ve played with and against many players who were great practice players – but as soon as they had to think on the move during the course of their game, their skill all but disappears.

KN: I think we all have played with players like that! Considering that such a high percentage of performance is mental, what aspect of hockey players’ mentality do you notice is preventing them from playing their best?

I would say the two biggest challenges for players on the mental side of the game are a lack of confidence and a negative attitude. The lack of confidence issue I see more in girls hockey than in boys hockey, but it is a big issue in both games. Players constantly downplay their accomplishments and allow the one or two little mistakes they made overshadow their overall performance. I had a player score her ?rst goal last season (she actually scored a hat-trick) and yet she was angry after the game because of one stupid pass she made on the power-play.

Players will say things like, “I sucked today” or “I played the worst game ever” when they make a few mistakes out there. Hockey is a game of mistakes and I can count on one hand the number of “perfect games” I played in my 10-year career. I always made a few mistakes - the important thing is to move on as quickly as possible and focus on the next shift. The negative attitude issue is huge in both boys and girls hockey. It drives me crazy when players say, “I can’t do that”, “I can’t shoot a high backhand”, “I can’t score”. Using the word “can’t” automatically puts you in a negative mindset and you basically give yourself permission to under-perform on that skill. I’m not saying players need to be 100% positive all the time, but there is never an instance where positivity will hurt you - and negativity always will.

KN: I can’t agree more. I’m an outspoken supporter of unconditional optimism, in sports and in life. I know you went into great detail about this in your book “Best Hockey Season Ever”, fill us in on what hockey players can do to correct these performance-limiting attitudes?

Players need to own their accomplishments and own their strengths. There is nothing wrong with saying “Thanks” after someone tells you that you played a great game. You aren’t being conceited – you are acknowledging your accomplishment. On the same note, players need to know what they are good at and commit to being the best at those things each and every time they are out on the ice. All too often, players get wrapped up and focus on their weaknesses instead of showcasing their strengths. Don’t get me wrong – players have to improve their weaknesses as well, but they also need to know what they are best at and commit to being the best at those things all the time. The negativity issue is a hard one to fix, but it can be as simple as getting players to stop slamming their stick against the boards in frustration after missing a sure goal. That’s a little step in the right direction that will get them to think about being more positive.

KN: Great point. Taking small steps and cutting back a few negative behaviors is a great way to start improving your playing mentality. Most people are familiar with the fact that an off-ice training program can help improve the strength, speed, power, and conditioning of ice hockey players. I’m a strong believer that these things are just the tip of the iceberg. Do you notice changes in your players’ confidence and mental toughness after a few months of training?

My favorite thing about off-ice training is the psychological benefit it gives players. I know that when I was a young player, I took great pride in the fact that none of the other girls I played with trained as hard as I did off the ice. I may not have been as skilled as them on the ice, but I knew that I was fitter, faster, and stronger. Quite often, when it comes to off-ice training, the most skilled player on the team isn’t the best athlete off the ice. Sometimes it’s the 4th liner who is the most fit. While fitness isn’t the only thing that will get that player better on the ice, the confidence they will gain knowing that they are in the best shape will have tremendous benefits to their performance.

KN: I felt the same way when I trained! As a 13 year-old I got cut from a Bantam Tier II 2nd team! I remember training that whole year just knowing that nobody was working as hard as me off the ice, treating the whole world as my competition. It sounds like that mentality paid off for both of us!

For anyone that hasn’t already looked into this, Kim has put together the most comprehensive resource for youth hockey players that I’ve ever seen. It includes step-by-step formulas to improve your training, nutrition, and mental preparedness. It’s truly a must-have for dedicated hockey players (and coaches!). Click here to read more about how Kim’s Book, “The Best Hockey Season Ever” can start helping you compete at a higher level.

KN: Thanks for taking the time Kim!

My pleasure Kevin.

Keep Working Hard and Dreaming BIG.

~ Coach Kim

To be honest, being an elite athlete is a pretty selfish pursuit. And becoming an elite female hockey player is no exception.

Most of your decisions in day-to-day life are guided by the question, “Will this make me a better player or not?” You make a commitment to be your very best and your choices reflect that commitment. It is very easy to become “ME” focused, even when you are playing a team sport.

But is that really what you should focus on if you want to be the best female hockey player possible?

A perfect example of wanting to showcase your skills to standout is going on right now here in Ontario, where we are in the midst of our Under-16 team tryouts. As the off-ice player development coach at these tryouts, I always address the issue of what players can do to stand-out in these highly competitive situations. Having and showcasing individual skills is critical in these tryouts, but there is another really great way to help yourself be seen a great player…

=> By using your individual skills to make the players around you better.

The best example of a player who does this better than any other women’s hockey player I have seen in Jennifer Botteril (pictured above). Jen is the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer and a three-time Olympian for many reasons, but one of the biggest reasons she is such a great player is that she makes everyone around her better when she’s on the ice. I honestly believe Jen could be on a line with two 10 year olds and she could make them look like Olympians. Her game sense and ability to distribute the puck to the right place at the right time can only be described as uncanny. Sure, she’s a great skater, passer, stickhandler, shooter etc, but it is her ability to make her teammates better that really makes her standout.

I remember back to my junior year of college when I first started focusing as much on how I could make my teammates better as I did on making myself better. Shifting my focus not only allowed me to help our team be better, but it took some of the pressure off me (mostly self-inflicted) to always be the best. That small change in focus had profound effects on my linemates’ performance as well as my own.

So while you need to be very focused on what you need to do and want to achieve individually in order to become the best female hockey player you can be, you will really start to take your game to the next level once you start focusing on how you can make the players around you better as well.

Work Hard, Dream BIG and Make Your Teammates Better.

Your friend and coach,

~ Kim

I’m seeing a disturbing pattern emerge with many of the girls hockey players I am working with this season - and the season hasn’t even started yet. Whether during practices, games or off-ice training, every single day I hear players saying the most dangerous word in girls hockey over and over again…CAN’T.

“I can’t crossover that way”.

“I can’t shoot a backhand”.

“I can’t do push-ups”.

It’s not that they can’t do the skills at all - they just can’t do them as well as they would like to be able to yet.

And every time I hear them use the word “Can’t”, I want them to add that powerful word afterwards…”YET”.

I can’t do push-ups….YET.

I can’t shoot a backhand…YET.

I can’t do crossovers that way…YET.

Lack of confidence is by far the biggest problem among girls hockey players.

And I simply will not allow the players I work with to dis-empower themselves by using this negative language.

Ideally, they wouldn’t use the word “can’t” at all. But I know, having been a young female hockey player myself, that the journey towards positive thinking and speaking can be a long one.

So I am starting off small.

For right now, all my players will add a “yet” onto every “can’t” statement I hear them say.

It’s a little step in the right direction, but it will make a HUGE difference in the long run.

If you are a girls hockey coach or parent, please try this strategy out with your players and let me know how it works.

Remember - it’s our small actions that lead us to our BIG DREAMS.

So Keep Working Hard, Dreaming BIG and Stay Positive.

Your friend and coach,

~ Kim

All week long, my good friend Brooke and I have been running a 4-day pre-camp of on-ice and off-ice training for the Total Female Hockey Experience event that starts tomorrow morning. Before the BIG event gets underway, I wanted to share a GREAT story with you from the pre-camp that really illustrates what Brooke and I think is one of the BIGGEST ROADBLOCKS preventing girls hockey players from getting to and excelling at the next level. This is especially important for players, coaches and parents to read this before training camps kick-off in the next two weeks.
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The one thing that will have the greatest impact on a female hockey player’s performance is…the mental side of the game. Watch the video below to see why this is a topic that every single player, parent and coach must address if they want to have their best hockey season ever.

While being in great physical shape gives you a leg up on the competition in the fall…
it’s your commitment to your mental game that will give you an unfair advantage all season long.

The truth is that while only a small number of girls hockey players are working hard at improving their physical performance this summer, even fewer are working on their mental performance.

Your mental game is the #1 key to your success this season and beyond.

What are you doing to get mentally ready for the season?

Over the course of the next 4 weeks, I be releasing 2 new programs that will help you take your mental and physical performance to the next level this season…stay tuned!

In the meantime…

Keep Working Hard and Dreaming BIG.

Your friend and coach,

~ Kim

I am just in the middle of re-reading one of the books I used throughout my entire career to keep me focused and motivated as I worked towards achieving my goals on and off the ice. It is called, “In Pursuit of Excellence”, and it has one story in particular that I wanted to share with you that really helped me to understand the importance of having a laser-like focus in order to reach your goal of becoming an elite womens’ hockey player.
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Today Is THE Day for every girls hockey player to take action.

If you keep telling yourself that you are ready to take your game to the next level…

If you are going to start training off the ice…

If you are going to start pushing yourself harder on the ice…

If you are going to set goals, meet them and then set new ones…

Well, today is the day to get started.

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Do you need some extra “Monday Motivation” today?  Did your team have a tough weekend?  Even if you’ve won every game of the season easily so far, there are going to be times when you are going to need a little extra kick in the butt to get you going.

In yesterday’s edition of the Calgary Herald, Theo Fleury, a former NHL superstar and one of the best “small” players of all-time, shared his tips for motivating the girls’ hockey players at Union College (who are going through a rough patch this season).

Theo has dealt with his fair share of adversity in his hockey career and, from the sounds of it, he has turned really turned it around.  Theo hit the nail on the head with this one.  No re-writing necessary.  Check out his advice below.

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