Just as one hockey season ends - the next begins. All week long, girls hockey tryouts have been running all across Ontario.  It’s a stressful time for players, parents and coaches alike.  So this is a message for all the players who are nervous and excited about the tryouts.

When it comes to tryouts, there is one thing you need more than anything else and that’s…

==>  CONFIDENCE

You aren’t going to drastically change your skills between now and tryouts. But you can dramatically improve your confidence in a short period of time.   Confidence comes from inside you - not from your parents, coaches,  teammates or friends.  You have complete control over it.  So to help to get you ready for the challenges and opportunities  that lay ahead in the next few weeks…

… Here are 8 of my favorite quotes about CONFIDENCE.

::  Confidence is preparation.  Everything else is beyond your control.

::  Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.

(Meaning:  There is no reason anything anyone says or does has to make
you feel bad.  You choose the way you interpret what happens to you.)

::  It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not. 

::  We have to learn to be our own best friends because we fall too easily
into the trap of being our own worst enemies.

::  The way you treat yourself sets the standard for others.

(Meaning:  If you put yourself down or think you aren’t good enough,
you are opening the door for others to do the same). 

::  Other people’s opinion of you does not have to become your reality.

::  Whether you think you can or think you can’t - you are right.

::  Don’t let anyone steal your dream.  It’s your dream, not theirs.

I hope that one of the quotes above really speaks to you and helps you to get ready for the challenges ahead. 

Remember to stay focused on the 2 things you’ve got control over - your attitude and your work ethic.

Good luck!

Your friend and coach,

Kim

Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS?Director, Total Female Hockey
Girls’ Hockey Director, PEAC School For Elite Athletes
 

I was at the Under-15 Team Ontario tryouts this past weekend in Ottawa, sharing off-ice training, nutrition and mental performance strategies with the 80+ girls hockey players at the camp.

Every player there wanted to stand out and make the team and I went over exactly what they needed to do in order to get noticed.

But more importantly…

=> I told them exactly what NOT to do to get noticed!

And I wanted to share the same information with you.

The best way to make sure you DON’T stand out on the ice is by…

=> Trying to be something that you’re NOT!

If you are a stay-at-home defenseman, then don’t try to be Bobby Orr by trying to go end-to-end every time you touch the puck.

It may help you to stand out - but it will be for all the wrong reasons.

If you try to be something you aren’t in these tryout situations, you are going to stick-out because of your weaknesses, instead of standing-out because of your strengths.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret…

Any high-level coach or scout can watch you skate for a period or two and know exactly what kind of player you are.

It only takes them a few shifts to figure out if you are a pure goal-scorer, a solid two-way forward, a rushing D or a stay-at-home D.

By the time you are into the second practice or game, they know exactly what kind of player you are and expect that you are going to excel at what you are already good at on every shift.

So if you are a great two-way forward, who all of a sudden can’t find your own defensive zone because you are too busy cherry-picking up by the far blue-line, you are trying to be a player you aren’t.

In these tryout situations, skaters think they need to be “flashy” in order to stand out.

If you are always “flashy”, keep being “flashy”.

But if you aren’t, DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT!

Coaches don’t need a team full of end-to-end rushers.

They need stay-at-home defensemen and two-way forwards too.

Instead of worrying about the things you don’t do well, (and remember, all of us have things we don’t do well out there), focus on what you are already good at.

And commit yourself 100% to being the best at those things
each and every time you touch the ice.

Keep Working Hard, Dreaming BIG and Commit To
Being The Best At What You Are Already Good At.

~ Coach Kim

PS - If you enjoyed this newsletter, and think that another member of your team, family or coaching staff might benefit from the information, please feel free to share this message with them.

And let them know that there are 400+ more articles and videos specifically about how to get to the next level of girls hockey waiting for them here at Total Female Hockey Club:

http://www.totalfemalehockeyclub.com

We just finished our first round of girls hockey tryouts for next year’s teams here in Toronto, which means that there are some players with broken hearts out there.

I’ve been cut my fair share of times in my hockey career and I know how much it sucks.

But one time in particular hurt more than the rest…
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Some players make the mistake of thinking that their tryout is over as soon as the last drill is done on the ice. Here are two quick tips female hockey players can use to make a great impression and standout from the crowd after the final whistle blows.
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Making the team is about making a great impression.
Of course we’d all love to be the best player on the ice and be a “lock” to make the team. Every girls hockey team is going to have a handful of those players who have a “guaranteed” spot, and everyone else has to battle it out to make the team.
Here are 3 tips you can use during tryouts to stand out if you are “on the bubble”.
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Preparing to perform your best at your next female hockey tryout is 90% mental. Whether you are two weeks or two days out from the first session, there isn’t a lot you can do to change your physical performance. Your physical preparation is important, but you are going to see the BIGGEST results from your mental preparation. There are 2 things you should do to make sure you are mentally prepared to standout at tryouts…
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