Coaches Corner
See No Evil… Feel No Evil
The Art of Visualization

By: Ian Roberston

It can be your:
Greatest ally or your fiercest enemy
Most valuable tool or your deadliest self-destructing weapon,
Most phenomenal dream or your ugliest nightmare.

They say that sight without vision is blind. The hockey community has long lagged behind the other major spots when it came to new ideas. Only recently had the concept of visualization and mental preparation become a minor component of a professional team's training, and it remains virtually obsolete in the amateur ranks.

In everyone's life there are special people. These individuals have the ability and the foresight to provide aspiring athletes and scholars something magical that will last a lifetime. During the sixties, my coach ventured into unknown mind galaxies. Players would be asked to be dressed fifteen minutes before game time. We would then lie down on the ground with a glove acting as a pillow and place our feet up on the bench. After closing our eyes our coach would take us on an amazing mind adventure that featured that night's game. His descriptive monologue would emphasize the positive aspects of a player's ability and would always allow them to recover in an effective manner if they were beaten in some way. We were rarely intimidated by any opponent. Their incredible moves were just a replay of what we had already seen in our minds. Our reactions were instinctive and most of the time, very successful. Our coach even went so far as to recreate the actual game sounds and smells in the dressing room by opening windows to chill the air, placing a box of freshly popped popcorn in the corner and by making crowd noises.

The bottom line is, if you feel good mentally, you tend to play well - you are energized and confident. Any player has the ability to prepare themselves for action by following a simple game day ritual. This should ensure a consistent performance game in and game out.

GAME DAY RITUAL OVERVIEW
Pack your bag early in the morning and ensure that you are always prepared for mishaps - extra laces, a skate stone, game sticks should be taped and ready to dance.

Throughout the day begin to visualize the opposition's strengths and weaknesses, and your positional responsibilities. These should not interfere with your regular day. Find a time when you can go on a mental vacation without paying the price.

Ensure that you leave early enough to arrive at the rink in plenty of time. During the drive to the game continue with your mental preparation and see yourself successfully executing all the appropriate moves.

Create three personal goals for tonight's game - one in the area of skill development (using both edges while stopping), an offensive goal (releasing your shot quickly and accurately) and a defensive goal (getting to loose pucks first). After the game, evaluate how successful you were.

Make sure that you stretch your body and increase your blood flow prior to and after getting dressed.

Moments prior to the game should be a sacred time that you focus your energies towards the task at hand. It is not a time to be joking around with teammates and thinking about any of the responsibilities or deadlines outside of the actual game.

Listen with your eyes as well as your ears as your coach provides you with last minute reminders.

Focus while you are on the ice as well as on the bench and communicate with your teammate and coaches at all times. Try to eliminate any negative thoughts or comments from the process.

Try to consume some carbohydrates (bagel) and some juice immediately following the game. There is a twenty-minute window of opportunity to replace some of your expended stores.

Reflect upon your team's performance and your contributions as you travel home.

Unpack your bag when you arrive home and air your equipment out. If you take care of it - it will take care of you.

REMEMBER… IF YOU WANT TO BE YOUR BEST - SEE YOUR BEST!