MENTALITY
The most overlooked and poorly taught part of the game, the athlete, and life itself. Even the most advanced skill in the hands of a weak mind are of little use the athlete or anyone else. Below are facets of the athlete's mind that GRIT emphasizes in training. This is the highest priority of GRIT training for a simple reason; the single most important variable of success in hockey and in life is the content and application of an individual's mind! This is the highest held value at GRIT HOCKEY.
If one masters every skill of the game and yet fails to master the power of their mentality, then GRIT has failed. Conversely, If the athlete manages only slight improvement of game skills yet gains mastery of their mentality then that's the greatest success that GRIT can achieve! This is because hockey is only one part of the the athlete's life, but the mind is the lens through which hockey and every other part of life is lived. The impact of one's mentality is felt in every sphere of life and by everyone they encounter. For this reason the mind is the most important part of any GRIT athlete.
Fortitude & focus
increasingly, the science of today validates the wisdom of the past; the mind is a muscle. It is critical to train the mind with the same attention and repetition as the body.
We all know the stereotypical star player who loses composure and consequently the ability to perform in the big game and the outcome is defeat despite their skill. The athlete has failed themselves and their team in the moment they needed it most.
This is because the athlete lost composure of their mind first. It's the same as with the body; If you have not trained in adversity, then you cannot expect it to perform well when adversity arises.
Focus is maintaining particular attention to what is of highest priority. Fortitude is withstanding pain or stress in the face of distraction or adversity while pursuing a goal. Your body is the machine and your mind is the driver, and even the best machine in existence is only as effective as the driver behind the wheel. This is why GRIT builds the physical skills as well as the skills of the mind.
Fortitude & focus are built with relentless engagement & repetition in moments that recreate adversity. You must know how it feels to be tested and know how to pass the test.
awareness
This denotes the characteristic of the GRIT athlete being aware of the inner world of self as well situational awareness of their environment.
An example of inner awareness is the "self talk" of the athlete. What do they tell themselves about their own performance, especially after a mistake? It is very common that an athlete has very negative self talk unless they learn to be aware and correct it. This is perhaps most critical difference between the best athletes in the world and everyone else. GRIT prioritizes building skill in an athlete's awareness of this inner conversation with themselves, sending ripples into everything they do.
An example of situational awareness is actually the absence of it. A common symptom of this is "tunnel vision" which negatively effects decision making . A passionate athlete is intensely trying to tie the game that they don't see their open team mate, instead they try an impossible shot rather than a simple pass. As we have all seen, the impossible shot is by far the worst option.
An athlete that has the practiced skill to maintain situational awareness even in the most difficult moments has the ability to see options available to them in the moment and make the best choice. This is when the athlete completes the perfect pass or finds the open patch of ice that makes the difference in the biggest moments of the game.
meditation
This term is commonly drastically over used or dramatically misunderstood or mis-applied. There are hundreds of books about it, and many podcasts and commentators that have endless hours on the subject. WE KEEP IT SIMPLE AT GRIT HOCKEY. Here's the Webster definition;
Meditate
To engage in contemplation or reflection
To engage in mental exercise, focus one's thoughts on
To plan or project in the mind
With this use of meditation, the GRIT athlete builds the skill of mind to actively engage with their game (and the rest of life) with Awareness & Focus. GRIT mentality is very interconnected.
This skill empowers the athlete to know themselves, to articulate clear and specific goals, organize & direct their activity, and engage deeply with the daily process of working toward their goals. In the order of the above definition, GRIT prioritizes the use of meditation;
1) GRIT Assessment, self-development & awareness
2) Full current-task focus, daily habits/routines for mental clarity
3) Visualization, building mental clarity through repetition