You're Not the Athlete You Could Be

I’ve seen athletes from all walks of life and across many sports who are simply genetic freaks and can perform the skills of their sport better than anyone on any day. I’ve also seen lesser gifted athletes take it to these guys on plenty of occasions. How does this happen?

Chances are you probably have your share of talent, but fit more into the second group than that of the first . Even more likely, you have probably never taken that bigger, stronger, faster skater to task because even when they make a mistake their superior skills usually allow them to cover. It doesn’t seem fair, but that’s usually how it happens.

So what does the guy who is outmatched by genetics and can’t make up for it with work ethic and an understanding of the game do? While many would be ready and willing to throw in the towel, I’ll assume you’re not that type.

Picture this, you’re in the back end of a tight game and it just so happens that the guy you’ve been matched up with on what seems like every shift, has that extra-bit of God-given ability that keeps you from making a play. Now it’s late in the game and you’re starting to run low on fuel. You can and should keep grinding of course and maybe you’ll catch a break, but you can’t count on that happening.

What if, though, you could start to level the ice with these guys and seemingly get better during a game when everyone else starts to lose seconds off their shifts and lose something on their stride? What if your mind was the sharpest on the ice and your ability to make a play was in line with your desire to do so.

Moreover, what if every day you trained off the ice you were able to close that gap even by the slimmest of margins and be every bit as strong and quick as the guy that had all of that and more handed to him by the hockey gods?

Can this really happen? … and if so, what’s the secret?

Of course it can, and there is no real “secret”. Rather, it’s a different level of focus and commitment to your development and preparation as a hockey player. It’s by doing the things that nearly everyone in sports knows has tremendous value, but fail to invest the proper amount of attention, time, planning and execution into.

The magic happens in your ability to know and allow your body to recover to optimally.

This seems like a rather simple idea, but I’d be willing to bet that your recovery is nowhere near what it could be. With that, I can promise you that you’re not the athlete you could be.