“Ninety percent of the game is half mental.” –Yogi Berra
Every elite athlete I know agrees with Yogi’s observation. After all, there is a limit as to how much strength, cardio, and agility conditioning a human body can physically endure. Throughout time athletes have strived to break speed and strength barriers. In fact, that desire led to the first Olympics, in 1896. Physical capabilities, though, are ultimately restricted by scientific laws (physics, thermodynamics, and biomechanics). However, thanks to relatively recent advances, neuroscientists are beginning to access the mysteries of the human brain. By training one’s brain, in ways that are aligned with scientific advances, athletes can greatly enhance their athletic performance.
Years ago, when I lived in Colorado, I was invited to travel to China as part of the first North American women’s team to compete in Asia. We were considered “guinea pigs” for the U.S. Women’s National Team who would play in Harbin (the only rink in China at that time) in preparation for the Nagano Olympics. Given that I was a lot older than my competitors and knowing that this was my one chance to play competitively internationally, I wanted to be at the top of my game.
Physically, I trained hard that summer in Colorado. I spent my days running up stretches of Aspen Mountain with an inner tube of sand draped over my back, mountain biking over 13,000’ passes and back, shooting hundreds of pucks against a chalk hockey net I designed on a tennis backboard, as well as working out in the gym. Still, I wanted to gain another edge outside of my physical training. So, I sought out a psychologist who specialized in sport psychology and mental training. The scientifically validated skills I learned elevated the personal skills I had naturally developed on my own. I was hooked from the start!
Today, young athletes have a greater opportunity to enhance their game earlier in life than even most professional athletes. In the mid-1970’s, when I first started playing hockey for the Natick Eagles (one of the first girls’ town teams), sport psychology was considered something “way out there”, that only the Eastern European athletes practiced. North American coaches and athletes generally looked down upon sport psychology, often judging it as a program for deficient athletes. In fact, I can’t imagine that any young athlete who I knew at the time had even heard about sport psychology.
Times change, though. As the stakes around sports increased in the years since, elite athletes began to take more notice of adding any skills that could potentially improve their performance. Slowly, that interest has spread out to colleges, high school, middle school and even older elementary age children. Just as athletes want to gain the edge in their skating skills, shooting skills, and physical conditioning, increasingly athletes are curious about learning the ways to gain the mental edge.
Why does an athlete want to train their brain?
With all the time athletes commit to becoming a better player and performing at higher levels, why wouldn’t they want to improve the skills that are going to help elevate game performance and help extend their hockey career?
Exercise #1:
Can you think of a time when you played “in the zone”? In other words, you played your “A” game, connecting on all your passes, skating with powerful strides, hitting the open corners of the net, etc. Aside from feeling focused and confident, maybe you even felt that there were moments when your performance felt easy and the game felt in slow motion. Imprint that memory.
Now, reflect on a time when you felt off. Perhaps you felt distracted (either by something inside or outside your head), your passes were off, your energy was low…basically you couldn’t get out of your own way. Imprint that memory.
Most likely, this sharp difference in your performance had less to do with your training, conditioning or skill level. Much more likely, it had to do with where your head was that day.
Train like an NHL or NWHL player
While every athlete is unique and has their own baselines, strengths and growth areas, every athlete can further develop their mental skills. As I share with my clients, every hockey player—including top NHL/NWHL players--can continue to sharpen their mental edge. Increasingly NHL and college teams are hiring licensed psychologists to help their players sharpen their mental edges. Like strength conditioning and skill training, mental skills are developed in the off-season, consistently utilized during the season, and then most critical during high-pressure situations, like right now, during playoff season!
Notable benefits of training your brain:
More motivation
Sharper focus
Increased confidence
More positive attitude
Empowered feelings
Improved happiness
How does someone train their brain?
With my clients, we initially assess current skills, clarify their vision, and then dive into developing a custom “tool belt” of skills to help complement the on and off ice training. Goal-setting, the topic of my next column, is a key component of the training. Creating new behaviors takes time, motivation, and accountability. Just like random hockey practices or gym workouts won’t provide enough skills and conditioning to excel, the same is true with mental conditioning. Consistency is key. What a player puts into training their brain, is generally what they get out of it. The good news is that training your brain takes much less training time than skating, shooting, or working out in the gym - and requires no equipment or membership.
While seasoned athletes may have developed some useful skills as part of playing experience, all athletes can further develop mental skills. NHL/NWHL players—even at their level—continue to work with skating and shooting instructors, there is always room for growth with our mental conditioning. As with physical conditioning, there is also the element of “use it or lose it.”
The value of consistently practicing is that players can utilize any of the tools at their disposal as needed. I have my clients reflect upon their first experience skating, and how it felt to focus hard, fall, get back up, focus hard, and fall again. Mental training initially requires a similar perseverance. And it pays off, as the athlete who possesses an arsenal of tools to draw upon during high-pressure situations, such as tryouts or playoffs, often has the advantage over opponents who haven’t practiced mental conditioning.
There are a number of exercises that can help us to achieve this hyper-focused mental state, and collectively, they can develop into a strong, extensive toolkit for mental toughness. In this series of columns, I will provide foundational elements for mental conditioning.
How does one Train their Brain?
Breathe. Athletes breathe upward of 25,000 breaths a day. Most of these are mindless breaths, which we have no memory of at the end of our day. Breathing is the foundation of training your brain for peak performance.
Here is a 3-step exercise to help you to pay more attention to your breath:
Sit or lie down (as long as you don’t drift off) in a comfortable position:
Keep your back straight back.
Close your eyes.
Take a slow deep breath:
Breathe in through your nose (count of two).
Breathe out through your mouth (count of four).
Pause (count of 1).
Repeat (number varies according to individual)
If you want:
Place a hand on your abdomen, just on top of your belly button.
As you inhale, notice that your belly will rise about an inch (think: balloon inflating).
And as you exhale, notice that your belly will fall about an inch (think: balloon deflating).
Training the Brain Builds Mental Toughness
For all the Patriots fans reading this, think back to Tom Brady. He was the first to share that he was not the fastest or quickest on the field, yet he continued to push himself, physically and mentally, to not just be game ready but to excel at his sport. Patriots quarterback, Drake Maye, also commits to mental discipline and comprehensive training in his practice routines. Like strength and conditioning, training your brain (aka mental conditioning) requires consistent time and effort.
“Every quarterback can throw a ball; every running back can run; every receiver is fast; but that mental toughness that you talk about translates into competitiveness.” –Tom Brady
