:: GOALTENDING & MENTAL TRAINING = A PERFECT MATCH ::

Ken Dryden once was quoted saying, “Because the demands on a goalie are mostly mental, it means that for a goalie the biggest enemy is himself. Not a puck, not an opponent, not a quirk of size or style. Him. The stress and anxiety he feels when he plays, the fear of failing, the fear of being embarrassed, the fear of being physically hurt, all the symptoms of his position, in constant ebb and flow, but never disappearing. The successful goalie understands these neuroses, accepts them, and puts them under control. The unsuccessful goalie is distracted by them, his mind in knots, his body quickly following.” 

It was reading quotes like this and playing the position that led me to study the mental side of the position of goaltending. Although the amount to which a goaltender is affected by their mental game is debatable, there is no doubt that no matter how technically or physically strong a goaltender is, he cannot ignore the mental side of the game.

Yet many goaltenders decide to ignore the mental side of their game. When I talk with these goalies, it is often not that they don’t appreciate the mental side of their game, but because they don’t know where to start or how to improve their mental skill set. The truth is that mental training is very similar to training which you already complete for physical or technical skills.

When completing physical or technical training, you become stronger either in the form of pure physical strength, or on a particular area of your game. Though repetitions, this strength is produced and you begin to gain an edge over where you were before you started training. By working on your backside push, you will gain the edge by having the ability to remain in your butterfly and push to wherever the puck may now be located. This does not happen on a whim. It takes practice. I am sure the first time you attempted or attempt a backside push, you only slid inches, but over time you develop the ability to push across your crease.

Mental training is no different. By working on specific mental skills, you will become stronger and be able to deal with a bad goal or a bad call from the referee. By developing skills through the introduction of new skills and the practicing of these new skills, you have the ability to overcome your mental blocks. Your mental training will allow you to have the skill set to handle whatever it is that is thrown at you during a game or season. This comes from working on your mental game, not ignoring it.

Another area which goaltending is much like mental training is flexibility. Goalies that are successful and have long careers do so because of their physical flexibility. They are able to fight against injuries because of their body’s ability to stretch in ways that the general population is unable to. Miikka Kiprusoff completes three hours of flexibility training each day. This allows him to play 70-plus games every season with no injuries.

A goaltender must also be flexible mentally, in that they must be ready and able to handle whatever situations may be thrown at them. A goaltender must be able to rebound from being cut from a team or from a bad call from the referee if they are to be successful. Being able to remain focused and keep your emotions under control are what allow goaltenders to continue to battle for very few spots at the NHL level as well as compete in games where things are not necessarily going their way.

Finally, a goaltender cannot just complete physical or technical training for a couple of sessions and expect that it will fix their game. It often takes months of training for the new skills to be fully learned so that they can occur with little to no thinking. Making a skill automatic takes thousands of repetitions and to be maintained takes consistent practice. How many times have you learned a new skill, yet because you did not use it, you forget how to use it or when to use it?

Mental training is no different. You must continually work on your mental skill set if you want to be successful. Take confidence for example if you fail to work on maintaining your confidence one bad game can lead to a string of games which are poor. Yet if you were to complete a mental training program that maintained your confidence you would be able to shake off this bad game and move on.   

Mental training and goaltending is a perfect match. Yet many people have not welcomed mental training like they have physical and technical training to this date. I believe that part of the problem is that many goaltenders seek out mental coaches who don’t understand the demands of goaltending fully. When I was still playing competitively I sought out help with my mental game and was amazed with how little “expert mental coaches” understood about the position. This is what attracted me to my current career choice as I want to figure out what it was that goaltenders go through and how mentally they can overcome any obstacles that they may face. You wouldn’t go to a knee surgeon to have a surgery completed on your heart. Why go to a mental coach who doesn’t understand the position and the demands of the position. After years of research, I believe that my programs have been designed for goaltenders and the success stories of my goaltenders speak for themselves.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns please feel free to email me atssmith@absolutementaltraining.com!