Celebrate the Little Things

The holiday season is a time for thanks and celebration. On the ice, this should be a year round habit - celebrating the little things. On occasion, coaches and players rejoice over goals and saves forgetting to be passionate the foundational skills that lead to long term success. Differently, it seems easy to criticize little things on the ice - a pass into a teammates skates, a forgotten back-check, and a bobbled one timer. Certainly these are things to be concerned about, however too often we dwell on the negatives and the problems rather than being enthusiastic about the positives and focusing on the solutions.

These are easy in concepts, but too often forgotten when the puck is dropped. This can be highlighted by often times hearing a coach say when a team is struggling, “We have to get back to the basics.” To one listening to this comment, it ought to be interpreted as, “We have not been celebrating the basics recently.” In sport it is easy to focus on what is highlight in the paper and press each day, scores, standings, points, and saves.

Unfortunately all of these numbers are terribly deceptive. Rewarding any of these items does very little to teach a player “how” to be successful on the ice. The little things that lead to excellence - keeping one's stick on the ice, giving a burst of effort when transitioning from offense to defense, firing the puck off of the boards when in trouble, finishing a check – are sometimes overlooked. It is easy to take the basics for granted (they are no “big deal”), but they are at the foundation of both strong offensive and defensive play. If they are this important, one must wonder why far more time is spent celebrating goals than the actions and decisions that led up to them. It the midst of play it is most important to remember the little things.

Conversely, young players can found spending a great amount of time of mental and emotional effort lamenting over mistakes. Some days it would appear that a missed shot is the end of the world, playing on the 3 rd line gives one little hope to grow into a productive adult, and goal let in means that one should take up a new sport. Sighs, groans, and frustrations sometimes seem to outweigh the cheers and celebrations. Sure, no player is perfect and it is unrealistic to ignore regular errors and mistakes, but it is unhelpful to focus on them - rather a wise player focuses on solution and “celebrates” improvements.

During the hustle and bustle of hockey our attention often drifts towards the scoreboard and the problems we see on ice. Too often it is the little things – the simple tape to tape pass, a good skating stride, good glove and stick position – that we forget to focus on during games and a hockey season filled with passion. Ironically, it is the little things that lead to success and should receive the most attention and passion. It is the basics of sound execution and good decision making that lead to the greatest achievements. As you celebrate friends, family, and many blessings this holiday season, make a note of 3 to 4 of the basic skills, attitudes, and efforts that lead to great play on the ice - and remember to celebrate them regularly the entire year round. Happy Holidays.

Adam H. Naylor, Ed.D., AASP-CC the lead consultant for Telos Sport Psychology Coaching ( www.telos-spc.com ) and is sport psychology coach and center coordinator at the Boston University Athletic Enhancement Center ( www.bu.edu/aec ). He serves as a consultant to USA/Mass Hockey and works with youth, junior, collegiate, and professional players and coaches. He can be contacted at adam@telos-spc.com.