Mental Training
Articles regarding mental training
My Thoughts on Steve Mason’s Gear Issues
Mar 18th
By now, we have all heard about Steve Mason and the mind-boggling situation regarding his recent switch to wearing bigger gear. If you haven’t heard about this by now, read about it right here. Essentially, Mason told reporters that he didn’t know he could wear bigger pads, despite the fact the NHL adopted and implemented new form-fitting rules before the start of the season.
My Perspective on Ryan Miller’s Struggles
Jan 17th
When expectations are extremely high, an elite goalie’s mindset must reach a delicate balance on a daily basis. That delicate balance has to be centered around one thing; an intense focus on tracking and stopping pucks.
Mental Training: 10 Tips for Parents
Dec 21st
Shaun Smith is the founder of Absolute Mental Training and provides The Goalie Guild with a column every week. If you have any questions or comments, contact him at ssmith@absolutementaltraining.com!
Parents often openly talk about what they “hope” their child can get out of their sport. This can range from playing at a very competitive level, or my favourite “at least get a college scholarship.” I get that parents want what’s best for their children (I have two beautiful daughters who I would do anything for to see them succeed), but what parents do not realize is that talking about such high expectations may put undue pressure on a child to live up to those expectations.
Mental Training: Practice Pet Peeves
Dec 7th
Shaun Smith is the founder of Absolute Mental Training and provides The Goalie Guild with a column every week. If you have any questions or comments, contact him at ssmith@absolutementaltraining.com!
As a mental skills coach, I work with many athletes who want to continue their sport at a very high level. Many of these young athletes probably have more skill and technical sense then some of the professional athletes would’ve had at their respective age due to increases in technology, and new training techniques used by today’s coaches.
Mental Training: The Importance of Mentors
Nov 17th
Shaun Smith is the founder of Absolute Mental Training and provides The Goalie Guild with a column every week. If you have any questions or comments, contact him at ssmith@absolutementaltraining.com!
This past Saturday, Jean-Sebastien Giguere was the guest on Hockey Night in Canada’s “After Hours” show and did a great job. He talked about many different areas of his current and past game, which were spurred on by some great questions asked by viewers. One thing that became clear was that Giguere has matured into a great mentor for Semyon Varlamov, going as far as to say that for his team to win, Varlamov would need to be on top of his game.
Apprentices: Defining Mental Toughness
Nov 14th
As many of you know, The Goalie Guild launched a new Apprenticeship program this year. Aimed at educating passionate goaltenders and goalie-lovers about the world of scouting goaltenders, we have initiated the inaugural class in order to help us build the program from the ground up.
Jake Allen’s Brain is A Leathery Steak
Oct 5th
Back on September 12, this letter came across my desk:
Goldie,
Wanted to drop you a line, since your inspiration and fantasy tutelage definitely helped inspire a video this year for the Upper Deck Rookie Bootcamp series. For the NHLPA Rookie Showcase in Toronto, a friend and I were hired to write and produce a series of videos using the rookies at the event.
Mental Training: A Note on Concussions
Oct 4th
Shaun Smith is the founder of Absolute Mental Training and provides The Goalie Guild with a column every week. If you have any questions or comments, contact him at ssmith@absolutementaltraining.com!
Concussions…yes, I am sure that you have read a lot about concussions recently. But this does not mean that we should ignore what is going on in hockey involving concussions, and how this can directly impact you or your son/daughter’s brain.
Mental Training: Perfection Pitfalls
Sep 20th
Shaun Smith is the founder of Absolute Mental Training and provides The Goalie Guild with a column every week. If you have any questions or comments, contact him at ssmith@absolutementaltraining.com!
How often have we seen a goaltender have a perfect season? We all know the answer is never. Even a perfect game is far-fetched when we think about the fact that even a shutout is often a combination of luck, team play and the goaltender’s play. That is that beauty of playing sports. We will continually strive to be perfect through practice and games, but rarely do we ever even have a perfect period let alone a perfect game.
Mental Training: The Company You Keep
Aug 16th
Shaun Smith is the founder of Absolute Mental Training and provides The Goalie Guild with a column every week. If you have any questions or comments, contact him at ssmith@absolutementaltraining.com!
Do you really want to become an elite-level goaltender? Do you really want to take your athletic abilities and skills as far as you can possibly go? Every day I come in contact with goaltenders who tell me that they want to be elite. They train hard, they play hard, and they dream of one day playing at an elite level. Yet, when we get on the topic of their friends and those who they CHOOSE to hang around with outside of the arena, their friends fail to meet the standards of an elite level athlete.