While being part of a great player development program is important, it doesn’t determine the level of success a player achieves. Neither does the team you play for, the summer camps you go to or the coaches you listen to. There are plenty of opportunities for girls’ hockey players to grow and develop, but only a select few ever reach the highest level of achievement. At the end of the day, what truly separates good players from the great ones is their psychological make-up.     

I’ve talked at great lengths about the mental game of female hockey players as it relates to confidence and focus in the past. But in this article I am only going to look at one psychological attribute: the expectations of the player. A great player doesn’t only wish, hope, want or strive for success – she expects it. A great player is certain of the probability of their achievement. They know that nothing is guaranteed, but they are also confident that their physical and mental preparation has put them in the best possible position to succeed.

In order to be great, players must always believe in their own ability to successfully achieve their goals. Doubt leads to setback and failure, while confidence leads to progress and success. However, even when a player knows they must adopt this attitude, it’s much easier said than done. Girls don’t want to be seen as over-confident or conceited, so they often hold back from setting big goals, holding themselves accountable and believing beyond a shadow of a doubt that they will achieve that goal. It’s scary to step outside of your comfort zone and risk the possibility of failure. It’s also the only way to get to the highest levels of achievement in your sport. 

So how do you go about instilling this unwavering belief system in yourself? Well, success breeds success. Many small victories over time lead to bigger victories. Big victories in games and tournaments are won because of all the small battles that are fought and won (or lost) on a daily basis during practice. That doesn’t mean that you only compete against weaker opponents so that you can guarantee your success. Great players don’t line up against weaker players in 1-on-1 drills. They want to compete with the best player on the team – and beat them. In order to be a true champion, you have to compete against champions.   

One strategy for conditioning yourself to expect success is to train with and against players who are at a higher level than you whenever possible. You’ll not only learn invaluable lessons from training, practicing and playing with superior players, you’ll eventually expect to achieve everything they have and possibly even exceed their levels of achievement.