One of the biggest challenges for all hockey players is being able to stay focused throughout an entire season, game or even practice. Distractions are everywhere, and in playoffs and season-ending tournaments, the amount and intensity of these distractions seems to multiply. Every player will get distracted by different things, and that’s why each player must come up with their own strategy for combatting their distractions.

There are two main types of distractions – internal and external. External distractions are the ones that are happening outside of you:  bad ice, bad refs, being late, the fans, coaches’ decisions and your teammates’ actions. These are very different from the internal distractions, which are the ones happening inside of you: overthinking, doubting yourself, comparing yourself, worrying about your mistakes, wanting to impress and worrying about things happening off the ice. With all of these distractions, it is easy to see why you sometimes lose your focus and take your eyes off the task at hand.  

The first step to combatting distractions is to identify the three that are your biggest. Are you more affected by external or internal distractions? Are you your own worst enemy or do you focus too much energy on what’s going on outside of you? It is important to figure out what your most common distractions are so that you can start to create strategies that will allow you to deal with these distractions and stay focused, especially at a critical time of the season.  

To deal with external distractions, you must learn to focus only on the things that are under your own control. It is impossible to control the actions of everyone else in the rink – you can’t control what the referee calls, what the fans are yelling or what system the other team is playing. You also can’t control what your coach decides to do or whether your teammates chose to pass you the puck. What you always have complete control over are your thoughts and your actions. If you find yourself getting distracted by your own thoughts, you need to choose some key focus words that you can use to get you back on track.  

I was one of those players that was my own worst enemy, and so I would always come back to the basics when I found I was getting down on myself.  I used phrases like, “feet moving,” “simple passes” and “confident decisions”  to refocus during the game. Again, these were all things I had complete control over in the context of the game.

Learning how to avoid distractions and focus on your own performance, while maintaining a positive attitude and tireless work ethic, will positively influence your whole game and help you take your game to the next level, especially at a critical time of the season. 

For a simple plan to help you avoid and overcome distractions, click here. Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS, is an expert in the development of aspiring female hockey players. She is a former NCAA Division I captain at Dartmouth and played in the National Women’s Hockey League for six years. She is the Director & Founder of Total Female Hockey and the Head Coach of the Toronto-Leaside Jr Wildcats in the Provincial Women’s Hockey League.