Hockey Sense: Installment #14: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Hockey Players #5

Positive Attitude:

You control your attitude…Period!  Being a good teammate means having a positive attitude.  Attitude is also reflected in body language.  Body language speaks louder than your mouth.  Parents and youth coaches should redefine what it means to win!  They should fill the “Emotional” buckets instead of rewarding goals, assists, points and trophies and strive to be remembered as a transformational figures not a transactional figures.  It is coaches and parents who create the atmosphere in the home and in the locker room and when this attitude is positive, the culture will reflect positivity, care, concern and love.  At Donskov Strength and Conditioning we recognize a weekly “Hard Hat” award recipient.  This acknowledgment is given to the DSC athlete who exemplifies a “One Day Better” attitude, intense work ethic, is respectful to his/her teammates, is an “Everydayer” and has a positive attitude.  It is not given to the athlete that lifts the most weight!  By doing this, we create a peer culture of success and prepare our athletes for future challenges outside the weight room. What’s important is not transactional (weight lifted) it is in the transformational actions of attitude!  We recognize participants at our hockey school as well by handing out daily captain “C’s” placed on the jersey of the camper that best exemplifies the above mentioned qualities.  It’s always rewarding to see a young camper so proud with a smile from ear to ear.  Redefining what it means to “win” by placing higher value on attitude, the team culture changes and so does the individual.  This is the mark of a great team, a great gym and a life altering experience for youth athletes.

Yours in Hockey

Team DSC