One of the most frustrating lessons in hockey is learning that many important things are outside your control.
You cannot control who makes team decisions.
Lost Confidence?
Borrow Belief Until Yours Comes Back
Player Positive™
Confidence can feel strange in hockey.
When it is there, everything seems easier.
You skate faster.
You react quicker.
You make decisions without hesitation.
The game feels fun.
Then something happens.
A scoring slump.
A bad game.
A mistake you cannot stop thinking about.
Reduced ice time.
A difficult tryout.
A tough conversation with a coach.
Suddenly, the confidence that once felt automatic begins to disappear.
Every hockey player experiences this.
It happens in youth hockey.
It happens in junior hockey.
It happens in college hockey.
It happens in professional hockey.
No player is immune.
The mistake many players make is believing that confidence should always come from within.
While self-confidence is important, there are times when every player needs help rebuilding it.
That is where borrowed belief comes in.
Sometimes your coach believes in you more than you believe in yourself.
Sometimes your parents see strengths that you have forgotten.
Sometimes a teammate reminds you what makes you a valuable player.
Sometimes your previous accomplishments remind you that you have already overcome difficult challenges before.
Borrow that belief.
Not forever.
Just long enough to keep moving forward.
The truth is that confidence rarely returns while sitting on the sidelines feeling sorry for yourself.
Confidence is rebuilt through action.
One practice.
One shift.
One battle won.
One pass completed.
One good decision.
One small success at a time.
Many players think confidence comes before success.
Often success comes from continuing to work when confidence is low.
The players who improve the most are not the players who never struggle.
They are the players who refuse to stay down.
They keep showing up.
They keep learning.
They keep working.
Eventually confidence returns.
Not because it magically appeared.
Because they earned it back.
If your confidence is low right now, remember this:
You do not have to believe in yourself perfectly every day.
Sometimes you simply need to borrow belief until yours comes back.
And it will come back.
When To Revisit This Moment
• During a scoring slump.
• After a difficult game.
• After being cut from a team.
• When confidence feels low.
• Anytime you need a reminder to keep moving forward.
Related Hockey Life Moments™
• Tough Day
• Bounce Back
• Keep Showing Up
• Control What You Can Control
• Small Steps Forward
Player Positive™
The Right Perspective For The Right Moment™
Presented by The Hockey Resource™
North American Hockey Media Company – You cannot control ice time.
You cannot control line combinations.
You cannot control officials.
You cannot control what other players do.
You cannot control injuries.
You cannot control bad luck.
Many players spend enormous amounts of energy worrying about things they cannot change.
The result is frustration.
Anger.
Disappointment.
And often a loss of focus.
Successful players learn a different approach.
They focus on what they can control.
Their effort.
Their attitude.
Their preparation.
Their work ethic.
Their fitness.
Their practice habits.
Their response to adversity.
These things remain within their control regardless of circumstances.
The players who continue developing are often the players who stop worrying about everything else.
They focus on becoming difficult to ignore.
They focus on improving every day.
They focus on actions rather than excuses.
That mindset creates growth.
Not immediately.
But consistently.
Hockey is full of variables.
Your effort is one of the few things nobody can take away.
Protect it.
Develop it.
Own it.
Because effort remains one of the most powerful advantages any player can have.
When To Revisit This Moment
• After reduced ice time.
• During team selections.
• After a difficult conversation with a coach.
• During a slump.
• Anytime frustration is building.
Related Hockey Life Moments™
• Lost Confidence
• Tough Day
• Keep Showing Up
• Bounce Back
• Focus Forward
Player Positive™
The Right Perspective For The Right Moment™
PRESENTED BY: thehockeyresource.com and thehockeytournamentresource.com – mark@thehockeyresource.com
As always, thank you for being part of The Hockey Resource community.
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Mark Hetherman
Executive Director
The Hockey Resource
