Player Handout

🏒 Mental Performance Tools for Hockey Players

Workshop with Cory Wener – Sport Performance & Psychology

Focus and Attention — Your Spotlight

Wide focus equals distractions like crowd refs or last shift
Narrow focus equals what matters like puck gap and positioning

Tool: Reset word is a quick mental switch. Examples: “next shift” “stick on puck”.

Try this: Notice when your focus drifts and use your reset word to snap back to the play.

Confidence and Self Talk — What You Say Equals How You Play

Negative self talk creates tension and second guessing
Positive self talk builds calm confidence and decisiveness

Tool: Confidence phrase short specific and believable.

Six rules for self talk

Keep phrases short and specific
Use first person and present tense
Make it positive
Say it with meaning
Speak kindly to yourself
Repeat often

Flip it: “Do not miss the net” becomes “Strong release”. “Do not get beat wide” becomes “Good gap stick on puck”.

Handling Nerves — Using Your Energy

Nerves are normal. Even pros feel them.

Your body reacts with a fast heart tight muscles and racing thoughts

Tool: Box breathing 4–4–4–4

Inhale 4

Hold 4

Exhale 4

Hold 4

When to use it: On the bench between periods and during timeouts

Short Term Memory — Next Shift Mentality

Hockey is fast and mistakes are guaranteed
Great players reset quickly

Tool: Reset actions full exhale shin pad tap and your reset word

Remember: Every shift is 30 to 45 seconds. Each time you hop over the boards it is a clean slate.

Resilience — Response Over Mistake

Mistakes do not define you. Your response does.
Reset refocus and play again
Encourage teammates instead of tearing them down

Ask yourself: How quickly can I bounce back?

Cue Routine — Reset plus Confidence

A 2 to 3 second ritual to ground yourself and lock in
Example: Breath then tap shin pads or gloves then eyes up
Why it works: Combines focus nerves and confidence into one repeatable action
Key: Do it the same way every time so it becomes automatic

Your Mental Toolbox — Six Tools

Reset word
Confidence phrase
Box breathing
Next shift mindset
Resilience mindset
Cue routine

Start simple: Pick one tool to use this week in practice or a game. The more you use it the more natural it becomes.