We’ve had a number of coaches ask me about Mindset Performance and Mental Conditioning. So, I thought it would be helpful and fun to discuss some concepts I have found are fundamentally important to influencing a players mindset & mental condition. Episode 14 is about a mental concept many of us have heard on several occasions:”Trust the Process”.
As important and real as this statement is, as a coach, I realized one flaw we had in how we missed a fundamental truth of how we teach this concept. How can one “Trust the Process” if one does not “Know the Process”? This is something I’ve noticed working with players from the youth levels to the NHL. There is a distinct difference between the best performers in the world, and the rest of the performers in the world. And that is simply...the best performers trust the process because they know the process. It’s as simple as that.
This episode helps coaches dive into seeing how much their players know their process, and we discuss one very important condition coaches must create in order for players to trust their process. We share one easy exercise to help you test your players' knowledge of their own process.
Earlier in the episode, I discuss a simple analogy we use with some of our players. Here’s a few extra notes to go with this analogy. One of the best analogies we’ve found for players to buy into “Trust the Process” is to teach them to build a relationship & ‘become best friends with their own skills‘, concepts and habits.
Ask your student: Do you have a deep and meaningful relationship with your skills? Just like trusting a best friend is built by knowing your best friend, trusting the process is built the same way. Get to know my process in a deep and meaningful way, so I can trust my process.
One example of mentally guiding a player through this experience is to discuss meaningful questions with them about their skills.
Let’s use shot selection as an example: How do I become best friends with the process of my shot selection? Where do I typically choose to shoot pucks? Do I find I miss opportunities to shoot, when I could have shot a puck? Do I notice I create more shots when I play with certain players? Why is that? What is different about my experience with those teammates vs other teammates? Is one type of shot easier to create for me than another? Could I position my body in a certain way to get my shot off quicker? As you can see, the possibilities of getting to know my process are endless. All it takes is having a Coach Who can help them learn to trust their process;)
Would love to hear your thoughts on this concept!