Hey friends, hoping you and yours are well.
With everything going on, I want to make sure you're making the most of the little bit of extra time you now have on your hands.
During this time, some will be finding a way to get ahead and others will not.
I do think it's a good time to take a forced break away from hockey, but at some point, if you're legit about trying to move on to higher levels, you'll need to make some moves.
Now that we're a couple weeks past all of our seasons grinding to a halt, hopefully you've let your body relax and recover. Hopefully some of those nagging pains and injuries are fading. If they're not, then it brings me to point #1.
1. Use this time to MOBILIZE and STABILIZE.
Mobility and Stability (MobSta) are critical skills for goaltenders. And it is especially important that you take time now to work through imbalances in your body that you might have been ignoring.
When we all get back to training and working out hard to prepare for next season, your imbalances will flare up. So take this time to work on them.
Stretch, mobilize, do anything you can to increase the strength and mobility of your joints now, while you have limited training options. Do yoga. Learn how to manipulate your body in different, new ways.
2. Network.
Now's the time to call on your network and check in to see how they're doing. This can be your goalie coaches, team coaches, even from the past. Your reputation is an asset to your game. Remember, as you strive and try to reach higher levels, your reputation (or lack of one) can make a difference in whether you get an opportunity or not.
So call and check-in with those who have invested in you. Ask them if they'd be a reference for you for teams. Be genuine. Be you. But invest in those who have poured into you as well.
3. Compile & Organize Video
Now is a great time to work on building your "online" profile. Video is a great asset if you do it well and can distribute it easily and effectively. Even with the extra time on coaches hands right now, they are far more likely to watch film that is properly edited and cut as opposed to sit through a whole game.
Don't expect coaches to do a lot of work to watch your film. Make it as painless and easy as possible to express who you are through video.
Also, don't do highlight videos. Show who you are. Clip out entire games. Show your mistakes. Give an accurate representation of who you are. Only showing all your highlights indicates (at least to me) that you're trying to hide something. Give me your all. Give me the good and the bad. Cuz guess what? We've all got both good and bad.
4. Make (or revise) your plan
Obviously, things are in upheaval right now. Any plans you may have made already for tryouts or camps might be in limbo. So evaluate where you're at now. What do your plans look like? Where are you at?
If you need to make any changes, then make them! If you're waiting for more information, then maybe think through some worst-case scenarios and imagine how you'll respond to those things actually happening.
Hopefully these ideas help you find some things to do with your time right now. There are things you can do to keep progressing.
Remember everyone is in the same boat when it comes to training...gyms and rinks are shut, so we're all limited to what we can do at home. Don't fall behind. At least maintain where you're at, if not get better!
Stay frosty friends.
Josh
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