The Ride To The Rink - What To Do Between Shifts

Lee MJ Elias [0:00 - 7:25]: Hey, everybody. Before we get you into the episode, we want to remind you that our sponsor, NHL sensorena, which really is the next generation of off ice hockey training, is offering $50 off an annual plan by using the code hockey never stops at hockey dot censorina.com dot. We know hockey is really expensive. That's why we love NHL Censorina, because it allows you to bring that on ice experience home into a virtual reality headset via the meta quest for less than $1 a day. And it is so immersive, you will feel like you are on the ice, whether you're a goalie or a skater or both. Again, you save $50 off on an annual plan by using the code hockey never stops at checkout, visit hockey dot censorina.com. hockey never stops. Hockey never stops. Hockey never stops. And with that said, hockey does not stop. Let's get into this episode of the show right now. Hello, hockey skaters and goalies around the world. Welcome back to another edition of the ride to the ring. Today's topic came from one of you. You sent it to us. I was intrigued by this topic, and I realized there's probably more to say about this than I thought. So the topic is this, what do I do between shifts in a game now, at first thought, I was like, well, you know, that's kind of obvious. And then I started thinking about it, like, maybe it's not. Maybe. Maybe this is not so obvious. So we're going to talk about it because someone asked for it, and I had some thoughts on it. So number one thing to do between shifts is to hydrate if you need to hydrate. And I'll get into some of the mental stuff, too, but you should be drinking water throughout the game. Not too much, but definitely not too little. Water is fuel for you in a game. You need it. You are sweating. You are working hard. Do not forget to drink water. I think sometimes, um, especially at the younger ages, we kind of forget to do that. Uh, you want to drink enough water that you're not actually super thirsty throughout the game. Like that you're hydrating and you're feeling good, right when you come off the ice and you're really, really thirsty, not always a good thing. Um, sometimes that means you're working hard. It does. Okay. But if you hydrate regularly throughout the game, you might need a sip of water, but you don't want to be, you know, taking a whole jug of water between shifts. That's not good for your belly. It's not good for you. You don't want to feel like there's an ocean in your stomach throughout the game. So that's the first and foremost is. Is to hydrate. Um, now, I thought beyond that, too. What should you be doing during a game? Because I think minds can wander a lot between shifts again, especially at the younger ages. Right. You might be thinking about the last shift. You might be thinking about the next shift, or you might just be thinking about something else altogether. I think it's important that you stay kind of present with the game. All right. I can tell you this right now. I think it's okay to reflect for a moment on the previous shift whether it was good or bad, but only if it's something that you want to improve on in the next shift. Okay? So if you had a bad shift, don't. Don't dwell on it. Don't dwell on I suck and this is bad, and I had a bad. Just say, okay. I didn't skate as hard as I want to. I still do this at my age. When I play adult league, I didn't skate the way I wanted to skate that shift. Next shift, I'm going to do better, or I didn't cover my area. I didn't play good defense there. I didn't. I didn't play the best I can play there. I didn't. I didn't do it the way I wanted to do it. Recognize it. Move the emotion aside. Move on right away. Next shift, I'm going to do this. Also, questions. There's coaches on the bench. If you have a great question about the game, your coaches probably want to hear that question. All right. If you have a question that has nothing to do with what's going on, they don't. And if they're really busy, you got to be mindful of that. But I don't mind when kids ask me questions, should I have done this? Should I have done that? I didn't do this. How do I do that? Great questions demand great answers. You'll hear me say that in a lot of different episodes of our kids play hockey and the ride to the rink. So analyze, reflect, find a solution. Find a path forward of something you want to improve on. But with all of that said, do not get lost in the past or the future of the game. Be present on the bench. In addition to drinking, get your breathing set. You probably out of breath when you come off the ice. Deep breaths. Get yourself back. Focus on the game. This is another one. Watch the game. I mean, most of you do this, but recognize things, not just the play and are you scoring? But what are we doing well? What are we not doing well? Can you notice something about the opposition that's maybe a weakness or something that they're very strong at, that you need to defend? Are you seeing different teammates, finding chemistry? There's a lot you can learn from watching shifts and seeing over the course of a game things that the team's doing well or not doing well. One. One I see all the, all the time getting the puck out of the zone, right on the breakout, whether it's clean passes out of the zone or just off the boards and out. Can you recognize things you want to work on, work on them during the game and find ways forward? So, to answer the question, there's a lot you can do between shifts. There's also a lot you shouldn't do. So just to reiterate this one, hydrate. Get some water. Get a sip of water every shift, not too much, not too little. Two breathing. If you're out of breath, take some deep breaths. I'm not saying meditate, but take some deep breaths. Get your breathing in control. And then the last tip, be present. Be present where you're at, okay? Reflect, look forward, but be present where you're at. You're on the bench, you got a chance to ask questions. You got a chance to analyze. It's not the time to yell at your teammates and tell them what they should have done. That's not good bench etiquette, okay? Especially at the younger ages. There's a right way to do that. All right? Hey, if I go here and you go here, we can create this opportunity down the middle, or in our breakout, I need you streaming out the middle of the ice. If I shout this, we can go. That's the way to do it. You never go back and say, hey, you screwed us there. I just saw a great video of Sidney Crosby when they were in the cup final just a few years back where Evgeny Malkin, who's a pretty good player, kind of missed an open net. And some of the younger guys on the bench are saying he had an open net, and Sidney Crosby turns to them and says, yeah, guys, I think he knows. Let's stay positive here. Let's keep going. We'll get other chances. We'll keep moving forward. That's why he's got the c. That's why he's a generational talent. That's why he's one of the best players of all time and leaders. It's also why he has three Stanley cup championships, because of an attitude like that. He's present in the game, he's present with his team. So again, I hope you hear what I'm saying. Yeah. There was a lot more between shifts than I thought. Right? But a lot of is also getting your emotions in check and being present. That's what I mean when I say get present. If you're feeling really bad, remember, look, all feelings end. No feeling lasts forever. Guys, girls, nothing. There's no feeling in the world, good or bad, that lasts forever. It's a roller coaster, right? You feel different things. You're in the ocean. Sometimes the waves are heavy, sometimes the waves are not. But you're in the ocean. You gotta learn how to ride the waves. So if you're feeling something, get that under control. Figure out a way to be involved in the game on the bench. And again, watch the game. If. If an offenseman gets behind your defenseman, you can be the player that says, hey, watch out behind you means you're watching the game. But get yourself situated, prepared for the next shift, and be present. And always remember, you're playing the best sport in the world. Enjoy it, enjoy it, enjoy it. It's a gift. Every time we get to get on the ice, that's going to do it for this ride to the rink. Great question. What do I do between shifts? I hope we provide some value. Remember, kids, you can text us questions if you have them. Wherever you're listening to this episode, there'll be a link in the description below. You can tap on that, send us a question. Or if you got an email, you can email us teamourkidsplayhawky.com dot. We want to hear from you. You can send it as an audio call, a video, whatever you want, however you can text it to us. However you want to get a question to us, we'll be happy to answer them. But with that said, enjoy your week. Enjoy your hockey. Remember that I believe in you. You should too. We'll see you on the next ride of the rink. Okay, everybody skate on.