Are You a "Practice Player?"

Two ideas to break the curse

Originally published April 2022

This week I worked with two athletes (one professional and one minor hockey player) who have trouble expressing the full range of their abilities during games.

Both players work hard off the ice and look extremely competent during practice, but fall into certain counter-productive patterns once the puck drops.

Here are two of these pitfalls and how to overcome them.

Puck Positioning

The first player is excellent in practice settings, but often forces plays for turnovers during the game.

The problem: their sweet spot is too narrow.