Just A Little Monday Motivation- Sometimes, It's Just About The Will

I posted this last summer for the Dman Club.
Thought it was a good one as you start to think about your summer training.


Guys,

This week's topic has nothing to do with technique, positioning or skill. 

It is just about will......

Hope it helps when summer training starts to get tough.

Enjoy!

Dmen. Shots Gotta Get Through

Dmen. Just some footage from recent NHL games showing the positive things that happen when shots get through to the net. It really isn't about how hard you shoot but how quickly you shoot and your ability to get the pucks through traffic. If you are trying to score from the point, you won't. Focus just on getting your shots through and you will end up scoring and being rewarded.
Watch these clips and look at how quickly the dmen shoot. Enjoy!!!





And here is an example of what can happen when you don't get the shot through.

Humble and Hungry

Humble and Hungry

Humble and Hungry. Two words that are key to a life and career of continuous improvement and growth. Whether you are just starting out and trying to make a name for yourself or you have achieved the pinnacle of success it’s important to remember to be humble and hungry.

BE HUMBLE

• Don’t think you know it all. See yourself as a life-long learner who is always seeking ways to learn, grow and improve.
• See everyone as a teacher and learn from everyone you meet.
• Be open to new ideas and strategies to take your life, school and work to the next level.
• When people tell you that you are great don’t let it go to your head. And when they tell you that you stink, don’t let it go to your head.
• Be kind to everyone and let people know that they matter.
• Live with humility because the minute you think you have arrived at the door of greatness it will get shut in your face.
• Humility doesn't mean you think less of yourself. It just means you think of yourself less.

BE HUNGRY

• Follow your passion, continuously improve, and continue to dream.
• Seek out new ideas, new strategies and new ways to push yourself out of your comfort zone.
• Invest the time, energy, sweat and dedication to be your best and let God do the rest.
• Be willing to pay the price that greatness requires. Don’t be average. Strive to be great.
• Become the hardest worker you know.
• Love the process and you’ll love what the process produces.
• Decide to leave a legacy. Even at a young age it’s important to think about what legacy you want to leave because knowing how you want to be remembered helps you decide how to live today.
• Don’t focus on where you've been. Focus on where you are and where you are going.
• Make your life and work a quest for excellence. Every day ask how I can be better today than I was yesterday?
• Make your next work your best work.

It's Not Always Just Hockey

Just some random things that I came across and felt like sharing. No specific reason. Just like them both. 
Where else can you get a hockey blog that references a native american warlord and Springsteen in the same post??? :)  
Hope it gets you thinking and you enjoy!

So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.

Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and

demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life,

beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.

Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a

friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all

people and grovel to none.

When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy

of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only

in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones

to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.

When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are

filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep

and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way.

Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.
Tecumseh

Tecumseh was the courageous, legendary leader of the Shawnee tribe who inspired one of the largest Native American armies in the Great Lakes region and was killed in battle on October 5th, 1813. This is the poem that was featured in the motion picture Act of Valor.

And remember, we are in it together!!! Always moving ahead.....and never looking back.

http://youtu.be/Y_-LnaN7_BQ

5 Random Goals- Go To The Net

Guys,
Picked five random goals again from the NHL highlights. Focus on where the goals come from. You have to be willing to go to the net........that is where the goals are.

Set A Summer Goal

Your dream determines your goals.
Your goals map out your actions.
Your actions create results.
And the results bring you success.

Most hockey seasons have finished or are close to coming to an end. This is the time of year when everyone is making plans for spring and summer showcases, tournaments, training and things to do hockey related over the summer.
Here is a small piece of advice that I know can help you and will cost you nothing but some thought. 
Set a goal. 
Simple as that. 
With all the planning, exploring and running around chasing ideas and theories on what players 'have' to do over the summer, sometimes something as simple as setting a simple improvement goal gets lost. 
Players talk about working hard over the summer and doing this camp or that showcase, but how many actually take some time and identify what they really want to accomplish or should develop over the course of the summer? 
Here is what I suggest. Take an honest look at yourself as a player and identify something specific that you have to improve on over the summer.
Maybe you need to improve your shot. Improve your passing. Become a stronger skater. Get stronger. Get bigger. Improve footspeed. Develop better mental toughness....... The list is endless. 
But you won't improve on anything if you do not consciously focus on it and have an end goal. 
Whatever the goal is, write it down. 
The process of writing your goal down helps you to clarify what you intend to do, understand the importance of your goal, and commit yourself to making it happen. Writing it down makes you more accountable.

"No one ever accomplishes anything of consequence without a goal......Goal setting is the strongest human force for self motivation."

The SMART system is a good tool to apply to whatever it is you are going to strive for this summer. Take a look at your goal. Is it specific? Can you measure your progress from the start to where you want to be? Is it attainable and realistic? (You want to push yourself but need to know you can do it.) And is it time based? (achieved by the end of August)

"The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going" Ralph Waldo Emerson

Goals help you determine your priorities and your priorities determine whether you'll reach your goals. The goal has to be your goal though. Not your parents goal. Not your coaches goal. Your goal.

The key to reaching your potential lies in your ability to continually improve. Activity is not enough, but if you set the right, specific goals and work to reach them, improvement is not only obtainable- it's inevitable.

The great thing is that once you simply identify and commit to a goal, you get moving towards it. It becomes hard to stop. Much like a train, getting it moving is the hardest part. A train standing still can be prevented from moving forward with one inch blocks of wood under each of it's drive wheels. Once the train is moving though, a concrete wall can't stop it.

Get your train moving. 

Set a summer improvement goal.

Tomorrow Is Leg Day

 If you ever wondered how a small, undrafted player ends up playing over 1000 NHL games....

Legs of Martin St. Louis

Get In The Gym

Think Like A Seal

I recently read some great material on The Navy Seals. Thought I would share some of the passages from the writings of David Rutherford. Not exactly about hockey but if an attitude like this is good for the SEALS then it is good enough for us.

David Rutherford is a Navy Seal and Behavior Training Specialist who served as an operator and instructor during his time with the Seals and participated in clandestine operations in the Middle East,  South Asia and Southeast Asia. Getting a brief glimpse into the minds of people that can and have operated at that high a level can shed some light on how to face any challenge. 

• "Making it through Hellweek was one of the greatest accomplishments in my life. The experience radically altered my perspective on the importance of having a positive attitude. In case you aren’t familiar with the details of Hellweek, allow me to explain. Hellweek is a 5 day ultra-evolution in Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL training that lasts from Sunday afternoon to Friday afternoon. During this ultra-evolution, trainees sleep for about 4 hours total, burn 7000 calories a day, run 4 mile timed beach runs, swim 2 mile timed ocean swims, conduct surf passage in giant surf and complete timed obstacle courses. Plus, they receive a constant hammering of mental and physical abuse from sadistic instructors…Imagine not sleeping for 5 straight days, suffering from complete sleep deprivation, hydrophobia and hallucinations, while trying to complete the normal and physical test of regular training while having to cognitively solve problems that have no real solutions from instructors who are trying to make you quit…..This seemingly insane gut-check is the ultimate gateway for the SEAL community."
• "….For 5 days we were beaten down and forced to test our intestinal fortitude. The instructors had to strip us of any previously learned cognitive or emotional limitations. It is critical to the success of the SEALS to filter out those individuals who lack the Self-Confidence to endure Hellweek……."

• "Our camaraderie and ability to convert a potentially debilitating situation into a positive one by simply using laughter and maintaining a positive attitude was just what we all needed to endure the next 24 hours of training ...."
• "By Friday we entered the SEAL Zone. Our individual Self-Confidence was completely redefined and our commitment to each other made unbreakable. When we finally reached the infamous Demo Pit, our new attributes had been forged. There was nothing we couldn’t do, alone or as a team. Hellweek SECURED!"
• "I truly understood that I could accomplish anything I wanted as long as I put the full force of my heart and mind behind my effort. Unbreakable Self-Confidence and an impenetrable positive attitude were the essential tools I used to finish Hellweek. This was quite a discovery because once you truly understand you have these abilities; there are no more excuses in your life."
• "When I was secured from Hellweek, that childlike ability to recognize my potential possibility was reignited in my soul. I knew that whatever I set my mind too was possible if I wholly committed myself to the task and accepted the fact that hard work is part of reaching any dream. I also realized that I was capable of so much more than I had ever imagined. My mind’s inhibition was causing fear that overwhelmed my heart’s desire. I made it through Hellweek because I anchored my heart to my mind."
• "Find your passion or dream and anchor it to your understanding of the incredible effort it is going to take to achieve mission success. This pure rational emotion will fuel your positive attitude like you have never felt before. This burning feeling will lift you out of the abyss of negativity you’re drowning in and set you on a course to achieving total mission success."

David Rutherford
NAVY SEAL

Letter To Our Team

Guys,
I just wanted to say thank you for the season. I wish work and family commitments hadn't restricted the time I was able to be there at times. Looking back I feel fortunate and blessed that I got to work with you all and know you not just as hockey players but as people.
Through the ups and down of any season there are always great memories and things to take away as lessons learned. That is the way I like to look at the game. I think that no matter how long your season lasts or what goes on during the season, there are things you learn about yourself and your team that will apply to all parts of your life. I know as a coach this season, that goes for me as well. 
The main thing I hope you learned was that when we played as a together as a team we were very good individual players, and when we played as individuals we were not a very good team.....that is a lesson that will apply to any team or business you are a part of in the future.
There are two other things I hope you can ask yourself and have the answers for now that some time has passed. They are:
"Am I a better player and person than I was at the start of the season?"
"Do I know more about myself, strengths and weaknesses, than I did at the start of the season?" These two questions apply not just on the ice but off of it as well.
I hope you can answer yes to them both. If so, then your season was a success.
I already miss you guys and hope you keep in touch. My email and cell are below and you better use them! (That's my last coach's order of the season!) If there is ever anything I can do for you please let me know.
I wish you success in hockey but more importantly wish you success in life.
Cheers!
Coach Huff

khuffman5@gmail.com

Team Huff Stuff

Cammalleri and Seguin BioSteel Commercial

Click to Enter Will Sports Group March Reading

Are You Committed?

Some interesting numbers showing just how willing and committed you must be to play NCAA Hockey.

There are approximately 28,000 high school senior aged or older players registered with USA Hockey or playing Jr. Hockey in the United States.

There are 59 D1 Teams.

There are 79 D3 Teams.

Each team brings in an average of 6 new players each season and about half of those are from the United States. That means that only about 408 of the 28,000 players will get a chance to play in college.

That represents about 1.5% of the players……

For Division 1 that represents about .6% of players.

How committed are you and what are you doing special to be in the top ½%  ???????

Remember those numbers when you are training this summer.

5 C's To Build A Great Team

5 C's to Build a Great Team

1. Communicate - Most teams, including teams at home, break down because of poor communication. Where there is a void in communication negativity fills it. Frequent and positive communication fills the void and begins the process of building trust. You can’t have a great team without strong relationships and you can’t have strong relationships without great communication and trust. Leaders must communicate with team members individually and collectively as a team and team members must enhance their communication with each other.

2. Connect - While communicating begins the process of building trust, connecting is what creates a bond of trust. Many teams communicate but the great ones also connect. They form bonds of trust that strengthen relationships and the team. They go deeper, below the surface level of communication, and communicate and connect in a more intimate and powerful way. Getting to know your team members, being vulnerable, sharing experiences together, facing challenges together, and working on projects together are a few ways to connect.

3. Commitment - Without communication, connection and commitment your team will not perform at a high level. Communication and connection build the trust that generates the commitment that fosters the teamwork that delivers results. Great teams are not only committed to doing great work. They are also committed to each other. They put the team first and are willing to serve and sacrifice for the benefit of the team.

4. Care - When you care you give a little more time, a little more effort, a little more energy, and a little more love to the things and the people you care about. You may be a good team but to be a great team I encourage you to care just a little more. Care about the work you do and how it contributes to the team. Care about the people you work with. Care about the mission of your team. Those who care build great things that others care about. 

5. Contagious Energy - Of course I’m talking about contagious positive energy. Great teams are filled with positive energy and it’s important for each person on the team to know that they are contagious. If you’re moody your negative energy is contagious and makes it hard for others to trust and feel comfortable around you. If you are positively contagious you make everyone around you better. There’s no "i" in team but there are two "i" in positive. This means "I" must be positive to be my best and "I" must be positive to help my team be our best. As a team member you can be a germ or a big dose of vitamin C to your team. Choose to be positively contagious.
by Jon Gordon