Zoning Out During Competition

[Jotaru]

Hey all-

So I've been ice skating for a while and have just picked up Ice Hockey- I'm obviously not that great just yet (tonight will only be my third time playing, second at the local ice rink) and due to its timing/location on a Friday night at a local hangout hotspot, there tends to be quite a few people there.

The problem I have is that I'm pretty damn good at skating; at least, I feel like I am. When I practice puckhandling with the stick off the ice (or even on during practice time), I'm not amazing, but I do decent... during the games however, I just totally blow. Anytime the puck is within five feet of me, I fall on my ass. I choke, basically. Since its not exactly a high-stress environment (playoffs, etc) I feel its basically a combination of not being great at it, playing with people who have been playing 10-15 years, and having quite a few spectators watching me fall on my ass repeatedly looking like a moron. That being said, the only way I can get better is by actually doing, not just watching and sitting out due to fear of making an ass out of myself.

To anyone who competes or deals with this sort of thing on a regular basis... what helps you zone out? What helps you ignore the other players, the crowd, anything that might distract you or put pressure on you to perform differently / top notch? I know I can do the things I fail at when being watched; routine stops, forward to backward transitions, close-quarters play (hitting other players and not just falling over)... but I can't seem to zone it out. Also, I get nervous as hell for the entire day before the game.

Last game I seemed to start playing better the last 30 mins when things started to become more relaxed, people started leaving, etc.. so I really think its a psychological thing. Any helpful advice appreciated!

[Demetrius*]

This is a big deal for pitching in baseball too, and all I can really say is that it just takes focus and a certain state of mind to block it out and concentrate on what you're doing. I don't think it's something you can just pick up immediately, but something you have to work at. I have noticed that the more you suck, the more you start worrying about what other people think(yea my post was no help)

[The_OG_Nelta]

Competing in any sport I guess tournament wise its really hard to just focus on the game when lights and shit are on you, and so many people are around you.

In my case, I bowl a lot, and when I want to focus on the game, and only the game, I tend to just hum a song.

[Fistandantilus]

Confidence and relaxation man, they come hand in hand for me. You're going to suck hard at any sport if you are all tense. You know what you're capable of doing physically, don't be scared about messing up and don't over think things. The other thing is it sounds like these games aren't that big of a deal, so who cares if you mess up one play? Are your teammates going to scream at your, or is some girl on the sidelines going to post a video of you falling on youtube?

Everyone has embarrassing moments, just accept them and go out and have fun and soon the game will slow down for you and you will forget about the people watching. To be honest, the spectators should be your last concern, focus on the game fuck everything else.

Finally, don't try and do too much, and don't try and do anything too fast. I used to be somewhat like you and it was because every time I got an opportunity I would be so intent on showing that I was a good player after all, so I would try and make a move as fast as I could and end up fucking it up. It's like giving a speech in public, you're probably going faster than you realize, so slow down and do things at your own pace.

Hope that helps.

[Eliseos]

This is a big deal for pitching in baseball too, and all I can really say is that it just takes focus and a certain state of mind to block it out and concentrate on what you're doing. I don't think it's something you can just pick up immediately, but something you have to work at(yea my post was no help)

Pretty much this. It's not something you can practice really, you just get used to it. I've played at Miller Park twice, the local minor league stadium for the state tournament, and various other high-intensity events. You either just get used to it, or you don't. Being in those situations more will definitely help. Honestly, I can't tell you what my thought process was, or how I ignored the crowd, because the zoning out process just happens when you are concentrating on the game.

[Sepukku]

Envision what you want to do before you do it. My goals other than dumb luck things where I just throw it in the direction of the net / get a lucky bounce/tip off myself, I picture/envision my move/shot a split second before I actually do it.

I don't know how that helps with skating issues, as it doesn't seem applicable for a long-term action as opposed to an individual move - perhaps before you turn to go back for a puck imagine the move. Hopefully this helps in some way though.

Honestly though, if you have practice time, just skate your ass off. Public sessions doing the roller derby thing won't help, but every other chance you get, practice every hockey-game movement and envision yourself doing it in a game, pretend in your head. Thats probably your best bet.

[Bweigelt]

To be honest there's not going to be a whole lot to help you out with this. Basically just playing more and more and becoming more confident is the main way. Hockey is incredibly hard to pick up if you're over the age of 18, there's just so many new things to learn to do and often new players have to concentrate just on skating. Your best bet is every chance you get head out on your own and just skate, with a puck, till it becomes second nature. It's going to be impossible to tune out distractions and just play if you actually have to worry when you go to stop or have to pivot. I know you said you can do those things outside of the games, but if they are becoming a issue during the game even if it is because you're distracted it tells me you're just not completely comfortable on skates yet.

[Tyche]

I do nothing. I can't even remember most of my runs because I'm so focused on what I'm doing. I remember the bad ones, because, well, they're bad. I don't even listen to music when I'm racing. I've tried listening to music, but I don't even realize it's on. Funfact: I was listening to slacker radio on my iphone and it shut off after 3 hours of continuous play and I didn't even realize it until a little voice said "are you still listening?". I was like "Oh, I don't guess I am".

[archibaldcrane]

Like Tyche said, focus on the task at hand. Ice Hockey especially is so much about hustle and hard work - that's what you should worry about more. Every time you "fail" at something, hustle that much more to make up for it.

My favorite memory watching high school hockey, this one kid Casey was part of trying to kill a 5 on 3 powerplay - so basically the other team was just in a circle around the goal passing until they got a good lane to shoot. Casey lost his stick and it got kicked down to the other end of the ice, but he couldn't go get it because 5 on 2 would've been a sure goal.

So he did the only thing he could do - started hitting people. He was a little guy - probably 5'7 130 at the time, but whoever got the puck, he'd skate at them and pop them as hard as he could - kept it up for probably 75-80 seconds.

They successfully killed the penalty, and the entire crowd was going absolutely apeshit watching this little dude just put forth an exceptional amount of effort.

On another note, I just got into a mindset of letting the atmosphere fuel me - knowing people were watching made me see the game (in my case, Volleyball, fuck you it was fun) that much clearer. I'd always try to get the crowds going (and yeah there were crowds at my high school volleyball games, again, fuck you) because it seemed to sharpen everything for me.

I dunno man.

[Tyche]

I always do the Usain Bolt 2-handed finger point around large crowds. In indy, there was an entire steet lines with people wearing these, it's what got me started doing it.

http://www.pumarunning.com/wp-conten...olt-arms-1.jpg

[Cadsuane]

Problem with team sports is you aren't relied on by your team if you're the weakest link, and then you never get better. It's important to play at a level that's productive for you.

In solo sports, Iunno, comes naturally I guess, and different approaches work for different people. I remember when I raced in apline skiing, some people preferred to be screamed at and cheered coming out the start gate, other people preferred silence. To me it didn't much matter, since two seconds into your run the only thing you're much aware of is the next gate.

[antihero]

you can do it man, bitches love confidence!

[Fistandantilus]

Way to use a meme in a way that neither adds to the thread or is humorous. Definitely doing it right.

[Blabj]

As cheesy and cliché as it is, I've always liked "What the mind can conceive, the body can achieve."

Another good way to be relaxed is just to either not think about the problem you're facing, and act like it doesn't exist, or weigh up every single thing that could go wrong and just face it. You'll feel good for overcoming your problem, and the feeling will stick with you until next time around!

It's been a while since I played a team sport, and I was quite naturally gifted at that, so I never had a problem. This advice is mostly from my latest solo sport, skateboarding...

[Dmitry]

It's something you want to do, you want to be on the ice. Just try and have fun and don't worry about messing up.

[Kenshiin]

Being able to block out your surroundings just comes with time and experience. It's not something you can practice to do. Also, since you've been skating for a while but just starting in hockey, feel free to practice putting your body in awkward situations. Most of the time you're not going to be in perfect position when the puck comes around you so getting used to contorting your body/balance will really help. After practice, back when I was a quarterback, I would work on throwing side arm, throwing while jumping, throwing while running backwards, and other silly drills that helped my body learn how to work when I couldn't just take a 5 step drop and throw.

[desertigloo]

whenever my friends and I are about to attempt something we haven't done, or are a bit skiddish about when we're snowboarding, or just life in general, we have two simple rules.

1) don't think
2) don't fuck up

I understand you're new at hockey so you're still thinking alot about what you're doing and it's still not natural. If you can find a friend that will video tape you playing (or if you can set up a camera for where you generally are), it will help you immensely. Just go out and play your game, however bad/terrible it is, and watch yourself after the game. If you just let go while you're playing and don't think because you know you'll be able to watch yourself after and analyze it, you'll be surprised by how much less you fuck up.

[Fistandantilus]

eat shit nigger

ITT: Internet tough guys! I'll let it slide though, I'm sure you get picked on enough irl so being tough on the internet is the only way to be cool. Also, calling someone a nigger just isn't cool, go back to 4chan.

On topic: I like the idea of videotaping yourself while playing, I had never thought of that but it makes a lot of sense and sounds like it could be really useful.

[Conformity]

zoning is something that just comes with time, you will just have to keep doing your sport until it starts happeneing. It is usually after you have finished most of your learnings

[Beleron]

I played hockey a ton when I was a bit younger until I had to quit due to injuries. Played for my highschool team and all that. The best thing I can offer in terms of advice is just purely based off of focus. Try not to think about anything other than what you are doing at the time. Don't think about the crowd and don't look at the spectators. When you go on the ice just think about what you have to do and try your best to do it. If you fuck up don't bother taking it too hard just remember that you will always have another chance to redeem yourself.

To sum it up just think in terms of fuck everything else in life and just play the game. Worry about anything else when it is over. Focus focus and more focus. Eventually you will get it through your head that it is not a huge deal and you will have a lot more fun when you play.