“It’s in the adversity, that we learn resilience. It’s in the resilience that our character is forged.” - Walter Aguilar

There is no better feeling than being on a team that is winning. However, when team losses begin to pile up, the locker room, the video room, and practices can become emotionally unsafe places. This is because when a coach or player is under stress, their energy contracts (catabolic), and they will often find themselves having the fight, flight, or freeze responses in the moment – the body’s natural responses to dealing with stress reactions. It becomes the interference (distractions) in the performance equation:

Performance = Potential – Interference (stress reactions)

Discussions can become about what’s wrong and who or what is to blame. Unity is replaced with discord, silence, and/or the blame game. The mind/energy connection to performance becomes very evident, especially during adversity. Energy either contracts or expands. Higher performance is found in the expansive (anabolic) energy; when a player is calm, intuitive, creative, and just being the game, as when there are in the hockey ‘zone.’ When a player or coach is under stress reactions, their energy contracts and they do not show up as the most effective, version of who they can be; either at the rink or at home. They may feel alone and blamed for the team performing poorly, then begin to shut down emotionally. Frustration, anger, or helplessness to change the current situation may cause them to disengage. Emotionally, being in a losing slump feels terrible. In the energetic field, we don’t attract what we want, we attract who we are being. Team morale negatively suffers, and every game played can feel like a grind. The team may begin to experience negative mojo. They stop enjoying the process. Their confidence in themselves, their coaches, and their teammates begins to falter. Losing begins to become the norm, not the exception. They begin to mentally lose games, even before they play them. Team morale hits an all-time low. However, change is the only constant in life. Things can turn around for the better, when awareness and understanding leads to accountability and a “we are all in this together attitude.”

“The mind is like water, when it is turbulent, it is difficult to see. When it is calm everything becomes clear.” – Prasad Mahes

The following are 5 ways to positively boost morale when experiencing a losing streak:

1. Reflect with compassion – The only constant in life is change. Look not only at what has not gone well, but also highlight what has gone right. Have a team meeting and allow anyone who feels they may be struggling to be effective to stand up and state how they will hold themselves accountable to the team to play better. Then open it up to their teammates to say what they admire or inspire them about that person. What we focus on we give energy to, and what we give energy to expands and becomes our reality.
2. Look for the opportunity – With every perceived failure, there is an equal and equivalent opportunity available. Adopt a mindset that we either win or learn. If you are not winning, then learning must become the focus.
3. Build team connection – Initiate more fun activities at practice, bus rides, at the hotel, and perhaps team outings. When a team can shift from me to we, to us, they will start to hold themselves accountable to each other and their behaviours on and off the ice will improve.
4. Be aware of the effect of words – Words are energy influencers. Reframe good, bad, right, or wrong, to being more effective or less effective. Make the video review meetings, not about blame, but more about responsibility. Focus not just on the mistakes, but also on what went right. A player will do more than what is asked of him when they feel appreciated.
5. Focus on the process, not the outcome – For goalies, one moment at a time, for players, one shift at a time. Simplifying their game and preventing the critical overthinking is key to improving a player’s performance. Let the focus become about growth and learning not just the outcomes of wins or losses.

“Energy goes where focus goes. Whatever we continue to focus on, expands and becomes our reality.” – Walter Aguilar