Putting yourself in a vulnerable position is something with which hockey players need to be comfortable. On the ice, you’re setting yourself up to be blasted through the boards when you go to retrieve a puck. Take the hit to make the play. Hitting the ice for a crucial powerplay late in a game might feel uncomfortable depending on your confidence and experience.

But you’re not going to decline the powerplay time, right?

So you embrace the challenge, do your best to learn new techniques, and use your skills to make a bigger impact every chance you get.

This metaphorical powerplay example also applies to video meetings with your coaches.

Video Don’t Lie

Young players who watch video with their coaches for the first time often need to take a step back and check their ego at the door. Everyone has it, everyone enters these meetings with a bit of pride, it’s natural. But when you see yourself making a mistake on video for the first time, there’s nowhere to hide.

And I’m here to tell you that’s a good thing.

Unless you’re a finished product. Or you’re already at the height of your skills. Or you’re perfect.

If any of those describes you, then congratulations! You have nothing lest to learn, and therefore your coaches are irrelevant. You can go now.

For everyone else who wants to improve, learn new things about their skills, their habits, or their emotional maturity - you have two ears and one mouth for a reason. That doesn’t mean you can’t talk, that’s not the point! A good coach will start a dialogue with you, ask you what you see in the video, and direct the conversation.

But the point is to learn. The coach isn’t doing their job if they don’t give you specific tips on what you can do better in any given situation. Be humble, accept the coaching, internalize it, and put it into action.

Speaking of getting out of your comfort zone, watch me do just that as I moderate a panel about video and technology at TCS Live ‘24.

Be Patient

I’ve had lots of players who are so fired up after video sessions that they think they’ll automatically be a superstar the next time they hit the ice. I love the confidence! But the truth is that if you were that close to figuring something out, you probably would have already. Usually it’s a slower process that involves deep practice, resilience, and patience.

Systems play and team-related issues are actually a quicker fix. Stand here instead of here, slash across on the breakout, stops and starts in the D-zone - so be ready for that. Challenges that are specific to you will take longer. Maybe you’ve got some work to do on your shot - a good coach will give you the answers, but it’s up to you to commit to those answers every chance you get. Your shot won’t magically improve just because you watch yourself firing a rocket seven feet wide of the net.

Initiate

Hopefully at this point in your hockey journey you understand that your coaches are busy. Maybe they have a whole other job. Maybe they have staff to manage or a bus to book.

Or maybe - just maybe - they have 20 players and they’re trying to spend time working with every single one of them!

(Author’s note - it’s minus 20 outside a frosted hotel lobby window in early February. Most of the team is doing study hall, I’m grabbing players one at a time to watch clips of the previous night’s game. One of the first pops up when I call his name, he’s excited. “I hope it’s something good!” I’m here to tell you, dear reader, it was not, in fact, good.)

Coaches understand your mindset. You want to see yourself succeeding and doing things that help yourself and the team. Chances are you’re doing a lot of good things! Your coach hopefully recognizes those things and identifies them in games, but video sessions are a lot more productive if you’re seeing the things you aren’t doing well or you could improve on. The example above is real, it just happened before I wrote this, and he thought he was doing everything well in the defensive zone. He didn’t realize he was skating in big loops everywhere, causing him to miss passes and loose pucks. 15 seconds of honest video later and he knows exactly what he needs to change when the puck drops later tonight.

So start the conversation, ask to watch video with the coaches, but be prepared for honesty.

This is nothing but positive even if it might be difficult to hear.

Honesty will make you a better player.

Check out this snippet from Cech's presentation and view the full video here a membership to The Coaches Site.