The presentations at TCS Live 2024 covered every square inch of the ice, every zone. We learned various tactics for breakouts, zone entries, defending, attacking, plus countless strategies for improving culture and motivation off the ice as well. 

One presentation stood out for its unique subject matter, and it made me realize my phone is ruining my life. 

That's dramatic, but the points Larissa Mills made about the amount of time and energy athletes spend doomscrolling social media hit home. Yes, her presentation focused on the detrimental effects social media is having on our athletes, but it starts with the coach, right? You and your team are the culture you permit to happen. We all know phones shouldn't be out in the dressing room or at team meals. What are the players' habits away from the team though? In the hotel? Or most importantly, during the evening when they're alone or with their family?

Larissa's science packs a punch. She dug into the reality of artificial dopamine and its inability to truly provide anything of value through your eyeballs and into your brain. We're all guilty of scrolling just a little bit longer every night and taking in one more piece of information, just one more, and then ooh maybe one more - but what do we actually get out of it? 

What the players are getting out of it is a melty brain that's out of touch with their own unique slice of reality. They're pulled away from their own concious thoughts and their goals are put at risk. It's as though their purpose - as a hockey player, a student, a sibling - is being erased with a filter like an influencer erasing imperfections in their skin. 

I want to live my life with purpose, and I want my players to learn the same. There's nothing wrong with being connected, but young people are being swept away in a flood of content that's doing nothing to enrich their experience of life. Sure, everybody is working hard, and it's easy to sit on the couch and stare at a screen - but is that what we want to show for our lives? Why not add an extra hour of training, or an hour of hobbies that has nothing to do with hockey?

That was the big takeaway from MIlls' presentation, just the sheer amount of time kids are spending on social media that could be spent elsewhere. 

By The Numbers

• Athletes are touching their phone 176 times a day
• Athletes are on their phones 25 hours a week
• Athletes spend 200 hours a month on their phones
• Athletes spend 20 hours on hockey training

Why not shave a few of those 200 hours down and divert the energy into something useful? Like training, or reading, or just walking around outside touching grass? 

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