How to Achieve Your Hockey Bar

Set Your Bar and Go After It

You need to set goals to get to your bar. We talk a lot about hockey goals here, and that is intentional. Setting a goal without a plan is just a wish. Set the goal, make a plan to carry it out, and then follow through. That sequence matters more than most players realize.

Setbacks are part of it. You will hit them. Adversity makes you hungrier and teaches you to work harder. It makes you grittier, and you need grit to succeed in this sport. Every player you admire has been knocked down. The ones who made it got back up faster than everyone else.

One more thing: adversity is something everyone goes through, even though you may think it is only you. It is not. That is actually one of the most important things I tell young players.

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Set Specific, Measurable Hockey Goals

Vague goals get vague results. Set a specific and measurable hockey goal. For example: "I want to go blue line to blue line in a certain number of seconds within six months." Chart your speed monthly this season. Share this goal with your coach. It would be great if he or she could time the whole team and chart everyone's improvement over the season, because accountability in a group setting pushes every player harder.

When you write a goal down and attach a number to it, it stops being abstract. Now you have something to chase. That is when real development starts happening.

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Set Practice Goals Every Single Time You Step on the Ice

I tell kids to set practice goals. Secretly, in your head, have a goal every single time you hit the ice. Most players show up to practice and just go through the motions. That is a waste of ice time, and ice time is expensive.

Everything in hockey is a race. It is a game of speed. So a simple practice goal is to beat the person next to you in every drill. Not sometimes. Every drill. That mindset will change how you practice, and changing how you practice will change how you play in games.

Achieving practice goals transforms into reaching game goals. The habits you build at practice are the habits you bring on game night. If you compete hard every rep at practice, competing hard in a game becomes natural.

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Short Term Goals Build Long Term Results

Set short term and long term goals. They work together. A short term goal right now could be shooting 500 pucks a day this week. Do it. That is a short term, attainable goal that will make a marked improvement in your shooting immediately. The repetitions add up faster than you think.

The next week, adjust. Maybe you work your wrist gripper every single time you are in the car for one week. Small, consistent actions compound over a season. If you get injured, adjust the goals accordingly. You do not stop developing just because you are hurt. You shift the focus.

Set an action-based goal too, something like a sleep or nutrition goal for one month. Then make a plan to carry it out. What are you going to eat better, and what time are you going to bed every night for the next week or month? Recovery and fuel matter as much as reps. The best players understand this early.

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The Summer Is Where Real Growth Happens

Make a summer training plan. This is not optional if you are serious. D1 and professional players dedicate their summers to camps, skills, strength training, privates, and self-discovery. They have done that since they were young kids. That commitment is a big part of why they made it.

The summer is the ultimate hockey growth spurt. That is a fact for athletes in every sport. The season keeps you maintaining. The summer is where you actually get better. Use it.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I set a good hockey goal?

Make it specific and measurable. "I want to get faster" is not a goal. "I want to skate blue line to blue line in X seconds by the end of the season" is a goal. Attach a timeline to it, tell your coach, and chart your progress along the way. Accountability accelerates improvement.

What should I focus on at hockey practice?

Go into every practice with at least one goal in your head. It can be as simple as winning every footrace in a drill or keeping your feet moving through every corner battle. Most players coast through practice without realizing it. The players who treat every rep like it counts are the ones who separate themselves over a full season.

How do I handle setbacks and stay motivated?

Understand that setbacks are part of the process, not a sign you should quit. Every player at every level deals with adversity. The difference between players who make it and players who do not is not talent, it is how they respond when things get hard. Use the setback as information and keep working.

How important is summer training for youth hockey players?

It is extremely important. The season is about competing and maintaining. The summer is when you actually build new skills, add strength, and grow as a player. D1 and professional players have treated the summer as their biggest development window since they were kids. If you want to move up, that is where the work gets done.