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"IF EVERYONE HAS THE SAME PHYSICAL SKILLS AND THE SAME LEVEL OF TEAMWORK, WHAT SEPARATES THE PERFORMANCE IS THE MENTAL TOUGHNESS OF THE ATHLETES INVOLVED. —DR. PATRICK COHN, THE PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER OF PEAK PERFORMANCE SPORTS IN ORLANDO, FLA., Bears' all-time leading scorer, Montgomery hired Standbrook as a part-time consultant when he became the head coach and general manager of the USHL' Saints in 2010. s Dubuque Fighting when I was down with injuries, because they kept me mentally sharp and gave me a chance to visualize game situations and being successful in them," said Montgomery, who led Dubuque to the Clark Cup in his first season. "You have to understand how to focus and prepare for games to have success, and that's one of the big reasons I brought in Grant to work with our players. "It's important to visualize situations before you've actually experienced them. Then, when you're on the ice, those situations feel more natural." Dr. Patrick Cohn, the president and founder of Peak Performance Sports in Orlando, Fla., empowers athletes in all sports with mental toughness by helping them discover confidence, composure and focus through powerful mental skill games. "The mental side of the game is every- thing," Cohn said. "If everyone has the same physical skills and the same level of team- "I did a lot of those [mental] exercises AD CLIENT: Florida Skating APPROVAL JOB#: 32783 SIZE: Full Page (8.25" x 10.875") WITH BLEED AD SUPPLIED: Pick up { } E-mail { } FTP { } Web { } PUBLICATION: USA Hockey Magazine ISSUE: Dec. 2012 SALESPERSON: Bryan CLIENT CONTACT: - DIGITAL URL: http://www.globalsyntheticice.com NOTES: None work, what separates the performance is the mental toughness of the athletes involved. By improving the mental game – regard- less of whether the athlete has internal or external challenges to overcome – you can perform at your peak more consistently." He agreed with Standbrook that mental toughness can be a developed skill. "It's like your stickhandling. You always want to learn something new or try a new strategy to take your stickhandling to the next level," Cohn said. "The same applies to the mental game. You always want to learn new things to improve your mental game." Cohn teaches athletes to refocus when they're distracted and feel confident despite mistakes or setbacks. The key comes in trusting the skills an athlete has developed through years of practice and repetition. More importantly, athletes must over- come the challenges that suppress mental toughness. High expectations and fear of failure can prohibit athletes from reaching their potential. DATE "Athletes always feel as though they have to perform perfectly all the time, so they bind themselves up or get frustrated easily when they're not perfect," Cohn said. When he begins working with an athlete, Cohn asks him to let go of expectations that cause pressure. He then focuses on the pro- cess of taking one play or one shift at a time. Confidence can become a controllable mindset if a player focuses on what gives him positive results, such as repetition in prac- tice, good coaching or previous successes. Confidence killers – such as high expecta- tions, self-doubt, negative mental images and comparisons to other players – must be minimized. all-time leading scorer, as an example of how the proper mindset can influence a player's career. Extraordinary cerebral skills enabled Gretzky to envision plays before they occurred. Cohn uses Wayne Gretzky, the NHL's It started with his pregame warm-up where the Great One would get himself in the right mindset. From there he would review his game plan and make adjustments. "I would take a few moments in the locker room and visualize myself on the ice to help me avoid distractions and focus on my game plan," Gretzky said. Everything in hockey happens so quickly that players don't have a lot of time to think. But that doesn't mean they should ignore the mental side of the game. "Because the game is so fast-paced, it's more of a reaction sport, which is good, because athletes in sports like golf, baseball and tennis can bog themselves down and overthink things," Cohn said. "But, on the other hand, if you're indeci- sive or second-guessing yourself for a split second, your opportunity may be gone. So, it's critical that hockey players are decisive, confident and trust what they're doing out there." N Jim Leitner is the sports editor of the Dubuque (Iowa) Telegraph Herald. BUY 3 GET 1 FREE!