USA Hockey Magazine

14 // AUGUST 2023 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM PHOTOS BY Getty Images "Great moments are born fr om great opportunity…" Most hockey players read that line and can hear Kurt Russell's voice in their mind as he depicts Herb Brooks in "Miracle" delivering that historic pregame speech. They can also probably recite the intermission address where he flips a table, challenges his players, and claims that a bruise on the leg is a long way from the heart. His approach was memorable and inspiring as a movie scene, but is it actually effective in the locker room? Intermissions are a critical period of time in the middle of competition where a coach is in control. They can walk into the locker room and call the shots, make adjustments and address their players. It is one of the moments where they can have the greatest impact on the game. However, it is not an easy moment to navigate. Effective use of this short time relies on a lot of different contextual factors, with little time to carefully assess and consider them all. While a lot of coaching decisions may rely on hockey IQ, a majority of what hap- pens in the locker room is psychological. Managing the emotions of your team to get their best out of them in the heat of the moment isn't a question of their physical ability, but rather their mindset. While motivational pep talks are inspiring in movies, those kinds of coaching "perfor- mances" work because they are rare. If a coach goes into the locker room every game with a Hollywood approach, its impact will lose its luster. Everything a coach does in the locker room should be intentional, but not reactionary, to help their team achieve their desired goal. To start, the most important thing a coach can do in an intermission is focus on the quality of their team's performance, not the score. Not only do scores shift a team's atten- tion to an outcome rather than a process, but scores can be wildly misleading. The score only provides very limited insight into what is actually happening on the ice. More importantly, everyone already knows the score. Instead, it is more valuable for a coach to focus on a team's approach and provide them with the insight they may have trouble seeing, like their strengths. Even during uninspiring performances, highlighting for your team what is working can help instill the confidence that they are lacking. However, you don't have to ignore the obvi- ous obstacle at hand. You should do more than just point it out. Providing tangible and specific feedback on how to solve some of the challenges your team is facing will give them valuable guidance and direction for the next M I N D O V E R M AT T E R Be Chill During Intermissions C Consider their needs H Highlight the positives I Include clear instructions for next period L Limit your adjustments L Level out their emotions period. While there may be many adjustments you want to make, identify the three most critical ones. Multiple changes may feel over- whelming and unrealistic for your athletes. With three manageable adjustments, the rest will likely follow suit naturally. Overall, it is important as a coach to remem- ber that the intermission is about what the team needs. The emotions they are experi- encing may also be naturally running through your veins. While you may want to flip over a few tables or yell, before you do ask yourself: 'Is this what they need from me?' When we mirror the emotions of oth- ers, those emotions only grow in intensity. Instead, we will be more effective at balancing out the locker room when we can provide a counter emotion. If a team needs some energy, you infuse that energy into the locker room. If they need a steady force to settle their emo- tional waves, you be that anchor. Many studies have shown that it is not a l way s t h e c o n t e n t o f w h a t w e say t h a t makes the biggest impact, but how we say it. In intense moments in the locker room, a coach's tone of voice, the volume of their voice, and their body language can commu- nicate more to an emotional and physically exhausted group of athletes, than words might be able to. Finally, the key to effective coaching is authentic coaching. Don't try to emulate Herb Brooks if his style doesn't match who you are. Relying on your own unique qualities and strengths as a coach, just like you encourage your athletes to do, will make everything you do and say more impactful. P Julia Allain is the f ounder of Allain Mental P e r f o r m a n c e L L C , w h e r e s h e h a s w o r k e d with numerous collegiate, prof essional, and internationally competitive athletes, including USA Hockey's National Team Development Program. g By Julia Allain Locker Room Leaders Herb Brooks Everything A Coach Does In The Locker Room Should Be Intentional, Not Reactionary

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