Game On Magazine 2017 Nov Game On low res | Page 58
| COAC H I NG | W I T H A . J. Z E G L E N
THE CASE
FOR A COACH
5 8 | G AM E ON | N OVEM BER 2017
where a good coach can be of
service and really help you out.
The problem is, as mentioned
before, we traditionally utilize
coaching only in certain
aspects and not others. An
example of this, of course,
is that for hockey we have a
coach on ice for the players.
Every practice and every game,
there is a coach providing
guidance and structure to
put you in the best position
to develop and be successful.
That’s great, exactly how it
should be.
Now let’s keep going with
this example. When we step
off the ice what coaching do
we have? Athletes working
with trainers has become
increasingly popular over the
years, which is great. But what
about nutrition? A very small
percentage of people consult
a nutrition coach for advice.
Finally, what about mental
performance? Very few people
enlist the help of a mental
performance coach to help
with their success.
When dealing with the
mental aspect you actually
here things such as “they’re
a big kid, they can figure it
out,” or “be a professional,
deal with it.” That’s crazy. We
would never even send a pro
hockey team on the ice and
say “You are pro players, figure
it out.” We would never have
Manitoba Moose assistant captain,
Winnipeg's Peter Stoykewych, has
taken advantage of Jets Hockey
Development and Focus Fitness's
coaching
athletes in the gym and say,
“You’ve been training for a
couple years now, you’re a big
kid, figure it out.” Can you
imagine? Coaching is coaching
is coaching.
It doesn’t matter what
aspects the coach covers, they
are all equally important.
The structure, adherence,
accountability and guidance
a good coach offers is an
absolute game changer.
So evaluate where you are
now and where you would
like to be in the future. Take
a look at all the
different aspects you
need to be successful
and which ones
are being properly
addressed and which
ones are not.
Go find a coach who can
help you. Don’t leave it to a
guess and don’t leave it to
chance. You owe it to yourself.
Until next time, Strength,
Courage, Hustle, Commitment
– A.J. ZEGLEN
T
here are many different
aspects to training
for a sport. There are
physical aspects such
as exercise, nutrition,
sleep and practice. There
are psychological components
such as visualization, stress
management and confidence.
And while all these aspects
are equally important when it
comes to success, some of these
components are traditionally
done with the help of coaching.
There are many variations
of a saying that is used all the
time that goes something like
“(insert sport name) is 20 per
cent physical and 80 per cent
mental,” or, “getting fit is 30 per
cent in the gym and 70 per cent
in the kitchen.”
I’m not sure where these
sayings came from or why they
ever became so popular, but I
can assure you they are false.
If you want to have success
there is no division of effort
based on percentages. Every
aspect is 100 per cent of your
effort all the time. The sport
you play and train for is 100 per
cent physical and 100 per cent
mental. Getting fit is 100 per
cent in the gym and 100 per
cent in the kitchen. One aspect
does not outweigh the others if
you want to truly do your best
and reach your full potential.
But remember, this is not
easy to do without help. This is