Nedugo sam se vratio sa svjetskog prvenstva u inline hokeju održanog u Bratislavi te mi je želja približiti Vam svoje iskustvo.
Croatia’s 8th Appearance
At the last World Championship, we achieved great success and qualified for the elite division of inline hockey.
The elite division features the national teams of the USA, Finland, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Canada, Slovakia, and Germany – the undisputed champions of this sport. The differences in investments into this sport between those countries and Croatia are staggering. Just to mention a few “small” details: the rink we trained on during the final month before our departure was significantly smaller than the official one we played on at the championship. Just imagine the difference in physical conditioning, as well as the tactics we had to adapt to a rink that was nearly 30% larger.
While the aforementioned national teams cycle through a pool of 7–8 new players every year, we have relied on a dozen standard, experienced players for years, with very few fresh young players coming through. Despite all the challenges we faced, the goal we set as a team was to secure a spot that would guarantee our survival in the elite group.
Psychological Challenges
Below, I will try to depict some of the psychological challenges I had to confront.
Before the competition started, I felt nervous because this was a level of hockey I had never played before. Additionally, a large number of our fans were expected to attend, and the live stream of the games did little to ease the tension.
Thoughts like “I hope everything goes well” and “just don’t make a mistake” began to surface. Our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected, though we can only directly influence our thoughts and actions.
Changing Negative Thoughts
To change these negative thoughts, and consequently my emotions, I replaced them with more rational and alternative responses. After all, it is well known that worrying is counterproductive and prevents us from reaching our maximum potential in the present moment. I found immense help and strength during the games by using positive motivational self-talk. Furthermore, by preparing properly for the game and setting smaller goals, I tried to enter my ideal zone as quickly as possible.
Controlling Emotions
During the games, there were moments when concentration lapsed and controlling emotions became difficult (due to referee errors, the quality of the opponent, lack of cooperation with teammates, or my own mistakes). What guided me in those moments was maintaining maximum effort, as that was the only thing I could control at that time. To calm the tension during shifts, I focused on my breathing to control my activation level and improve my focus.
The Importance of Mental Preparation
This overview is just a small glimpse into what was happening in my head, yet it highlights the importance of proper mental preparation. Unfortunately, we did not achieve our initial goal, but we are already starting a long-term project: returning to the very top tier of world inline hockey. Maximum effort is the only thing we have left, and no one can take that away from us, despite all the challenges!
If you also face various challenges on the sports field, contact us to become better equipped to handle all the obstacles that arise in your beloved sport.
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Mental Training Blog guest: Matija Kopajtić, Mag. Psych., Croatian Inline Hockey National Team Player
