When player ability reaches a 'plateau'

[night-timer]

A team mate often talks about player ability reaching a 'plateau', a sort of standstill that stays for a long time before moving up a notch. I feel that's where I'm at now.

He says these are the points where any further improvement will require a concentrated effort or you'll stay at the same level of ability forever.

He also says that some players can plateau quite early in their playing career. We know a player who has been on many teams but is never very good -there's never any noticeable improvement, despite lots of ice time.

Has this occurred to anyone else? It was something I have been wrestling with for some time on my own, then a discussion about these 'plateaus' broke out last week.

It's easy to start feeling as though you've gone as far as your skills are ever going to get. My ability doesn't seem to be improving at all, despite the extra practice.

 

[Hockeyfan68]

A team mate often talks about player ability reaching a 'plateau', a sort of standstill that stays for a long time before moving up a notch. I feel that's where I'm at now.

He says these are the points where any further improvement will require a concentrated effort or you'll stay at the same level of ability forever.

He also says that some players can plateau quite early in their playing career. We know a player who has been on many teams but is never very good -there's never any noticeable improvement, despite lots of ice time.

Has this occurred to anyone else? It was something I have been wrestling with for some time on my own, then a discussion about these 'plateaus' broke out last week.

It's easy to start feeling as though you've gone as far as your skills are ever going to get. My ability doesn't seem to be improving at all, despite the extra practice.

Well sadly the day must come when you find out you are not a pro level hockey player. You can work on skating and everything else but you will get as good as you possibly can get.

Look at even the NHL players like Steve Begin for Boston, he is a checker type forward and a defensive banger more or less because he just just does not have the skills.

I'm not saying that you cannot find a better way of doing things but you will have a natural physical end point.

For example, I have a great shot in the wristshots and other types areas .... a gifted slapshot. I have cement hands ... I practiced stickhandling again and again and I still do but figured after 35 years if I am not stickhandling in a phone booth by now with all the work I put into I am never going to.

I am about avarage for stickhandling I should add, while not sucking at it I am not going to fiddle keep away from 4 or 5 guys while my team makes a line change. You know what I mean there.

I believe skating is something all can improve on always but natural ability .... that is a different thing altogether.

Find YOUR game .... mine was being a shooter who played with a guy who can stick handle in a phone booth. I knew I was a shooter .... now that I am older I switched to playing defense and use my shot from the point. I also learned more about skating backwards because of it even though I could skate already playing a new position made a nice change of pace and I realized I was not skating backwards as well as I had thought I could from a lack of actually doing it.

In highschool I was a banger, penalty killer etc. The "4th line" type guy. You know ... a goon!

There is a job for everyone in hockey and I honestly believe when one is honest with themselves they can then improve their game they are naturally good at and excel at it.

Basically I would not have had a career in hockey other than a fighter goon type. Maybe I should have played defense much earlier in life? I seem to be pretty good at it after switching to it a year ago or so.

basically though the most important thing to work on is skating. Good skaters always have a job in hockey and compliments anyone's game and makes them much better than they are simply by being there in the play.

 

[HowToHockey]

This could open a big bag of worms. I have learned a few theories when it comes to development so here it goes. Some people believe that children develop in stages or steps, so they develop, then plateau, then develop again.

Others believe in a gradual climb, and of course there is evidence to support both sides.

I think that the best thing to do is just keep on working on your skills, if you feel you have "plateaued" then either try a different skill (if your skating has plateaued, then work on your backhands, or dekeing, or slapshots, etc)

Another way to get over a plateau is to change something

It is common knowledge that your muscles plateau, if you stop challenging them in new ways, they will not develop past this point. You can change things like, duration, intensity, weight etc

In regards to practicing for hockey you could change speed (practice quick shots / quick release, stickhandling faster, skating faster), weight (with weighted pucks, sticks, or skate weights) and intensity (go as hard as you can, take a break, do it again)

I think this will help you get over your plateau

 

[Webernaut]

Get this kind of thought out of your head. Thinking this way is SO bad for your game no matter what level you play at. You can ALWAYS get better! You're not working hard enough PERIOD!

 

[HowToHockey]

Get this kind of thought out of your head. Thinking this way is SO bad for your game no matter what level you play at. You can ALWAYS get better! You're not working hard enough PERIOD!

It's true, even NHL hockey players practice frequently and strive to improve their game. I am always amazed when I hear an NHLer talking about what they want to improve, they will say something like "I just need to work on my skating and speed"

No matter how good you are, you can always get better... and WORSE, make the right decision

 

[Hades]

What are your weaknesses? The best way to get better is to work hard on the stuff you're not good at.

 

[cmdrdredd]

What are your weaknesses? The best way to get better is to work hard on the stuff you're not good at.

Yep! I remember when i played baseball, I could run, throw from the outfield to the catcher if I had to, I could catch just about anything but I couldn't hit. I suppose this is like a guy who can skate, has good hands and pass control but cannot hit the net accurately on shots. So the place to work on is on your shots. I'm sure there's a level where everyone reaches the point of diminishing returns, you won't see a huge leap forward but you always seem to get small improvements in weak areas. Everyone has weak areas in everything they do, keep after them and you'll improve as a player overall.

 

[Headcoach]

A team mate often talks about player ability reaching a 'plateau', a sort of standstill that stays for a long time before moving up a notch. I feel that's where I'm at now.

He says these are the points where any further improvement will require a concentrated effort or you'll stay at the same level of ability forever.

He also says that some players can plateau quite early in their playing career. We know a player who has been on many teams but is never very good -there's never any noticeable improvement, despite lots of ice time.

Has this occurred to anyone else? It was something I have been wrestling with for some time on my own, then a discussion about these 'plateaus' broke out last week.

It's easy to start feeling as though you've gone as far as your skills are ever going to get. My ability doesn't seem to be improving at all, despite the extra practice.

If you are still playing youth hockey...invest in a Summer camp. Check out your local camps first. If you want to invest in an out of the country camp i recommend that you invest in a camp in Victoria BC. Try find a camp with Boris Dorozhenko. He is a european power skating coach that does camps in BC. But he lives in Arizona and does private class at costs that would drive a parent crazy. But he is worth the cash.

Look up this name on youtube: Chris Kelo. You will find it under passthepuck. You will hear boris in the background. He is running this camp in Phoenix, which I have recorded.Plus, you can also go here: eurom99 Check both links out.

I guess what I"m trying to tell you is that in order to get your game to the next level, you will have to think outside of the box. Hockey coaches somethimes come out of the same mold. So sometimes inorder to get to the next level, you might need a coach that will make you work outside of the box!

Head coach