Coaches, I think its time we move away from just teaching skills, technique, and game play, and give more of an honest effort to teaching the mental training required to 'be an athlete'. Bear with me... 1/n

We're so quick to label players as those who "have the determination and drive", and let that just be a precursor for their athletic trajectory, so to take that aspect off our plates as a coach. But working hard doesn't always mean they have their mental game perfected.

Growing up, I LOVED hockey and would work 110% every time I got to the rink. Coaches loved that, it was 'easy to work with'. But my work ethic and skill combined got me to a modest level, where when it came down to it, I found my self settling into the "hard worker role".

While I loved and embraced this role, the truth is, I did so because the comfort of being good at what I could do at that point outweighed the fear of trying for something different. And honestly it took me 15 years to even realized I was subconsciously afraid to fail.

Looking back now, I wish I had someone who invested as much time in my mental game as they did in my on ice game. I see now that I really could have thrived with being *taught* how to be an athlete, not just motivated to work harder.

I mean, sure as you continue in your sporting career you pick up elements that make you a good athlete, and you succeed on the ice as you progress, so you assume you're doing it right, but rarely is this taught.

And more importantly, I feel strongly that the 'skill' and 'talent' I had were shaped (and limited) by the way I viewed myself as an athlete.

I wish a coach had have taken more time to tell me to take risks, to put my walls down, to be humble with my notion of being a student of the game - to not equate learning (or being corrected) with not knowing, but with opportunity to know more.

For e.g. I asked a lot of questions - and in ways that was good - but I wish a coach pointed out that this was just my coping mechanism to avoid trusting what I already knew and learning through trial and error.

I thought questions = intent, focus, to show the coach you're listening, wanting to be better. In many ways they do, but for me, I used it as a crutch and I never had anyone shine this light on me. Until my adult years when I realized it myself.

All of this is to say that coaches, we need to stop assuming that working hard means mentally tough or mentally smart, that all players innately know how to be the best athletes for their game, and that these investments are not worth while. This concludes my TEDtalk.