“TRY EASIER”, MIND GYM by Gary Mack, p.145
”The less tension and effort, the faster and more powerful you will be.” - Bruce Lee
Awareness of our tension is an essential skill to practice. Learn the intensity and the timing of when it’s happening. Tension when needed is a good thing - snapping our wrist to shoot or pass, snapping a check to distract your opponent…etc. However, too many youth players bring tension into the formula way too early and for way too long. You’ll grip the stick tight because you don’t want to make mistakes, however, the habit of a tight grip will actually lead to more mistakes and not serve you well long term. Next time you throw around, be super aware of your grip and exaggerate the soft feeling to the point where the stick feels like it’s going to fall out of your hands. This extreme softness will create the exact contrast needed in order to build the awareness and calibrate the correct amount of tension for all of your specific tasks on the field.
When holding your stick, remember, high-fives NOT punches!