Podcast Segment for Parents – Episode 257

Protect your body so your mind can do the work for you. And that is the theme of today's episode, working with everything that you've got between the ears. We've got Pete Fry coming up in our NHL Sense Arena feature interview. But up next, the Stop It Goaltending U, the app parent segment. David, you wanna focus on parents helping their goaltenders with this mindset.

Nope. Not really, actually. Well, partly, mostly just the parents' mindset. But I also wouldn't mind if Woody wanted to say a few things about Stop It Goaltending U first.

Yeah. Stop It Goaltending U, the app, is basically they take all those twenty five plus years of experience of Stop It Goaltending U. Brian Daccord, goaltending coach, director of goaltending in the National Hockey League for years, all the goalie coaches that he's worked with there, and they put it onto your phone into an app, the world's most comprehensive app for goalies, goalie parents, and goalie coaches. And now thanks to a partnership with InGoal Magazine, we've combined. So not only do you get everything that they bring you in the app, and it really is an incredible tool, but you get a free subscription to InGoal Magazine.

So all of our resources combined with all of their resources, it's basically the best thing in goaltending if you wanna become a better goaltender. And the beauty of it is it's not something you need to do all day every day. You can just they've got five new primers every week, quick videos, and then one full video. Thirty minutes a week, and you will become a better goalie, better goalie parent, and a better goalie coach. So make sure you check check out Stop It Goaltending U, the app, which now gives you free access to InGoal Magazine, ingoalmag.com as well.

You can find it at the Google Play Store, the Apple App Store, or search it up online through Stop It Goaltending. Stop It Goaltending U, the app. It's a great way to become a better goalie.

You can go down a rabbit hole too, and it's so far more productive and helpful than Instagram or YouTube. Going down the Stop It Goaltending U the app. It's awesome.

What? I gotta ask, Daren. What have you gotten into on it? Because I know you've been on it a fair bit. I'm getting into it this week.

Like, have you done the drills? Have you done the where are you going with it?

Yeah. With the drills that that they offer up. Little little short drills from from goaltenders in their gear, top top flight goaltenders and being able to offer that. It's it's it's fascinating and some of them are a little bit tweaked compared to their personal style of the net minders that are offering the drill, and it's it's just get get your mind going a little bit towards options towards your safe selection. And they're short.

They're not long. And boom, you're on to the next one. You're on to the next one. Away you go. So let's get into the mindset of the parents.

And it's interesting that you bring this up because everything is focused on the athletes themselves. But what can the parent do, or how can the parent get ready for this journey?

Well, Daren, in the feature interview this week, you're gonna hear a lot of stuff from Pete about how he helps goaltenders and how he works with goaltenders. And one of the things that stood out to me was that he told Woody in it that, he doesn't work specifically with parents. He doesn't have specific techniques. We'll talk a little bit more about that later. But I actually found that there's a lot of stuff in there that really does apply to us as parents.

And, look, we we all believe that mindset is important for goaltenders. I don't think there's any question about that. And you want your son or daughter to take mindset seriously. Maybe you do it because you have shared an article from InGoal about mindset with them. Maybe you've shared some good clips on social media.

Maybe you read a book on the subject with them. Maybe, and I hope you are, you're considering Pete's seminar this summer, the live or the virtual version. But what have you done as a goalie parent thinking about your own mindset? I think it's really important. Look, being a goalie parent, guys, as you know, is the most difficult job in the rink for parents, and you need to look after yourself.

And you want your kid to play for the enjoyment of the game. I think you enjoy deserve to enjoy it just as much as as they do. I also mean looking after your mindset, is important for your young goalie, Daren. I you brought that up. You're the number one example that your goaltender has with everything that they that you do.

They're learning. Your mindset's gonna teach them how to behave in any particular situation. So as much as I'm talking today about looking after your own mindset, it's gonna affect them as well and help them enjoy the game more or be better goaltenders. Pete mentions later that at most of his locations where he gives these seminars, if you send your son or daughter to it, you're welcome to join them as well. And of course, if you do the virtual one, you can sit there and and listen to it together as well.

Like I said, he doesn't do specific training for for parents, but I think that if you listen to some of the content today and at a seminar, you're gonna find some cool ways that they can apply to you specifically. So I'm I'm giving every parent out there some homework today. I'd like you to listen to Pete's interview. I'd like you to think about how it will help your goaltender of course. But I want you to ask yourself, how does this apply to me?

Pete wants your goaltender to have a clear picture of where they're going, what they're reaching for. I'm gonna suggest that every goalie parent should also have a clear picture for themselves as a goalie parent this season.

Some of it's gonna feel like a stretch but some of it absolutely can help you as it's helped me and I'll I'll admit today that I've I've strayed from some of it as well and I and I wish I hadn't. We're gonna talk right now about one of the ones that he begins with all the time and that's have a clear picture. Pete wants your goaltender to have a clear picture of where they're going, what they're reaching for. I'm gonna suggest that every goalie parent should also have a clear picture for themselves as a goalie parent this season. Take a few moments, ask yourself, what does my son or daughter need in support from me?

How do I wanna carry myself the night before a game, the morning of a game, at the game, in the car afterwards on the way home? I think you should make a plan. I'm gonna make a plan. And if it helps, you should write it down. I think we all get swept up in routine, guys, in in any day.

We're we're busy people. We do the same thing every day, every game, ultimately just sort of reacting to situations instinctively, rather than thoughtfully. And just as we hope our kids want to improve one game to the next, I think we can hope for ourselves the same thing as goalie parents. So do you keep your son or daughter level headed the night before by being calm and casual just the way you'd like them to be in a game? Or do you get caught up in the excitement and talk about the big game tomorrow, how great it would be to get a shutout or beat such and such a team?

How do you think talking like that the night before a game is going to affect their mindset or or yours? The morning of the game, are you calm and cool or do you get flustered when something goes wrong? Like stuck in traffic, can't find something in the house you needed to bring that day, or the classic, your goalie probably, or maybe even you gets behind in time and you're feeling like you're gonna be late to the rink. How do you react to that? Do you just focus and control what you can control or do you move do you, overreact to it?

Do you let your mood affect your day and your goalie's game as well? How about at the game, guys? Do you get nervous? Do you get anxious? Do you show others that you're nervous and anxious, or do you just hold it inside and do it to yourself?

But or maybe you react the way you'd like to and you cheer, you enjoy the game. What's your clear picture for how you wanna perform as a goalie parent this season in that game situation before the game. What do you need to do to enjoy the game the most? And here's where I'm gonna admit that I've strayed a little bit from my clear picture. I was a bundle of nerves last year as a goalie parent, just reacting.

I let it control me. But how does that help anybody? Certainly makes me miserable to hang out with, as Woody will tell you, from coming to a couple of games with me this year. It takes me away from being able to enjoy seeing my son do what he loves best And it doesn't help me even a little bit to be that way. Now, I'm lucky enough.

I'm at the stage where my son doesn't live with us during the season. So the mood that I have on game day certainly doesn't help him as a player. But I can tell you if he did live at home, the way I behaved on game days this year would be harmful to him as well. I haven't always been that person. I'm a different goalie parent every year it seems, and there's a whole lot of reasons for that.

But that's why I really like the idea that Pete has of having a clear picture. Have a clear picture as a goalie parent this year. Maybe you do it because you know what your plan is. Maybe you reflect on some games that you felt you were at your best as a goalie parent this year. Write it down and review it throughout the year.

Ask yourself, how's it going? How can you be closer to your ideal this week, this game, whatever it is? Because we want our kids to focus every game on improving as well. So I think as parents, we can do the same thing. If you try this, maybe a few more of Pete's techniques as you listen in and hear what he has to say today, I promise you'll have a more enjoyable this season as a goalie parent, and your goalie will play better and enjoy the game even more as a result as well.

Mindset for parents.

Well said. I I was like checklisting all the things that I do wrong.

We all do. Like I said, we all just react. Right? But I think we can be mindful about how we act that it's gonna make us happier.

Woody, I'm happy you said that because there is a long stretch where I felt like Hutch was talking directly to me.

It both of us.

So Mostly to himself as I always do. Right? I work at home alone. I talk to myself.

But but but it's amazing how we all interpret that and we're like, oh, yeah. I do that. I might do that a little bit. And I'm sure you listening right now have had the same experience as us. Some great points, Hutch.

And I love the idea of of making a list and and revisiting it just as reminders or see what you're doing well along the way.

It almost applies to to warm up. You know? Like, our goaltenders have a warm up because they wanna get in the right mindset. They wanna be in the right physical preparation for a game. We should probably do that as parents, like, the day before a game almost.

Let's just take a moment to prepare for what's about to come. Certainly, if you're somebody who doesn't react as well as you'd you'd like to, I think you need to prepare yourself for that. That revisiting it is so important.

Well and not just when you're trying to get them out the house or getting taking them to a game, but how you manage your own recreational athletics. Like, how many times have I gone running out of the house? Oh, crap. I'm late. I didn't have time to stretch.

Haven't done. And then they and then they see that as an example. Hopefully, an example of what not to do, but, like, I can I found examples as you're going through there of things I've done as a parent trying to get my daughter out the house to volleyball or reacting poorly when she's not ready because she hasn't got her shoes or she's forgotten something and blowing up rather than just being like so how does that help her mindset as well as my own games and my own, you know, weekly routines and how I'm not prepared to get out the door into the rink on time? It's I'm gonna go to the corner feels shame, but, I'm gonna take notes. I'm gonna take notes while I do, so I'll be better next time.

Yeah. I think that piece about how we react setting an example is so important. And and like I said, I I was not at my best last season. I don't think in in a lot of ways. I think one of the things I've done really well is I do not overreact, to many situations and there's there's a lot of reasons I've learned to be that way.

But my son and I took so many trips over the years and just as one example, you can't leave for anywhere here pretty much without hopping on a ferry. And inevitably in the summertime, that means you arrive and you wait for two, three sailings, five, six hours. Sometimes it gets really bad. One of the things I've always done well is, who cares? There's literally nothing we can do about it.

So pull out the ball gloves, throw a ball around, have a good time. And I think he's learned to be that person as well so that when things get tough, like your reaction is, nothing I can do, move on. We can teach that to our parents through how our kids through how we react to situations too.

Let's hope he doesn't take all of your advice.

No. Well, he's got a mother with a lot of good examples.

lot good examples.

Gives him all the good examples.

No. I was more speaking about as as I listened to you right now, you're wearing a a hoodie with the headphones over top of the the hoodie. It's it's a look. I think it's one of those ones where we we observe it and we say, maybe we should

be Do like me to reflect on this? Well, fortunately, this is not on video. Our gear segments are. This is not. One day, maybe it will be, in which case, I will behave much better, Daren.

I'll I I think it's an interesting look.

I like to be warm.