No Words - Another Dang Good Commercial

May 18th Coach's Corner

I haven't been bloggin lately (too much going on...Mental Tuffness Training (R), complete with newsletters...3rd Annual Stanley Cup Playoffs Data Study ("You mean you actually TiVo the Stanley Cup Playoffs, get out a legal pad, some pencils, lots of coffee, and analyze every thing the officials are doing, so you, in turn, can share this information with other hockey referees to make them better?  Holy Shinto!"), so I had to share a little bit of Don Cherry (goddam, I love guys who wear their hearts on their sleeve) for the faithful.

p.s. I only study the Conference Finals and the Finals.  I love it. I may be wacked out, but I absolutely love it!

Rally Round the Refs

I was looking for a video that would some kind of vibe...some kind of inspiration...something that would embody the feeling for this segment on Mental Tuffness Training (R) and I thought about the Rage Against the Machine song, 'Bulls on Parade'.  I don't know if that appeals to your music sense, but here is that song -- Bulls on Parade

I was also looking for some type of "rally cry" that would work...some kind of sports (preferably hockey-related) and my own personal favorite comes from Shakespeare's Henry V = St. Crispin's Day Speech -- it is about a bunch of Englishmen who were outnumbered 5 to 1 and are about to go out and kick some f*cking  ass!

"But we in it shall be remembered-

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;

For he to-day that sheds his blood with me

Shall be my brother."

I did find a hockey video, regardless of what country you call home, that is a 'rally round the family' type of video -- Welcome to Oil Country

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What's the point in all of this?  It's about rallying around your fellow official. 

Guys...you are the third team on the ice.  Rally around each other for f**k sakes! 

Reach out to those who may be quiet...be the one who offers encouragement...be the "GUY WHO EVERYONE WANTS TO REF WITH"...be the one who organizes where to have a few cold ones after the game. 

You be the one.  Now.  Please.

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This is just a small segment of what the referees who are subscribing to the Ultimate Officials Mental Tuffness Training (R).  If you are not a part of this group, you are missing out on newsletters, periodic video and email updates, and ongoing discussion on what it takes MENTALLY to be a Championship Level referee.

What the hell you waiting for?  Sign up now!  The program is 12 weeks in length and can be started at any time.  The best of the best are those who always take action...no wallflowers...no wishy-washy people allowed.  Sign up by clicking "Subscribe" below.

An Open (kind of) Letter to My Brotherhood

Guys,

Here is the link for the first unit: (oops...sorry...you only get that if you are a subscriber).

I will still provide a "hard copy" edition in the mail.  If you notice on the last page, there is some blank space.  The hard copy version will include the "bonus item" for that week.

Why am I insistent on giving you both an electronic version and a hard copy?  Because I want it to be "more real"...

Let me explain:

* Have you ever set goals for yourself?  Did you write those goals down somewhere or did you just keep them in your head?  Did you know that you will be much more likely to succeed in your goals if you WRITE THEM DOWN?  Why?  Because it becomes something concrete.  Anything that just exists in your head is ethereal...it's smoke...it's nothingness...it's not real.

* Notes are something that you can reference from time to time.  I want you referencing this Mental Tuffness (R) stuff, because I want you to change your game mentally and become one tough sun-of-a-bitch.  Once again, a hard copy is real and it doesn't simply go in one ear and out the other.

* Lastly, no one has ever provided a manual on the mental side of the game.  I studied all of this stuff for one whole season (2007-2008).  I even wrote a thesis on the subject.  Sure...you may find some things on the mental game in different small sections of the manuals that USA Hockey provides...but one entire manual devoted to the subject?  Oy vey!  In an area that may make up the difference between the "good" and the "great"...well...we need an entire manual.

ENJOY!

to subscribe to the Mental Tuffness Training (R), click on subscribe:

You Might Be A Jack Ass...

Mental Tuffness Training (R)

It begins today!

(and, guess what........if today for you is not May 3, 2010...well....you can also start today....because this is a 12 week program designed to be 100% online (with an offline newsletter as well!) that you can do from any place, starting at any time....it's just that I've got a bunch guys who to get out and kick some serious butt RIGHT NOW).

Here are the topics for the 12 Week Course:

1. You Might Have the Personality of a Jack Ass, or Worse* (* = you might be a ghost)
2. How-to Tell Yourself "I am McLovin" (instead of the Homer Simpson-like "mmmm....donuts")
3. Starting to Complain...and Next Thing You end up with a Sh*t Sandwich"
4. See Dick Run.  See Dick Ref.  What Kind of Dick are You?
5. "These aren't the droids you are looking for."
6. I'm Envisioning Gramma hitting the Jack Pot, a Woman in White Lace with pitchers of Beer, and a Dwarf Riding a Wooden Horse.
7. My Goal = Never Be the Smartest Person in the Room
8. I'll Slit Your Throat, and then Sit Down for Dinner
9. No Members fo the Wherethefokowee Clan
10. "I was especially impressed with the way you scratched yourself 7 times."
11. "The public's attention span is shorter than a gnat's orgasm."
12. Is it "more time than money" or "one foot in the grave and one foot on a banana peel"?

SUBSCRIBE HERE NOW TO JOIN:

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1. You Might Have the Personality of a Jack Ass, or Worse* (* = you might be a ghost)

When you get a certain point in your career, you will begin to notice that the skill level of each official is relatively the same, minus a couple exceptions (and those exceptions can go either way).  For example, the referees who work junior hockey can all skate about the same.  The referees who work minor pro all skate about the same.  The referees who work NHL all skate about the same.

You see, as you move up in the world of hockey, the speed of the game gets faster at each level.  We can quantify that through stats.  And, in general, the same goes for the majority of the hockey referees working each level -- they are better skaters as you move up and up.

So with all things being equal physically, why do some guys really succeed where others fall short?!?

It is the six inches between the ears (if you have never read my thesis on "The Inner Game", you can go here to get a copy):



The sad thing is that you might be a jack ass personality-wise, and you might not know it.  Why do some guys have moxie?  Why do some guys have charisma?  Why do some guys have million dollar bodies and 10 cent heads?  What truly separates the good from the great?

It's the six inches between your ears.

It's how you relate with others -- supervisors, other officials, players, coaches.  It's how you mentally approach the game.  I can...well...quite honestly...pin point each officials problem who has the skill yet doesn't seem to "get any of the breaks."  It's a few things in their personality that are holding them back.

** To read more, you need to be a current subscriber to the Mental Tuffness Training (R) program.  Click below to subscribe: