By Dr. Shayne Baylis, Doc Hockey
To recap my previous article, Malcolm Gladwell explained that it takes approximately 10,000 hours to become an expert in any given field.
Furthermore, he says that opportunity is one of the primary influential factors needed to acquire the skillsets to be an expert and ultimately perform successfully at the highest level. However, it is critical to be on the path or already have 10,000 hours established so that when the opportunity arises, one is able to take full advantage of the situation.
Let’s look at one example from Gladwell: out of the 75 richest people in history, 20% of them come from the U.S. in the mid-1900s. Their age and the opportunity of being born when they could take advantage of the beginning of the industrial revolution were hugely important, he notes.
When applying this same principle to sports, Gladwell suggests that opportunity has a lot to do with the time of year that a player is born, and age deadlines. Being born at the beginning of the year offers the advantage of additional maturity, being physically larger and better coordination.
These attributes attune the player to perform at a higher level and they are more readily selected to high-caliber teams. The athletes who made the cut to be on competitive teams at an early age are positioned to have more practice time, more game time, better coaching, and play in more pressure situations, which allows them to develop their confidence to be the “go-to player.”
10,000-hour mark key to draft
In Gladwell’s book Outliers: The Story of Success, he demonstrates a play-by-play of a Memorial Cup final junior game by replacing player names with their birthdates. By taking this approach, he was able to show that the majority of players’ birthdates range from January 1st to the end of April, and it was confirmed these players experienced the most ice time, preferred coaching, and were placed strategically in critical game time situations. The maturity factor appears to be the primary reasons for their success.
Accomplishing this landmark of 10,000 hours will allow these hockey players to have the required skills when their draft time arrives, and they then tend to be selected in the early rounds.
This is apparent in the longer road NCAA players take to get their chance in the NHL rather than Major Junior Leagues, where there are much more players age eligible and who are drafted directly into the NHL.
As mentioned in the last article, the Beatles, Bill Gates and now our Memorial Cup hockey players all achieved their 10,000 hours faster and with better practice quality hours than most, allowing them to excel.
Variety & proper programs
Get your hours in from multiple sports working on different coordination patterns, different muscle strengths, and different mental processes. Preparation/Training, Prevention, and Quick Recovery is all part of the 10,000 hour requirement.
It is important for each player to realize that their dream is all about taking advantage of opportunities, positioning oneself to be exposed to the positive experiences, and practicing the correct methods to improve.
Determine your strengths and use them in advantageous ways on the ice. Identify your weakness and practice and work extraordinarily hard to become a master of this skillset. For example, if you realize your skating or stickhandling is deficient, it is time to check out who has the teaching abilities to help you improve.
Many times it is entirely the training path you take, the people you meet, coaches and trainers that influence you, and the amount of training (physical, mental, psychological and spiritual) and opportunity that ultimately decides your future. However, when the opportunity surfaces, be prepared with the right skills to take full advantage of it!
Dr. Shayne Baylis – DC, BHK
Shayne Baylis is a former junior hockey player for the Kemptville 73’s, Brockville Braves and the Hawkesbury Hawks. He is currently working at the Capital Chiropractic and Rehab Centre as a chiropractor and works with teams such as the Carleton Ravens, Ottawa 67’s, Nepean Raiders, Gloucester Rangers, Ottawa Jr. Senators, and the Ottawa Senators.