QUAKE
Built for Yellowstone Quake Hockey
Camp Doesn't Test Your Skating. It Tests Your Mind Under Watch.
Every drill, every scrimmage, every shift — coaches watching, a roster spot on the line. Here's how to compete free instead of tightening up.
Yellowstone Quake · The Tryout Mindset · Training Camp 2026
For the Quake
Camp is a different animal than the regular season. Every shift feels like it's under a microscope. Coach Cody and the staff are watching, decisions are being made in real time, and it's easy to feel like one mistake could cost you the roster spot you've been working toward all summer.
That pressure does something predictable to players: it makes them tighten up. They stop playing their game and start "trying not to mess up" — which is exactly the mindset that causes the mistakes they're afraid of.
"The players who make this roster aren't the most talented ones in the building. They're the ones who competed free instead of playing scared."
Why It Happens
Why Tryouts Make Good Players Look Average
When you're auditioning instead of competing, your brain shifts into protect-mode — playing it safe, avoiding risk, second-guessing every read. That's the opposite of the instinctive, confident hockey that got you noticed in the first place. Camp doesn't need a perfect player. It needs a player who still looks like themselves under pressure.
0 Mistakes
The Impossible Standard That Sinks Good Players
No player who ever made a roster played a mistake-free camp. Chasing perfection is what causes the tight, hesitant hockey that actually gets noticed for the wrong reasons.
Your Framework
Three Shifts for Camp Week
1
Compete, Don't Audition
Play Hockey, Not "Look Good"
The second you start playing to impress instead of playing to win the puck, you get worse. Compete like it's just another shift with your teammates — that's when your real game shows up.
2
Control the Controllables
Effort, Habits, Details
You don't control who makes the roster — that's the staff's call. You control your battle level, your details on and off the puck, and how hard you compete every single shift. Put all your focus there.
3
One Shift at a Time
Reset and Move On
A bad shift doesn't sink a camp — carrying it into the next three does. Use your reset routine between shifts, let the last one go, and show up fresh for the next one every time.
The Players Who Make This Roster Compete Like They Already Belong.
Not because they're perfect — because they play free, shift after shift, mistake or not.
Camp is a grind, and it's supposed to be hard — that's exactly what makes a roster spot worth earning. Trust the summer of work you've put in, play your game instead of auditioning for someone else's, and let the staff make the decisions that are theirs to make.
Compete Like the Player You Are
Know Your Competitor Style First
Knowing how you compete best is one less thing to think about at camp.
Take the Free Quiz →
I'm excited to watch you compete at camp this year, Quake. Trust your work, play free, and good luck — Coach Cody and the staff are going to see exactly what you've got.
Talk soon,
Coach Kim
Mental Performance Coach · Peak Performance Coaching