Sports & Gaming

The Mindset of a Champion

Lesson time 08:33 min

In losing their first chance at the Stanley Cup, the Oilers learned a valuable lesson in preparation and dedication: If you want to become the best, develop consistent habits and practice with a purpose.

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Topics include: Repetition Is Everything · Winning the Stanley Cup

Wayne Gretzky

Teaches the Athlete’s Mindset

NHL star Wayne Gretzky shares his journey and his approach to a winning mindset, from tapping into your true passion to committing to success every day.

Preview

[MUSIC PLAYING] - Yeah, the game of hockey is 90% mental, and the other half is physical. I've heard that forever, and it's been in my mind for a long time. There's so much that goes on in the professional sports world, whether it's the travel, the fans, the media, friends. It's just there's a lot of things that you try to sort of block out of your mindset to prepare and focus for whether it's practice or the game. And so I always found that the routine was the best thing. And I really didn't change my routine from the time I was a youngster to the day I retired. You know, for me, it was putting on the skate-- the left skate first, and then putting in my left shin pads, and then putting on my right skate, and my right shin pad. And it just-- it was a flow that I had. And you know, I was comfortable with it. And then when I taped my shin pads and tucking my jersey in, it was a tradition that started when I was six, and I just stayed with it my whole life. So athletes are creatures of habit. And we like to be comfortable. If you ever watched a hockey team get on the ice, I don't know if there's one kid or one team I've ever seen when they get on the ice, the first thing they do is they skate to the right. You never see hockey players go on the ice and skate left. It's just that's not something that we do. Because we're such-- we're so ingrained to what we grew up with, and that's just the way hockey is. [MUSIC PLAYING] Well, I don't think there's any question, and it doesn't matter what you're trying to accomplish in life, whether you're just in school, whether you're in high school or college, whether you're a professional athlete or an athlete that's playing for fun that repetition is everything. Practice is part of the makeup that makes great athletes. I don't think that there's any great athlete in the world that will sit here and tell you that they don't practice hard. And so for the success of any championship team, there has to be a commitment as a group that you're going to be the hardest working group and the hardest working team to play against. Now it sounds easy and it sounds simple, but as days go by, and the year drags on, mentally becomes more and more tough. You have to have the right frame of mind. You have to be strong-willed, and you have to believe that the practice you're putting in and the time you putting in is going to make you a better player and a better team the next day. Nobody thought of practice as, oh gosh, I got to practice today. I want to make the Hall of Fame. It was all about taking in the knowledge of what's going to make us more successful as a group, what's going to make our path to lifting the Stanley Cup the best path possible. And that was easy. That was through hard work and commitment. There's no shortcuts. There's no angles. You have to put in the time. Fortunately, we had good coaches and, luckily, we had a group of players that understood that us payi...

About the Instructor

Over his 21-year career, Wayne Gretzky not only rewrote the NHL record book, he also set himself apart as one of the most accomplished professional athletes of all time. Now “The Great One” shares the moments and mindset that made him successful so you can aim for greatness in your own life. Learn the power of an athlete’s mindset and tap into passion, motivation, and dedication. Get ready to take your biggest shot yet.

Featured MasterClass Instructor

Wayne Gretzky

NHL star Wayne Gretzky shares his journey and his approach to a winning mindset, from tapping into your true passion to committing to success every day.

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