The Opposite Hand Effect: Boost Your Hockey Brain Power & Skills
Apr 15, 2024
Quick Summary: Boost Your Hockey Brain with the Opposite Hand Effect
Want to reach the elite level faster? Science shows that 10,000 hours of practice is only half the battle. The real game-changer is brain growth through myelin production. By training with your opposite hand, you fire up new neural pathways and eliminate the frustration of failure.
- Myelin Production: Every new skill learned creates brain connections wrapped in insulating myelin for faster processing.
- The Opposite Hand Effect: Training with a non-dominant stick forces massive myelin production and boosts overall coordination.
- Mental Reset: Opposite-hand training removes the ego associated with "failing," creating a positive, determined learning mindset.
- Mega Learner Status: High-level stick skills come from practicing more technical drills than the competition.
Perfect for players who feel stuck or "stalled out" in their development and need a competitive edge over their rivals.
The Opposite Hand Effect: Boost Your Hockey Brain Power
What if you could make your master computer (your brain) faster, more polished, and more resilient to frustration? It starts with a left-handed stick (or right, if you're a lefty).
I’m Coach Lance from Online Hockey Training. For over 15 years, I’ve researched what it takes to reach the upper rungs of the achievement ladder. Whether it's business, math, art, or hockey, the journey to greatness usually requires 10,000 hours of deliberate practice.
But there is a "secret sauce" that nobody is teaching. I call it the Opposite Hand Effect. It's the ultimate tool for "Mega Learners" who want to separate themselves from the competition by growing their brain and mastering their mindset.
How to Grow Your Hockey Brain
Every time you learn something new, a new brain connection is made in your "master computer" and wrapped in a material called myelin. Think of myelin as high-speed insulation. The more you practice, the more myelin you earn, and the closer you get to the "automatic phase" where you don't even have to think—you just play.
The problem? Most players stall out. They go to the basement, shoot 100 pucks on their forehand, and repeat. They aren't making new connections. If you aren't challenging your brain, you aren't producing myelin. To truly improve, you have to be a Mega Learner.
The Experiment: Training with the "Wrong" Hand
Years ago, I decided to teach myself to stickhandle and shoot with the opposite hand. I trained 3 days a week for 30 minutes. For weeks, I felt clumsy, slow, and awkward. But around the 3-month mark, something changed. The awkwardness disappeared, and I could roof a backhand top shelf with my non-dominant hand.
What I discovered for young players:
- Opposite hand training forces your brain to work overtime, creating massive amounts of myelin.
- It gives you a better understanding of the developmental process for new skills.
- It actually makes your dominant hand feel more skilled because of the increased neural activity and coordination.
The Secret Benefit: Zero Frustration
This is the most impactful part of the Opposite Hand Effect. When players fail on their dominant side, they get frustrated. Their body language changes, and their execution drops. They hate making mistakes because they feel they "should" be better.
But when training with the opposite hand? Players never get frustrated. They have a face of determination or they are smiling. They expect to fail because it’s a new challenge. By bringing that "opposite hand mindset" back to your dominant training, you learn to see misses as small positive stepping stones or guideposts that lead you to your final destination.
Are You Ready to Put in the Work?
Don't get left behind. If you're not making small weekly positive reaches, you're standing still. It’s time to activate your "learning switch," embrace the opposite hand effect, and start your race toward the elite level.