NFL strength coach Joe Kenn pointed out something about training athletes that hit home for me many moons back.

I wanted to share my expanded thoughts on it with you today.

What do you think is the #1 greatest transferable trait from the weight room to the playing field - for any athlete?

Is it speed?

Agility?

Strength?

Balance?

Mobility?

Nope.

It's confidence.

Nobody can quantify how big of a carry-over adding 50+ pounds to your front squat in one summer will have on your performance.

Or whether shaving a tenth of a second off your 40-yard dash will translate into you skating faster.

But one thing's for sure...

When you train hard in the gym, putting in all that time, pushing your numbers up, leaving all that sweat on the floor, that's gonna add to your swagger.

You're gonna carry yourself in a different manner than someone who half-asses his lifting.

Any time the puck bounces off the boards and you enter a 50/50 battle against ​an opponent, it should be an indisputable fact in your mind that you'll be the one coming out of the corner with the puck on your stick while the other guy scrapes himself off the ice long before any physical contact takes place.

Strong body equals strong mind.

Martin St. Louis once said that the grueling sled pushes he went through in the off-season prepared him for the game like nothing else because nothing that happens on the ice could​ come close to how much those sled pushes hurt.

Stanley Cup.

Art Ross Trophies.

Olympic gold.

We all know the accolades Marty racked up during his career. As an undersized player, mental grit and toughness played a big part in his success.

It's no coincidence he was known as one of the hardest working, most in-shape guys in hockey.

As much as us strength coaches emphasize the physical part of training, the real value of a strength program lies in how it molds your mind.

You'll develop an unshakeable conviction in yourself that few of your peers will ever possess.

Belief in your own abilities.

Belief that no challenge can hold you down.

Belief that you will succeed, no matter what.

When you go to battle with iron and emerge victorious over and over again...

And when you're in the best physical shape of your life...

How could you NOT have the confidence that you'll be on top of your game on the ice as well?

For a prickly - but perfectly legal - shot of confidence, visit:

http://www.NextLevelHockeyTraining.com

Yunus Barisik