PAUL BUCZKOWSKI       Bio       Setting Goals       Respect       Back to School       Professionalism       Those in the know       Turn It Positive       Finding a Job       Eye Protection       Playing Injured       Gearing Up       WCHL vs. CHL       Europe v. N.A.       Specific Training       Training Camps       Road to Success       Dedication       Life in the WHL SANDY LAMARRE       Bio       Season to Forget       College vs. Junior       Sportsmanship       Game Prep       Conditioning FORBES MACPHERSON       Making the Jump BRIAN PATAFIE       Bio       Stretching       ICE PATRICK POWERS       Is Hockey Just a Sport? ANDREW ZOPPO       Be Tenacious
	PlayYourGame.com is proud to welcome Paul Buczkowski as a feature writer. From the WHL to the NHL, Paul will bring insight to every aspect of the game, as a sport and as a career. Those in the know By Paul Buczkowski November 26, 2001 Experience, effort, attitude, knowledge, skill, and grit. These are traits of very successful people. These are also the traits of unsuccessful people. The only person who can put all this together is you. First of all, let's look at the trait "Experience". Experience comes with time. Hardships and victory are all part of gaining experience. You cannot be taught this trait, but you can definitely learn from it. "Effort" can be taught! This is a trait that has to become second nature. I learned at an early age that shooting the puck where I wanted to was not luck but that of a repetitive effort. I use to shoot hundreds of pucks a day in my basement until I was able to place it where I wanted. Thus, I had to put in effort to do this, and therefore, this effort became second nature to me. I learned that putting in an effort benefited me, because I started to score more. Next is "Attitude". This is a trait that is very important. Some players simply have bad attitudes. This alone will cause players not to reach the next level, whether it be the NHL or the possibility of getting a scholarship. One must have a positive attitude. Watch some professional athletes and their demeanor. Joe Niewendyk and Steve Yzerman have great attitudes, because they are confident but not conceited. They listen when they should, and talk when they should. The next trait is "Knowledge". I have amassed knowledge about hockey in Europe, Canada and the United States, but this alone doesn't make me a better hockey player. I have to use this knowledge in certain situations or with certain teams to make it beneficial. I assumed that doing everything that I was told was not always the right thing to do. My parents always used to say, "If you were told to jump off a bridge, would you?" The answer is NO! In hockey, you have to use knowledge from all areas. I was told that I had to get stronger and I did. I was told by scouts that I had to be able to bench press at least 275lbs. I put in more of an effort and was able to bench 350lbs. Was this right? The answer is "no", because if you look at it another way, how may players in the game of hockey weigh 350lbs? NONE! "Skill" is next. I have had arguments with people on this one, because I believe that skill is more of a learned trait. I think that skill is 80% learned and 20% gifted. I look at the example of Tiger Woods. I think that even if he is the best golfer in the world, 80% of his skill was taught to him. He was basically born into a golfing lifestyle, and it became second nature to him. I believe that hockey is the same. Tiger practices and practices, and we only see the final piece of the puzzle. Hockey is the same. You see the best players in the world dominate every night. You think that they were born with it. I think not. They specialize in snap-shots just as Tiger specializes in his 2-iron. The last trait is "Grit". This is simply tenacity! The will to want to become the best that you can be�never quitting, never stopping until you achieve what you desire. I believe that if you put in the effort, have the right attitude, work towards gaining knowledge and using it properly, you will not only become a better person but a better hockey player or athlete. Here are my quotes for the month: "A man, as a general rule, owes very little to what he is born with - a man is what he makes of himself." - Alexander Graham Bell "Things don't turn up in this world until somebody turns them up." - James A. Garfield Paul Buczkowski 1 Year CHL 1 Year ECHL 3 Years Europe 6 Years WHL
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