Mentally draining

[daffy]

I know there are a bunch of threads about injuries and it's toll on the body and mind.

I feel I need to share with guys who can relate.

I injured an MCL last season.  Took a full 5 months to recover.

Came back and started this season really well.  I'm 47 and playing up as high as Div 2 with decent numbers.  It's all come crashing down.

I've got a bad left hip that continually acts up.  I go to physio, acupuncture, massage and even shockwave on a regular basis.  I put the time in with workouts throughout the week and spend 45 mins warming up before heading to the rink.  No one can say I haven't made the effort.

The issue has been i do all of this and go out only to play in nagging pain and have a terrible game.  Went from 2.00gaa when feeling good to 6.00 GAA when I don't.  It's mentally taxing.  Since it doesn't feel right on the ice, I've gone from confident in stopping the puck to hoping I stop the puck.

My mind and drive say get back out there tomorrow but that's like beating my head against the wall.  Go back out only to drive home frustrated and disappointed. 

I think if I want to play and actually enjoy the game, I'll have to start taking periods of time away to recover and reset.  As much as I'd like to play 4 times a week year round, physically I'm nearing the end of and up and down goalie career.  Today I'll feel sorry for myself, tomorrow I'll get back on the horse and try to recover again.

 

[froese]

49 minutes ago, daffy said:

I know there are a bunch of threads about injuries and it's toll on the body and mind.

I feel I need to share with guys who can relate.

I injured an MCL last season.  Took a full 5 months to recover.

Came back and started this season really well.  I'm 47 and playing up as high as Div 2 with decent numbers.  It's all come crashing down.

I've got a bad left hip that continually acts up.  I go to physio, acupuncture, massage and even shockwave on a regular basis.  I put the time in with workouts throughout the week and spend 45 mins warming up before heading to the rink.  No one can say I haven't made the effort.

The issue has been i do all of this and go out only to play in nagging pain and have a terrible game.  Went from 2.00gaa when feeling good to 6.00 GAA when I don't.  It's mentally taxing.  Since it doesn't feel right on the ice, I've gone from confident in stopping the puck to hoping I stop the puck.

My mind and drive say get back out there tomorrow but that's like beating my head against the wall.  Go back out only to drive home frustrated and disappointed. 

I think if I want to play and actually enjoy the game, I'll have to start taking periods of time away to recover and reset.  As much as I'd like to play 4 times a week year round, physically I'm nearing the end of and up and down goalie career.  Today I'll feel sorry for myself, tomorrow I'll get back on the horse and try to recover again.

 

I can fully relate to this - add two years, and throw in a few more MCL & PCL tears plus a dash of meniscus surgery and we have identical circumstances

It's basically a part time job keeping up with the maintenance and training necessary to continue playing at a decent level. All I can say is I've had similar thoughts to the ones you have had, but each time I do I remind myself that eventually I won't be able to play up to the standard I've set for myself no matter how much training and stretching I do or how many treatments I get, so as long as what I'm doing is still effective I'm going to keep doing it. 

But yeah, finding the balance of playing vs rest recovery is a constant battle. But for me the payoff and enjoyment of playing still significantly outweighs the extra work needed to do it (reasonably) well.

[daffy]

That is the key.  As long as the work put in is still worth it.  I've been questioning that lately....

[IpaddyTECH]

I'm sorry to hear that, injuries suck. Do you have option to skate out? Of course that doesn't totally fix the injury situation but it is easier on the hips. For me personally nothing makes me love playing goalie more than skating out. I'm not half bad either, I just miss being in between pipes. Skating out also helps my goaltending as I am more in touch with what skaters are doing and thinking.