When Goals Aren’t Enough: How a Young Hockey Player Escaped Pressure and Found His Path

Analysis

The first step in collaboration is mapping the client’s life story. We connect all areas – individual skills, role in the team, the interaction environment between coaches and players, and also the social background. This includes the influence of family and the atmosphere of home relationships. We utilize Balance Management analysis, which remarkably accurately reveals the athlete’s “inner state.”

Change of Focus

It’s interesting how quickly we shifted from focusing on sports and performance to addressing family dynamics. In this case, more about its dysfunction. For a young person, a stable family background is one of the key needs. It’s essential for peace of mind and body. As it later turns out, the influence of parents affects the unruly body.

A Heartbreaking Story

My dad is more or less uninterested in me. The only thing he wants to know is how many goals I scored. If I didn’t score any goals, he thought it was “crap.” The worst part was when a teammate succeeded. He constantly compared me to them, praised them in front of me, and held them up as examples. The more he talked about them, the more anxious and restricted I felt in the next game. And my mom? She was overwhelmed by it all and adopted his way of communication. She often yelled at me over the phone. Over time, working with Michal, I realized she wasn’t really yelling at me. Her anger was directed at my dad and their unhappy partnership. I was just the lightning rod.

Active Steps

I was a bit afraid when Michal started talking about gaining independence and separating from family influence. Today, I understand it better. I can’t change my family, and if they don’t want to cooperate, there’s no other way. I had to decide and trust the path Michal kindly but firmly laid out for me. Gradually, he guided me to understand family patterns and interactions within this environment. I realized how much fear of my dad and his reactions when I didn’t succeed controlled me in the game. It’s actually quite clear, but when I was 18, I just couldn’t see it. I was just an adolescent and dependent child.

Two Years of Collaboration

More than two years of collaboration led me to almost complete independence. I learned to understand myself and take care of myself. My family is disappointed that I’m not a professional hockey player. As Michal said in one of our conversations – I had to choose whether I wanted to be an unhappy athlete or a content person. I chose the latter. Today, I train children and do something that truly fulfills me: skills coaching.

It’s a different hockey story than my parents planned, but it’s mine. It’s my story, and I’m proud of it!

Reference from John Doe

I had the privilege of working with Michal, and I must say he truly helped me tremendously. Thanks to him, I began to understand life and gained a new perspective on things I had never seen from the right angle.

Michal helped me resolve issues I didn’t even know I had and showed me ways to work through them. Many things I considered unsolvable suddenly found a clear direction.

Thanks to his approach and support, I became a better person, which is something I never expected before. Michal has an incredible talent not only for helping people but also for guiding them onto the right path.

If you’re looking for someone who can genuinely help you change your life for the better, Michal is the one.