Consistent preparation equals consistent performance.

A more consistent preparation routine before playing, has a significant influence on your performance, from a psychological perspective. 

On the day of your game / competition / event, there is not guarantee that you will feel 100% when you wake or that the gaming conditions will also be 100% idyllic. Therefore, having gone through your routine (which you have improved and adapted) it helps to bring a greater level of confidence and control over your thoughts on the situation.  

How do I begin?           

Here are some questions which will help you to consider the functionality of your pre-performance routine: 

-       What is your idyllic frame of mind? 

-       Feelings: How do you like to feel pre-game? 

-       What things do you need to think about to get focused? 

-       How often do you get into this right on a game day? 

If you have previously thought about these questions then have a think about your confidence levels in creating these feelings, mindset and build-up. 

When you know that you have a good pre-game preparation then you will be more likely to get a better and more consistent performance. When you have greater control of your thoughts and the things you have control over, rather than the circumstance, venue, conditions or opposition, then you are mentally prepared to deliver a high level of performance on any day, leading to an increase in confidence. There will be no hoping that you aren’t ready, just knowing that you are. 

Get and Stay in Control 

When creating these routines, have a think whether all aspects of them are controllable and not dependable on anything external so that you will have a consistent routine and have no anxieties that about a loss in control. When you are having a great performance, you are likely to feel fully in control, so this needs to start with the pre-performance routine. 

This idea of control and choosing what you would like to do is revealed successfully in the way you warm-up and doing what makes you feel greater prepared technically and physically. Have a think about your pre-games chats, when they take place and the kind of things you like to focus on.  

Individually speaking, here are some more questions to think about: 

-       What decisions can you make now that would bring about greater consistencies from a mentality perspective?

-       When do you use your pre-game visualisation to instil the plan for how you are going to have a successful performance?  

-       What type of music are you going to listen to and when, to get you hyped up or relaxed? 

-       When are you going to think about the tactics or the plan and what time are you going to have the last look at it? 

This may seem quite commonsensical and common practice for many athletes to get your body and mind ready to compete. The aim of these questions is to get you thinking about your consistency and how you apply your pre-performance strategies with respect to you controlling your mind and thoughts when it really matters. 

No matter the training session or event you are practicing for, your mental state and your thought control is an important consideration. If you continue to control your mental state, you will be able to perform to the standard you perceive as your ‘best’ and create the aforementioned consistency.

A preperformance would be different from one athlete to the next as everyone likes to prepare in a different way, the type of sport and their lifestyle. 

 Some athletes may find value from a pre-performance routine lasting a whole day (particularly those who have lots of preparation and logistics to think about). Other athletes will prefer one which lasts only a couple of minutes. 

 A non-professional rugby player who plays on the weekend may be comfortable in the setting and therefore have low levels of anxiety meaning their routine might just include a their warm up, a specific preferred drink and a mental skill, lasting around 15-20 minutes. The more their routine is practiced and repeated the more valuable it becomes. 

Some further areas to consider are: 

-       The last training session: Do I want to exercise the day prior to the game and if so what and how much? 

-       Bag Pack: when will I prepare the bag? Do I need a checklist? Have I broken any equipment recently? Where do I store it prior or during competition? Where do I keep anything of value?

-       Travel: How will I get there? Have I checked my route? Where am I going? Who am I going with? Where do I park, and the cost of it?

-       Food: What do I consume the day or night before playing? What do I prefer to eat for breakfast? Could I get these foods near where I am competing? What time do I need to eat? Do I need to pay for breakfast? 

-       Mental skills: Which Mental skills will I use in my routine? E.g. imagery script and self-talk. 

If you have any questions or comments then feel free to get in contact – https://focusperform.co.uk/contact-us-sport-psychology-what-is