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Feature
Mental Game Article
5
Strategies for Pregame Mental
Preparation
By Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D.
One of the tenants in sports psychology is that consistent mental preparation
and pregame focus leads to a greater consistency in performance.
The hallmark of champion athletes is their ability to perform
consistently every performance.
You should
take advantage of having a consistent pregame routine to help
get into a mindset for success. You can find examples from many
important tasks – in almost any career – that use
prepatory routines – from a pilot going through a preflight
checklist to a surgeon preparing for surgery. Although sports
is not brain surgery, it is very important to have a mental
routine to prepare you for what’s to come.
Pregame
mental preparation during your normal warm up is an excellent
time to apply some of the mental game strategies you have learned
in the last few weeks as a subscriber to my newsletter. Think
of your routine as your final mental tune-up prior to competition.
It has four important purposes: (1) to get physically ready,
(2) to focus the mind, (3) to instill confidence, and (4) to
help you trust your ability.
The pregame
routine is also an excellent time to transition from life into
sport – to put on your "game face" as I call
it. Some sports psychology experts would say that sport is an
“escape” from the daily hassles of life. The structure
of sports allows you to become fully immersed in the experience
and not be self-conscious.
However, I want to point out that a pregame routine or ritual
is not the same a a superstitious ritual. Superstitious rituals
– eating a ham sandwich before every game, wearing the
same shirt under your jersey, talking to your bat – are
not the same as pregame routines.
Athlete superstitions
are based on the notion that if a certain behavior once brought
you good luck, repeating that behavior will bring you more luck.
Superstitious rituals have been around since the dawn of sports,
and as irrational as they may seem, they sometimes promote a
sense of confidence or control. But do they really generate
confidence, or are they just wacky habits?
Pregame
routines help athletes prepare mentally and physically for competition
– in a rational, systematic and meaningful way. On the
other hand, a superstition is, by definition, is irrational:
"I wore my white golf shoes before I shot 68 last week.
Therefore, if I wear my white shoes when I play today, I might
shoot 68 again." This idea is not logical thinking - only
a false generalization based on one good performance!
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Athletes
use superstitions because they think it brings them luck or
controls the future. If a lucky shirt works, some athletes will
wear it until the first loss (when it loses its “magic”).
It’s hard to argue with Tiger Wood’s success on
Sunday wearing a customary red shirt, for example. Unlike pregame
routines, superstitions are not based on science or reason.
Sound mental
preparation strategies create the proper mindset for success
and are based on reason and science. Don’t rely on lucky
superstitions to bring you success.
Step
1: Make the Transition from Life to Sports
The warm up or pregame routine is a time to begin focusing on
your sport. Think of your routine as a transition from the office,
school, or normal activities to competing in sports. Some athletes
contemplate about life issues when they play sports, and this
affects their focus and performance. Use the pregame routine
to let go of daily hassles, deadlines and chores – to
become fully engaged in your sport.
Your mental
game strategy is to “park” any troubles that are
occupying your mind for the duration of your competition (this
strategy can be applied to practice as well). Make a written
list (or mental note) of the life issues on your mind, and make
a commitment not to think about them while you’re engaged
in sports. You can’t possibly change your life while you’re
on the field for three hours, so the best option is to temporarily
shelve those problems.
Step
2: Review and Commit to a Game Plan or Strategy
You should set a game plan before entering competition, because
athletes don’t always make the best decisions under pressure.
Ideally, you should decide on a game plan prior to your pregame
warm up. (In team sports, your coach will have a strategy prepared
before the game for you.) For example, you should study the
course or track, and decide on the best plan of action, given
the conditions.
Step
3: Be Responsible for Your Self-Confidence
Confidence is a long-term project, and develops from years of
practice and play. Most athletes should have a good foundation
of confidence – one based on past successes and practice.
However, some athletes doubt themselves at the worst possible
time – during the pregame warm up. Others wait for something
good to happen before they feel confident. Use positive self-talk
and use this to help you feel deserving – that you have
paid the dues. Be aware of any last-minute doubts and shoot
these down quickly.
Task
4: Gear Your Mind to Focus on Execution
A priority for your mental game is to prepare to focus on the
process – and on the here and now – instead of outcomes
or results. Focusing on results only serves to place expectations
on your performance. In your warm up routine, spend a few minutes
to set simple objectives for the game, round or match. Make
sure these objectives focus your attention on what your want
to accomplish and on your execution.
In addition,
keep your mind focused on the warm up and preparing yourself
for competition. This is not the time to dwell on outcomes,
compare your game to the opposition, or wonder who will be watching
the game. Bring focus and intensity to your pregame routine,
so you’ll be dialed in when the whistle blows.
Task
5: Rehearse Your Performance
Your warm up routine is a good time to rehearse your performance
and gain confidence in your game. The nature of the rehearsal
will depend on your particular sport and learning preference
(visual, kinesthetic, auditory). For example, a golfer can review
his game plan for playing the golf course, including targets
and clubs to use from the tee and into greens. A baseball player
can rehearse pitches he will see and how he will get a hit.
A gymnast can rehearse her beam routine, and feel or see successful
execution.
The pregame
warm up or routine is not the appropriate time to continue working
on technique or mechanics! The purpose of practice is to improve
your game for the future. The warm up is about preparing to
perform your best. You have already put in the practice, trust
what you have trained, and now it is time to perform! Prepare
to play well with the game you have that day!
Sports
Specific Mental Training Tip
Performance
in Batting Practice Does Not Mean Squat
Too many
athletes worry about the quality of their warm up. If they perform
poorly in the batting cage, on the practice range, or on the
court before competition, they worry that performance in a game
will also be sub-par. In other words, the warm up becomes a
trial or test for the real game! And this affects their mindset
in the game!
"Some
of the worst batting practice hitters are some
of the better players… If you watched them (in BP), you'd
never think they were big-league ballplayers."
~ B.J. Surhoff, Baltimore Orioles
Keep in
mind that the purpose of a warm up or pregame routine is to
get ready to play – mentally and physically. You don’t
have to win warm ups or perform your best in the pregame! Some
athletes worry when a warm up performance is not up to standards,
especially when the athlete has perfectionist tendencies. This
can lead to doubt, and cause athletes to undermine their own
confidence.
Podcast
of the Month
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Pro
Athlete Quote of the Month
“It
doesn't matter if you're in A-ball or have been in the big leagues
20 years, your pregame routine is the most important part of
your day. You've got to be comfortable with yourself and your
situation."
~Kent Tekulve
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Dr.
Patrick J. Cohn
Master Mental Game Coach
Dr.
Patrick J. Cohn is the President and founder of Peak Performance
Sports of Orlando, Florida. He earned his Ph.D. in Education from
the University of Virginia in 1991, and founded Peak Performance
Sports in 1994. Dr. Cohn is an author, speaker and one of the
nation's leading mental game experts. His coaching programs instill
confidence, composure and effective mental strategies that enable
athletes and teams to reach their performance goals. Dr. Cohn
has helped athletes from a variety of sports backgrounds (both
amateurs and professionals) identify and develop the mindset needed
to achieve peak performance. World-class golfers, runners, shooters
and auto racers, as well as motocross, tennis, baseball, softball,
football and hockey players, are among those who have benefited
from his mental game coaching and training.
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