Many coaches think their team will perform well if they can
get all athletes hyped up before competition.
Thus coaches use pep talks, team cheers, and loud ‘pump up’
music as a means to get athletes psyched up for competition.
Unfortunately, these ‘get psyched’ techniques do not work
for every athlete. Every athlete is different when you talk about optimal
pregame intensity.
If you have athletes that are more anxious, psych up
strategies move these athletes into an over-anxious state.
Anxious athletes may take several minutes to settle into
their game, and for some of these athletes, they never seem to come down from
that nervous feeling for the duration of the game.
To make matters worse, the more important the game, the more
revved up these athletes become, which usually leads to tight play and early
mistakes.
As an athlete, you want to be in an optimal zone of
intensity prior to competition, that is you need to move into a zone where you
are mentally prepared, emotionally ready and properly focused for the start of
a game.
If you are more of a nervous or anxious type athlete, you
would be better served to learn how to calm down prior to a competition.
US Women’s National Soccer Team forward, Alex Morgan,
understands the importance of getting her mind right before the start of a
game.
MORGAN: "A lot of people think [soccer] is physically
taxing on our bodies, but it's actually just as taxing mentally."
Part of Morgan’s pregame routine is to move into a state of
calmness which she credits for her successful level of play in the biggest
soccer tournaments, such as the 2012 London Olympics, the 2015 World Cup and
the 2016 Rio Olympics.
MORGAN: "I never get too hyped up too early before a
game—I feel like that leads to having restless legs and mind. I do a lot of
mental visualization and use breathing techniques just to kind of calm myself
down before a game."
When your heart is pounding, your thoughts are racing, your
focus is pulled into a thousand directions and you become overwhelmed with
anxiety, it's impossible to play at your peak.
Therefore, you might benefit from learning how to relax your
mind and body prior to competition so you can be mentally ready to perform well
when the whistle blows.
Many players use the following techniques to calm themselves
down prior to a game:
1. Deep breathing – Taking several deep slow breaths for a
period of time will slow down your respiration and heart rate and provide you
with a sense of calmness.
2. Imagery – Visualizing yourself in a calm surrounding,
like the beach, can be a soothing escape before a game.
3. Listening to music – Slow tempo music will have the
effect of slowing down your heart rate and distract your mind from thinking
about the game too early before its start.
4. Relaxation or massage – these techniques serve to relax
your muscles and body before game time.
Tips for Pregame Calmness:
First, know what works best for you–do you need get pumped
up or calm down before competition?
Choose a strategy that works for you. While meditation may
benefit some, other athletes may not find that technique too relaxing.
For example, some players I worked
with complained that they were too relaxed at the start of the game after doing
visualization before the game!
Practice your relaxation technique. You need to become
proficient at any technique for it to work in your favor.
Managing your fear is also key to helping your control your
emotions before a game.
A relaxed mind and body optimally prepare you to play your
best from the very first minute of a game!
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