The Benefits of Routines for Athletes

Routines have been studied in-depth, showing a range of benefits for athletes.

Pre-game, mid-game, and post-game routines are important psychological tools that help athletes prepare, regulate emotions, and productively evaluate their performance afterward.

Pre-game routines, also known as pre-performance routines, aim to help athletes prepare physically and mentally for competition. These routines help athletes increase their focus, confidence, and motivation while reducing anxiety and stress levels. Actionable routine components for pre-game routines include activities such as

Mid-game routines help athletes cope with stress, stay calm under pressure, and refocus after distractions or mistakes. Here are some popular methods for mid-game routines

  • Cue words, like a mantra, can quickly improve your focus

  • Positive, or constructive, self-talk helps athletes cope with and move on from mistakes

  • Visualization techniques aid athletes in preparing to execute a strategy

Post-game routines are great for athletes to evaluate their performance, learn from mistakes, and prepare for future competitions. Right after a game, you have a ton of data in your head from this performance that you can make use of to benefit your future self. Your post-game routine is usually made up of open-ended reflections, structured prompts, and physical exercises to facilitate recovery and sleep.

  • Open-ended reflecting means you're simply writing about your game. This can be in a constructive perspective, writing about what you did well and where you can improve, or it can be used to process emotions from the game. Athletes often have certain games they're stuck thinking about for days or even weeks after they end. Research shows that writing about your game and putting concrete language to abstract thoughts helps you process everything, allowing you to more easily let go of the game.

  • Structured prompts can be less daunting because it guides athletesthrough their post-game reflection. Some questions revolve around your sense of preparedness and performance - either through a few sentences or answering on a scale from I to 5. For example, “how well did I execute my routines today?” or, “how confident did I feel, on a scale of 1 to 5, during each at-bat?”

  • Facilitating recovery and sleep is important in managing burnout and maintaining a long, healthy career. Physical exercises, like stretching or foam rolling, are popular methods for athletes to cool down and manage soreness. You can also mix in breathing exercises that help calm down the nervous system if you have trouble sleeping after games. Read quick tips about how breathing calms down your mind and body by clicking here.

Routines are valuable tools for athletes to optimize their performance, manage emotions, and enhance overall well-being.

Consistency is key!

Routines lose their power if you only do them when you feel like it. By incorporating actionable routine components into training and competition plans, athletes develop personalized routines that work best and help them achieve their goals.

As much as athletes understand the importance of developing routines, they often don't know where to start.

Schedule a free call with me by clicking the button below so we can talk about your routines, goals, and see if we'd be a good fit for sport psychology training.