Preparing for Big Competitions

Winter sports season is slowly winding down and that means end of season playoffs, provincials and final tournaments!

While these can be exciting it is inevitable to be a bit nervous. It is a lot of pressure to play in these events. Well, let me let you in on a little secret, a life hack if you will …. preparation! Ok fine, not that big of a secret BUT so often overlooked.

In sport psychology, performance is all about achieving the optimal level of arousal. We want you to be just amped enough to have energy and focus. Not too excited or overwhelmed where your focus can drift (the jitters, too nervous to think straight) or under aroused where you lack energy and focus.

So here are my top tips for getting the right level of arousal to bring your best in the big moments!

1. Plan your weekend

   • set out ahead of your trip to plan out each event as well as what you will do before and after

     • having a plan to stick to removes the uncertainty and keeps you focused

   • Have your equipment double checked, and bags packed well before your departure!

   • things to consider

     • arrival time at the venue

     • travel time to the venue!

       • make sure you get the maps out before your first trip so you know where you are going

     • recovery time between events

       • how much time do I have to cool down, grab some fuel and rehydrate?

     • choose activities between games that are low energy and ensure proper rest

       • avoid things like the hotel pool or a physical activity (think paintball, laser tag etc)

       • try something like a walk around the mall, yoga, watching other events

2. Pre-game strategies

   • depending on your sport and how much time you need, give yourself a set “focus time” where the phone goes away, you set aside any distractions and get into game mode!

     • I coach ringette, so we take 1 hour before game time to meet, have a “chalk talk”, play a camp style game to shake the nerves and relax (get rid of distractions, clear your mind and have some fun) and do our team warm up. Then get dressed, pre game speech and ready to hit the ice.

   • mental prep

     • so important to focus on positive self talk before a game - focus on positive messaging - I can do this, I have a good shot, I will hit my jumps etc

     • visualization

       • take 2 minutes, eyes closed, music in and watch yourself in your mind successfully completing a skill (VERY IMPORTANT THAT IT IS A SUCCESS)

         • the brain can’t differentiate between mental practice and physical practice so a great way to get in those extra reps without the strain on the body.

   • physical prep

     • proper nutrition before the event

       • foods you are used to eating

       • higher in carbs to help with energy

     • lot’s of water!

       • keep your body hydrated before, during and after your event!

     • a good warm up to make sure your muscles are prepped and ready to go

       • start with a higher intensity activity to get the heart rate up and blood flowing

       • then can work through activation and mobility exercises to make sure the muscles are primed and ready to go!

3. Post - game strategies

   • recovery

     • more often than not there’s another event in a couple hours

     • mental - take a few moments to analyze your game

       • what did I do well - sometimes hard to pick out but by recognizing your strengths you increase your confidence!

       • what did I not do so well - these are areas of opportunity!!! Speak with your coaches and teammates to make a plan to improve on these moments

       • LET GO QUICKLY - You’ve had your time to reflect, now it is the time to look forward and let go of the past

         • it’s already happened, you can’t dwell here because you can’t make changes! However, you can change how you show up in the next game and that’s where your focus should be!

     • physical

       • stretch it out, use the guns and the rollers and all the fun things to help your muscles relax

       • hydrate!

       • refuel!

4. Have FUN!!!

   • cherish these moments with your teammates, your coaches and your supporters. In 10, 20, 30 years from now, the memories you hold on to is not the play by the play, how many goals you scored or wins and losses, it’s the fun times you shared with friends.

   • Winning is great, but it should not be at the expense of your wellbeing both physically and mentally.

     • let things go quick, don’t let a mistake hold you up for the other events

     • extract the positives .. you never lose, you win or you learn.

The tough thing about sport is it that the outcome is often out of your control (you can’t control the other team’s performance, officiating, a teammates performance, coaching decisions etc). So we have to shift our focus to giving us the best chance to win by controlling what we can control, how we prepare ourselves for our event, what we choose to focus on. How you show up likely has a huge impact on your teammates as well.

I’ll leave you with this quote …

“Somewhere behind the athlete you've become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back... play for her.”

―Mia Hamm

Remember why you love your sport, control what you can control and HAVE FUN!!

Goodluck out there!

Jenna