Confidence in your sport
Three short routines you can use before your next game or race, free to try. Pick one this week and keep it if it helps.Eight short things you can do before, during and after a game or race. None of them are homework. Pick one, try it this week, and keep the ones that help.
1
Do the same few things before every start
Choose 3 or 4 small things you do before every game or race, always in the same order. When the nerves come, you have something familiar to do instead of standing there waiting. Research on routines found they help most when the pressure is highest.
For example
2
Pick one cue word
A cue word is one short word you say in your head to remind yourself what to do. Choose it for the thing that matters most at . One word is easier to hold on to than a long pep talk.
Cue words people use
3
When the nerves come, tell yourself what they are
A fast heartbeat, shaky hands or a churning stomach before a game or race are normal. They are your body getting ready to go. When you notice them, say this in your head: this is my body getting ready.
Many people find this helps them start, even though the nerves are still there. You do not have to get rid of the nerves first.
4
Decide now what you will do after a mistake
Mistakes happen in every game or race. Decide at home what you will do in the 5 seconds after one: breathe out slowly, say your cue word, then do the next job. A plan you made earlier is much easier to follow than one you try to think up in the moment.
For example
5
Set a goal about what you do, not the result
Choose one thing this week that is completely up to you. You can meet a goal like that on a bad day as well as a good one. Goals about winning, the score or your time depend on things you cannot control, and the research behind them is much weaker.
For example
6
Picture one moment going well
For one minute, picture one moment from your sport going the way you want. Make it as real as you can: where you are, what you can see and hear, and what you do next. Picturing works best for skills you already practise, so choose something you train.
For example
7
Write one line after each session
After each training session or game or race, write down one thing that went well, however small. Read the list back before your next one. After a few weeks you have a list, in your own words, of what you have been doing well.
For example
8
Count rest as part of training
Rest days and sleep are part of training, not a break from it. If something hurts, stop, and talk to a physio or doctor before you train on it again.
Five more routines for your sport
Sport Confidence members get the full practice sheet, including a plan for the five seconds after a mistake and goals that stay in your control on a bad day. Members can switch the examples to any sport.
See the Sport Confidence MembershipAlready a member? Open this sheet from your membership page.
Small things, done the same way every week.
Want more help with your sport? The Sport Confidence Membership gives you a personal affirmation track for each week’s game or race, plus 5 minute resets for before the start.
Not sure this is enough on its own? Other places to look → buildyourinnervoice.com/other-support
These practices are drawn from published research on routines, self-talk, goal setting and imagery in sport. They are mental skills practices for adults, not coaching, medical or physio advice.
buildyourinnervoice.com