Psychological Skills Training: Pre-Game, Pre-Play

Continuing our Psychological Skills Training series in pelinks4u, this month's article focuses on developing a warm-up routine prior to competition as well as an abbreviated routine to be used during breaks in competition. Previously learned skills will be utilized and can be accessed from the pelinks4u archives: Getting Loose (Dec. 2011), Breathing Easy (Feb. 2013), Staying on the Ball (June/July 2013), Mental Rehearsal I (Dec. 2013) and Body Rehearsal (June/July 2014).

Pre-Game, Pre-Play Drills

Bring to practice: Copies of this document to give to athletes

Review:

• During our psychological skills training we’ve learned a variety of techniques to make us mentally tougher.
• In previous sessions we’ve learned how to get loose (muscle relaxation), breathe easy, concentrate on relevant cues (staying on the ball), mentally rehearse correct actions so that we react automatically during competition (mental rehearsal) and to go through motions while paying attention as to how muscles feel (body rehearsal).

Today: Pre-Game, Pre-Play
NOTE: For the sake of clarity in understanding this lesson, a “ball” sport has been used. Coaches can replace all “ball” references with specific references from their own sport.

Pre-Game Warm-up Routine: (anywhere from 3-20 minutes while sitting on the bench, waiting to get on the court/field, before you begin warm-ups, etc.)

1. Getting Loose: Briefly tense your legs, buttocks and thighs, stomach, back and neck, arms and shoulders, jaw, face, and eye muscles, holding each muscle briefly and telling it, Let go.
2. Breathing Easy: Do two or three “Breathing Easy” exercises-inhaling, holding your breath while counting to four, then slowly exhaling while saying to yourself, Easy… easy… easy… easy.
3. Staying on the Ball: Look at the ball and say to yourself, Ball…ball…ball. Do this for about a minute.
4. Mental Rehearsal: Close your eyes and in your mind picture the upcoming plays you will have to make, visualizing their successful accomplishment in slow motion. Obviously, you can’t anticipate every play, but you can mentally rehearse the fundamental moves. (Coach: insert a few skills from your sport here as examples for your athletes to mentally rehearse).
5. Body Rehearsal: This can be done when you do your usual physical warm-ups. Go through some of your moves first with eyes closed, then with eyes open, one set in slow motion, one at normal speed.
6. You are now ready to compete.

Pre-Play Routine: (30-60 seconds during a break in the action)

1. Getting Loose: Tense all your muscles briefly, then say to yourself, Let go…let go, and feel your muscles go loose.
2. Breathing Easy: Take a deep breath, hold it for a four count, and let it out, saying to yourself, Easy… easy… easy… easy...
3. Staying on the Ball: Look at the ball and say to yourself, Ball… ball…
4. Mental Rehearsal: Close your eyes and in your mind picture the successful play you’re about to make with that ball, visualizing every move from start to finish seeing the ball hit its target.
5. Body Rehearsal: Still keeping your eyes closed, go through the physical moves of the play. Now go through the physical moves with your eyes open.
6. You are now ready to compete.

NOTE: The above drills can be found in Sports Psyching by T. Tutko & U. Tosi

Biography: Dr. Christine Lottes is a professor at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, where she teaches Coaching Education, Sport Psychology, Sport Sociology and Sport Ethics.

She volunteers with youth and college athletes in the area of mental training. It was through this work that she became interested in helping coaches to present mental training to their athletes in the pre-season and then have athletes continue to "work out mentally" throughout the season as part of practice and competitions.

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