Game Checklist
I am prepared. Rather than being super technical during the game, keep it simple and trust your skills. “If you failed to prepare, then you prepared to fail”. Have confidence that the days leading up to your event have prepared you for this moment. The most important thing is to have trust when it comes to games.
BREATHE. On game day, slow everything down. When you wake up in the morning, get out of bed slow, brush your teeth slow, eat slow, and so on. Walk slow. Slowing your body down will slow your mind down. Practice a breathing routine before you go up to bat or go on the field. Inhale for 4 seconds, pause for 7 seconds, exhale for 8 seconds. 4-7-8. I like to repeat this as many times it takes to slow my heart rate down. It is normal to feel nervous or anxious before performing, so by focusing on breathing and slowing your body down, it puts you in a more relaxed state of mind. Also, is there anything else that relaxes you before a game? Favorite playlist to listen to? Do you like to be social or in the zone to yourself? Find what works best for you! Take note of what you do before each game and recognize what put you in the best mindset to compete. It may take time to find the right routine, but that’s all part of the process.
Whatever it takes. Sports are a grind. You are not going to be at your best every performance, but always stay resilient and never quit. It might be “ugly” or “gritty, not pretty”. Sometimes you have to do whatever it takes to win, so just because you had one bad at bat, or one bad game, keep going. You will have more opportunities.
Control the controllables. Bill Belichick constantly tells his athletes, “Know what your job is and do your job.” By knowing and doing your role, it’s the only thing you can control and it will help the team succeed. Take judgement out of thing you can’t control or change. Becoming distracted and too emotional over a bad call by an umpire for example, will give your opponent an advantage over you because you are now distracted. You can’t control a lot of things in sports, so how are you going to react when something doesn’t go your way. How are you going to control your attitude about it? You can’t control weather. You can’t control umpires. You can’t control delays, media, coaches, or field conditions. You only have control over what YOU do as an athlete. It is only your responsibility to show your character and having a great attitude, not others to blame.
COMPETE. It’s game time and that means it’s time to compete. Give your 100% to win the next pitch. There are days where you might not feel your best, who cares. Even the best athletes don’t feel their best every day. Even if you’re 100% may feel like 75% that day, then give all of that 75%. At the end of the day, that’s all you can control.
Be a great teammate. Playing a team sport requires the team and a “we” attitude. When your teammates are up to bat, be completely invested in them only. They are the most important thing going on the in the game at the moment. Focusing on your teammates will relieve pressure off yourself as an individual.
Have fun.
