“I’m doing the same routine every week, studying tapes and working hard, getting ready to play and making good decisions on Sundays”~ Peyton Manning

Routines are one of the most important aspects of the football mental game that athletes can develop to improve their training and competitive performances.

The fundamental value of routines is that they ensure total preparation in athletes’ efforts.

Routines enable athletes to be completely physically, technically, tactically, and mentally ready to perform their best. Most world-class athlete use routines in some part of his or her competitive preparations.

Routines are most often used before competitions to make sure that athletes are prepared to perform their best. They are also valuable to use in practice as this will ensure that the routine is effective enough for the competitions.

There are a lot of things in sport that you can’t control such as weather conditions, your opponent, referees, and many others.

Ultimately, the only thing you can control is yourself. Pre-game routines can increase control over your performances by enabling you to directly prepare every area that impacts your football confidence and overall game.

Pre-game routines also allow you to make your game more predictable by knowing you are systematically covering every area that will influence performance. You can also expect the unexpected. In other words, you can plan for every eventuality that could arise during a competition. If you can reduce the things that can go wrong and be prepared for those things that do, you will be better able to stay focused and relaxed before and during the competition.

The first step in designing a pre-competitive routine is to make a list of everything you need to do before a competition to be prepared. Some of the common elements you should include are physical warm-up, technical warm-up, equipment check, and football mental preparation. Other more personal things that go into a pre-game routine are using mental imagery and visualization.

Then, decide in what order you want to do the components of your list as you approach the start of the competition. In doing this, consider competition activities that might need to be taken into account.

Next, specify where each step of your routine can best be completed. For example, if you like to be alone before a competition, is there a quiet place you can get away from people?

Establish a time frame for completing your routine. In other words, how much time do you need to get totally prepared? Some athletes like to get to the competition site only a short time before they begin. Others like to arrive hours before. All of these decisions are personal. You will need to find out what strategy works best for you.

Once your pre-game routine is organized, try it out at practice. Some things may work and others may not. In time, you’ll be able to fine-tune your routine until you find the one that’s most comfortable and best prepares you for competition.

Lastly, remember, pre-game routines only have value if they’re used consistently.

If you use your pre game routine in practice and before every competition, in a short time, you won’t have to think about doing it.

Your pre-game routine will simply be what you do before each competition and it will ensure that you are totally prepared to perform your best and achieve prime football confidence.

To build your confidence and develop an effective pre-game routine you must change the way you think.

A 100% of the time it is 90% mental.

Confidence is a mind-set skill that doesn’t just happen by chance. You must work at it.

To build your confidence and develop an effective pre-game routine, specific strategies are required. These strategies can be found in my workbook – An Athlete’s Guide to Peak Performance Series– Building Confidence

Go to www.sportspsychologyfootball.com. Click products and get started on Building Your Confidence with Sports Performance Top Mental Game Coach.