Only three more sleeps until the triple header in Nelson. I figured this was a good time to pull together some sports psychology tips on being at your best for the big game.
Most of it is just good old common sense. Look after yourself. Eat well and sleep well. You can't ask your body to perform awesomely on the day if you haven't been treating it awesomely during the buildup.
Take care of as many details as possible before the day arrives. Know where the game is and how you will get there. Make sure your gear and boutfit are all ready to go. The less energy you have to spend on these things on the day of the bout the more energy you will have to put towards playing. It also reduces the chances of a last minute crisis happening, leaving you feeling drained and stressed out.
A lot of people I have talked to have prebout rituals that they use to help get them in the right frame of mind to play. Music, makeup, movies, there are many ways to do this.
Because I am not a naturally aggressive or competitive person I have decided that I need to get my Bee-arch on before the game. I will put my 'warpaint' and boutfit on and visualise landing great hits, stopping the opposition's jammer and fiercely protecting our jammer and helping her through.
Two surprising 'don'ts' came up again and again in my reading though - and they are certainly mistakes I would have made before my research into it.
Don't focus on winning or losing. If you worry about how the game will end you won't be focusing on the moment at hand. You actually have very little control over what the scoreboard will read at the final whistle. If you focus on that you run the risk of panicking if you get behind or getting too cocky if you get ahead. And you stop paying attention to what you do have control over...how you play this jam NOW!
Don't focus on your opponent. It doesn't matter how awesome the other team looks, how big their blockers are or how fast they skate in the warm-up. None of these factors will change what YOU have to do to play YOUR best game.
Stay positive, focus on you strengths and what you have to do to play your best.
Most importantly, focus on being a part of an awesome team, and smile!
ROLLER DERBY WITH OUR FRIENDS!!!
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