PRE MATCH
RiTUALS
THE GAME BEFORE THE GAME
Editors foreword “Anthropologists studying the practice of ritual have demonstrated that rituals develop from defined belief systems and function to reinforce and perpetuate such beliefs. In order to accomplish this rituals involve a high degree of prescription, extensive repetition and widespread participation.� A ritual may sound odd when you consider its role in sport but athletes undertake a variety of preparations regularly to ensure they are in the right frame of mind when entering a game. With the London Olympics taking place in 2012, preparations will be paramount to any athletes success. This publication takes a look at the preparations of athletes who have been kind enough to share their pregame rituals. Matthew King
02 The Game Before The Game
THE GAME BEFORE THE GAME
Table of Contents 04 Pete Goodings Quote The former National Air Force No.1’s tip for your game
06 Its all About Mental Preparation
Pete Goodings discusses his pregame preparations and methods to acheiving full mental focus
14 Daryl Selby- My Pregame rituals Squash world No.10’s pregame preparations
15 Pedro Santos Rituals The football and basketball players religious ritual
08 Nick Matthew Rituals Squash World No.1’s ritual
10 The Big Pre Match Motivator Musics importance in athletes pregame preparations
12 Superstitious Rituals An insight into Curtis Tomlinsons superstitious rituals
The Game Before The Game 03
rather than wha
at I can’t do”
Pete Goodings
ITS ALL ABOUT MENTAL PREPARATION THAT’S THE MESSAGE FROM FORMER squash National Air Force NUMBER 1, NLP PRACTITIONER, AND MEDITATOR PETE GOODINGS What pregame preparations and rituals do you take before a game? For me, it has a lot to do with positive thinking, I have a long standing back injury, so it’s quite easy for me to get distracted by that, so what I try and do is put that out of my mind. And how do you get into a positive state of mind? My background, from a sports psychology perspective is I’m an N.L.P practitioner, I did that in 1999 with a guy called Ken Way, who was fortunately teaching it whilst I was on the Air Force. I bought his book Mental Mastery and I always apply his techniques. So what I do is clear my mind and have clear focus on what I’m trying to achieve and what I want the outcome to be and how I go about achieving that outcome. I don’t let the other player affect my game, I concentrate on my performance, rather than the result, if I concentrate on the performance I know I’ll get a better outcome. What helps you relax before a game? Spending time with my family and de-focusing from the sport. Sometimes I worry about my opponents fitness or how strong they are, and it makes me nervous, so I use breathing techniques and meditation. Basically blue-sky thinking as to what I can do on court, I put the emphasis on what I can do, rather than what I can’t do. How have your pregame rituals differed over the years? Disengaged my ego. Before I used to think about the bravado of what a win against a specific player would bring me or what accolade it might bring me and what people might say about me, but now I’m more settled and my minds become flattened, I don’t have big ego spikes. Is there anything that you’re superstitious about before a game? No not at all. As long as I’ve got what I need, which is good fitting shoes and wristband I’m fine. Just simple, good preparation. What frame of mind do you like to be in when you go onto the court? Calm, positive and focused about my ability, sometimes I go on court when I’ve had really stressful day and I’ll bring it with me. Sometimes its hard to separate yourself, so don’t get me wrong its not an easy thing to do and even though I teach it and get people to apply it sometimes I forget about it myself, and think because I teach it, I should be fine.
06 Mental Preparation
What’s your most important preparation before a big game? For me, its meditation because it allows me to control my mind. My meditation is the underpinning, the bottom of the pyramid to get my mind focused. If you can clear you’re mind and think of absolutely nothing for five minutes, you’re doing really well, more things come into the subconscious mind and it starts talking very loudly. What’s the biggest level you’ve ever played at in your career? I’ve played internationally for England over-35s and I was National Air Force No.1 for four years. I’ve refereed and played in one of the biggest tournaments in the world a few years ago in America, called the North American Open. It gave me an insight into the speed at which the game is played and an understanding of what goes through the players minds. I mentored a guy who’s got to world No.9, called Adrian Grant, I did a lot of N.L.P with him and a lot of life coaching elements crept in. There’s a lot to be gained from sportsmen seeking mental focus. And how important is mental focus for any athlete before a big game? Mentally focusing before a game allows sportsmen to park all the distractions that come in life and leave them off the court. Keeping a clear, focused mind ultimately allows yourself to perform to your best on any day. It doesn’t ensure a win but it does maximise the chance of getting the best from yourself on any given occasion. If it’s an big game how soon do you start your preparations for it? I start thinking about it one or two days before and about what I need to do on the day but it wouldn’t take up a huge amount of time. If I can get up for a game and be really mentally focused and really energised it doesn’t matter who I’m playing, they’re going to be the ones in trouble. Interview held at Manor Squash club on: 24th October 2011
“If I can get up for a game and be really mentally focused and really energised it doesn’t matter who I’m playing, they’re going to be the ones in trouble.”
NICK MATTHEW, SQUASH WORLD NO.1
“I like to listen music whilst warming up, mainly hip-hop and dance, it depends on the individual.”
08 Nick Matthew Rituals
WORLD
No.1 Nick Matthew Rituals 09
the big Pre match motivator Music plays a big role in any athletes Preparations. what exactly is the importance of music before a game? Research shows that music can affect arousal regulation, motivation and mood levels. Music can be a facilitator to athletic performance. For instance, music affects mood states by eliciting a certain emotional response while listening to a song. Moreover, research has shown that music allows athletes to disassociate from feelings of fatigue and perceived exertion rates. The positive effect of listening to music before a game has a strong intuitive appeal. Music has the ability to capture attention, lift spirits, generate emotion, change or regulate mood, evoke memories, increase work output, reduce inhibitions and encourage rhythmic movement.
“I Like to listen to certain songs, for example, music from the Rocky films� Brett Goacher, Rower for the University of Derby
10 The Big Pre Match Motivator
“My preparations start with getting the right fluids on board, put my headphones in, turn the volume up and get ready.� Jermaine Jenas
The Big Pre Match Motivator 11
“Before I serve, I bounce the ball
3
times” times” times”
12 Superstitious Rituals
“During my warm-up I have to
start on my backhand before my forehand”
Curtis Tomlinson, Squash Player and coach
Superstitious Rituals 13
“My preparations are all done whilst I warm up, I go through my tactics and visualise myself winning.”
“I tell people to relax and remember its just a game of squash. Keep one tactic firm in your head and never forget to enjoy playing.”
“I’m not a superstitious person... but I always put my right sock on first.” Daryl Selby, squash world No.10
“I always step onto the field with my right foot first and make the sign of the cross.”
PEDRO SANTOS, FOOTBALL AND BASKETBALL PLAYER
THE GAME BEFORE THE GAME
“What most people don’t realise is that pregame preparations start as soon as you’ve finished your last game.” JOSH TANNER, FOOTBALL PLAYER, U.E CORNELLA
PREPARATION IS VITAL