Sport Psychology: Performance Routines

Performance routines are one of the most important concepts to sports psychology and for athletes to be successful during their performance. Routines allow athletes to perform their best mentally, physically, technically, and tactically. Sports have many environments that athletes have to overcome, like weather conditions or their opponents. Ultimately the only thing the athletes can control is themselves. Psychology Today states that, “sport routines can increase control over athlete’s performances by enabling them to directly prepare every area that impacts their sport. Those areas athletes can control include their equipment, their body, and their mind1.” Discussed below there are several ways performance routines will help athletes do the right things and avoid unwanted behavior.

5 Ways a Routine can help an athlete do the right things:

1.      A routine increases the sense of familiar in a new environment.

2.      A routine helps an athlete stay active and focused on useful behaviors.

3.      A routine enhances feelings of control and confidence.

4.      Routines help make useful behavior automatic.

5.      Routines increase the opportunity for the brain to focus on the proper things.

2 Ways Routines help an athlete avoid doing the wrong things:

1.      Routines help reduce thinking and decision making.

2.      Routines help prevent dumb mistakes.

There is good evidence that routines increase consistency of an athlete’s thinking, feelings, and pre-sport behavior. McCann states, “Because of these effects, routines also produce more consistent sport behavior, which produces better results2”. Being consistent and learning how to go through routines the right way has proven to help athletes become better and more consistent with greater results.

Resources

1Sports: Why the World's Best Athletes Use Routines. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2015, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-power-prime/201207/sports-why-the-worlds-best-athletes-use-routines

2McCann, S. (n.d.). Routines, Rituals, and Performing Under Pressure. Olympic Coach, 20(2), 14-15.