Whether an athlete plays basketball, football, or any other sport, it is guaranteed that they have a pregame routine. Getting yourself ready for a competition involves not only preparing yourself physically, but also mentally.

Mental routines help athletes feel calmer, more confident, and focused. There are many different ways for an athlete to go about mentally preparing for a competition. Some athletes choose to listen to music before games, while others have entire personal rituals.

Joseph Fahy (‘28) is a varsity bowler. He believes that mentally preparing yourself before a match is very important. Before his matches, Fahy likes to listen to music. He’ll usually just listen to whatever his teammates are playing. He does this in order to keep his mind off of distractions and not let any doubts linger.

“Listening to music helps me stay calm. I feel much less pressure on myself and it makes me ready to play.” Fahy said

Fahy also has a much more unique pre game ritual. He likes to take five deep breaths before every one of his turns. He started doing this last year and believes that it positively impacted his performance.

“Deep breaths before your turn make you feel more present and focused. I also like to take deep breaths whenever I have a bad turn,” said Fahy. “I do this to calm myself down if I am ever frustrated. Deep breaths help me keep the past in the past and not let myself get too rattled.”

Maya Morgan (‘28) starts at guard for girl’s basketball, and she believes that preparing yourself mentally is just as important as preparing yourself physically.

“I believe sports are very mental, and if you think that you can’t make a shot you’re going to continue to miss it,” Morgan said.

Just like Fahy, Morgan likes to talk with her teammates before games in order to not let herself get in her own head. She always makes sure to maintain a positive attitude.

“If I miss a few shots during warmups I just tell myself that I like make the next one”

Morgan also has a superstition. She will slick her hair back into a ponytail and tie it using a red hair tie. Morgan does this every game without fail. She thinks that it would affect her readiness for the game if she were to do something else.

Morgan and Fahy both aren’t attempting to get as pumped up as possible, or extra-hyper in order to perform well–they are just trying to stay out of their own heads and not let nerves get in the way of their competition. This is interesting because though bowling is a low intensity sport and basketball is a high intensity sport, athletes from both are preparing in the same ways.

Ultimately, their routines show that regardless of the sport, the key to success is to have a mental approach that keeps you calm, relaxed, and ready to compete.