When it comes to watching sports, many people see the physical side of the athletes. In order for athletes to have the best performance possible, mentality comes into play. There are many different things that athletes do to either calm themselves down or hype themselves up, depending on the person. Having a growth mindset while playing a sport is one of the most important values to teams.
“For me, I mentally prepare for my games by listening to music and trying to be calm, so that when I get on the court I have a clear head,” senior Grace Regnier said. “If I didn’t mentally prepare myself, I would be overthinking a lot of situations and not focusing on what is really important.”
Not only does mental preparation for a performance help with anxiety beforehand, it can also be reassuring for athletes to remember everything that their teammates and coaches are counting on them to do.
“Mentally preparing myself helps me keep calm and collected in stressful moments,” senior Joseph Wanke said. “Knowing that I remembered everything I have to do makes me less nervous to make mistakes. It also helps my nerves go away.”
Many athletes have their own ways to mentally prepare, but there are also things that teams do together so that everyone is on the same page and staying calm.
“As a team, we listen to our music together and go over reminders for the team as a whole which allows us to execute them on the floor,” senior Kelsi Sheren said. “Right before we hit the floor, we have a quick chant that truly shakes out all of our nerves and better prepares us to do our best.”
As athletes continue to prepare themselves for performances, their mentalities get better and better. Mentally preparing is very important to many athletes’ performance, and there is much more that goes on in a sport than what someone may physically see.
