Leading up to a tournament it is important for a plan to be set up to help you increase your readiness for competition. Here are some steps to follow as a template for your time in the days before a competition.
Step 1: Build your plan for the competition
- Write out your goals you have for the competition
- Develop some of your strategies that you will use during competition to meet your goals
- Review the environment the competition will be held in and make a list of the possible distractions that may be present.
- Create a list or strategies to cope with these distractions.
- Review your short term and long term goals and be aware of how a performance at this competition can help you meet those.
Step 2: Develop a healthy physical rhythm leading up the tournament.
- Tailor your physical training to decrease the strain on the body while continuing to maintain physical activity
- Cardio activity
- Stretching and flexibility
- Physical self-care
- Attending to nagging injuries with good physical therapy
- Continue past physical therapy plans to prevent injuries
- Increase stretching activities
- Increase mindful breathing exercises
- Nutrition:
- know how to increase carbohydrates and proteins consumption while decreasing sugar intake is important for the days leading up to competition
- maintain high level of hydration
- Sleep: As the competition nears a healthy routine of sleep hygiene will be important to develop and maintain.
- Consistent bed times and rituals before one goes to sleep are important to be developed.
- Amount of sleep will also be important as sleep is the bodies way of mentally and physically recovering
Step 3: Build your self-efficacy and self-esteem, Increase mental focus
- Take time review your strengths
- Increase your positive self-talk as well and outlook on the competition
- Maintain healthy focus on steps 1 & 2
- Review your strategies and plan for your match
- Review Goals for tournament
- Limit outside distractions and use of social media
- Start to quite your mind and limit amount of external things going on in your head