A Pre-Competition Routine That Supports Calm, Focus, and Flexibility

If you've ever stood on a start line, walked into a changing room or waited for your name to be called, you'll probably recognise the feeling.

Your heart beats a little faster.

Your stomach starts doing somersaults.

Your mind jumps ahead to what ifs.

"What if I make a mistake?"
"What if I don't perform as well as I should?"
"What if I let myself or my team down?"

For many athletes, the instinct is to try to get rid of those feelings before competing. But here's something that often surprises people:

The goal of a pre-competition routine isn't to eliminate nerves. It's to help you respond to them differently.

A good routine creates consistency, brings your attention back to what you can control and helps you enter competition feeling calm enough, focused enough and flexible enough to perform.

In this blog, I'll explain how to build a pre-competition routine that supports both your performance and your wellbeing.

Why Pre-Competition Routines Matter

A pre-performance routine is a sequence of thoughts and behaviours you deliberately repeat before competition.

Rather than leaving your preparation to chance, you're creating a routine that signals to your mind and body:

"I know what comes next."

Research has consistently shown that well-designed pre-performance routines can improve concentration, reduce distractions and support skilled performance under pressure (Cotterill, 2010).

Importantly, routines aren't about superstition or doing everything perfectly.

They're about creating consistency in the moments you can control, even when the outcome isn't guaranteed.

Calm Doesn't Mean Completely Relaxed

One of the biggest misconceptions in sport psychology is that athletes need to feel calm before they perform well.

In reality, every athlete has a different optimal level of activation.

Some perform best feeling energised and excited.

Others need a quieter, more settled mindset.

Feeling nervous doesn't automatically mean you'll perform poorly.

Research on competitive anxiety suggests that it's often how athletes interpret their anxiety, rather than simply how much anxiety they experience, that influences performance (Jones, 1995).

Instead of aiming for no nerves, aim for manageable nerves.

Step 1: Prepare Long Before Competition Day

The best routines don't start five minutes before the whistle blows.

They begin the day before, or even earlier.

Ask yourself:

Have I slept as well as I reasonably could?
Have I fuelled and hydrated appropriately?
Have I packed everything I need?
Do I know my timings?

Reducing unnecessary decisions on competition day frees up mental energy for performance.

Step 2: Connect With What You Can Control

Before competition, our minds naturally drift towards things outside our control:

• The result
• The opposition
• Selection
• Weather
• Judging
• What other people think

A helpful routine gently redirects attention.

Ask yourself:

What is within my control today?

Maybe it's:

• My effort
• My preparation
• My breathing
• My communication
• My attitude
• My next action

This simple question helps shift attention away from uncertainty and back towards action.

Step 3: Ground Yourself in The Present Moment

When nerves increase, attention often jumps into the future.

Grounding brings it back.

Try spending one minute noticing:

• Your feet on the floor
• Your breathing
• Five things you can see
• Three sounds around you

The aim isn't to feel different immediately.

It's to become more present.

Grounding techniques are widely used to help regulate attention during moments of stress and anxiety.

Step 4: Have a Flexible Focus Cue

Choose one or two words that reflect how you want to perform, not what outcome you want.

Examples include:

• Strong
• Brave
• Smooth
• Present
• Trust
• Commit
• One play
• Next ball

These cues become anchors when your attention starts wandering.

Instead of replaying mistakes or worrying about results, you return to your cue.

Step 5: Expect Nerves Instead of Fighting Them

This is where psychological flexibility becomes so valuable.

Rather than saying:

"I shouldn't feel nervous."

Try:

"I'm noticing nerves because this matters to me."

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) encourages making room for uncomfortable internal experiences while continuing to take valued action (Hayes, Strosahl & Wilson, 2012).

Nerves don't have to disappear before you compete.

They can come with you.

Step 6: Visualise Your Process, Not Just Success

Visualisation is most effective when it includes the process of performing, not simply standing on the podium.

Imagine:

• Walking into the venue
• Feeling your nerves
• Taking a breath
• Executing your routine
• Responding to challenges
• Recovering after mistakes

Mental imagery has been shown to support confidence, emotional regulation and performance preparation when used consistently.

Step 7: Remember That Mistakes Are Part of Performance

No competition is perfect.

Your routine should include a plan for what happens after a mistake.

Ask yourself:

"If something goes wrong today, how do I want to respond?"

Perhaps:

• One breath
• One cue word
• Reset posture
• Refocus on the next action

The quicker you can return attention to the present, the less power one mistake has over the rest of your performance.

A Simple 10-minute Pre-Competition Routine

Here's an example you can adapt:

10 minutes before: Gentle breathing and grounding.
8 minutes before: Dynamic movement and body awareness.
6 minutes before: Visualise key moments in your performance.
4 minutes before: Repeat your focus cue or performance intention.
2 minutes before: Bring attention to your first action in competition.

The routine doesn't need to be complicated.

It needs to be repeatable.

What if Anxiety Still Shows Up?

It probably will sometimes.

That doesn't mean your routine has failed.

A successful routine isn't one that removes anxiety every time.

It's one that helps you notice anxiety, stay connected to what matters and respond with greater flexibility.

That's a much more sustainable skill than trying to chase perfect confidence.

Final thoughts

The athletes I work with aren't trying to become fearless.

They're learning how to perform with nerves rather than waiting for nerves to disappear.

A pre-competition routine isn't about controlling every emotion.

It's about creating a consistent way to return to the present, reconnect with your values and give yourself the best opportunity to perform.

Because confidence isn't always something you feel first.

Sometimes it's something you build through preparation, repetition and trust.