ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Some of the best players on the team are getting worked up before the game even starts. The talent is there, but the emotions are flying and the results aren't showing up. The fix might be something they already do every single night.
Welcome to Day 10 of 75 on the Mental Performance Playbook. Every day until January 1, 2027, we're dropping one whiteboard mental training session built for student athletes, parents, and coaches to use right away.
Today's session is Routine Equals Bedtime. Everyone has a bedtime routine, from little kids to the pros. It does more than get you ready for bed. It calms the mind, because what usually keeps us up at night isn't our body, it's a racing mind. Your pre-performance routine should do the same job before a game.
On the whiteboard, I map my own bedtime routine next to a game day routine, step by step. Brushing your teeth becomes lacing up, the signal that you're switching into your game identity. Stretching becomes your dynamic warm-up. Checking your habits becomes checking your vision board. Reading becomes studying the game plan and your first few plays. Journaling and planning tomorrow becomes game planning with your coach. And sleep becomes going out there and performing.
The goal isn't always to be calm. It's to get your mind into the state where you play your best, whether that's pregame nerves or staying locked in when things get heated.
Parents and coaches, you don't need to build the whole thing at once. Pick one step and help your athlete own it.
Your challenge today is simple. Add one piece of a routine before your next practice or game, and then take a look at your bedtime routine too, because sleep matters just as much.
If this helped, share it with an athlete, parent, or coach who needs it. Subscribe so you don't miss tomorrow's session, leave a five-star review, and drop a comment on what you want to see next.
New mental exercises drop every day on YouTube at @gaberummeltah, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Free resources and training links are below.
Website: https://www.theathleteshealth.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gaberummeltah/
Free Athlete Assessment: https://www.theathleteshealth.com/free-mental-max-out-finder
Free Parent Snapshot Questionnaire: https://www.theathleteshealth.com/tah-mental-max-snapshot
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Keywords
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