There’s so much about sports that’s mental. Whether you realize it or not you probably have a pre-game routine that helps you prepare. Maybe you eat certain things, you listen to certain music, you pray… Whatever you do it puts you in the right state of mind to do your best. Unfortunately, sometimes your pre-game preparation is interrupted, which makes it difficult to mentally engage in the game. One situation where this can happen is weekday games.
Typically, league games are played on weekends, which gives you plenty of time to focus on the game. You have the opportunity to go about your routine without distractions or interruptions. However, when you have a weekday game everything changes. You have to get up early, you have classes all day, and when you get home you have limited time to mentally prepare. You also have to try and fit a healthy meal into your schedule.
If you get less sleep, expend energy all day in class, and don’t have enough time to eat a good meal you’re definitely going to notice during the game. It creates an adverse situation; your legs feel heavy, you get fatigued quicker, and you’re probably dehydrated. If you didn’t have enough time to mentally prepare you may also find yourself struggling to do the simplest things, like catch the ball.
The most you can do to counteract the effects of weekday interruptions to your pre-game routine is to stick to it as much as possible.
It’s odd to think that something as simple as a routine can make such a difference in your performance, but it can. It’s the variable in sports that explains how you can score 15 points on Saturday and only score four points on Sunday.
You can’t avoid the weekday games, but you have to get through them. Sometimes you’ll do well and sometimes you won’t. That’s the great thing about sports; every game is a new opportunity.
