The Pre-Game Mental Checklist
Five steps. Five minutes. Use it in the car, the locker room, or during warmups. This is the same activation sequence Yale uses with his 1-on-1 athletes before competition.
Controlled Breathing (2 min)
4-count inhale, 7-count hold, 8-count exhale. Three rounds. Drops your heart rate and shifts your nervous system from reactive to ready.
Visualization Script (3 min)
First-person, full-speed. See yourself executing 3 key skills you want to bring tonight. Feel the surface, hear the environment, lock in the timing.
Focus Cue Word
Pick one word for tonight. "Compete." "Hunt." "First step." Something that snaps your attention to the task, not the outcome.
Confidence Retrieval
Recall one specific moment you performed well under pressure. Not a highlight reel — one real play where you did the thing. Hold that image for 30 seconds.
Release the Outcome
Say it out loud or write it: "The scoreboard is not my job. My job is to execute." Then go compete.
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