So many directions this blog post could go!
I recently had a discussion with my kiddo about "centering" himself before a soccer game. It's taken quite awhile for me to work out that he needs two hours to get ready for a game. He plays best when he gets ready and has a game first thing on Saturdays as compared to a late afternoon game. I figure it's because he wakes up, gets ready and then plays, with no time to get distracted. Having part of the day to goof around tends to lead to a not so focused game which was very apparent this past weekend and two weeks before when he had a 3pm game.
His sister has found her focus. She's an ice skater. Before hitting the ice at competitions, I've found that she needs her ipod. She pops in the earbuds and blasts music. It gets passed off to Ice Coach just before she takes the ice. At one event I noticed she had Marilyn Manson on playing on her ipod just before she went on. She skated beautifully! At the next event, she didn't have her ipod before going on and her routine was lacking. Since then, I've made sure she has her "Marilyn Manson" just before hitting the ice. I still find it funny the she was jamming to MM just before skating to Moonlight Serenade from Pirates of the Caribbean.
I was explaining to soccer player that he needs something to help him focus just before hitting the pitch. Driving almost 2 hours to an away game gave him too much time to get out of the soccer groove and his game suffered. I'm sure most athletes have pre-game rituals, not that I know of any. I think I shall seek some out to share with him. So my work for the week is to find his focus routine before the next game.
So what does your child do before competitions, games and events? Does your child have a ritual? Do you have a Marilyn Manson before important events?