What do you do in the moments immediately before performance?

Do you have a routine—or do you simply wait for the moment to arrive?

Elite athletes often develop consistent routines before they compete. A golfer may visualize the shot, take a breath, establish a target, and step into the ball. A basketball player may have a consistent sequence before a free throw. A pitcher may use the same mental and physical sequence before every pitch.

These routines aren't just habits.

They can be performance tools.

What is a pre-performance routine?

A pre-performance routine is a consistent sequence of task-relevant thoughts and actions that an athlete uses immediately before performing a skill.

Importantly, it isn't the same thing as superstition.

Your lucky socks aren't a performance routine.

A routine might include:

1. Breathe

2. Identify the target

3. Use a performance cue

4. Visualize the desired action

5. Execute

The exact sequence should be individualized to the athlete and sport.

Does it actually work?

Research suggests it does.

A meta-analysis examining 61 intervention samples across 15 sports included 112 effect sizes and found that pre-performance routines improved sport performance. The effects were observed both under normal conditions and under pressure. In experimental studies, the effect was moderate-to-large, including under pressurized conditions.

That matters because competition isn't the same as practice.

Your mental strategy needs to work when your heart rate is elevated, people are watching, the score matters, and the consequences feel real.

Build your own routine

A useful routine doesn't have to be complicated.

Try building yours around four components:

1. RESET

Take one deliberate breath.

The goal isn't necessarily to “calm down.” It's to create a transition from whatever just happened to what needs to happen next.

2. FOCUS

Identify the one thing that matters most for the upcoming action.

Where is your target?

What is your tactical objective?

What do you need to execute?

3. CUE

Choose one short phrase that directs attention toward performance.

Examples:

• “Attack.”

• “See it.”

• “Stay tall.”

• “Next play.”

• “Smooth and fast.”

The cue should be short enough to use under pressure.

4. EXECUTE

Once the routine is complete, stop thinking and perform.

The routine isn't designed to create more thoughts.

It's designed to create clarity.

Practice it before competition

One of the biggest mistakes athletes make is developing a mental routine for the first time on game day.

Mental skills are skills.

They require repetition.

Use your routine during practice. Use it during drills. Use it when you're tired. Use it after mistakes.

Then, when competition arrives, the routine isn't something new.

It's something familiar.

The takeaway

You can't control every situation that happens during competition.

You can control how you prepare for the next moment.

A pre-performance routine gives you something consistent to return to when the environment becomes unpredictable.

Don't wait until game day to train your mind.

Build your routine. Practice it. Trust it.

Then let yourself perform.