How To Prepare For a Sports Competition

Winning in sports starts from the preparation that happens years, months, and up to the last few hours before the competition. However, it is entirely normal for the anxiety to intensify, especially on the day before the event. There are mental and physical strategies to help reduce nervousness and enable athletes to perform at their best.

How to Get Ready 24 Hours Before a Sports Game

Here are eight tips (plus extras) to get competitive athletes ready for the battle and beyond:

Visualize yourself winning the game.

Success, whether in sports or life, begins with a goal. Your big goal is to win that game. Imagine yourself accomplishing just that. Picture yourself wearing the highly coveted gold medal, surrounded by your coach, teammates, or loved ones celebrating your victory.

You can draw goal pictures and write affirmations to make visualization more powerful. Look at your images and statements of success just before the game to boost your confidence.

Be optimistic.

Now is not the time to dwell on what you could or should have done to improve your performance. With just 24 hours or less before the game, staying positive is the only thing that can help you. Mistakes can happen during the game. Remind yourself not to dwell on your errors and instead focus on what you can do to get ahead and improve your chance of winning.

Stay focused.

There are only two things you need to focus on the day before a major sporting event: sleep and proper diet. Stay away from anything that might distract you like night parties, family gatherings, TV, or errands that can wait.

Cut back on training.

Reduce the intensity of your physical training the day before the competition. Make sure your body is fully rested before the event.

Sleep early.

Athletes training for a competition must sleep 10 hours daily to recharge and improve their performance. Sleep earlier the day before the event so you won’t have difficulty waking up early for your game. A 20-minute nap a few hours before the competition will also help increase your energy.

Eat a high-carb meal, preferably made from whole foods and minimally processed foods, to have a better night’s sleep. Carbs help release serotonin at night, which is good for sleeping. Avoid proteins at night.

Tips for better sleep:

Sleep in a cold room
Eat 2 hours before bedtime
Do an NSDR session to fall asleep
Supplement with Magnesium l-threonate

Eat a high-carb dinner and breakfast.

It helps to eat high-carb meals before the competition because these will optimize your performance during the game. Carbohydrates supply energy to your body, which enables you to be at your highest level for longer. Glucose from carbs has also been found to help with memory. Refuel with healthy snacks like bananas a few hours before the game to keep your carb levels up.

Prepare what you need the day before the competition.

The morning of the competition can be stressful, so to avoid rushing and forgetting important things you need for the game, organize them the day before the event. You can make a checklist of things that you need to bring with you. Tick the items off once they’re inside your bag. This will help put your mind at ease.

Meditate.

Finally, meditate the night before the competition and an hour before the game. Meditation reduces stress, clears the mind, helps you stay focused, and increases pain tolerance. A simple meditation technique is to pay attention to your breathing. Notice how your body moves as you slowly inhale from your nose and exhale from your mouth.

EXTRAS

Maximize your rest and recovery:

If you can access a sauna, do three rounds of 10-15 minutes, with 10-minute breaks to cool down. If you can access a cold plunge, immerse yourself in a safe but cold temperature for 1-3 minutes daily. If both are available, try contrast therapy by alternating between the sauna and cold plunge. After each 10-minute sauna session, shower and go into the cold plunge. Repeat this cycle three times.

Break Free from the Fear of Others’ Opinions:

Many athletes struggle with the fear of what others might think, and it often holds them back from reaching their full potential. In an assessment I send clients, the most common concern they mark is worrying about others’ opinions. To avoid overthinking what others might think, focus on your goals and values rather than external opinions. Remember that most people’s judgments are fleeting and often irrelevant to personal growth.

SUMMARY

Sports competitions are important for any athlete. More than just adding a title to one’s list of achievements, these battles motivate athletes to accomplish their goals and persevere to conquer challenges. The 24 hours leading to the event can be intense. In summary, here are the eight things you can do to prepare yourself the day before the game: