Cold hands, a tight stomach, you constantly need the loo. Sound familiar? Pre-match nerves are normal. They show that the game matters to you. The goal isn't to get rid of them – but to channel them in the right direction.
Why a routine helps
A routine is a fixed sequence that you do the same way every time. It gives your mind something to focus on and makes unfamiliar sports halls, loud spectators, and important games feel a bit more familiar.
The 30-Minute Routine
- 30 minutes before: Put your phone away. Music is fine, messages aren't.
- 20 minutes before: During warm-up, consciously make your first throws and passes clean – focus on quality, not speed.
- 10 minutes before: 60 seconds of 4-second inhales, 8-second exhales.
- 5 minutes before: Play through your first action in your head – really specifically.
- During warm-up: your word for the first task. For example, "aggressive" or "hands up."
One word, one task
When: Whenever you come back in: before throw-off, after the timeout, after every substitution.
- 1Ask yourself: What's my job now?
- 2Formulate them as an action, not a result.
- 3Shorten them to one word: 'Legs'. 'Look'. 'Contact'.
- 4Say the word quietly three times.
Out of the game
Pivot, away game in a packed sports hall. In the changing room, she breathes out slowly for a minute, visualising herself battling the defence in the first attack and calling for the ball. Her word during the warm-up: "wide."
Adapt them
Try the routine for two, three games. Drop what doesn't fit. A routine you actually do is better than a perfect one you forget.
Remember this
Nerves are energy. A fixed routine gives them direction: phone away, breathe out, first action in your head, one word.