The best way to feel prepared for any challenge is to know that you are ready for the experience. In the case of preparation for a cheerleading competition, when all of the routine counts are playing in your sleep, you will feel eager to get on the mat instead of nervous.
The physical aspects of preparedness are visible and tangible. The psychological aspects of mental preparation are equally important. How do athletes prepare as individuals? How is the coach involved in creating a cohesive team that feels confident and ready?
Individual athletes need to feel confident in their skills. As a team, cheerleaders need to feel 100 per cent trust. The trust is part of the team-building process all season long. Pre-performance rituals such as chants, breathing exercises and prayers are commonly used by cheerleading teams.
Dr. Alan Goldberg works as a Sport Performance Consultant in cheerleading gyms across the United States. He has also authored several articles on the topic of mental toughness in performance sports like cheerleading. Also known as Dr. G, his latest book is This is Your Brain on Sports. His strategies are intended to address performance anxiety, fear and other blocks that sometimes create mental obstacles that get in the way of peak performance.
Here are my top five tips for mental preparation for competition: 1) Use breath as fuel and also to calm the nervous system; 2) Visualize the performance; 3) repeat positive self-talk; 4) be aware that stress is normal and can be used to fuel your fire; 5) focus on your own performance rather than comparisons with other teams.
Ready, set go!
