Routine check-up
Recent research confirms what many of us have long thought, which is that pre-shot procedures are extremely effective, writes James Simon
We have looked at how cultivating mindfulness can help Shots gain better focus on the competition stands or out in the field. Now, we’re going to dive a little deeper into a specific practice, the pre-shot routine. Loved by some, little understood by others, these routines were given a shot in the arm recently when Austrian researchers revealed just how effective they can be.
So, what exactly is a pre-shot routine and what benefits does it offer? Psychologist and pre-performance routine pioneer Aidan Moran described these routines as “a sequence of task-relevant thoughts and actions which an athlete engages in systematically prior to his or her performance of a specific sports skill”. You’ve probably noticed pro Shots in a flow-like state, working through a set of often very subtle but deliberate steps to aid focus just before taking a shot. To understand what they’re doing, and to bring some clarity to Aidan Moran’s definition, it’s helpful to wind the clock back a few decades.
Highly pressurised
Think back to a time when shoulder pads were huge, and Neighbours gained more viewers in the UK than the entire population of Australia. Yes, it’s the late 1980s and the games of tennis and golf were booming.
Vast revenues from expectant TV audiences transformed these games from once genteel pastimes into highly pressurised sports, where the likes of Greg Norman and Boris Becker fought over every swing and every serve live on the world stage. With big money at stake, players desperately wanted to discover a way of outclassing the competition, sparking an arms race in training, equipment and, last but not least, psychology.
The pre-performance routine was born to eliminate attention-sapping external distractions, such as the roar of the crowd, or internal distractions, such as worrying about your place on the scoreboard. The aim was pure, unadulterated attention on the task at hand.
It was quickly adopted by other precision sports too, where the outcome could be, ahem, a bit hit and miss – basketball, volleyball, football (penalty shooting), rugby (conversions), archery and, of course, the shooting disciplines. Essentially, any sport that allows enough time for an athlete to become either keenly focused or hopelessly distracted when preparing for wa shot.
“Pre-performance routine was born to eliminate attentionsapping external distractions”
Singer’s steps
Robert Singer was another pioneering sports psychologist working in this field in the 1980s and beyond. His original, fivestep pre-performance routine is still used today as a popular foundation for sports psychologists, coaches and athletes wanting to formulate their own sequences. Let’s look at it with shooting in mind.
STEP 1 READYING
This is about getting your body into the right position, so with shooting it usually starts with the feet. You’ll also be starting to notice what’s going on psychologically with your thoughts and feelings – where your attention lies. If you notice your attention has drifted you can bring it back by focusing on your breathing.