Being an athlete, I've learned that all athletes have a ritual they would normally follow. We run around, we stretch, we plug in our earphones for music, and etc. Some may not be very obvious, others however, are just asking to be made fun of. On the other hand, athletes achieve something from this. They become more focused and prepared--mentally and physically, which helps them to win their games.
A good example of an athlete's ritual can be reflected by Rafael Nadal, former world number 1 tennis player(currently 3rd in the world who's working his way back up to the top again). His pre-game ritual begins long before he walks onto the tennis court. Forty-five minutes before his Wimbledon Open finals against Roger Federer, he stepped into an ice-cold shower. He does this before EVERY match. "It's the point before the point of no return. Under the cold shower I enter a new space in which I feel my power and resilience grow."
Next, he puts on his earphones and listens to music to sharpen that sense of flow, and according to him, remove him from his surroundings. His physical therapist would then bandage his ankles, knees and wrists. After that, he would wrap grips on all 6 of his rackets and they have to come with black pre-grips and white over-grips. He then moves on to get dress, goes to a basin to run water through his hair, then ties on his bandanna.
After that, his personal physical therapist would bandage his fingers on his left (playing) hand, very mechanical and precise. There's nothing cosmetic about this ritual. Without bandages, the skin would stretch and easily tear. He then starts warming up, stretches, do short sprints in that little cramped locker room. His blasting music always plugged in into his ears to pump himself up. Can you imagine? All these are BEFORE he gets on the court! Moments before getting onto his court, he checks all his rackets again, pulls up his socks, and making sure that both are the same height on his calves.
Once on court, he takes of his tracksuit, take a sip from his first water bottle, then another sip from a second bottle and he repeats this sequence every match before, in between breaks and after. The bottles are placed precisely behind one another and in front of him on his left side. "This are not superstitions", he said. If they were, why would he repeat the same ritual every match whether he wins or loses?
The last part of his ritual, he looks up to scan the perimeter of the stadium and "locks in" the coordinates of where his family members are sitting in his head. He never allows himself to smile during a match, but knowing that his family members are there for him gives him the peace of mind as a professional tennis player.
A true role model and inspiration for all, not just athletes.
"I build a wall around myself when I play, but my family is the cement that holds the wall together"
-Rafael Nadal-
P.S. He defeated Roger Federer 6–4, 6–4, 6–7(5–7), 6–7(8–10), 9–7 finals of Wimbledon 2011
