Every athlete has had the experience of having the wheels come off during a performance! Wouldn’t it be nice to have a reset button to press that would set things back on track?
Well, there is! I like to use a tried and true, two-step procedure to get thinks headed in the right direction.
The first step is to have a physical cue that you can use to trigger the “reset”. For myself, I like to look intently at the ejectors of my shotgun. Their function is to spring out, with force, the spent shell after taking a shot. I see that as a metaphor to how I want to spring back to the performance I am capable of! Each athlete can pick something that is meaningful to them. Say you are playing a team sport. You might select a coach, a person in the stands, a sign – anything at all that will help to remind you to execute your “reset routine. A tennis player might look at a vibration damper on his racquet. A baseball batter might look at the logo on the bat.
Then, move to step two. Take two deep breathes. There is some pretty strong science as to how focus on breathing can help to calm both the body and mind. Once I have gotten the reminder from my physical cue, I like to close my eyes and really focus on two deep breathes. I count to five both on the inhale and the exhale feeling the expansion in my chest all the way down to my diaphragm. This is not the time for quick shallow breathes! After reading this book recently:
I like to inhale and exhale through the nose (in fact, after reading “Breath”, I have given more focus to nose breathing in general! But, do what is comfortable for you.
Two deep breathes ought to do the trick. Your reset is complete. Now get back to the business of being the best you can be in the moment!