By T.J Jumper
The championship part of the season can be very exciting and rewarding or could be very heartbreaking. As athletes, coaches, and parents we all live for the spirit of competition and the thrilling moments that the championship part of the season brings. Of course, we all prefer to be on the winning side with all the excitement and the thrill of victory. The very best teams, coaches, and athletes tend to experience the thrill of victory on a more regular basis. The reason why is because they all consistently perform their best in the biggest competitions.
Many of these elite teams and athletes put in years of work to get to this high level physically and technically. But what makes everything come together in those big moments and to have those big performances in the largest competitions is preparing to have them. An athlete and/or team must prepare mentally, physically, emotionally, technically, and tactically. An athlete is responsible for their preparation and controlling what they can personally control. To be one of the best, an athlete cannot just flip a switch and show up and compete at a consistently high level. The preparation starts well in advance ahead of time. This is having, acting, and living with a champion’s mindframe. To be consistently successful in anything the champion’s mindframe is needed.
Now that you know what (mentally, physically, emotionally, technically, and tactically) to prepare, how does one prepare?
In order to answer this question, Jumper Athletics surveyed a few elite athletes about how they prepare. These athletes have made an impression on the Jumper Athletic Coaches by how they prepare, what they have accomplished, and how well they perform in the biggest competitions. They all are NCAA division 1 or 2 athletes and placed high in their state’s high school state competitions or earned impressive athletic accolades. Most importantly, if asked to describe each one of them, they are all great people. After sharing a little bit more about the athletes, we will summarize what was in common amongst their responses to the survey questions.
The Athletes (A special thank you to the following athletes for taking the time to complete the Jumper Athletics survey and be willing to provide information about their preparation to help others). Below are just a couple of highlights of each of the athletes, but they have many more.
Athletes Surveyed
- Brody Brecht – two sport athlete at the University of Iowa. He is a wide receiver for the University Iowa’s Football Team and a pitcher on the University of Iowa’s Baseball Team. He was the Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year, a State Champion, and a multi-time All-Stater
- Kendall Cornick – was an outfielder for Augustana University (South Dakota). She was named an All-American, Student-Athlete, Central Region Player of the Year, 2021 NCAA Women of the Year
- Devon Jackson – is a linebacker on the University of Oregon’s Football Team. Was a 4-Star recruit, a Top-20 Linebacker recruit in the country, Recognized as one of Nebraska Super-6 Football Players, and HS All-American. He was a track & field Nebraska State Champion in the 100m and 200m dashes.
- Aly Jumper – is a goalie on the Winona State University Women’s Soccer Team. She holds the high school’s record for single-season and career shutouts. Was on 3-High School teams that placed in the final 4 at the Iowa State Soccer Tournament with 1-year ending in a State Championship. Four years in a row, her soccer club team was either a finalist or a state cup champion.
- Caroline Waite – is a point guard on the Bradley University’s Women’s Basketball Team. Ended her Freshman year at Bradley as the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman Women’s Basketball Player of the Year and also made the All-Freshman team. She is the All-time leading scorer at her high school.
- Abby Williams – is a midfielder on the Winona State University’s Women’s Soccer Team. She was her high school’s team player of the year for 2 years. She was also all-conference two years in a row.
The rest of the blog post will share the question asked on the survey and then a summary of common themes from the athletes’ responses.
Question/Response Themes
In the off-season, what is your focus and generally how are you preparing to compete?
The athletes all mentioned that they are focused on getting physically stronger and faster. This takes a lot of dedication because games are not being played. The athletes also mentioned that it is highly important to have a growth mindset or process-oriented mindset. Each athlete either reflected on their own or talked with a coach about what they could technically improve. Each put together a plan to improve on 1-2 technically parts of their game.
About a week ahead of a competition, what do you do to prepare (mentally, emotionally, and physically) to compete?
Each athlete talked about mental and emotional preparation by visualizing a positive outcome and seeing themselves do well. This helps build their confidence. It is also discussed that they review their assignments, routes, scouting report, and/or game plan to mentally and tactically perform their best.
Physically every athlete mentioned eating healthy, injury prevention, and getting enough sleep to physically be at their best. One athlete said, “ it was important I incorporated those aspects into my daily habits.” Another said, “it has to become a way of life.”
The day or night before a big competition, how do you prepare (mentally, emotionally, and physically) to perform your best?
Many of the aspects in the last question were carried over to this question. The idea of having and continuing a routine. The most prevalent information was to have a great dinner and get enough sleep. The one area that connected to physically preparing with sleep and eating that was even more pronounced under this question was to be sure to drink enough water in order to be hydrated for competition day.
The day of your competition, what do you do to prepare (mentally, emotionally, and physically) to perform your best?
Each athlete continued to mention about following a good healthy nutrition routine and to continue hydrating. Before reporting to the athletic competition, the most important information was to find ways to stay in the zone and have a clear mind. Examples of this were listing to music, praying, stretching, talking with teammates/friends, and/or going on a walk. Many mentioned not getting too excited or too hyped up.
What is your pre-competition routine and how does it connect to your preparation to compete (mentally, emotionally, and physically)?
Arriving at the competition, our elite athletes mentioned having a routine to have a clear mind, reviewing assignments and the game plan. Much of this routine was repeated before every competition because they found it to be successful. Most of the athletes used music and a certain type of music that they chose individually (playlist) to keep that relaxed but focused mindframe. One athlete stated “I try to ground myself.”
Post competition, do you do anything that connects to preparation? If yes, what is it and why?
All the athletes talked about immediately refueling their body with nutrients and hydration. The focus shifted to physical recovery for the next competition so they want recovery to be as efficient as possible.
There is also time to reflect on the game by talking with a coach, watching/analyzing video, and deciding on improvements. An athlete noted, “This reflection is critical individually, but also as a team.” Taking time to reflect is important to know what you did well and what needs improved. It is important to then make a plan for the next step and then to start preparing for the next competition.
Conclusion
The athletes provided a great deal of information and it was amazing to see how close they were in their preparation to compete and perform at a high level. They all are dedicated and committed to a routine that helps them prepare to repeatedly perform at a high level and be consistently successful.