Some footballers wear lucky pants throughout a FA cup season, whilst American Ice Hockey player grow their ‘play-off beards’. For some this psuedo-supisitious act is part of a routine that they deem to be ‘lucky’, whilst this is unlikely to be true, and at the very least unhygienic. In is part of a routine that a player may use to help there performance.
In climbing our pre-performance routine is important for several reasons, first we how to get our equipment on like rock shoes, harness, helmet and rack as part of learning the safety aspects of our sport. To remain safe we need to ensure that these good practices aren’t broken, but instead become part of routine aimed at preparing us mentally. In its simplest form it might be:
Prepare – Vanquish – Focus – Succeed
Prepare for the route – Put harness on, rack up, put shoes on and clean the soles and chalk up ready to go.
Vanquish any demons – Remember you have gone through the steps above, you’ve warmed up, trained for and are ready for this lead.
Focus on the Route – and start to shut out any background noise, the peripheral vision fades into the background. All you see is the line of the route.
Suceed – As you start up the route known you have done everything in you ability to lead to your success.