Do You Have Bizarre Pregame Superstitions?

Superstitions In Sports

Do you have to wear the same lucky jersey or shirt every game? Do you have to eat a certain meal before you perform?

Many athletes have superstitions they must adhere to–as if their performance would crumble without them…

Superstitions in sports are based only on past luck. If something worked in the past before competition, you think you will have good luck using it again and again–of course until it doesn’t work anymore.

As irrational as some superstitions seem, they give athletes a sense of comfort or a feeling of luck, but do athletes use superstitions for any other valid reasons?

For example, some athletes and coaches would say that superstitions give athletes and teams confidence and belief.

Former baseball player Wade Boggs was called the “Chicken Man,” because he had to eat chicken before every game.

Tennis star Rafael Nadal arranges his two water bottles the exact same way on the changeovers.

Ted Williams spent many hours each year picking out the perfect piece of wood that he thought would make the best bat.

Some superstitions are used to avoid bad luck too. Babe Ruth swatted butterflies on the diamond because he thought they were unlucky.

Golf balls with the number 4 or higher are seen as bad luck by many golfers. In hockey, it’s is bad luck for hockey sticks to lie crossed.

Yet you could argue that most superstitions are just wacky habits that have no scientific research to back up the claim they actually work.

When do superstitions begin to undermine your mental game and attitude? When you think you can’t perform well without your lucky shoes or water bottle.

Superstitions, unlike pregame routines, are not based on fact or science.

My tip for today is to develop a pregame routine that helps you perform your best. Pregame routines, unlike superstitions, are based on science and what works.

A pregame routine should help you improve confidence, focus, and trust in your skills before competition. Routine also help you prepare mentally for the game as you visualize your performance or game plan.

In the video of the week below, I discuss one athlete’s obsession with superstitions and the best way to approach superstitions… After you watch the video please comment on what your superstitions are and how they affect your game.

Watch the video below at my YouTube channel, Mindset For Sports:

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