Lecture 19: Pre-performance routines

Question 1

What is the difference between a routine and a ritual?

Answer 1

Routine: mental or physical strategy done prior to an action in order to improve performance, whereas, a ritual is a behavior that has no bearing on skill and is based on luck or other external factors

Question 2

When are pre-performance routines most commonly used?

Answer 2

In self-paced situations (sufficient time and predictable environment)

Question 3

What is the goal of a pre-performance routine?

Answer 3

Optimise the stable internal environment:

Optimal control
Optimum focus
Optimum confidence
Optimum emotions

Question 4

Why do pre-performance routines work?

Answer 4

Attentional control: increase attention paid to task relevant cues
Prevent warm-up decrements: maintains readiness for performance
Increases autonomy of skill execution

Question 5

In Singer’s study, what effect did the absence of pre-performance routines have on elite golfers?

Answer 5

Over-thinking
Heightened emotions
Loss of confidence
Increased attention paid to distractions

This caused.. Decreased probability and consistency of a good performance

Question 6

What were the new findings from the case study of Neil Jenkins?

Answer 6

Duration increased with task difficulty
Pre-performance routines not as rigid as first thought
(Physical element of PP didn’t change)

Question 7

What did Lonsdale and Tam identify about pre-performance routine duration and behavior, and their effect on basketball free-throw accuracy?

Answer 7

Duration had no effect on performance

Consistency of behaviors improved performance

Question 8

Describe the ideal pre-performance routine as detailed by Singer.

Answer 8

Visual orientation to target 
High self-efficacy 
High self-regulation 
Quiet mind 
Narrow, deep and sustained concentration 
Consistency 
Automatic

Question 9

Describe the 5 step strategy set out by Singer.

Answer 9

Readying –> Imaging –> Reducing external attention –> Execution with a quiet mind –> Evaluation –> Feedback

Question 10

What are the other kind of routines?

Answer 10

Competition
Training
Between-play

Question 11

What are the 4 R’s of the pre-performance routine?

Answer 11

Rest (deep breaths)
Regroup (tame emotions)
Refocus (game plan)
Recharge (psyching-up)