What is Your Bout Day Ritual?

As a former athlete, I don't recall ever having much of a game day ritual. I never really did anything differently on game day that I didn't do otherwise. As I have grown into my role as a roller derby coach I have found that there are certain things I need to do to be ready for the game physically and mentally. I know as a coach it might sound weird that I need to prepare physically, but I find it is just as important!

1. My prep starts weeks before a game. If we are playing another league I try to learn as much as I can about them. I look at Flat Track Stats to see how they have fared recently. Compare common opponents if there are any. Dig for any bout footage I can find, even if it is old (I make note of skaters that skated then as well as now and how they played, assuming they will have improved).

2. One or two weeks before the game I will write my lineups. I may tweak them daily all the way up to the day of the game but I still like the feeling of having something written and ready to go.

3. During bout week I mentally run through EVERY possible scenario I can think of.

What would I do if we were down by nine points with two minutes left and one timeout? What will I do if skater A fouls out? How will I handle it if the other team gets an early lead? What am I going to say to the team at halftime if we are winning by a bunch?

This way I feel ready for anything once the whistle blows.

4. The night before I try to get as much sleep as possible. Sometimes with travel games we pull in pretty late so I will try to get to bed as quickly as possible.

5. On bout day I like to get up and get moving. I have found that the best way for me to do this is to hit the gym. Thankfully for me just about every city has an Anytime Fitness for me to head off to. These gym sessions are never for targeting muscle groups or hitting fitness goals. All I do is go in and throw around as much weight as I can, burn off the bout day anxiety, and focus my mind. I have found this to be a huge key for my preparation. Recently I lost my cool at a game (which is VERY uncharacteristic of me) and I think the fact that I didn't get my morning gym session in that day played a big part in that.

6. I like to get a big lunch in because often bout times fall into a meal time for me so I need something that will get me through to the after party.

7. Between those two things on bout day I like to boot up the computer and watch some inspiring games. Personal favorites are Bay Area/Denver and Texas/Gotham from last year's champs in Milwaukee.

8. Once I am at the venue I like to get in game mode. The captains warm the team up off skates and I will take everything in. By the time our team track time rolls around I like to be all business. I want to set the tone for my team and our attitudes from that point forward.


I am curious to hear other people's rituals. Please comment below!