A Pro Volleyball Player’s Pregame Routine
My pregame routine is something I have experimented with throughout my career. It took some playing with to find what works for me and to find what gets my body and mind ready to compete at a high level. Now, I have it pretty dialed in and I know exactly what needs to happen for me to feel hyped, ready, loose, confident, and locked-in. Here are the steps I take to be ready for game time.
The Night Before
Typically, we will have practice the night before a game. Right after practice, I’ll make sure to foam roll and stretch to get my body feeling its best the next day. When I get home, I’ll take a shower and then watch a little game film and review the scouting report while I eat a healthy meal. Usually I’ll eat some salad with pasta and I’ll make sure to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. After dinner, I’ll pack my bag and any meals or snacks for the next day. I like to get these little things out of the way early on so I’m not stressed right before I go to bed or in the morning when I wake up trying to pack everything. I don’t need to add any extra stress or pressure on myself when I’m trying to stay calm and loose for gameday. After I get all the packing done, I’ll foam roll again and use the lacrosse ball on my shoulders and feet. Then, I’ll ice my knees and shoulder while I watch something light and funny. I did all the hard work of scouting and studying film throughout the week, so I like to do a quick review right when I get home, then clear my mind with a funny show before I go to bed. After my show and after I brush my teeth/get ready for bed, it’s time to wind down by putting my feet up a wall. It’s a nice, relaxing posture and feels great for the legs. Then it’s time to read, pray, and go to bed!
Gameday Morning/Afternoon
This next part I’ll go through as if we had a home game. If we are on the road, I’ll try to do similar things, just modified. But, if we’re at home, I’ll go through my morning routine and do yoga and some meditation. I’ll then make a smoothie and head to our morning serve and pass. After morning practice, I’ll take a quick shower and eat a bigger meal if it’s several hours before gametime. I like to watch a funny show again to take my mind off of volleyball and I will always try to squeeze a nap in, even if I don’t actually sleep and just rest with my eyes closed. This is something I have done since college and it’s crucial for me- I love my naps! After my nap, I’ll wake up and blast some music to start getting myself hyped while I pack the rest of my stuff and grab a snack and heat pad for my shoulder. Then I will head to the gym while listening to my “Pump Up” playlist.
Locker Room Pregame
I LOVE to dance in the locker room before games. I love when my team also likes to dance, otherwise it’s hard for me to get as hyped when I’m the only one dancing. College locker room dance parties were my favorite because it was a part of all of our routines and we would go crazy. Either way, I’ll make it work whether the majority of my team likes to dance or not; it’s just important for me to get as loose as possible. I also have to find the balance of not going too hard and wasting all my energy before the game- this has happened to me before! After a quick dance party, I like to visualize and review the game plan. Then I’ll get dressed, put on my shoes and knee pads, and apply my Tiger Balm to my knees and shoulder.
Pre-Warmup Warmup
When I was younger, it was so much easier to warm up, but now I need so many warmups before the game. So for my first warmup before our team warms up together, I like to lacrosse ball my shoulders and roll out my legs and back with a foam roller. I don’t spend too much time rolling, just enough to get everything feeling loose. Then, I’ll go through a resistance band warmup for my shoulder and my hips/glutes. Even before my shoulder started hurting I would still do the resistance band warmup to get everything primed and ready. This year, I’ll make sure to spend even more time warming up my shoulder with a resistance band. After the band work, depending on what our team warmup looks like, I’ll do even more mobility/dynamic stretching, or I’ll wait for our team to warm up together.
Team Warmup
Ah, I miss my younger days when this was the only part of the warmup I needed! But during this part, we’ll do a dynamic warmup, block moves, arm warmup/pepper, team defense, attacking warmup, and then will serve. After all this preparation, it’s finally game time!
Everyone’s pregame routine looks different. Everybody is different and it’s important to find out what works best for you. There are some questions to consider when you’re coming up with your own pregame routine. How do you want to feel before the game? Calm? Focused? Hyped? Perhaps a combo of these? What can you do to put yourself in your ideal state of mind? What will help you? What will stress you out? Is there any part of your body that needs an extra warmup to feel its best during the game? What kinds of food help fuel you best? How much sleep do you need?
You won’t have all the answers to these questions right away. Sometimes it takes a lot of experimenting to find out. Plus, you won’t always have the time to do everything you would like to do or you just won’t feel your best no matter what you do. However, we are creatures of habit, and if you can find a consistent routine that you like, you’ll put yourself in the best position possible to play your best. But, it’s also important that you are able to adapt to any situation. Have fun, experiment, use some of these ideas to come up with your own routine, and let me know how it goes for you! As always, follow Shine On Volley on Instagram for more!