Get Out of Your Head: How Real Focus Feels Before a Game

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Get Out of Your Head_ How Real Focus Feels Before a Game

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The Trap

You think you are getting locked in, headphones on, game face ready, quiet, serious. You tell yourself things like “We have to win,” “Don’t mess this up,” or “Stay focused.”You mean well. You are trying to prepare.

But what you are really doing is winding yourself up. You are not focused, you are trapped in your head.

Your body gets tighter, your breathing shallower, and the warm-up feels heavier than it should. You are disconnected from your teammates, from the environment, and from the rhythm of the game that is about to start.

By the time your body finally wakes up, often halfway through the first quarter, the game has already begun without you.

1. Recognize the Difference Between Focus and Control

True focus feels light and present, not tight and forced.When you try to “lock in” by controlling every thought, you are actually activating your body’s stress response.

Focus is not about thinking more. It is about seeing more.

When you focus outward on the floor, your teammates, and the energy in the gym, your body naturally follows your eyes and adjusts. That is readiness.

When you focus toward yourself, thinking about how you feel, what could go wrong, or what must happen, your mind traps your body.

RIZE Cue: See more. Think less.

2. Warm Up Your Connection, Not Just Your Body

Most players stretch their muscles before a game. Few stretch their attention.

During warm-up, instead of staying in your own head:Look around. Make eye contact with a teammate.Throw a quick pass and smile.Feel the energy of the gym.Move to the rhythm of the ball and the music.

You are teaching your nervous system that competition is not danger, it is connection.When you connect early, your body relaxes, and your game starts smooth instead of stiff.

RIZE Cue: Warm up your mind like you warm up your shot.

3. Reprogram Your Self-Talk

What you say to yourself before the game matters.Phrases like “We have to win” or “I can’t mess up” sound like motivation but actually create pressure.

Replace control words with action words. Say things like:

“I’m ready to compete.”

“Play fast.”

“Move the ball.”

“Bring energy.”

These instructions keep your brain in motion, not in fear. They tell your body what to do, not what to avoid.

RIZE Cue: Action beats pressure.

4. Use Breathing to Balance Your System

If your thoughts start speeding up, slow down your breathing. One simple breath cycle can change your entire state.

Inhale through the nose for four seconds.Hold for two.Exhale slowly through the mouth for six.

Do this while you are waiting to sub in or walking to the bench. It signals to your body: I am ready, not rushed.

RIZE Cue: Slow breath. Fast play.

5. Trust the Work You Already Did

Pre-game is not the time to build confidence, it is the time to let confidence breathe.If you have done the work all week, you do not need to remind yourself of it a hundred times before tip-off. Your body already knows what to do.

The best players use warm-up to get comfortable, to reconnect with their senses, not to prove something.

Think of it like a pilot before takeoff. The checks are done. Now you just guide the plane off the ground.

RIZE Cue: Stop proving. Start playing.

6. Start the Game with Curiosity, Not Expectation

When the whistle blows, trade pressure for curiosity.Instead of thinking “We must win,” think “Let’s see what we can create together.”Curiosity opens your perception and keeps your energy flowing. Expectation closes it.

That small shift from needing to control to wanting to explore is what separates heavy players from free ones.

RIZE Cue: Curious beats cautious.

The Reset

If you catch yourself locked inside your head, use this quick reset.

Look up and find one teammate. Smile or nod.Take one slow exhale.Say your cue: “Eyes out.” “Next play.” “Let’s go.”

It takes three seconds.And it gets you back where the game actually lives, outside your head.

The Takeaway

Being locked in does not mean being locked up.Real focus feels open, connected, and free.Your job before every game is simple.See more. Breathe deeper. Connect earlier.

Because when you stop trying to control the game, your body finally gets to play it.

RIZE Cue: Freedom is focus.