Teachable Moment: Routines

When we establish a routine — whether it’s a warm-up routine, the superstitious way we put on cleats, or the foods we eat the night before a tournament — our brains work more efficiently and calmly.

Efficiencies are important for the brain because they conserve energy and free up space for our brain to do more complex thinking when faced with uncertainty, like responding to the flow that evolves after a play in ultimate. Routines are also calming and soothing for us and our brains because they give us predictability and reduce the stress and adrenaline, neurochemicals associated with uncertainty. 

An applied neuroscience tip is to establish routines that you can later rely on to calm your nerves before a big game. Like the rituals of cleating up and all the parts of a warm-up. Also, getting the routine of our plays down is a good, efficient way to make brain space for the in-the-moment actions needed to respond to the emerging play! [Routines may be superstitious but regardless, the brain likes them!]