What is a routine?
A routine is defined as "a set or patterns of thoughts, actions or images that are systematically reproduced before performing a performance" (Crews & Boutcher, 1986).
The goal of a routine is to get into optimal conditions for performance. Mental or Physical.
Every profile is different and every human is unique, it is necessary that the routine makes sense for the Athlete.
Certain routines must occupy the mind to manage stress and make a "barrier" to emotions, others allow the Athlete to recover technically, others to reassure themselves about what they have to do on the strategy.
How to build a routine?
Several points:
Personal: it must be built on personal experience and on the values we believe in.
Efficient: it must be able to be stronger than the emotions, than the environment.
Easily reproducible: It should be done equally well in warm-up, training, and competition, regardless of the situation and the degree of pressure.
Scalable: it must evolve over time, it is personal. Over time, the Athlete will grow and his beliefs will evolve, this routine must also evolve.
You have to try out routines and adjust them.
Some will immediately impact the Athlete and others will not work at all. Knowing yourself, using your imagination and above all trying different things will make the routines effective.
A report after each competition makes it possible to assess their effectiveness.
A Routine is performed at specific times, and with a defined goal that makes sense to the Athlete:
Below is a Youtube link with tennis player routines:
We see that each Athlete has HIS routine.
Below, a Youtube link with some of the routines of Rafael Nadal, tennis legend:
We can clearly see that the Athlete can have several routines at different points in the match.
Getting in the best conditions to approach competition is essential in the quality of an Athlete's performance.
Having a routine, a base on which we can always rest is almost mandatory to access the professional level whatever the sport.
The higher the pressure, the more it is necessary to be able to rely on simple achievements that give us confidence.
Whether you have one or more routines, it needs to be meaningful to you and personal to you.
Don't try to duplicate exactly what other people are doing. To imitate is to limit yourself. Take a cue from them and build your own routines to move forward.