Just like music, sports elevate us to new levels of achievement.
- Randy Castillo
The Power of Intention: Playlists
Music is one way of unlocking focus, controlling mood, building confidence, and being motivated to compete.
Playlists are a great way to have your relaxation and motivational songs at your ready. One list can be your mellow list, one can be your pump up mix, and one can be a relax and chill list. Create your playlists on your phone or via audio streams like Spotify.
Athletes can get creative by making playlists for specifics moments like warm up, between rounds, and for right before competition. Here are some examples:
a. Warm up mix (i.e., 30-60 min)
b. Downtime mix between rounds (i.e., 1-2hrs)
c. Ready to go mix, right before competition (i.e., 5-7 min)
The best part of having playlists are that you can press shuffle and have it randomly play a song or you can just listen to that go to song of the day.
Songs have to be personal to get you in the right mood. Types of personal music:
Emotional Response: Music that pumps you up or calm you down. Pick music that gets you in the right groove. This can change from competition to competition, or even week by week. Take time each week to grow your playlist. Songs with emotional significance. Songs that remind you of special moments, i.e., songs that remind you of competitions or practices where you performed really well. Songs that take you to your happy place. Songs with emotional significance can remind us of happy memories like being on a beach or laughing with teammates traveling to a competition. Sometimes we just need an escape from the moment to lighten the mood.
In the end, positivity and confidence are keys to being ready and performing well.
When you are happy and motivated, it’s easier to ignore the feelings of fatigue, pain, nervousness, and anxiety.