Rituals in Sport: Performance-enhancing or just Superstition?
When watching professional athletes compete, we have all witnessed some of them performing rituals before games. For us, they might seem funny and unnecessary, but for the athletes, they might be the key to their success. These rituals could include their pregame clothing, music or food, and even warmups or celebrations during the tournament. This superstition in rituals is mostly caused when athletes try to identify the causes of good or bad performances. It could be certain songs that stimulate emotions or if they’ll recognize unusual things they did before the game, like getting a new haircut or a specific outfit they wore. After a great performance, athletes will link these events to their achievement and try to recreate these sensations before future competitions.
If you think about it, rituals are not much different from learning a new skill in any sport. Skills like new dribble moves, a new high jump method, and new routes to run are all physical skills that athletes learn. There is barely a difference between rituals and new physical movement patterns, as both cases require the formation of new neural pathways and muscle memory. However, most rituals are performed before games and therefore do not directly influence the sport played. It's only the mind which is impacted by the rituals. A so-called belief system is created, and this belief stays with the athlete throughout the game.
For some athletes, this might not be the case, though. There are two types of athletes: one has a strong internal focus and feels responsible for his own performance, and the other blames external influences for their success or loss. Superstitions and rituals could help the latter gain more control and make the outcome of competitions less unpredictable.
Some athletes, who have used rituals to gain control over their game, include football player John Henderson and golf player Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods believes that the color red is his winning color. As a result, he always wears a red shirt every Sunday. However, this may not seem as bizarre as other athletes' rituals. John Henderson, for example, makes his assistant manager slap him across the face before every game. According to him, it gets him pumped.
Even if some rituals might look silly or over the top to an outsider, they help the athletes gain confidence and give them a feeling of control. It's the belief that this certain action or behavior creates, which makes you perform better and probably contributes to high performance. It’s the foundation of sports psychology: visualization and guided imagery, which prepares athletes physically and mentally for the game.
Additional Resources:
Graz, Dr. Christian. “Die Rituale Der Top-Athleten – Und Was Freizeitsportler Daraus Lernen Können.” Sportmagazin - Das Online-Magazin Rund Um Den Sport, Netzathleten.de, 18 Aug. 2021, https://www.netzathleten.de/gesundheit/dr-sport/item/7453-warum-top-athleten-auf-rituale-setzen-und-was-freizeitsportler-daraus-lernen-koennen.
Jan. “Rituale Im Sport - Gut Oder Schlecht?” MIND BEYOND MOVEMENT, 23 May 2021, https://www.mindbeyondmovement.de/rituale-im-sport/.
Quinn, Elizabeth. “Sports Superstitions Give Athletes a Winning Edge.” Verywell Fit, Verywell Fit, 3 June 2020, https://www.verywellfit.com/not-so-crazy-sports-superstitions-3120697.