Establish shared routines for competition or match days. This provides security and clarity about what will happen, which can reduce nervousness and increase the sense of being able to take part and have influence.
How it works:
- Discuss: “What do we need to do before the competition to feel ready?”
- The children suggest: playlist, warm-up, pep talk, etc.—as a leader, you provide support as needed and also summarize what they have come up with.
- Create a shared routine that becomes “your thing”. For example: “30 min before the match = shared warm-up with our playlist playing on the speaker, 5 min before = team huddle where we get competition-ready and do a pep talk”.
Tip! Let the routine be a living process that evolves over time based on what works best for your group!
