The title is self explanatory but I'll explain just in case. Normally when you're practicing for a sports competition the training becomes a little more strict, but the day before the competition there are some things we do to prepare ourselves. For example, normal things would be to eat light, rest all day, listen all day to some up-beat music or some not so common like going to a church and pray for success, hangout with friends all day to relax, etc.

In my case I prefer to warm-up a little in the morning, stretch and practice a little the basics then rest all day while listening to some of my favorite music to avoid the pre-competition nerves. About the food, I eat normally but I drink more water. One thing that I do every time I want some luck for something is that I use a bracelet that have 5 yen , I feel it gives good luck so good enough for me.

So, How do you prepare yourself the day before a sports competition? For what sport?
-Do you do any uncommon things? Any ritual?
-Do you have any lucky charm?
-...anything else you want to add

I play soccer in a competitive league.  The ritual is usually some light music before the game and a specific set of running, jogging, skipping warm up drills, followed by shooting at the goalie.  The goalie and I work well together on the defensive side of the field and we talk things out, watch the other team warm up, figure out our own set-ups and generally discuss the game.  No one talks about anything else and everyone focuses that first twenty minutes on the game, the game, the game.

I don't have anything special I do when I tie my shoes or wear any specific socks.  I just use equipment I've had for years and it works well so I don't change anything.  It's all mental and we play through how the first few minutes go.  The team has a set of specific passing plays we go through so everyone touches the ball before we go on offense when we get kickoffs.  If we start the second half, we do the same thing so each player touches the ball before the opponents do.  It's a nice way to settle down and enjoy the match and everyone feels comfortable.

warmaker : yes, It's really important to enjoy and have fun, the performance it's a lot better and the nerves go away. I practice fencing and being nervous is not something you want to be in the middle of a match, but my coach always says to have fun, for me it works, I just focus on enjoying the match and I can think more clearly in comparison if I start thinking about winning, it stress me out thinking that if I lose I won't be able to get a medal... as you said, "it's all mental".

Preparing for a sports competition is pretty simple for me. I find out what time it comes on television and make sure I have refreshments and a bag of doritos

I've never been that great at sports.

I've been told what I do is a bit odd. I don't do anything the day prior, all my nerves come out on the day of competition.

And usually, the competition is a race.

I get there early enough so I can walk all or most of the course I'm running (unless it's a long race, in which case, I'll do a drive by the day before) to get the course mentally stuck in my mind.

Then what I do, is I go find a secluded location at the site of the race, and I sit (or stand, depending on the area) and just meditate, and focus myself. I visualize everything from the starting gun to the finish line and everything in between. I take into account how my body feels, and how the weather is. I then focus on the nature's sounds, and the feeling of the dirt beneath my feet (I don't do many road races, so most of my courses are forests and the like). Once I've gotten everything visualized, I get over to the starting gate, do some warmups, and meditate on the race some more.

All told, I can spend upwards of an hour meditating the day of a race, getting in focus with myself and my surroundings, as well as visualizing the race at hand.

sloanstar1000 : I really wasn't expecting this answer, but it really made my day. I completely needed to laugh. It needs to be really hard to find the perfect bag of Doritos and drinks and get them to the couch , now for real, I really respect the people that follow any sport by watching games and so on, that really requires some dedication, even lots of dedication if you are one of those person that remember every player name, their average and so on...

legacyme3 : It is a really interesting way, but I think that if it works it is worth all the time spent on the process, maybe I'll need to take in consideration meditating before any competition because I tend to get overly nervous the day of the competition. I find that it is a smart move to walk the course you'll be running, that gives you some advantage knowing how is the terrain and you don't have to worry about finding any surprises on the course. 

By the way, while I was reading your description of how you focus while meditating my mind almost went away. (It was raining, windy and I love that kind of weather)

Gauken :

I love windy rainy weather as well, it's definitely the best kind.

It does work as far as I can tell, I used to do it all the time in high school, and college (before I left), and my times went down dramatically after I started my ritual of sorts.

Ohh I used to do tons of basketball competitions. First off I would make sure I get plenty of rest I noticed if I didn't get a lot of rest I would slack off at the game. So I make sure to get PLENTY of it. Then I make sure to listen to some up beat music , eat light and make sure I am fully hydrated plus extra. Then I start it off and score!




Bintsy<33

You will want to train, but while doing so don't push as hard as you would normally, you don't want to run a high risk of a pulled or sprained muscle. Eat well and drink well. I recommend some sort of pasta braised meal and just stick to water, squash or fruit juice. You don't want to pull out the sports drinks until the event.
Get good sleep. This has let me down in some of my Cycling events, I had just over 8 hours of sleep and even that isn't enough. I felt fine but when I got to the event I under performed. I recommend aiming for a good 10 hours or more. 

I always drink tons of water each day before a football game. Also, I make sure to take the day off to make sure my body is healthy to play. I don't want to be hurt the day before a game.

Yes, I watch what I eat to make sure that it's healthy and drink a lot of fluids starting 24 hours before the race. For dinner before the race I eat rice and pasta. In the morning I eat two apples but nothing else or I feel sick during the race.

A day before a varsity wrestling match, I would be both nervous and determined. I don't why, because my coach says some people would think what moves they're going to use at the morning of the match. But, I would think about the moves I'm gonna used days before the match. It would give me a sense of both determination and nervousness. I would prepare by just working out every muscle after school and after dinner. Then, at the day of the match. I would barely eat anything in school and hope that me and my school would win.

I tend to get paranoid before a day of an event, probably because I'm new to being on a state competitive sport. What I tend to do is have a normal breakfast and lunch, which tend to be single courses. For dinner, I eat two medium sized fruits after doing a stretch/warm up and a couple sit ups. I sleep for 9 hours, which is much more than usual, and it works great. Before I go to the event I light jog around the block a couple times so my legs are ready for when I have to actually run. 

Gauken :  So, How do you prepare yourself the day before a sports competition? For what sport? I have Basketball every week and I'm really good so I don't train that much
-Do you do any uncommon things? Any ritual? - Not really, I'm normal.
-Do you have any lucky charm? I don't see it helping much but it's supposed to bring luck.

I used to swim competitively, and what I did the day before a swim meet was:

1) Plenty of sleep
2) Drink lots of water
3) Eat vitamin-rich foods
4) Deep-breathing

It's pretty simple. I do absolutely nothing, and I save up my energy for the big day. I'm serious, though. I do that with everything, not just sports competitions. Even in Tour de Vizzed.