08/11/2026
Most athletes have a pregame default. Not a pre-performance protocol.
A default is just whatever you happen to fall into. A protocol is something you built on purpose — that you can repeat identically under pressure, and that your nervous system has learned to associate with one specific state: locked in, ready, calm.
Here’s why that distinction matters. Pressure narrows everything. You don’t rise to a routine you’ve never practiced — you fall back to whatever you’ve actually trained. Which means the sequence has to get built long before it’s ever needed.
The new issue breaks down the 3-part pre-performance protocol I build with every athlete I coach:
🔹 A physical anchor
🔹 A verbal anchor
🔹 A mental anchor
Field hockey athletes — build this before every scrimmage this week, so it’s second nature by game one.
Marathon runners — this is your pre-long-run sequence. Build it with intention now, and it’s already race-morning ready in October.
Also in this issue: a new recurring feature with Brian Mitchell (2nd all-purpose yards leader in NFL history) on what “pre-game protocol” really means at the pro level.
Full issue link in bio. Go build yours before your next practice or long run.