Building a Competition-Ready Routine

This week I’m out in Arizona working with the Milwaukee Brewers during spring training. One of the things that stands out every year during this time is how much attention great competitors give to their routines.

Not just the physical preparation, but the mental preparation they are building with every rep.

At the highest levels of competition, routines are more than just habits. They’re tools that help players stabilize themselves in uncertain and unpredictable environments. When the stakes rise and pressure starts to build, that routine gives them an anchor to return to.

Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of athletes try to copy someone else’s routine. They’ll watch another player and try to replicate the exact steps, hoping it will create the same results. But routines don’t work that way.

A competition-ready routine isn’t about imitating someone else. It’s about building a system unique to you that helps you stay connected to what matters. And there are a few core principles that help guide you toward a routine that works rather than one that simply lets you go through the motions.

Awareness and Ownership

There’s nothing magical about a routine by itself. Physically, it’s just a series of movements. But the real purpose of a routine is to bring awareness.

Competition naturally brings adrenaline, nerves, and heightened emotion. Your body reacts because the moment matters. When competitors lack awareness, those sensations can start to dictate behavior. Your routine gives you a chance to breathe, take in the moment, and take control of what you can control.

That brings us to ownership. Once you’ve taken a moment to collect yourself and understand what’s happening around you, you also have to accept that you can’t control everything. All you can do is manage yourself and do your job. The environment will be what it will be, but you can take ownership of your actions and your thought process.

Deliberate Simplicity

Some of the best athletes in the world have the simplest routines. That’s because it’s not really about the routine itself.

When everything speeds up, you don’t need to be thinking about every step of your routine like you’re baking a cake. Your routine should be a simple, deliberate action that returns you to the present.

The point is to simplify the task in front of you, not make you think about all the variables around you. Focus on one clear objective. The more complex you make the moment, the easier it becomes for your focus to break down.

Intent and Visualization

Every sport is different in how it plays out, but before execution happens there has to be intention and commitment.

Sometimes that comes through visualization. Other times it’s simply feeling the movement or seeing the target in front of you.

Either way, the routine helps align your mind and body with what you want to do. You don’t need a perfect picture or complete certainty of the outcome. You simply need to trust your preparation and step into the moment with confidence and commitment.

Process Orientation

One of the biggest threats to performance is the temptation to chase outcomes.

Scoreboards, statistics, expectations, and results can all pull your attention away from the present moment if you’re not careful.

If you’re thinking about all of those things when you step up to bat or when you’re standing over a golf ball, your mind isn’t on the task in front of you. When you start your routine, let that be the cue to narrow your focus to the single objective in front of you.

Building Something You Can Trust

Competition-ready routines aren’t built overnight. They’re not magic, and they’re not the single thing that makes someone successful. They’re simply a mechanism that helps you direct your attention to what matters most.

Routines are personal and unique. What works for one athlete may not work for another. The goal isn’t to copy someone else’s system. It’s to develop your own rhythm, one that helps you connect and prepare for the moment.

When pressure rises, your routine is something you can lean on to steady yourself. It’s reliable. It’s consistent. It’s deliberate.

And it’s one of the most overlooked and underappreciated tools in sports.