Picture this: it’s a sunny spring day in 1983. Your name is Wade Boggs and you’re a third baseman playing for the Boston Red Sox. As game time quickly approaches, there are a few things you have to do to prepare. First on the list: eat an entire plate of chicken. Next, take exactly 150 ground balls during warm-ups, begin batting practice at 5:17 pm exactly, and run sprints at 7:17. Finally, it’s game time. As you walk up to the plate, you write “chai”, the Hebrew word for “life”, into the batter’s box. Then, and only then, are you ready to send the ball flying out of the park.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/k3qTljx_Vbo
Boggs’ ritual, which he completed before every game after his rookie season, may seem odd or ridiculous, but it had a major impact on his game. Over 18 seasons and three teams, Boggs pecked away at record books season after season, earning 12 All-star appearances, 8 Silver Slugger Awards, and 5 AL Batting Champion titles. While his habits earned him the nickname “Chicken Man”, Boggs believed the routines helped him “block out everything else” and focus entirely on the game. Having grown up in a military family, the structure and consistency of his pregame habits gave him a sense of stability and calm before stepping onto the field.
For athletes like Boggs, pregame routines are more than just the amusing traditions their fans adore; they are psychological tools that help manage pressure, focus attention, and mentally prepare for competition. In high-pressure environments such as sports, outcomes are often unpredictable and athletes are constantly being evaluated on performance; having a routine can provide a sense of consistency and control where there otherwise would be none. Repetition of actions before competition can calm nerves, reduce anxiety, and send signals to the brain to focus. Even routines that may appear irrational to outsiders can help an athlete feel more confident and mentally prepared. For many athletes, these habits quickly become deeply associated with their performance and identity as competitors, helping them enter “flow state,” where performance feels automatic and effortless. While pregame rituals may appear to be based on luck, research suggests their true value lies in the psychological and physiological benefits they provide rather than in any supernatural influence on performance.
https://www.mlb.com/news/wade-boggs-nickname-was-because-of-a-chicken-cookbook
When analyzing the actions athletes take before or during competition, there can often be confusion surrounding the differences between rituals and superstitions. According to Dr. Devin Bonk (2020), pre-game rituals are “action sequences involving rigid, formal, and repetitive physical actions, holding some symbolic value to the performer(s), and lacking an immediately causal link to their stated goal,” whereas superstitions are “irrational beliefs that an object, action, or circumstance that is not logically related to a course of events influences its outcome that often underlie rituals.” Simply put, rituals are the behaviors athletes perform, while superstitions are the beliefs that those behaviors influence the outcome. Even with their distinctions, the two are often confused because they often appear alike and provide similar mental benefits.
Now, after all these definitions, one question comes to the forefront: how and why do these practices come about and become so important to these athletes? The answer lies somewhere between psychological and physiological processes. Through repeated cycles of pairing routines with successful performances, pre-performance rituals can become classically conditioned. This means that the ritual itself begins to help the athlete feel confident, focused, and ready. (Jackson & Masters, 2006; Rupprecht et al., 2024). Over time, the brain associates these specific behaviors with positive outcomes, generating a cue to the brain that signals it is time to perform. This process may also help athletes enter what psychologists refer to as a “flow state,” a mental state of complete absorption in an activity in which performance feels automatic, distractions fade, and self-consciousness is reduced greatly. Although pregame rituals do not directly create flow, they can establish the psychological conditions that make entering this state more likely by reducing anxiety and directing attention toward the task at hand (Swann et al., 2012). Together, these mechanisms help explain why rituals can become so deeply ingrained in an athlete’s preparation that they become part of their identity, even when it seems to have no direct effect on athletic performance.
Despite their shared psychological purpose, pregame rituals are not necessarily uniform. Instead, they can be divided into four main categories of pregame rituals: physical preparation, mental preparation, personal superstitions, and team superstitions. While these categories may seem simple and distinct, they all serve a similar purpose: helping athletes feel prepared, confident, and safe before their competition. Many athletes have a combination of these different types, and they can be identified across the sports world.
Physical preparation looks like many of the rituals fans see regularly. Warm-ups, stretching, and drills prepare the body for performance while signaling that competition is about to begin. Nutrition can also become part of an athlete’s routine. Just as Wade Boggs ate his chicken, Yale sailing athletes consistently order the same drink, an Americano, before their competitions. While the caffeine may provide a physiological benefit, the familiar routine also serves as a psychological cue that it is time to compete.
Mental preparation rituals are particularly important because they help athletes manage anxiety and improve concentration. Visualization, for example, allows athletes to mentally rehearse successful performances before they occur, activating many of the same neural pathways used during actual performance, helping them feel more prepared when competition begins.(Li et al., 2025) Simone Biles is a great example of an athlete who uses mental preparation. She has openly discussed how mental strength and preparation, including therapy, visualization, and self reflection, became just as important to her as physical training, as well as how dangerous it was for her to compete when her mind and body were not in sync. During the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Biles experienced a phenomenon called the “twisties” in which a gymnast loses their spatial awareness while performing twisting skills, creating a serious risk of injury. Her decision to step away from the mat and prioritize her mental health demonstrated the importance of mental readiness and safety in athletic performance. She has also explained that she integrates therapy into her regular preparation routine, including during the 2024 Paris Olympics (Lacroix, 2024). Visualization, therapy, and positive self-talk are all strategies that an athlete can use to regulate their emotions and maintain concentration, allowing them to respond more effectively to the pressures of competition.
Personal superstitions, although not always supported by scientific evidence, can also have a powerful psychological effect. Many elite athletes believe that lucky socks, a specific meal, or entering the field in a certain way contributes to their success. These are often the examples that receive the most media attention because they are memorable and unique. Some famous examples of this include basketball legend Michael Jordan, who wore his college shorts underneath his professional uniform throughout much of his career, and tennis superstar Serena Willians, who wore the same pair of socks for a tournament from the first match to the final. These odd and seemingly insignificant habits often give athletes a sense of control that they may not have otherwise.
Team rituals are equally valuable because they strengthen relationships among teammates and create a shared sense of identity. This is especially visible in hockey, where locker room traditions, pregame chants, handshakes, and team-specific routines are deeply embedded within the culture of the sport. Some rituals become visible expressions of a team’s commitment and unity, extending beyond the players themselves. Playoff beards worn during postseason runs or the U.S. Women’s Olympic coaches’ “street stand blowouts," during their 2026 Olympic run, which player Taylor Heise described as an evolving tournament tradition (Powers & Powers, 2026), become symbols of a team’s journey and shared experiences. Similarly, goal songs and team anthems become emotional signals that connect players and fans. The Chicago Blackhawks’ use of “Chelsea Dagger,” for example, became closely tied to their success and identity, while similar traditions have appeared across hockey. The United States national teams’ repeated use of “Free Bird” during tournaments demonstrates how songs and other shared traditions can become symbols of familiarity, motivation, and collective identity. These behaviors may not directly influence the outcome of a game, but in an environment where communication and reliance on teammates are essential, these shared rituals foster trust, belonging, and cohesion among teammates.
Because so many aspects of competition, from an opponent or teammate’s performance to outcome of the game, are beyond an athlete’s control, a consistent routine offers a sense of stability and predictability. By establishing one element of the competitive environment that remains constant, rituals can help athletes reduce uncertainty, regulate pre-competition anxiety, and direct their attention toward the aspects of performance they are actually able to control. These psychological benefits extend beyond simply making athletes feel more comfortable before competition. Yun et al. (2022) found that athletes who engaged in ritualized behaviors demonstrated greater self-control during athletic performance, with the greatest benefit occurring under conditions of high competitive pressure. Rather than improving performance through superstition or luck, rituals appear to influence the mental state that precedes competition.
While research shows the many benefits of pregame rituals, it is equally important to recognize the line between consistency and rigidity. A ritual should support an athlete’s preparation, not become something they cannot perform without. When athletes become convinced that missing one step of their routine guarantees failure, the ritual shifts from a confidence-building strategy to a source of anxiety. Instead of reducing stress, it can increase it, creating unnecessary fear and distracting attention from the competition itself. In extreme cases, these behaviors may begin to resemble compulsive patterns that interfere with both athletic performance and overall well-being. The healthiest pregame routines are therefore flexible enough to adapt when circumstances change while still providing athletes with a sense of familiarity, confidence, and control. For coaches and sport psychologists, the goal is not to eliminate routines, but to help athletes develop rituals that promote confidence and consistency while remaining adaptable. Healthy routines should support performance without creating dependence or distress when circumstances change.
As we look to the younger generations of athletes growing up, it is important to teach them to grow their love for the game, and fun ways to improve their game. Seeing their favorite athletes and enjoying their silly rituals may encourage them to create their own. Having a routine, especially in the younger years, can be a great way to build confidence and regulate those last minute nerves that come out. Teaching young athletes to view routines as flexible tools rather than strict requirements can help them build confidence without becoming dependent on that ritual.
Whether it’s Wade Boggs’ plate of chicken, or a young athlete relacing their cleats before every game, pregame rituals rarely determine the outcome. Instead, their true value lies in the confidence, focus, and sense of control it provides. In that sense, the most powerful pregame ritual is not about luck at all, it is about preparing the mind to perform.
References
Bonk, D. (2020). Athletes’ perceptions of pre-game rituals in open-skill sports [Master’s thesis, University of Toronto]. University of Toronto TSpace Repository.https://utoronto.scholaris.ca/server/api/core/bitstreams/cbb92e8e-13c8-4971-81fc-271c72bb91de/content
Jackson, R. C., & Masters, R. S. W. (2006). Ritualized behavior in sport. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 29(6).
Jeannerod, M. (1995). Mental imagery in the motor context. Neuropsychologia, 33(11), 1419–1432. https://doi.org/10.1016/0028-3932(95)00073-C
Li, Y., Zhang, Y., Wang, J., & others. (2025). Brain network of athletes in motor imagery and action anticipation: An ALE meta-analysis and MACM analysis. [Journal name if available].https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12415032/
Powers, D., & Powers, C. (Hosts). (2026, March 5). NHL trade deadline rumors and Olympic gold medal stories with Taylor Heise and Cayla Barnes [Audio podcast episode]. In Empty Netters Podcast. Almost Friday Media.
Rupprecht, A. G. O., Tran, U. S., & Gröpel, P. (2024). The effectiveness of pre-performance routines in sports: A meta-analysis. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 17(1), 39–64.
Spriet, L. L. (2024). Caffeine and exercise performance: An update. Gatorade Sports Science Institute.https://www.gssiweb.org/sports-science-exchange/article/caffeine-and-exercise-performance-an-update
Swann, C., Keegan, R. J., Piggott, D., & Crust, L. (2012). A systematic review of the experience, occurrence, and controllability of flow states in elite sport. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 13(6), 807–819. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2012.05.006
Yun, D., Zhang, L., Qiu, Y., Schinke, R., & Liu, J. (2024). The usefulness of the useless: How ritualized behavior improves self-control under competition pressure. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 36(3), 484–498. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2023.2274465