Pre-Game Music and Peak Performance

What inspires you? I am inspired by music and musicians, my family and my good friends. Aside from lacrosse, listening to music and going to concerts are my favorite pastimes. After my sophomore year at Bowdoin College I went to Australia for a semester at the University of Queensland in Brisbane. During my freshman year we had won the New England ECAC tournament by defeating Williams College. My sophomore year our team was probably even more talented, but unfortunately our success and confidence got the best of us and we got knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. I needed a change of scenery and an attitude adjustment.

Back then I was listening to a lot of Grateful Dead and Bob Marley and it was actually this point in my life that I started growing my dreads. I always listen to music before games, and although the Grateful Dead can get you in a zone, I am not so sure it is the one that is most conducive for playing lacrosse. I had some good games my sophomore year but was a bit inconsistent. As a result of our dismal finish and my own personal inconsistency, I started reading sports psychology books to get myself back on track.

My most memorable inspiration came one night in Australia. My roommates were going to see a Jane’s Addiction concert in Brisbane. I wasn’t impressed with bootlegs they played of the band, but I wasn’t about to stay home either.

It turned out to be one of the most life changing concerts I have seen. Perry Farrell was so intense and into his performance it blew me away. It was as if he was in a room by himself without anyone watching. I realized that was precisely my problem. I was going into games too mellow and unfocused. I would think about how I was playing and what people thought of me rather than concentrating on playing hard and getting off myself. Well, I changed my pre-game tape (literally a cassette tape) and stopped worrying about the crowd or what others thought. This helped me focus and play hard.

In Psychology 101 you learn about the relationship between emotional arousal and performance. The idea is that performance suffers at low and high arousal levels while optimal performance of skilled activities occurs somewhere in between.

Typically this comes into play when athletes are over-stimulated and anxious. Obviously it is tough to pick the upper corner when you are nervous, but being under-aroused or too mellow can also prevent you from playing your best.

Your optimal level of arousal may vary slightly depending on your style of play and whether you are a grinder or goal scorer. Nonetheless, the type of music you listen to before a game can help you get to your most effective pre-game state.

Towards the later part of my playing days I became the team DJ. I would ask players on the team to submit recommendations for the pre-game mix. It’s tough to please everyone, but I found that it helps to have at least one song in there that each player can connect with. In the age of ipods, it is easy to program your own mix, but that can lead to isolation in the locker room. Music is a great way to get you up and bring you together as a team before going on the floor.

In the Wings Championship run in 2001, the one song that sticks out in my mind is Ace of Spades by Motorhead. Not a song that I would have selected, but being Dallas Eliuk’s pick he would sing along in an exaggeratedly deep voice. Probably not the reason we won, but it cracked me up and helped create a fun and energetic environment in the locker room before games.