IT'S championship time in Tyrone, my second favourite week of the year behind Christmas.
Some Tyrone clubs have had their games, and some, like us, are prepping this week for the weekend ahead. It is a busy schedule of games, and it has got me thinking during the build-up this week about the differences in how players prepare for games.
Some players stick to tried and tested routines, some have superstitions, some relax as much as possible and some will think about nothing else until the ball is thrown in. Personally, both my mental and physical preparation has evolved and changed over the years and continues to tweak with every passing season.
To mentally prepare myself, I used to try and completely forget that there was a match on, whether it be for Tyrone or Moy, I had the same attitude. I did this to try and avoid overthinking and to keep myself from getting overly wound up before the game.
I didn’t do any research or check team sheets to think about our opponents or who I was marking. I literally focused on myself and my own personal preparation because I felt I was best playing to my own strengths not matching myself to anyone else. That was all well and good, however, as the years have moved on and technology has evolved, it has meant that doing homework on teams and direct opponents has never been as critical.
I have no doubt that team managers and coaches have spent the past few weeks sourcing footage to review each individual aspect of the opposition and try to establish how they are going to stop key players. I understand how important it is that this background work is done and how it does help the cause, however, it shows the level of detail expected for team preparation before a big game.
Things like video analysis, key match-ups, styles of play, a full gameplan, are all now common place at club level, it makes the build-up to a game a complete minefield of tension, emotion and, for a lot of players, pressure, and nerves.
Each player’s individual physical preparation will be as different as the player themselves. In the early stages of my career, I would have tried to get as many training and gym sessions in the week before the game, from primer gym sessions, power gym sessions, speed, and agility training, you name it I have tried it thinking it would give me the extra edge over my opponent.
As the years have gone on (and my body has gotten older), I have come to realise that resting, yoga, stretching and breathing work are now my go-to methods of preparation in the week before a game. I have done the training, the physical hard work has been done, and I have realised that literally nothing else will give you a massive win beyond the set training for the team.
Any match is a full team effort and for me, being relaxed and energised is the best way to approach it, allowing me to give the most that I can for the benefit of the rest of the team.
What works for me will be the opposite of what works for others, even within my own team.
Every player will have differing approaches to both their physical and mental preparation to be the best version of themselves on the day and this is to be respected and accepted.
Some players love to deep dive into research on their opponents to try and get under their skin and give them a mental edge. I have seen this in both club and county set-up, some players have their homework done, know exact traits of their opponent and know where their strengths and weaknesses lie.
I’m the opposite, I just ignore everything and go and play. It has worked for me as I never got wound up on who I was marking and in my head I should always have the ability to get the better of them or I wouldn’t have been picked in that position or put on that man. That said, I remember reviewing the 2018 All-Ireland final after Brian Howard side-stepped me a few times. He made the same move twice and I fell for it both times. Maybe if I had watched him more closely in the build-up to the game, I would have recognised the move and picked up the side he goes to, giving me a better chance of stopping him.
Every team and player will be physically and mentally prepared as best they can. Many will look to their nutrition next as their way of trying to gain an edge over the opponents.
Nutrition is obviously a key component of preparation but is also the most varied component too. It is completely down to the individual what works for them – some will keep it light with eggs and have the big recovery meal afterwards, some will stick to the old faithful pasta and chicken and others will have all sorts of weird and wonderful theories.
I firmly believe that if we get the basics right - plenty of water, good quality food and sleep - then we can’t go too far wrong. I might even move my Friday night glass of red wine to Saturday night for this week.
Everyone works all year in the hope of playing in the championship. It’s a big day where every team feels they have a shot, it’s the hope that keeps everyone going.
There are always some surprise results, some very one-sided games and everything in between.
Challenge accepted.
