Training Habits

The Pre-Play: Your Plan for Night-Before Visualisation

Rhema Adelaja · National Champion & 4x DUX · August 2026 · 6 min read

Arrive at training mentally sharp. This simple 5-minute routine the night before helps you start with purpose and execute with confidence because you have already seen success.

You turn up to training on time. You have eaten well. Your body is ready. You go through the physical warm-up, but your mind is lagging behind. The first part of the session is a write-off. You spend it just trying to get your head in the game. By the time you feel sharp, half of the practice is over.

I have been there. In my first year of university basketball, I was physically fit but mentally slow to start. Morning sessions were a struggle. My body was on the court but my brain was still in my dorm room. This inconsistency cost me valuable training time. It held me back.

The solution was not more physical work. It was a different kind of preparation. It was a simple, quiet habit I started the night before. This is your guide to building that same habit.

Why Your Brain Needs a Warm-Up Too

You would never skip your physical warm-up. It prepares your muscles for the work ahead and prevents injury. You need to think about your mind in the same way. A mental warm-up gets your brain ready to focus, react, and execute skills under pressure.

Visualisation is your mental warm-up. It is the act of rehearsing your performance in your mind. This is not wishful thinking. It is a proven training method. When you mentally picture yourself performing a skill, you activate the same parts of your brain as when you actually do it. Your brain does not know the difference. This is mental practice that improves physical performance.

By doing this the night before, you are not just warming up. You are setting your intention for the next day. You are telling your brain exactly what you want it to do. You arrive at your session already primed for success.

The Videotape in Your Head

I used to struggle with my defensive footwork. In drills, I was always a step late. My reaction time was slow. My coach would show me the right way, but in the moment, my body would go back to its old, incorrect habits. It was deeply frustrating.

So I started my pre-play routine. Every night, for five minutes before sleeping, I would lie in bed and close my eyes. I would play a film in my head. In this film, I was on the court. I saw the attacker move, and I watched my feet slide perfectly into position to stop them. I did not just see it. I felt the powerful push from my legs. I heard the squeak of my trainers on the floor.

I ran this film over and over. Sometimes the old mistake would creep into the picture. I would simply stop the film, rewind, and play it again correctly. After a week, something changed in our training sessions. My body started doing what my mind had been practising. My feet moved before I had time to think. The new habit was becoming automatic.

This is the same method used by many elite performers. The swimmer Michael Phelps called it putting in the videotape before every race. He rehearsed the perfect race, and also visualised how he would handle problems if they came up. He was prepared for anything.

Building Your 5-Minute Pre-Play Routine

This does not need to be complicated. A simple, consistent routine is more effective than a long, complex one you only do now and then. Here is a simple framework you can start using tonight.

Find Your Quiet Space

Your bed, right before you go to sleep, is the perfect place. The house is quiet. The day's work is done. Put your phone away. Turn off the television. Give yourself five minutes of total quiet. No distractions. This is your time to prepare.

Choose One Clear Focus

Do not try to visualise an entire game or a whole season. That is too much. It becomes vague. Instead, pick one specific thing you are working on in tomorrow's session. It could be a technical skill, like shooting a free throw. It could be a tactical element, like your positioning in a certain play. Make it small and specific.

Run the Film with Your Senses

Close your eyes and begin your mental rehearsal. To make it effective, you need to use more than just your sight. Involve as many senses as you can.

See it. Watch the skill unfold from your own eyes. See your hands, your feet, the ball, the target. See it happening exactly as you want it to.
Feel it. What are the physical sensations? Feel the grip on the bat or racquet. Feel the ground under your feet. Feel the balance in your core as you move.
Hear it. What are the sounds of your sport? Hear the ball hitting the sweet spot. Hear the splash as you enter the water. Hear your teammate's call.

Run through this perfect repetition several times. Feel the confidence that comes from flawless execution.

Why Night-Time is the Right Time

Doing this routine just before sleep is a deliberate choice. Sleep is not just for resting your body. It is when your brain gets to work organising the day's information and locking in new skills. This process is called memory consolidation.

When you practise something mentally right before you sleep, you give your brain a clear task to work on. Research shows that sleep after mental practice helps your brain learn and remember motor skills more effectively. You are using your sleep time to make your training more permanent.

This means you wake up with the correct pattern already more ingrained in your mind. You are not starting from zero. You are starting your day one step ahead.

You arrive at your session with a clear purpose, ready to execute, because you have already seen yourself succeed.

Tonight, before you switch off the light, take five minutes. Choose one skill you want to improve tomorrow. Close your eyes and run your pre-play. See it, feel it, and hear it go perfectly. Do the mental work tonight so you can perform the physical work tomorrow.