TUNING IN
- Bryan Rudolph
- Aug 8
- 4 min read
How Music and Your Senses Can Unlock Elite Mental Performance
A Rings of Growth Mental Performance Resource
THE TRUTH ABOUT GAME-CHANGING PERFORMANCE
In the heat of competition, emotions don't just happen to you,
they fuel you or derail you. The difference between good athletes and great ones isn't avoiding emotion. It's mastering it.
Most athletes train their bodies with scientific precision but leave their minds to chance. That stops today.
Your senses, especially music, are the most underutilized performance tools in your arsenal. They're not just background noise. They're your mental training equipment.
WHY YOUR SENSES ARE YOUR SECRET WEAPON
Your senses are your direct line to the present moment. When pressure builds, when mistakes sting, when the crowd gets loud, your senses ground you in what's real and bring your focus back to what matters.
Music is the ultimate sensory tool because it:
Affects brain chemistry instantly
Processes emotions without words
Shifts energy in seconds
Creates repeatable mental triggers
At Rings of Growth, we believe mental skills are just like physical skills, they must be trained with intention. Our framework teaches athletes to grow through three rings: Awareness, Focus, and Recovery. Music amplifies every single ring.
THE RINGS OF GROWTH MUSIC SYSTEM
AWARENESS RING: Name Your State
Music helps you check in with what's happening inside.
The Tool: Emotional Check-In Playlist
Create a playlist with 8-12 songs that match different emotional states:
Calm: Billie Eilish (slower tracks), Clairo, Rex Orange County
Frustrated: XXXTentacion, Ski Mask, Playboi Carti
Confident: Drake, Travis Scott, Doja Cat
Reflective: Mac Miller, Tyler, The Creator, Frank Ocean
How to Use It:
After practice or games, listen to one song from each category
Journal: "What emotion does this bring up? Where do I feel it in my body?"
Rate your current state: "Which song matches how I feel right now?"
The Growth: This builds emotional awareness, the foundation of all mental performance.
FOCUS RING: Lock Into Your Zone
Music sharpens your mind and elevates your performance.
The Tool: Performance Trigger Playlists
Build three focused playlists:
1. Pre-Game Lock-In (5-8 songs)
High-tempo, confident lyrics
Songs that make you feel unstoppable
Examples: Travis Scott, Lil Baby, Future, Juice WRLD
2. In-Game Reset (2-3 songs)
Quick energy boosters for timeouts
30-60 second clips of your most powerful songs
3. Team Sync Anthem (1 song)
Chosen as a team to build collective energy
Played before games to unify focus
How to Use It:
Use headphones to create your "performance bubble"
Listen during warm-ups, not during competition
Let the rhythm become your internal metronome
The Growth: You develop the ability to trigger peak focus on demand.
RECOVERY RING: Reset and Rebuild
Music brings your nervous system back to baseline and encourages growth.
The Tool: Recovery Reset Routine
Post-Competition Protocol (10 minutes):
Immediate Calm (3 minutes)
Listen to calming music: Billie Eilish, Clairo, Kali Uchis (mellow tracks)
Examples: "ocean eyes," "Bags," lo-fi hip hop playlists
Body Reset (4 minutes)
Pair music with light movement:
Slow breathing (4-4-6-2 pattern)
Gentle stretching
Progressive muscle relaxation
Mental Processing (3 minutes)
Journal while listening:
"What did I learn today?"
"What can I let go of?"
"How did I grow?"
The Growth: You train your nervous system to recover faster and your mind to extract lessons from every experience.
MUSIC SELECTION GUIDE
Choose songs based on your goal:
FOR PARENTS: SUPPORTING THE SYSTEM
Music can also help athletes regulate emotions at home. Here's how parents can become better teammates:
In the Car:
Create a "Game Day Ride" playlist together, songs that ease tension without overstimulating
Let music fill awkward post-game silence instead of jumping into immediate feedback
At Home:
Respect their post-game music time as part of their recovery process
Ask: "What music helps you reset after tough games?"
Remember: Sometimes recovery needs rhythm, not conversation.
YOUR NEXT LEVEL ACTION PLAN
Week 1: Build Your Foundation
Create your Emotional Check-In Playlist
Test different songs and notice your body's response
Track which music styles affect your energy
Week 2: Develop Your Triggers
Build your Pre-Game Lock-In Playlist
Practice using it before training sessions
Refine songs based on performance feedback
Week 3: Master Recovery
Implement the 10-minute Post-Competition Protocol
Use calming music after every practice
Journal about patterns you notice
Week 4: Team Integration
Share your system with teammates
Choose a team anthem together
Create group playlists for different scenarios
THE BOTTOM LINE
Your playlist isn't just background music, it's your mental performance tool. Elite athletes don't leave their mindset to chance. They train it, trigger it, and control it.
Whether you're trying to calm nerves, lock into focus, or reset after adversity, the right song can change everything in seconds.
Start building your performance playlists today. Use them as part of your Rings of Growth routine. Your mind is a muscle, train it like one.
Ready to Go Deeper?
This is just one tool in the complete Rings of Growth Mental Performance System. Want to develop a full pre-game focus routine or master post-game emotional regulation using music and other proven techniques?
Let's connect and build your complete mental performance plan.
Rings of Growth Mental Performance • Where Greatness Grows From Within
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