[Practical Workshop] Your Soundtrack of High Performance
How to Build Your Own Mindset Playlists
Welcome to this weekend’s Practical Workshop
On Fridays, you’ll get more than something to read. I’ll give you a focused training activity you can use over the weekend to strengthen your mindset and move closer to your next level.
What You’ll Get From This Activity
Discover how to use music as a tool to shift your mental state on demand
Build a pre-game playlist that blocks out distractions and boosts confidence
Create a recovery playlist that helps your body and mind switch into rest mode
Develop a bounce-back playlist that restores belief after setbacks
Gain a simple system for emotional control that supports long-term performance
Kobe Bryant was relentless about mastering the mental side of sport.
One of his overlooked tools was music.
He did not just listen casually. He used it intentionally to manage his emotions and energy.
Hard music when he needed fire, softer music when he needed calm, and even silence when he wanted deep focus.
This was not about taste or entertainment. It was about awareness.
Kobe knew that his feelings before a game, during training, or after a gruelling playoff series mattered just as much as his physical preparation.
Music became a lever he could pull to regulate those states.
You might not be Kobe, but you can use the same tool.
The difference between athletes who break through and those who burn out often comes down to emotional control. Music can be one of your simplest and most effective training partners.
Today, you are going to build three mentality playlists:
A playlist for drowning out the noise and pumping you up before a big performance.
A playlist for relaxing and recovering after the work is done.
A playlist for bouncing back after setbacks and rebuilding confidence.
Let’s walk through each one.
[Activity 1] The Pre-Game Playlist
Every athlete knows the tension that builds before competition. The crowd, the expectations, the pressure.
The bigger the stage, the louder it gets, both inside your head and around you.
This is where your Pre-Game Playlist comes in. Its job is simple: block out distractions, fuel confidence, and put you in the mental space to perform.
Think hard beats, energizing lyrics, or instrumentals that fire you up. Hip-hop, rock, or high-tempo electronic music often works here, but the genre does not matter. What matters is how it makes you feel.
Choose songs that make you feel untouchable, like you are putting on armor.
Aim for 5 to 8 tracks that you can play on repeat during warm-up, travel, or locker-room moments.
This playlist is not about sounding cool or picking what everyone else listens to. It is about creating the psychological environment you need to compete with full focus. Kobe listened to heavy, aggressive tracks before games because they gave him the edge he wanted. Your version might be different, but the principle is the same.
Reflection Question: Which songs make you feel powerful, sharp, and ready to compete no matter what?
Write them down now.
[Activity 2] The Recovery and Reset Playlist
High performance is not sustainable without recovery. Just like Kobe leaned on softer music to calm himself, you need a playlist that signals to your body and mind: it is time to rest.
This is your Recovery and Reset Playlist.
Think slow tempos, soothing melodies, and lyrics (or even instrumentals) that create calm. Acoustic tracks, jazz, classical, or chill lo-fi can all work.
These songs should lower your heart rate and help you step away from the intensity of training or competition.
Use it after practice, during wind down, or before sleep.
Science backs this up.
Studies on heart rate variability and stress show that music with slower rhythms can trigger a relaxation response. It is not just “nice background noise.” It is a real tool for signalling your body to switch from high-intensity to recovery mode.
Reflection Question: Which songs help you breathe deeper, let go of tension, and feel like the day’s weight is lifting off your shoulders?
Me personally I have some pre-made ‘Lo-Fi Hip Hop’ playlists on Spotify just to run quietly in the background.
Build this playlist with 5+ tracks that you can turn to whenever you need to recover.
[Activity 3] The Bounce-Back Playlist
Every athlete faces bad days.
A poor performance, a missed opportunity, or a moment where confidence slips. What you do after those moments often matters more than the mistake itself.
This is where your Bounce-Back Playlist comes in. Its purpose is to lift your energy, rebuild belief, and remind you that one performance does not define you.
Think uplifting, optimistic, or energizing tracks that make you feel capable again. Songs that remind you of past successes, lyrics that speak to resilience, or beats that pull you out of a slump.
Choose music that makes you want to move forward, not dwell on what happened.
Use it on the ride home after a tough game, the morning after a poor performance, or anytime your confidence needs rebuilding.
This playlist is especially important for younger or amateur athletes who may not yet have the mental skills to reset quickly. Instead of replaying mistakes or spiralling into frustration, this playlist becomes a reset button.
Build this playlist with 5+ tracks that will carry you forward when doubt threatens to hold you back.
Putting It All Together
You now have the framework for three powerful tools:
Pre-Game Armor Playlist: confidence and focus before competition.
Recovery and Reset Playlist: calm and restoration after hard effort.
Bounce-Back Playlist: resilience and renewed belief after setbacks.
Music is more than entertainment.
It is a way to regulate your emotions, prepare your mind, and shape how you approach both training and competition. Kobe understood this, and so can you.
The point is not to pick the “perfect” tracks.
It is to become intentional about how you use music as part of your mindset training. Every playlist you create is another tool in your kit. When you are standing on the edge of competition, recovering from fatigue, or struggling with disappointment, you will not be left scrambling. You will already have a tool ready to guide you.
Closing Thought
Your next level as an athlete will not only come from more reps or longer hours. It will come from being intentional about your mental preparation. Music is one of the simplest ways to do it, and yet almost no one takes the time to tune their playlists to optimise their mindset.
Train your mindset like you train your body, and you will discover that your performance can shift with just the right song at the right time.