Shaving as part of a pre-sporting ritual.

[Big_Fuzzy]

My coach in Olympic weightlifting is a very big believer in his athletes having some kind of ritual for their preparation prior to lifting. For me this involves many superstitious little habits such as tapping the weight with my head prior to set up as well as right shoe on first, left shoe on second. These type of things help to get me in the mindsent several minutes before I even touch the bar.

After noticing my new found hobby with shaving, my coach suggested I add it to my pre-competition ritual. It was a great way to do it! The intense focus required to shave with a straight was exactly what I needed to settle my mind and prepare me for the hard concentration needed to face the distractions in the warm up rooms.

A fantastic side effect was how much it psyched the competition to walk into the bathroom and see a guy shaving with a straight, that got a few strange looks and unsettled some people, which was great!

Just thought i would share. It is something I will definitely be adding to my pre-lifting ritual, and sometimes when I have had to starve to make weight, it is a nice way to pass a half hour and not think about the hunger too much.

 

[Gruder]

Very nice -- thanks for sharing this!

 

[The Nid Hog]

That's very interesting. I think that routines are very important, and I can easily believe that this works well.

When I was pretty active in martial arts, I never shaved before working out. Rough stubble always added that extra something to grinding your face against someone else.

 

[flatstick96]

That was a cool story, and in that scenario I could see your shaving routine being a real benefit.

I never shave right before I know I'm going to get all sweaty, so I purposely avoid shaving right before something that I know will bring rigorous exercise.

On the other hand, I totally believe in "getting your mind right" with some sort of routine preceding activities where you need to be highly focused and also loose at the same time. When I used to play a lot of golf I had the exact same pre-shot routine before every shot. Even now, when I'm lucky if I play once a year, that routine is so ingrained that I'll follow it before every shot without even thinking about it.

 

[Doc4]

Try using one particular aftershave only for your pre-competition shaves! Something lingerling like bay rum, perhaps. That way the scent stays with you during the competition.

 

[TimmyBoston]

For other sports where sweating is involved I would strongly recommend against shaving right before competition. I would have been miserable shaving right before a tough football game.