It takes a certain quality to be the best at anything. The mindset of the greatest athletes, like Shaun White, always varies a little from their competition. Now, how that approach manifests in their performance is a little different for everyone. For superstars like Tiger Woods, it comes in the form of pre-game rituals.

Snowboarding legend Shaun White resonates with Woods’ approach. Hearing the golfing G.O.A.T. talk about his system got White all amped up.

How Shaun White relates to Woods

Back in 2017, White sat down with Graham Bensinger to talk about his career. In the interview, he detailed his experience of sitting in another country, watching Woods on TV, when something struck him. Woods was explaining to the audience at a charity event how he approached the tee.

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‘I understood exactly what he was doing,’ White exclaimed. He went on to describe Woods’ system or pre-game rituals that help him bring his A-game. “He’s like, ‘I stand up, I take a look at it…I do my shoulders. I take a look down the course, I go to the ball, I take a second look.’ He’s like ‘I never take a third look.’

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And it’s exactly that mindset that the Olympic snowboarding champion can get behind. “Those kinda things. It’s like when I know exactly what I wanna do when I get there,” he continued. While these habits may come across as borderline superstitious for many, for the athletes, it’s an approach that gets results.

How White approaches every run

Similar to the golfer, White has his own system when competing. However, it’s not so much a series of tasks like Woods, but more of an attitude he embodies before he approaches the ice. White explained, “I don’t really say much before the event. I’m extremely mellow.” 

“You’d be like, ‘You ready, dude? Could get pumped up.’ And I’m not. I’m just sitting there like this, kinda bored,” he went on. For White, the thrum of nerves and excitement only begins when he’s at the starting gate, about to take off down the slope.

“I don’t feel anything until I actually pull up and you’re looking at the the Olympic halfpipe is glowing that night.” For the man with 15 X-Games titles, there’s no doubt in his mind when he steps onto the snow. When he shows up, he is convinced of the outcome and no seed of doubt can deter him.

Over the years, White has perfected the strategy for every competition. It’s not about getting as much practice in, right before the event, as possible. It’s about knowing you’re in good shape and keeping that confidence till the end.

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