The Pre-Game Advantage: Why Primers Elevate Performance & Culture

#49 - Strength & Speed Coaching - Pursuing Your Best ⚡️

Energy doesn’t start at kickoff.
It starts in the hallway… in the locker room… on the field… long before the lights flip on.

That’s where pre-game primers come in—and why this new 4-part series is all about helping you unlock game-day readiness through purpose-built warm-ups that drive performance, culture, and confidence.

While we use pre-game primers in football here at Mount Vernon, the concepts in this series can apply to any sport. Every team deserves to feel fast, focused, and ready when it’s go time.

Let’s get to work.

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What Is a Pre-Game Primer?

A pre-game primer is more than a warm-up. It’s a movement-based preparation system designed to:

• Elevate neuromuscular readiness

• Sharpen focus and intent

• Reinforce speed, power, and control

• Create a unified, competitive atmosphere

It’s the bridge between school and game mode—something that signals to the body and brain: it’s almost time to flip the switch.

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Why They Matter: Beyond Just “Getting Warm”

Traditional warm-ups often fall short.

They’re either too casual (jog lines and static stretches) or too random (whatever coach feels like today). But game day deserves structure with purpose.

Well-run primers deliver:

• Physical Readiness – Move through joint prep, activation, and dynamic speed-based movement

• Mental Focus – Narrow the attention, quiet the noise, set the tone

• Team Rhythm – Sharpen communication, trust, and unity

• Performance Transfer – Use movement patterns and intensities that carry over to sport

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Culture Counts, Too

Great primers do more than prep the body. They build identity.

• They signal that your team takes game day seriously.

• They reinforce effort, posture, and accountability.

• They’re a place to build leadership, as captains or athletes can lead segments.

• They become part of the team’s rhythm—a reliable system that keeps emotions steady and standards high.

Over time, this becomes a competitive advantage. One you control.

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What’s Coming in This Series

This four-part Pre-Game Primer series will break down:

1. Why Primers Work (Today’s issue)

2. How to Build a Primer That Transfers (Structure, duration, intensity, movement selection)

3. Game-Day Adjustments (Weather, time, energy, injury)

4. Creating a Culture Through Primers (Leadership, consistency, and belief)

Each post will include tangible examples, tips for in-season use, and a coaching mindset that balances structure with adaptability.

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Coach’s Note

If you’ve ever felt like your team starts slow, drags early, or lacks cohesion on game day…

…it’s rarely just about “focus.”
It’s about preparation.
It’s about energy.
It’s about flow.

And most importantly—it’s about what happens before the whistle.

Build that right, and everything else clicks faster.

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Want a deeper dive?

I’ve written a full guide, The Ultimate Pre-Game Primer Guide, packed with sample routines, best practices, and strategies we’ve developed at Mount Vernon to help athletes play fast when it counts.

Until then, keep pursuing excellence.

— Preston ⚡️

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The Ultimate Pre-Game Primer Guide

$29 • 3 Downloads Included

• eBook (28 pages)

• Video Presentation (50 minutes)

• Slideshow PDF (39 slides)

What’s Inside
A practical, no-fluff resource designed to help high school coaches create game-day prep systems that actually work. We cover everything from timing and intensity to movement selection, recovery, personalization, and sample routines.

Built for football. Adaptable to any team.

Pursuit PE Paid Subscribers, see the discount code below. ⬇️