While most sports require physical fitness and technical skill, every sport requires mental focus. Whether it involves pushing your body to the limit in the final stretch of a sprint or maintaining the composure necessary to make that last gasp game-winning shot, sports are as much a contest of the mind as they are of the body. Yet we rarely hear about the mental regimens that athletes use to maintain mental and emotional focus.

In the slide show above, varsity soccer players Liz Speck (CAS’09) and Farrell McClernon (SMG’10) walk us through their pregame routines and talk about why they are crucial to peak performance.

Come support the women's soccer team Wednesday, September 24, at 7 p.m. when they play Brown University during "Faculty and Staff Night." There will be a pregame ceremony on Nickerson Field to honor faculty members selected by team's seniors, and all faculty and staff members and their families will receive free admission for the game.

Edward A. Brown can be reached at ebrown@bu.edu.