Before I play matches I'm always switching myself on. That's why I have that walk-on music - Two Steps From Hell - they produce really good motivational gladiator-style music. As soon as that music comes on I'm switched on and I'm ready for a brawl!

The Switch You Have to Flip

We all have those moments where we need to flip a switch inside ourselves—where casual mode won't cut it and we need to become someone slightly different. Van Gerwen's ritual isn't really about the music itself; it's about giving himself permission to transform. That walk-on song becomes a signal, a boundary between ordinary time and performance time. The genius part is recognizing that this mental shift doesn't happen automatically just because stakes are high. You have to engineer it.

This matters beyond professional sports. Anyone who's ever had to psych themselves up for a difficult conversation, a job interview, or even a creative project knows the gap between feeling ready and actually being ready. We're not always naturally dialed in when we need to be. The practical insight here is that rituals work not because they're magical, but because they're honest acknowledg­ments that our minds need help transitioning between states. Van Gerwen's "gladiator music" is just a more colorful version of what many successful people do quietly—a deliberate moment to remind themselves who they are when it matters most.