Walk into the Manchester United locker room on game day, and you might spot goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce standing in front of a circle of glowing lights - calm, focused, dialed in.
She’s not scrolling through the starting XI or double-checking tactics. She’s running through fast-paced light drills in a corner of the room, using visual cues to trigger movement, sharpen reactions, and quiet the noise.
“I use BlazePod every single day. Even on match days - it’s the thing that gets my senses going before I hit the pitch.”
It’s not part of the warm-up. It’s the pre-warm-up. The mental reset before the chaos. A personalized, cognitive-first ritual that helps her step into one of the toughest roles in football - ready to respond in milliseconds, from set pieces to breakaways.
This isn’t just about gear. It’s about mindset, preparation, and controlling the controllables. For Phallon, BlazePod has become a key tool for staying sharp and staying present - both at Carrington and under the lights of Old Trafford.
Let’s break it down.
From Fitness Hack to Game-Day Staple
How BlazePod Became Part of the Routine
Phallon’s first encounter with BlazePod wasn’t in a Premier League training session. It was far earlier - during her time in the U.S. with OL Reign (then Seattle Reign).
“I actually had my own set of Pods pretty early on in my professional career… I used them more as a fitness tool… just to get the heart rate up and that anaerobic fitness up.”
Back then, the lights were a tool to get moving - purely physical, not yet part of her mental prep. But that changed fast.
After connecting with the BlazePod team and diving into the deeper uses, she realized these Pods weren’t just for speed and conditioning. They were for mindset, too.
“Meeting with the whole staff at BlazePod just opened me up to all the potential uses - especially for the mental side of the game and preparation for every single training day.”
Reacting to Stadium Lights Before the First Whistle
Goalkeepers don’t just need good hands - they need split-second reactions and elite situational awareness. A late trigger off a corner kick, a momentary loss of peripheral vision, or one wrong step forward - that’s the difference between clean sheet and chaos.
That’s why Phallon built BlazePod into her matchday routine.
“As soon as I started implementing the Pods into my warm-up to the warm-up - my pre-act in the locker room - I noticed it helped me get adjusted [to stadium lights]. Now I haven’t had any issues.”
“BlazePod lights up my senses right from the start so that as soon as I leave that locker room, it won’t be such an adjustment to what’s going on in the game-day environment.”
This is preparation at the highest level. A low-tech looking tool with high-performance outcomes - from sensory readiness to emotional regulation.
“BlazePod almost destabilizes me - not in a bad way, but it puts me in a controlled state of stress I can manage. It helps prepare me mentally for moments where I might make mistakes, so I can recover faster.”
Drills for the Mental Game
For elite keepers, the demands are as much mental as they are physical. Shot-stopping is about reading the play, not just reacting to it. BlazePod helps train that recognition loop.
“Now at Manchester United, I use them every single day - whether that’s hand reaction, foot reaction, or even peripheral vision expansion - just to get me ready for training days.”
Whether it’s visual scanning, color-coded decision-making, or timed tap feedback, BlazePod drills aren’t just flashy. They’re functionally tailored to improve what really matters in the box: how fast you process and how well you respond.
“When you miss your hand once, you’ve got to tap it again - your results change. Pairing BlazePod with breathwork has helped me control my emotions and let mistakes pass quicker emotionally.”
That combo of intensity and recovery, action and reset, is at the heart of elite goalkeeping.
A Tool for All Levels of the Game
Phallon’s story makes one thing clear: BlazePod isn’t just for pros.
“It’s honestly just summed up as a really all-encompassing, simple tool - with a simple interface - that so many people can use for many different reasons, sports, and things like that.”
From elite athletes to rehab patients to kids getting their first taste of team sports, the benefit is the same: better reactions, better awareness, and better engagement.
“I think when you’re limited physically, the BlazePod is an incredible mental tool. Even just using your hands or feet, or different head movements - you can still train your mind to stay sharp.”
Final Whistle
Soccer fans know: preparation isn’t just cones and clean kits. It’s what happens before the first touch. And for goalkeepers, that means finding tools that elevate both body and brain.
BlazePod isn’t just a product in Phallon Tullis-Joyce’s gym bag. It’s a ritual. A trigger. A way to show up ready - whether it's the training pitch at Carrington or a stadium filled with 70,000 fans.
“It’s something that just constantly sharpens me… I’ve learned so much from using it.”
And now, you have too.
