Thursday, September 8, 2011

Tournament preparedness.

I have lifted this post from the PP forums. These are some of my pearls for attending a tournament with winning in mind. It is to do with off-table things, that help you win:

Tourneys are like exams. You are put under the pump, but after you have completed them you have a reward from it. For exams it is the mark, but for tourneys it is cool stories. Both give you experience for next time.

So how I approach one is just like I would an exam:

• Get to bed early. Tiredness when driving is like driving drunk. You wouldn't get inebriated at a tourney, unless you are just their for socialising. So why go tired?
Having a sharp mind can stop even just one mistake, which could turn a narrow loss into a tie, or a tie into a win, etc.
Also, tired people are usually grumpy people. You feel better for not being grouchy, even when things go wrong.

 Be early. You will be better off mentally getting there, say, 30 minutes early, than trying to find the place, or find parking, etc. My Dad was an Insurance claims assessor. You can imagine he might be on the back-foot if he was telling a client they were not insured for this or that. Getting there before time was one less apology he had to make, and one less stress he had to deal with.
Our family motto seems to be: "To be early is to be on time, and to be on time is to be late."


• Water. It is great for the brain. I have heard, so take it with salt if you want, that dehydrated people perform less well on tests on so on.
Don't load up on sugary drinks - they just dry you out. If you do drink them, make the next one a water.

• Shoes. Even if you have managed to sit down a lot, you feet might well end up sore. By wearing good runners, instead of something trendy, you actually improve your concentration. Workplaces with concrete floors put down rubber matts for workers to stand on for this very reason.
You don't want to miss something because your heels started aching.

• Loose-ish clothing. It'll help keep you cool, which will keep your BO down. It is not nice playing against someone who is a little whiffy. Also, loose clothes are more comfortable - which keeps your concentration up.

Now if you are not going to do the very best you can, then don't worry about what I have said. But if you want cool stories and results to share with your friends, these quite small things will help.

I hope I have been of help 

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