Month: July 2015

At any level of competition, no matter your chosen field, learning to control anxiety and focus on the match at hand is a valuable asset. While I’m sure there’s some folks out there who can stroll into a tournament with very few worries in their mind, it’s probably safe to say everyone experiences these feelings at some level.

Fresh off a second-place Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- finish at Evo 2015, Japanese competitor Nage (pictured above, center) has compiled a few of the ways he deals with nerves during tournaments. Of course, these are all very personal strategies that may not work for everyone, but there may be one or two details you can pick out and apply to how you approach these same situations.

Some are pretty obvious, like focusing on having fun over winning and acknowledging that your opponent is probably nervous too, but a couple in particular stands out.

Nage has found that having a routine that shifts his thought processes into a more competitive mindset is beneficial to combating any nervousness he feels leading up to a match. He mentions incredibly specific actions that he tries to adhere to, such as wearing something pink, selecting his character at particular times, and drinking water or tea beforehand. “It’s more of a superstition,” Nage admits, “but it helps turn the switch on when playing a big tournament match.”

Another interesting tactic Nage employs is to make sure he can explain why he made certain decisions in a match to himself in order to keep his mind from going blank. “To avoid this, during casuals I try to think, ‘I did X because I wanted to do Y!’ and rationalize my playstyle,” he explains.

Again, these are personal strategies that Nage employs for himself, but I think there’s enough overlap within competitive minds that most of our readers will be able to find something useful for their own pre-tournament rituals. Be sure to check out the full translation of his writeup by TENMA0105 for even more tips.

(image courtesy of Robert Paul)