How to keep your edge through an all-day tournament?

[LovinMitts]

So whenever I go to tournaments, I typically play very very well earlier in the day, but as the day goes on, I start to get into a bit of a fog. My reaction time decreases, I autopilot more, and I make terrible decisions at times. Does anyone have any advice on how to help with this?

 

[GenNyan]

I'm the opposite. That being said, I haven't been at an all-day tournament (5 hours was the longest I think). Make sure you bring water and maybe a snack. Use friendlies to test stuff, practice tech, cool down, etc. Don't play them in the same way you would a real match or it'll probably drain your energy.

If you find yourself playing really badly for whatever reason, walk away from the setup for a few minutes, breath, and come back with a better attitude. Remember that it's all in your head.

 

[ECHOnce]

Music helps me a lot when I start losing focus/hype.

Also, eating breaks are key. Tons of people just have a large breakfast at the start of the day of a big tourney and don't eat again until around dinner. This is pretty awful, but it happens for a reason - it's hard to get out sometimes with brackets running, and not wanting to miss out on the opportunity to get more games in. Ignore those temptations. You're an organism. Organisms eat and drink things a lot. Organisms aren't made to sit down in chairs for 8 hours straight. Before an event, plan out when you can take a break between brackets you enter, or plan to go right after you get knocked out of bracket. Look up nearby restaurants. Better yet, pack a lunch! If you can bring a console or CRT, you can most definitely throw in a wrapped sandwich or something. And whether it's a small snack or full lunch you bring is optional, but water bottles should be mandatory. Keeping hydrated is obv just as important, and perks you up more quickly if you're losing focus anyhow.

 

[EddyBearr]

Drink a lot of water and at least eat something every 4-5 hours. Tournament settings are quite a drain and you actually burn quite a few calories (read: use up readily available energy) when participating in mentally-stimulating tournaments.

 

[EPsilon933]

For an average adult, the brain uses up 25% of the body's energy. Imagine how much it uses up when it's going on high gear for hours. If you get deep into flow, you might dump all of your main energy reserve for playing your absolute best that day. That can burn up everything in only a few sets. I've only talked about this with 1 other player and he gets the same experience I get

 

[Nishifue]

aaaaaaaaaa

 

[AscendantAquila]

Drink lots of water and make sure you eat something. I try to play a lot, but when I know I have to play a match at a certain time, I try to take a 45min to an hour break and then about 30mins before my match I start playing friendlies to warm up my hands. Make sure to get rest even though you may not feel tired, your brain is probably not functioning at full capacity. Make sure to prehydrate and eat well before the tournament starts. Starting the day with junk food and not drinking water is an easy way to get fatigued later in the day.

 

[Dolla Pills]

Ask Westballz

 

[Arcturian]

Ask Westballz

Wes keeps his edge through a combination of circus music and adderall.

 

[Stride]

I recommend fruit juice because it's full of sugar for energy and is easy to drink even in large amounts, unlike a lot of other high-energy drinks such as soda (at least for me). I also find that eating small snacks frequently feels particularly filling relative to how much I eat overall (i.e. I don't feel hungry despite not eating much); taking a box of cereal bars with you can help a lot, especially if you don't get a chance to eat a proper meal.

Always have water on hand (especially during tournament games); bring a lot of it or refill a bottle while you're out, or both. Having plentiful water also allows you to reserve your fruit juice for when you need the energy (since you can use the water when you're just thirsty or have a dry mouth).

Take some time to yourself if you need to; go somewhere quiet and isolated for a few minutes and relax, maybe listen to music for a bit.

Since many tournaments start in the morning, if you have to travel to them on the day then you'll have to get up early, which make you start to feel tired relatively early in the day. Whatever you can do to make sure you sleep well is good.