mentality issues!!!

[Bacon&Eggs]

Hello friends, today I come seeking advice on the mental game!!! "Getting in the zone" seems to be a universal issue with smashers but I am not sure if others have exactly the same specific problem as me. When I am "off," which is rather often, I seem to just keep getting stuck on little individual exchanges. For example, I might approach but get stuffed by a Sheik ftilt or something and then just be completely lost and clueless on what to do next, and I usually end up flubbing a lot in this state. Whereas when I am "on" it feels more like I can see the "big picture," where I don't feel fixated on just one exchange at a time but rather the flow of the whole game and the possible set of exchanges. Tech skill is effortless and automatic, feeling more like an extension of myself. If I could compare this to chess, the off state is like only being able to concentrate on one piece at a time or the immediate consequences of one move at a time, where the on state is like being able to see all the movement options of all the pieces and to be able to see several moves into the future.

Or to put it more shortly, the off state is the fixation on present and immediate while the on state is the fixation on the future and the potential.

Most often this off state seems to get triggered by running into unfamiliar playstyles or matchups where my rhythm is interrupted, and after that happens I can just never seem to get it back, even against familiar playstyles and matchups. It may be worth mentioning as well that I have some pretty crappy habits as far as diet and sleep goes lolol

Anyone have any tips to move past this mental block? Anyone else have similar issues? Please let me know!!!

 

[notsuchabadguy]

That's odd. Whenever I describe my "on" state, it's actually the complete oposite of what you just said.

I always say that, in order to get in the zone, I try to eliminate both past and future to focus on the present. Anything that has happened before the match is needless baggage, and anything that happens afterwards I'll deal with later. I try to micro my focus as much as possible: Each blow becomes its own little battle, and important factors (stocks, percentages, positioning, timing, etc.) have to be re-evaluated with each passing moment.

Obviously practice is important (a.k.a. go to tournaments so you can learn to work under the right circumstances), but I've actually found taking a quick breather before each match helps a lot. Just sit down, get comfortable, take a deep breath and really think about what you need to do to play your best: If in your case it's to stay one step ahead and always think about what's next, try to focus on doing that, and remind yourself to do it during the game. If you lose your footing, remember that during most matches at lower levels you're not really fighting your opponent -- you're fighting against yourself and your own inhibitions, so worry less about taking stocks and more about getting back into your groove.

It's something we all struggle with, and with how hard it is to get over I feel like a lot of people find it pointless -- but I think if you can manage to play at your top potential at least 60% of the time, you already have a massive advantage over most other players.

Thanks for creating this thread, by the way. Not enough people talking about stuff like this, IMO.