TSM ZeRo
Banned via Administration
I've seen this many times. Players with a lot of potential and skill simply play different when they're playing against a well established top player or when they're in the big stage in front of everyone. They can see victory, because it's right in front of them. Yet, when it comes down to performing when they really want to... they just don't. They play sloppy, overly defensive, sluggish, get themselves cornered often and play a more reactive style rather than an active one. They don't take the initiate anymore, but just hope for their opponent to make mistakes. However, against a top player, you don't wait for them to make a mistake in order to beat them. You make them make a mistake. In this article I will go over the different aspects that cause this and ways to solve them from my experience, since I used to be really vulnerable in this aspect, so I'd like to help others after I managed to improve at it.
Imagine you're in Grand Finals at MLG. Just for a bit, put yourself in that position. What is the first thing that comes to your mind? Is it the prize money? Is it the glory? The fame? Most likely, they are. Or some type of accomplishment from -if you won that-. However, are you actually thinking on how to win the set you're about to play? Was that the -very first- thought you had in your mind? Chances are, it was not. Most of the time, human behavior tends to focus in results and what that can change for them if that result became a reality rather than how to accomplish aforementioned result. While this is a simple life advice that sounds easy, it is actually a very powerful one: Set a goal for yourself, and after that, focus every resource in accomplishing that goal. Forget about how awesome accomplishing said goal would be -especially during a tournament set, when you're one step away from achieving this goal- because it often does two things:
1.- Makes you realize what is at stake, and how close you are. And it only depends on how you perform. Recognizing this will add pressure on you, meaning that you will probably get nervous. Getting nervous sucks. Affects your play tremendously in almost every way. We all know about this feeling, you just don't want to have it while playing. The more experience you have, the weaker it is. But it's always there in some way. Even if you truly don't feel nervous when playing, there's still the nervousness that comes of what would happen if you lose. It gets a bit more complicated after that, since it depends on the individual and how they value what's around them. But, the bottom line is that you don't want to have this feeling, so focusing thought process in it is useless. Also:
2.- You're using a significant part of your energy -that should be used to develop a strategy to win your upcoming set- into situational awareness that only leads to you getting nervous.
As you can see, while the reward can be your motivation to play, at the same time, it's a double edged sword. My personal advice in this situation is to always focus on achieving the win, and nothing else. After it's all over, you can detach yourself from this 'tournament mode' and enjoy and/or reflect on what you accomplished. Not before, not during but after. I've found a lot of success with this strategy and most of my big wins use this thought process to be accomplished.
It's easy to throw the towel. Call it quits. Say it's impossible, or use the word 'No' in general. What's difficult is trying your hardest and believing in yourself when times are hard. Smash is no different and in fact I thought of that line while thinking about Smash!
When you lose to someone, two things can happen: You either get more motivation to beat them, or you get discouraged whenever playing that player again. You get down on yourself, and you think that you have a disadvantage when facing that player again. I'm talking about a mental block.
Fellow team member, CT EMP Mew2King, used to have mental blocks in the past. First, it was Mango, then Jigglypuff, and in Brawl it was Diddy Kong and then Olimar. But why would a player of his caliber have a mental block and basically, defeat himself before even playing the matches? Isn't he able.. of just getting past these obstacles? He sure is and there's no doubt about it. In fact, there's only one question here, and it's not towards this situation, but to you. Yes, you, the reader. But before you answer, think about what I really mean with my question:
You're not. You're both human beings with tons of capabilities and potential. And this is exactly my point: There's no difference between players based on their skilled level. We're all human, and we have weaknesses. But humans adapt pretty well, we've been doing it for a while now. So how do we adapt here? Well, from what Mew2King told me in person 'I just stopped caring about losing' which brings us back to my first point: He stopped caring about what could of happened if he lost and/or won and started only focusing in how to win. He started thinking about the present, not the future or the past. That's also a great life lesson. It sounds very simple, and it really is if you think about it, though, it's hard to always apply. It takes time, experience and effort. But I believe in you.
CT ZeRo is a professional Smash Bros player over at Clashtournaments who enjoys reading, writing, content production and sometimes anime. You can contact him on twitter @CT_ZeRo
Forget about the reward
Who wouldn't want one of these?
Who wouldn't want one of these?
Imagine you're in Grand Finals at MLG. Just for a bit, put yourself in that position. What is the first thing that comes to your mind? Is it the prize money? Is it the glory? The fame? Most likely, they are. Or some type of accomplishment from -if you won that-. However, are you actually thinking on how to win the set you're about to play? Was that the -very first- thought you had in your mind? Chances are, it was not. Most of the time, human behavior tends to focus in results and what that can change for them if that result became a reality rather than how to accomplish aforementioned result. While this is a simple life advice that sounds easy, it is actually a very powerful one: Set a goal for yourself, and after that, focus every resource in accomplishing that goal. Forget about how awesome accomplishing said goal would be -especially during a tournament set, when you're one step away from achieving this goal- because it often does two things:
1.- Makes you realize what is at stake, and how close you are. And it only depends on how you perform. Recognizing this will add pressure on you, meaning that you will probably get nervous. Getting nervous sucks. Affects your play tremendously in almost every way. We all know about this feeling, you just don't want to have it while playing. The more experience you have, the weaker it is. But it's always there in some way. Even if you truly don't feel nervous when playing, there's still the nervousness that comes of what would happen if you lose. It gets a bit more complicated after that, since it depends on the individual and how they value what's around them. But, the bottom line is that you don't want to have this feeling, so focusing thought process in it is useless. Also:
2.- You're using a significant part of your energy -that should be used to develop a strategy to win your upcoming set- into situational awareness that only leads to you getting nervous.
As you can see, while the reward can be your motivation to play, at the same time, it's a double edged sword. My personal advice in this situation is to always focus on achieving the win, and nothing else. After it's all over, you can detach yourself from this 'tournament mode' and enjoy and/or reflect on what you accomplished. Not before, not during but after. I've found a lot of success with this strategy and most of my big wins use this thought process to be accomplished.
It's always a new opportunity
CT EMP Mew2King right after winning The Big House 3. He used to lose to Jigglypuff for years. Mental blocks can be powerful if you let them grow.
It's easy to throw the towel. Call it quits. Say it's impossible, or use the word 'No' in general. What's difficult is trying your hardest and believing in yourself when times are hard. Smash is no different and in fact I thought of that line while thinking about Smash!
When you lose to someone, two things can happen: You either get more motivation to beat them, or you get discouraged whenever playing that player again. You get down on yourself, and you think that you have a disadvantage when facing that player again. I'm talking about a mental block.
Fellow team member, CT EMP Mew2King, used to have mental blocks in the past. First, it was Mango, then Jigglypuff, and in Brawl it was Diddy Kong and then Olimar. But why would a player of his caliber have a mental block and basically, defeat himself before even playing the matches? Isn't he able.. of just getting past these obstacles? He sure is and there's no doubt about it. In fact, there's only one question here, and it's not towards this situation, but to you. Yes, you, the reader. But before you answer, think about what I really mean with my question:
Are you any different from Mew2King?
You're not. You're both human beings with tons of capabilities and potential. And this is exactly my point: There's no difference between players based on their skilled level. We're all human, and we have weaknesses. But humans adapt pretty well, we've been doing it for a while now. So how do we adapt here? Well, from what Mew2King told me in person 'I just stopped caring about losing' which brings us back to my first point: He stopped caring about what could of happened if he lost and/or won and started only focusing in how to win. He started thinking about the present, not the future or the past. That's also a great life lesson. It sounds very simple, and it really is if you think about it, though, it's hard to always apply. It takes time, experience and effort. But I believe in you.
CT ZeRo is a professional Smash Bros player over at Clashtournaments who enjoys reading, writing, content production and sometimes anime. You can contact him on twitter @CT_ZeRo
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