Preparing for first tournament
Hi all, I will be participating in my first local tournament in ~3 weeks. Planning to ask my sensei for advice this week but thought I'd ask here too :)
What are the most important things to focus on between now and then? Any tips for nerves and "mental" preparation, like things to do the day before/morning of? I am planning to ask for grip fighting practice and maybe 1-2 good entries for my favorite throw, is there anything else you would recommend?
Thanks.
don't drink too much water, don't have a heavy meal. Bring light snacks to snack along the day especially if you don't know how long you'd be waiting
Thanks!
How did it go?
Lol thanks for remembering! Nobody else was in my weight category 😔 but I had a good time, it was fun to watch everyone else's matches and I got to help with taking videos of my friends' matches. Next time I'll probably try to go to a bigger tournament so that I have somebody my size to play.
Unfortunately that is the reality with a lot of smaller tournaments. Usually we try our best to combine divisions as appropriate but sometimes it is just the luck of the draw. Keep us up to date for the next one!
Will do :)
Don't be afraid of shidos for taking your time and finding a grip/attack opening. Going to fast out of the gate sets you up for an easy counter.
Only upside to losing quickly is you're fresh for your next match. 🙃
Thank you!
Honestly, the best advice I can think of is "enjoy it". Don't put too much pressure on yourself. No matter how much randori you do in class, nothing is like an actual match. Just go in and enjoy yourself and you will get a feel for how things go. After a few comps you will feel more equipped to know exactly what you need to focus on.
Good luck! Let us know how it goes :)
Thank you! Enjoying it is certainly going to be my #1 priority haha.
I posted about how it went here: https://lemmy.world/comment/3414841
Try to relax. Being tense will increase the odds for injury.
Noted!