How To Survive Tournament Day
Dunban - May 31, 2017So, you're about to head to a Smash tournament. Weither its a small weekly or super major, you're feeling pumped. Though, there is one question on your mind, which is how to survive durring the tournament. I'm not a top player or anything, but I've gone to quite a few tournaments and I feel as though I could provide a few tips.
1. Get enough sleep!
This is crucial. Without sleep, you're not only going to feel terrible, but it will also harm your play at the tournament. 8-9 hours of sleep is most optimal, too much sleep will only harm you. If you get a good amount of sleep, you will not only feel fresh and vigilant at the venue, but you will also have better results; getting more than 7 hours of sleep with help you stay focused and pay attention.
2. Meditate
Sounds strange, right? Well, meditation is actually very important. What I mean by this is taking a moment, 10-20 minutes, to just relax. Durring this time you can get a quick power nap, listen to music, prepare yourself mentally for the bracket, etc. I find that doing this not only helps boost my confidence but it also boosts my mental game. Make sure you dont fall asleep fully though, or you might end up sleeping through your bracket match! You can do this before or even durring your bracket match, provided you actually have time to take a break.
3. Do not forget to drink plenty of water!
Yeah yeah, you're told this every single day of your life. However, never skip out on a chance to get some water! Water is, essentially, a natural energy drink. It will help clear your mind and relieve thirst. Drinking a good amount of water can only benefit you. If you don't, you may end up getting dehydrated (or, potentially, if the venue is crowded and can get hot quickly, get heatstroke.) To avoid this, I recommend getting a drink every couple 2 hours or so. Most larger venues will have water for free, but just incase, you can bring your own.
4. Energy drinks are a no-go before or durring bracket.
NEVER use an energy drink before or durring bracket. They can give you a small high for a few minutes, but after that they will crash on you. If you are feeling tired, just rest for a moment and get something to drink. Energy drinks are terrible for your tournament performance, believe it or not. If you seriously do need one, make sure not to slam it. Drink it slowly and do it awhile before bracket actually starts. If you see me at tournaments, this is hypocritical of me, considering I use them too. Leave about 30 minutes to an hour before bracket when drinking one.
5. Ask for advice.
This goes right in hand with my next point. Asking for advice will not only help you rule out some small issues last minute, but will help you improve. Knowing what you're doing wrong and knowing how to fix it is a huge confidence boost. I do not need to go on about this too much, so go hop on to my next point.
6. Have fun.
Friendly matches are there for a reason. If you are feeling stressed, bored, unfocused or restless, playing a couple of matches with a buddy or randoms will help. Be careful who exactly you play with though, because this is one of the easiest ways to autopilot. To combat this, there is a helpful video out there already made. Shameless promotion, much? But seriously, the friendly matches are probably one of the best, if not, the best thing about tournaments. They help you not only calm down before bracket, but devolp good relations and find friends in your scene. Even if you go 0-2 in bracket, stay for the friendlies. They are one of the best ways to actually get better at smash4, as you can play a wide variety of characters and people with different playstyles. This, not to mention, also gets rid of the lag you can have online. Friendlies are the biggest part of smash tournaments really, especially smaller ones. They are the body of the tournaments. They are the body of the scene. They are essentially, the body of smash.
I hope you found my small guide helpful. I'm not a PR player like I said earlier, nor do I have notable results. Though, this comes from the bottom of my expierences as a competitive smash player. I'll probably make another guide soon, so stay.. tuned. I guess.
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