Many people play better in casuals than in a tournament. Why is that? People get nervous of course. They are taken out of their element and they are playing a whole new game.   They are worried that all these people will be judging their game.  They also worry about how far can they place in a tournament.  The #1 reason why a lot of people get nervous is that people are worried to run into a “TOP PLAYER.”  But there are countermeasures on how for people to play normally or at least 95% at their level.   Many people also have strategies to get themselves ready for a tournament. This prevents many people from “Choking” in a tournament. Choking is a term of missing a big opportunity to win the match/set.

Some strategies consist of:

• Listening to a “hype” song on your MP3 Player, which could calm your nerves down.
• Eating a good healthy meal 1 hr before the tournament.
• Not eating anything for the whole day.
• Have a cheering squad. (Friends/GF/Family)
• Doing something crowd pleasing in a match to get yourself pumped.
• Block your mind out that your in a tournament.

I use 2 strategies.  I have a song that I listen that amps me up.  And depending on the competition of the tournament, I don’t eat for the whole day so I can stay hungry and concentrated.  For me, when I eat anything, I tend to get sleepy which makes me lose focus and reactions in a match.

The song I use is Hekireki-Last Alliance (Hajime no Ippo New Challenger Intro)

The only way for people to get better is to travel and get more tournament experience.