Hi everyone,Just wondering if anyone has any tips on overcoming nervousness during games?I recently had a semi-final and I've never experienced such a high degree of nerves, it really badly affected my game. I've a final tomorrow (district level) and any input would be much appreciated! I'll be playing the first game as well with my partner (men's doubles).
I know how you feel, I played terrible at my tournament while playing singles but still won first place, you should chew gum before your game that should help hopefully that's what I did.
Focus only on your opponents, the net, and the court lines. Block out the crowd and everything else. And don't forget to take deep breaths.
Common tactic is just lay down some big smashes, get sweating, then you will only be concerned with not running out of breath etc instead of nerves. Harder in doubles just make sure in the half court warm up go for it hard, should do the trick.
The more you try to suppress prematch anxiety, it usually only get worst. Instead, go all-out during your warm-up on the empty court. While doing it, think about the match and be as anxious as you could. The idea is to make yourself familiar and learn to play with this feeling.
There are a number of breath exercises and concentration techniques in order to control the stress. Do some web search on that or find a zen/yoga/qigong teacher.
a few words about deep breathing exercises. Don't just do it before and during the tournament. Do it regularly.
A good technique, at least to cope with the pressure of losing points in a row under pressure is to play some safer shots and then pick up the pace after that.
I think we need much more input. The mental game of badminton is the only factor separating two equally-skilled players in a tournament. Very recently, I was in a lower-lever final, into the third game, and lost six points in a row after breaking a racket string, and afterward, I never recovered. I am very curious about what BCers do!
1. Don't think about game/match/tournament outcome. It's uncontrollable. Thinking about ultimate win/loss, and esp. the consequence of getting the trophy, or how other people may think of you, would make you "choke". Instead, focus on playing 1 point at a time, 1 rally at a time, 1 shot at a time.2. Concentrate. Ignore everyone/everything outside of the court, except the umpire and other judges presiding your match, and your own coach.3. Proper physical warm-up.4. Practice going through similar nerve-racking experience (e.g. playing more tournaments)5. Practice attention/excitement control every time you practice drills, or play practice games.6. Build up your confidence by playing less challenging tournaments and get some wins first.7. Trust your practice/skills in matches. Don't over control your shots (or try too hard). Doing so would let your "conscious" mind override your well-trained "subconscious" mind. See e.g. "Inner Game of Tennis".There're a lot of good sports psychology and mental books. It'd be a good idea to read at least 1-2 such books. You need to practice the techniques often. Simply knowing is not enough. You need to do/practice them often.
I would second what Raymond says. Nerves are mainly a result of over-thinking or over expecting the consequences (mostly negative). The key is to play one point at a time and focusing on only the game at hand. Avoid thinking about anything you don't control - your friends watching you play, the spectators etc.
If you are in the lead, maintain that lead (don't slack off just because you are a few points ahead). If you are behind, ignore the score. In this game it is still possible to recover from a 10-19 score, if you maintain focus. When you make a mistake, acknowledge it and move on, don't fixate on it.Whenever I make a mistake, I usually tell myself something like "Okay, don't do that" or if it's a tactical error, I remind myself "Don't do that because ___".What helps me the most is having a game plan at the start of the match:Ex. for singles: "Okay, I know she's weak in moving front-back and has poor defense on her backhand so I will try to do place 2 shots in the rear court then one in the front, or I will attack her backhand more" Ex. for doubles I usually just set myself shot/placement goals "I will try to push or drop off of the serve" or "If I play front I will cover the straight reply".If your game plan does not work, revise it during interval at 11, or sooner if you are able to strategize midmatch. Always take the interval if you are behind to mentally collect yourself and get your focus back.Hope this helped!
A mindset that several friends and I have adopted is: "They're probably just as nervous as you right now, so take advantage of it."
