Tomorrow is my first ever tournament. I've tried to prepare thoroughly, but a little advice from experienced BC'ers can never go amiss. Here's what I've packed. 2 racquets, shoes, water bottle, towel Ankle brace, Tennis elbow strap iPod (KC & the Sunshine band) Jake Downey's Mental Toughness Sun Tzu's The Art of War Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (must be something useful in there) Magnetic bracelet; rabbit's foot; sculpture of Shiva the Destroyer Compass and matches (in Canada you might always get lost in the woods) Printed card with names of next of kin, current medications, psychiatrist and parole officer. Any suggested additions?
Only 2 racquets? Unless if you go with your friends or team-mates that can lend you their racquets. Otherwise, you will start panic if one of your racquet strings break.
I just bring my racquet, my change of cloths, my shoes and money for drinks =/ I must really go unprepared. But just relax, ignore the crowd if there is any.
Maybe strings if you have them? The tournament would have stringers who also sell string, but its usually cheaper to bring your own strings and ask them to string it for you. Dont forget to paint a fierce face on your racket strings. And bring war paint for your own face as well.
Thanks gang Good point about the money Skunklover. That could come in handy. NanoBatien-do people really put personalized designs on their strings? That's a cool idea, just like ice hockey goalies do http://www.hockeymasks.com/ Some clever artistic BC'er could come up with all kinds of ideas for what Lin Dan or Fu/Cai might put on their racquets. HDoan-as far as ignoring the crowd....the only crowd might be my three kids. And, yes, if they are laughing at me, I will ignore them. Thanks again for all the advice guys. Have a good weekend
Hakuna Matata, that's all you need And with 3 kids surely you have seen Disney's Lion King so you should know what it means . G'luck!
money is always useful heres what I bring: 4 rackets....1 main, 1 backup/main, 2 backup 1 or 2 tubes feather shuttles for warmups 1 tube plastic shuttles(if tournament is a plastic tournament, almost never) ankle brace 1 pack BG-66 5 supergrap overgrips scissors BWF rules hankbook money....25-200(or more, depends on location of the tournament and lodging if necessary, at least 25 in case the stringer chrges a ridiculous amount.) towel cell phone pen MP3 player book water/gatorade whatever other items I may need, depending on where the tournament is,
I would add bananas and oranges to that list . Food is important! I'm not sure what you are thinking about the books. It makes sense to bring maybe 1 book or reading material to bide time between games, but you have three novel size books!! It seems a bit extreme. Also, already suggested, you should bring your own shuttle cocks for warm ups. Most of all, you should bring a positive attitude, win or lose.
Dear Chhayalak, I'm not really bringing all that stuff (except perhaps Shiva the Destroyer). I'm only being silly with this thread to offset some nerves. But I do appreciate all the good advice and good wishes. The best advice is the Hakuna Matata attitude that you all allude to. That would seem to be key. (and it doesn't take up any room in the old kit bag!) Thanks all.
How did the tournament go in the end? Btw, yes, people do put silly faces etc on their strings using spray paint and a mask.
Thanks for asking NanoBatien, (But now you've made me relive the traumatic experience and I will have to go back to counselling! :crying Anyhow, it was fun. I'm just a rec player looking for a challenge. Badminton is not popular around here, so it was nice to meet some folks. Although I didn't do so well, the heartening thing was that the spirit of badminton was very apparent. There was no trash talk, cheating or whining. The teenagers impressed me the most. Respect and fair play are the hallmarks of badminton. It's good to see that these traditions live on.
Postscript: For equipment I ended up taking a towel, water bottle, a snack (who doesn't like Haw flakes?) and four racquets (one for me and three for my kids to play in the hall)
It's great to hear u enjoyed your first tourney perhaps u can try participating in more for the fun of the game cheers!
good to see you had fun...i forgot to say to bring food... but just don't forget your partner if you play doubles! xD yes...its all attitude as well. And a good doubles tournament tip, for shots were your partners, but you could have hit, and they screw up, take the blame and say sorry to your partner that you didnt get it, that maybe it was yours..... its a good mental thing....your partner doesnt feel horrible that he screwed up. its a good morale thing....
