How do you guys get the thought out of your head must win. I keep thinking about that few days before a tournament or during it. I read that because I think that way, my mind opens up the possibility of losing and contributes to under performance. Partially I think its because this will be my 3rd attempt in the annual tournament and think I should be getting more comfortable but the furthest I've ever gone in this tournament is the 2nd round. I wanna just think like keep my shots in and don't worry about the result but when I hear the score and I'm down its discouraging and I think I tense up. I get defensive and I think it is usually around the 2nd set that I really get more comfortable and aggressive. Should I warm up longer before matches? Listening to music before matches seems to do little. The tournament is this Saturday, should I concentrate on my serves each day as it approaches to allow adequate rest for my muscles? Or some light shadowing won't hurt like 10-20 minutes? What do you guys/girls do to mentally prepare?
You should always warm up and get used to the gym. When I used to play tournaments, I would arrive to the gym early and start hitting on the courts for about 20 min. Then when my match was called, warm up with my opponent (if singles) for maybe 3 min (just light hitting). I don't listen to music when I warm up, I think it's distracting to have something dangling when I hit.
ya I visited the facility again today and played games to get used to the court and I could tell pretty well when the bird was out before it landed, even though it has been maybe couple months since I last played at this facility. How do you loosen up? Even when I'm warming up my friend usually tells me I'm really stiff constantly even though normally I'm not.
Maybe you need something to get the pressure of 'must win' off your mind so you are not stiff and tensed up. How about watching a match of your favourite player before warmup? That might distract you from the pressure, provide some inspiration and hopefully make you more focused.
I loosen up by going through my normal routine (warm-up): drives, clears, drops, net, and light smashes. I'm also a bit playful when I warm up just because that's how I am. I really have nothing else I can tell you since my outlook on the game is seems different from yours. I enjoy winning, but losing doesn't make the game any less fun for me so I don't get tense. Perhaps that's why I don't win either. Haha.
Hmm I think I tried that once but ended up sorta the same once the game started I usually do not have this must win attitude outside of tournaments. If only I could just really tell myself the tournament is really just another day of playing badminton.
if the Must win attitude is posting more pressure than you can handle then its really important to change as soon as u can. Always remember staying positive is the way to go unfortunately must win will fire you up but any mistakes or losses you encounter will just inject negative energy and thoughts into you. before each game i aim to do my best and nothing short of that. Ofcourse disapointments will arise form every loss in every sport. If i get demolished and i know for a fact i made 20 unforced errors which could simply have been avoided if i just played a more consistant game then i would be angry. But learning from and producing more positive results after these encounters is how you become a better player and person in the end. If i go 3 sets with someone in a fairly close game and lose i have no reason to be disapointed as i have been competitive and produced a good game of badminton. Ill review the mistakes and errors think about why i lost and next time thrust forward with my results if i can. Aiming to do your best will simply give you the result that you performed your best or you didnt work as hard as you could have. Either way you go into the game not expecting a win or loss but only to produce the best badminton you can on the day. remain positive and work hard and the success will always be greater than simply expecting yourself to win.
hmm I never really saw 3 sets like that guess either we are not too far apart or the opponent needs a longer warm up. Ya I try to record my matches in tournaments and review them later to see what I could have done better.
