I've been slowly been getting more involved in the Tourney scene. I'm not as advanced as most of the players there, but i can pull off close games with them. Tomorrow i have a tournament that starts at 7:30 PM so i have plenty of time to prepare, rest, relax, etc. I have some questions, nothing about brackets or whatever, but some general questions. 1) What are some good foods to eat, and do they really effect your performance? 2) What are some good warmups before i play? 3) What should i do if i'm facing an opponent i've never played, and i don't know how they play? 4) Water or Gatorade/Powerade? 5) Any other general tips? Thanks.
1. Eat pasta today, any complex carbs will work. Between matches I typically eat power bars. If you play all day then make sure you have a light lunch, a sandwich is good. Nothing too greasy/fatty. 2. Make sure you do a bit of foot work around the court before you start hitting/warming up with the opponent. Stretch right before and after a match. Make sure you wear a track suit between matches to keep your muscles warm. 3. Just like any other match, you can either feel them out in the first few points or just go all out. 4. I personally use a mix of the two, water and G2 Gatorade (less sugar). 5. The biggest handicap to someone new to tournaments is being nervous, there will be spectators and possibly umpires which you're not used to. Just focus on your game and try to zone everything else out while you're playing.
I agree a lot with what Druss said, 1.) Agree try to avoid anything really fatty or greesy before/inbetween your matches. In the future start eating pasty atleast 1-2 days before your tournament is to start espically if you know you will be playing a lot of matches in 1 day. essentially trying to carboload so you have extra fuel to burn. same here between matches I will have a granola bar, small sandwiches, fruit, etc. I will only eat a meal if I have a 3-4 hour break so I can be sure that it will be properly digested for me to use that energy else I will try and find snacks that will give me quick energy for my next match. 2.) Do a dynamic warmup to get all your muscles moving as well as stretch a bit too, essentially you want to walk onto the court and already have a little bit of a sweat going but you dont want to tire yourself out during your warm up. Make sure you go through a wide range of motions to warm up all the muscles in all the directions that they will move during play. shuffles, lunges, hops, skipping, etc 3.) Take the first few, 2 or 3, points to get a feel for him and his style. rally around with him for those points not trying to kill the rally but trying to hit shots to notice things. After that though you need to find your game plan and go full force with it, you also have to be able to change your game plan during the match if he starts to counter, etc. 4.) Personally I just drink water during a match and thats all, after a match I might have some powerade/gatorade but its always diluted with water. I go 50% water/50% powerade or gatorade but thats just me. 5.) Completly agree with Druss on this one, just make sure your relaxed and not pankining. dont care what people watching think or anything like that. play your game and control your opponent dont let him dictate the pace or where your moving on the court. Best of luck on your matches hope the tournament goes great!
