How can you manage nerves and pressure in a fighting game tournament?

2 Warm up properly

Another way to manage nerves and pressure is to warm up properly before your matches. Warming up can help you loosen up your muscles, sharpen your reflexes, and activate your brain. You should aim for a balance between physical and mental warm-up, such as doing some stretches, playing some casual matches, reviewing your game plan, and listening to some music. However, you should also avoid overdoing it, as you may tire yourself out or lose your focus. Find a warm-up routine that works for you and stick to it.

3 Manage your emotions

During the tournament, you may experience a range of emotions, such as excitement, frustration, anger, fear, or disappointment. These emotions can affect your decision-making, execution, and adaptation skills, and may cause you to lose control or tilt. To manage your emotions, you need to recognize them, accept them, and regulate them. You can do this by using techniques such as breathing, self-talk, feedback, and reframing. You should also avoid negative triggers, such as trash talk, taunts, or distractions, and focus on your own game.

4 Pace yourself

Another challenge of managing nerves and pressure is to pace yourself throughout the tournament. Depending on the size and duration of the tournament, you may have to play multiple matches in a row, or wait for long periods between matches. This can affect your energy levels, motivation, and concentration. To pace yourself, you need to plan your breaks, hydration, nutrition, and rest. You should also balance your social and personal time, as you may need to interact with other players, spectators, or organizers, or find some space to relax and recharge.

5 Learn from your mistakes

One of the best ways to manage nerves and pressure is to learn from your mistakes and use them as opportunities to improve. No matter how well you prepare and perform, you will inevitably make some errors, lose some matches, or face some setbacks in the tournament. Instead of dwelling on them or beating yourself up, you should analyze them objectively, identify what went wrong and what went right, and apply the lessons to your future matches. You should also celebrate your achievements, no matter how big or small, and appreciate your growth and progress.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?