Rapid_Assassin
Smash Master
Many of you are familiar with the overused, and often misused term "Mindgame." But mindgames encompass far more than just simple little tricks to fool your opponent into doing something dumb. There's an often neglected aspect of mindgames, which is purely psychological and starts to take place even before the match begins. It's these little things that'll clutter your head, and use up precious resources that could be better used to fight your opponent.
1. Intimidation: When up against a big name, people may often play worse than they otherwise would. This big name could be anything from a pro, to just some troll on the boards who made sure he or she is known by trash talking everyone. The player who has the advantage here often does through no fault of his own, other than simply being known. The player who is intimidated will often lose confidence in his own ability to the point where he'd lose focus on the game.
Intimidation ranges from the milder form, such as predicting your own loss, to the major form, forfeiting the match or not entering the tournament rather than having to face someone so amazing as your opponent... Even in its mildest form, intimidation will have a negative effect on your play. Your opponent will have won the mental battle, which'll make it that much easier for him to beat you.
Some advice:
a. Don't be afraid of your opponent! Your opponent is human, and therefore capable of making a mistake.
b. Don't psyche yourself out! This is when people say things to the effect of "I'm going to lose this one." If you say you're going to lose, that's when you will lose.
c. Focus! Not on your opponent, but on the match itself. When your opponent does something dumb, you're more likely to catch it if you are focused on the match.
d. Learn from your mistakes! Often, a cause of intimidation is when your opponent knew how to deal with the same dumb things you did in previous matches, or when you're steaming with revenge from a different match. Don't focus on the past during your match, focus on the present.
2. Underestimation: The flip side of intimidation, underestimation is when one will think they have an easy ride into the next round because they don't consider their opponent to be much of a threat. This can lead to a loss. Often, it's easy to underestimate someone because of gender, their personality, character, or previous experience with the player. Remember that players do in fact get better. Sometimes, people are goofy or cocky as a show: they might appear as someone who is all talk or just plain idiotic, but in fact aren't. And just because someone is female, or plays a low tier (or both, in my case), doesn't mean that they're an automatic win. Focus on the match.
3. Mental fortitude: Let's face it, if you aren't feeling well, it won't necessarily be a good day to compete. Make sure to eat right the day before and morning of a tournament, get plenty of rest, and all that good stuff.
Take breaks throughout the day, so you don't get "smashed out." Block out distractions as much as possible, which could be hard in a noisy tournament area.
And in case I didn't mention it enough: Focus on the game. Not on your opponent, not on the past. Not on the future, and not the surroundings. Focus on the game, as it is happening right now. If you can do that, you're one step closer to getting better.
1. Intimidation: When up against a big name, people may often play worse than they otherwise would. This big name could be anything from a pro, to just some troll on the boards who made sure he or she is known by trash talking everyone. The player who has the advantage here often does through no fault of his own, other than simply being known. The player who is intimidated will often lose confidence in his own ability to the point where he'd lose focus on the game.
Intimidation ranges from the milder form, such as predicting your own loss, to the major form, forfeiting the match or not entering the tournament rather than having to face someone so amazing as your opponent... Even in its mildest form, intimidation will have a negative effect on your play. Your opponent will have won the mental battle, which'll make it that much easier for him to beat you.
Some advice:
a. Don't be afraid of your opponent! Your opponent is human, and therefore capable of making a mistake.
b. Don't psyche yourself out! This is when people say things to the effect of "I'm going to lose this one." If you say you're going to lose, that's when you will lose.
c. Focus! Not on your opponent, but on the match itself. When your opponent does something dumb, you're more likely to catch it if you are focused on the match.
d. Learn from your mistakes! Often, a cause of intimidation is when your opponent knew how to deal with the same dumb things you did in previous matches, or when you're steaming with revenge from a different match. Don't focus on the past during your match, focus on the present.
2. Underestimation: The flip side of intimidation, underestimation is when one will think they have an easy ride into the next round because they don't consider their opponent to be much of a threat. This can lead to a loss. Often, it's easy to underestimate someone because of gender, their personality, character, or previous experience with the player. Remember that players do in fact get better. Sometimes, people are goofy or cocky as a show: they might appear as someone who is all talk or just plain idiotic, but in fact aren't. And just because someone is female, or plays a low tier (or both, in my case), doesn't mean that they're an automatic win. Focus on the match.
3. Mental fortitude: Let's face it, if you aren't feeling well, it won't necessarily be a good day to compete. Make sure to eat right the day before and morning of a tournament, get plenty of rest, and all that good stuff.
Take breaks throughout the day, so you don't get "smashed out." Block out distractions as much as possible, which could be hard in a noisy tournament area. And in case I didn't mention it enough: Focus on the game. Not on your opponent, not on the past. Not on the future, and not the surroundings. Focus on the game, as it is happening right now. If you can do that, you're one step closer to getting better.
