Here comes Nationals

[latenight]

They are just around the corner.

In line with the post about getting ready for nationals, here is a question I think would be beneficial to first timers

What do you do to control your nerves at national events? How do You keep positive.

I seriously slack off on training the week before. My theory is if I don't know it yet, I'm not gonna learn it the week before.

<small>[ 06-26-2002, 08:06 AM: Message edited by: latenight ]</small>

[edew]

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Helvetica, Arial">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Helvetica, Arial">Originally posted by latenight:
<strong>They are just around the corner.

In line with the post about getting ready for nationals, here is a question I think would be beneficial to first timers

What do you do to control your nerves at national events? How do You keep positive.

I seriously slack off on training the week before. My theory is if I don't know it yet, I'm not gonna learn it the week before.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Helvetica, Arial">That was my mantra during college final exams week. If I didn't know it by now, I ain't gonna know it cramming the night before. Indeed, the few classes I crammed for, I did worst than if I just strolled in knowing that I knew the stuff. But then, the cause-effect relationship isn't so onesided: I'm not going to do well in class just because I strolled in nonchalantly. I'm going to do well because I know the stuff down pat, and so I *can* stroll in nonchalantly.

<small>[ 06-26-2002, 03:36 PM: Message edited by: edew ]</small>

[Peach]

Nerves and keeping positive?

I take a few days off training beforehand. I concentrate on getting enough sleep the week before, because I probably won't get enough sleep the night before my first event. I force down breakfast, stroll into the venue early, and work on getting into as bad a mood as I can possibly muster, because I might as well go with the flow. In other words, being nervous is good. Getting used to the feeling of adrenaline and how your body interprets it is important. I feel grouchy, negative, and nauseated when I'm pumped, so when I say to myself before an event, "I'm in a lousy mood," I brighten up mentally and say, "Right on track."

I don't worry too much about what I know or whether I know it. Tournaments are not the time or place to do that. If I prepared enough, I prepared enough--I've usually followed a training plan of months beforehand. I don't judge by how I've done at other events, except indirectly, because my results vary according to their place in the training cycle and what their purpose was for me. I choose maybe three events a year that really matter for me, and more often than not I do about as well in them as I predict. Last year, for instance, my events were the Veterans Combined and the I-A in the Summer Nationals, and I did exactly what I hoped to do.

There are always obstacles, though--last year in the I-A I met up with a fencer in the DEs who messed up her pool, and who I really didn't want to fence at that point--the score was 15-14 in my favor but could have gone the other way. What I'm saying is that I try not to berate myself when things don't go the way I planned.

I am usually doing multiple events, like many people, and one thing I always try to do is make liberal use of the trainer for advice (and tape) before and ice after each event. The idea is to keep my joints in working order until at least the end of the week.

Then I take a month off from fencing, or try to. This is an unbalanced sport which is hard on the body, and the training cycle should incorporate variety and rest. I'll be cycling and weightlifting for the rest of July and the beginning of August. That's part of keeping positive for me because even if I come right back to training there's a dip in performance after a peak, and it's just depressing to try to muscle through that phase.

[Sabresque]

I've always had trouble controlling my nerves, and keeping positive. Lately though, I've been doing better. One thing that's good is to take things touch by touch. When it's 14-0, that doesn't mean you've won. Same with when it's 2-0... know what I mean? If you relax when you're ahead or give up when you're behind, you usually lose. Just keep thinking about that next touch, not 2 DE's ahead, or "I'm gonna get the gold" when it's your first bout in DE rounds. If you think too far ahead, your current bouts become tougher and more frusterating because you're assuming you'll get there without much work.

err.. I think I'm getting a little off subject. Anyways...

If I get frusterated, I usually take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Tie your shoe or fidget with your sock if you need that time to regroup. As Yogi Berra said, it ain't over 'till it's over. I also sometimes try and channel that anger into determination to get the next touch, not the smoldering and bothersome kind of anger. If I have too much nervous energy, my yells after the touch tend to reflect that. That's also a way I tend to get rid of extra energy, which can backfire if the ref doesn't like yelling after a touch

Hope this helps... it was a long post for me, but a problem I've been in the process of working out for a while. Bleh, I hate nervous energy, it's annoying.

[swordsen]

I have had friends who were of the opinion that large amounts of alchohol were the best solution to nerves. Not being a drinking man I have never tried it.

<small>[ 06-26-2002, 09:58 PM: Message edited by: swordsen ]</small>

[sabreur]

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Helvetica, Arial">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Helvetica, Arial">Originally posted by swordsen:
<strong>I have had friends who were of the opinion that large amounts of alchohol were the best solution to nerves. Not being a drinking man I have never tried it.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Helvetica, Arial">I have a friend who swears that the best way to fence is hungover. I disagree. There are studies that show that alcohol consumption negatively affects muscle strength the next day--it certainly screws up your reactions.

Autogenous training, aka self-hypnosis, visualization or meditation, can help you focus and prepare for the mental stress of competition. However, you need to practice these techniques regularly, just like you need to practice physical skills.

When I'm putting in a tough session on aerobic machines, like a stairclimber, I often visualize myself in a particularly tough bout during the hardest parts, and try to imagine keeping my feet light and fast and my mind clear and focused even though I'm working really hard (aka, sucking wind).

Cheers, MR

[Catlady]

I haven't done a national tournament, but since I play an instrument, was into theater in high school--and hope to get into it again sometime soon, and am told I do relatively well speaking in front of people, I'll try to give you some general tips on how to stay calm when the pressure's on.

First, find a comfortable place to sit down, relax. You can use any relaxation technique you want--I tend visualize light starting at the top of my head and gradually moving down to my toes, while keeping my breathing even, it should get pretty even just with the visualization. When you're relaxed picture yourself going through the process of whatever it is you have to do. Rehearse what you're going to do, and picture yourself doing it well. Think of how you'll feel after you've done it (e.g. I'm going to feel tired, but I'll be happy because I'll know I did my best and did something new, etc.), picture people congratulating you if you want. Start doing this now. This will help you build confidence, and possibly make the experience less frightening.

2. Develop a routine. It's proven routines help us to feel more calm. They also signal to the subconscious that it's time to get down to business. In my experience, if you ask more experienced fencers (or people with experience in any area) you'll find that they have a certain order of things they do before the competition, they have certain rituals they perform--for instance those baseball players that always put on their right shoe first, or something like that. If nothing else, you don't have to wonder what to do next, and if you're concentrating on your routine, it's harder for you to consider how nervous you are. In my own, admittedly limited, competition experience, I usually have yogurt and trailmix, cereal, or granola for breakfast, then I get to venue, check in, gor through my stretching routine, get completely dressed (I'll usually change from my street shoes to my fencing shoes, and put on my glove to do some drills against the wall, but not change anything else until later), find someone to do some partner drills with, maybe do a practice bout. How social you are depends, I can talk and joke around with my friends and it won't distract me from my goal, it helps to some extent to hear about how nervous someone else is : ), but if you're the kind of person who needs to be alone to focus, then just tell them you'd prefer to be alone. I do however, take the last few minutes to go off by myself and focus and relax. I know Tai Chi, so I sometimes go through a form or two if I have time. Mostly I do this because it gives me an active way to focus. There's no magice bullet though, do whatever feels right. I don't know if you want to move around a lot or not. Walking briskly calms me down sometimes, but the nervousness can also be a source of energy, so I tend to not try to "work it off" if I'm doing something such as fencing or acting where extra energy will come in handy. As far as being alone, if you can't find a quiet corner somewhere, do what I do, hide in the bathroom I'm only partially kidding, that, the bathroom, is one area where you can be relatively certain that no one's going to bug you.

There is an article by Max Callao on the Salle Boise site, the url of which I'm too lazy to find right now, that talks about how to prepare for competitions. His funny article on the subject is quite funny too, more so for me since we're both from USID and I know exacty what he's talking about with the long drives and all that. I believe he has a degree in sports science or psychology so he'd be a reliable source on doing it the "right way".

Finally I'll pass along something my drama instructor told me: "It's good to have stagefright. If you're not scared that's when you need to worry. If you're not nervous then it means you don't care anymore".

Good luck, break a leg/foil, or whatever.