Jul 24, 20152 min
This is part two of Darren Appleton’s article on practice and tournament preparation. Part one covers practice in general, and part two is specific to readying for competition.
Most of your practice should be done at home before you arrive at the tournament so once you arrive at the tournament you don’t over practice and burn yourself out. There may be long days, weekends or weeks ahead, so saving energy is key. Just keeping in stroke each day should be enough to stay sharp.
If you’re struggling—and I’ve seen this a lot, even with myself—you may feel you need to practice more but this can work both ways, good or bad. Practicing more while at the tournament can help or harm your game. Sometimes what works for me is to look back on a great match I played or an old video and try to figure out what I’m doing wrong.
We’re all human so we have good and bad days. Find things that work for you and don’t try to fix something that’s not broken.
Generally, I only worry about myself and my game because I know if my game is in good shape, it’s good enough to beat anyone in the world. This mindset works the best for me and keeps me from worrying about who I play.
When I was younger I used to gamble at tournaments but I later found out it affected my focus on the games, especially as I got older. Ninety percent of the time now I focus strictly on the tournaments and because of this my success level has really improved.
But the key is to practice well. Watch and learn from your favorite players or the best players. Understand why they play a certain way or use certain shots.
Good luck!