Advice to get ready for tournament?

This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Well-Known Member
Aug 2015
1,663
1,564
4,397
Read 13 reviews
I have a tournament in Iowa I'll be attending on saturday. Leaving Friday morning. We all have peaks and valleys with how well we're playing. Recently I've been told that peaking on tournament day is something you can actually work on improving. Who would have thought, I didn't know you could decide which days would be your good days and which would be your bad.

So on wednesday night, I did heavy training with my coach and today (thursday) my muscles were pretty exhausted. I still played for a few hours but I noticed I was playing much worse. I'm blaming the muscle fatigue but I'm sure there's other reasons. I'm now realizing I should have rested today instead of play.

I will be resting almost all friday which is the day before the tournament until maybe 7pm-8:30pm to hit a bit with my practice partner.

Other than getting good rest and eating healthy, what strategies are good for getting yourself ready for a tournament?

Also what types of foods will help muscles regenerate quicker? Just protein?
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Active Member
Feb 2016
648
389
1,087
For me, the 2-3 days before tournament are extremely important and exhausting practice should be avoided. However, I would suggest you to still play everyday to make sure you still get all the muscle memory on the day of the match.

If you're someone under 2000, chances are you wont have a lot of long rallies which means your serves and serve returns need to be top notch condition. I would also make sure to get the basic strokes solid first (push, block, 3rd ball, 5th ball) before even touching or trying the more complicated ones (punch block, flick, counter loop)

Analyze your own weaknesses or ask people about it and see what can be done to avoid it showing up during the match.

Edit:

Have fun in iowa, I've met the guy running the event in college nationals before and he's a great guy. Would've come and compete there if only i don't have finals
 
Last edited:
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
Dec 2014
285
340
986
Here's some science on eating before, during and after tournaments courtesy of Michiyo Kimura PhD and the ITTF. It focuses on efficient muscle recovery.

It's very detailed in terms of time schedule, type of nutrition, amount of nutrition and various combinations of these. Further factors such as length of tournament, length of rest between matches and what to eat depending on how long that gap is, are also addressed. And more :)


In terms of rehydrating, plenty of research over the last 5-6 years points clearly towards full-fat milk as being superior to both water and Gatorade, Lucozade (and other magic unicorn sports drinks), in terms of efficient rehydration.

But most important on our level is to just have fun. Relax, enjoy yourself, let go and you will most definitively perform better. In the immortal words of Funkadelic and later En Vogue "Free your mind, and your ass will follow". It works ;)

I hope this helps a bit and best of luck for the tournament :)
 
Last edited:
Top