@Littledragonman7 played a tournament today, had a singles and team event.
He got important data firsthand on how matches or won and lost by being way too tight and not able to properly see and process everything needed. This can happen for both players in a competitive match.
This happens to every player as they start competitive playing careers... it is a matter of a sufficient amount of tourney matches and comps as to when this dissipates, becomes something in the back mirror, and the player laughs about the times they played so tight.
We will not know the number of licks on the tootsie pop roll or how many tourneys LDM7 will need for this to go away enough, but at some point it will and his true training level will begin to show through.
He lost a singles match to someone he should have won easily and won a singles match vs another player he should have dominated and felt like he barely got by. Tourney pressure and performance under pressure and tightness is a real thing.
In his team event, he had a squad that on paper should have been a first round exit... but somewhere, somehow, despite being tight, LDM7 starter to perform and win, in singles and doubles. All his team contributed to advancing past first knockout stage... then in the next stage, same deal, got by despite being tight and did just enough to win, even though he should have won convincingly based on how he performs when he trains...
In that second team vs teams matchup, which was the semifinals, his team was tied 2-2 in matches and LDM7 had to play the deciding singles match vs an improving young adult he knows locally in the club. This player had a better mental performance than LDM, but LDM7's recent training level is much higher and LDM7 fought through, he had to be brave and do what was needed to win... SPIN... and last out in rallies where he didn't spin enough.
Still, this was huge pressure and he got through it to win to get his team in the finals... where his team faced a squad of kids from the biggest and baddest TT club in the bay area professionally coached, prepared and motivated.
His opponent was rated much higher and likely under-rated at that. Still, LDM7 rallied enough and occasionally spun heavy enough to get a 2-1 lead, which got to 2-2 and a loss 9-11 in the 5th. LDM7 will make a large training story about HOW he didn't win, it is for him to tell that story, but despite his own pressure he felt, LDM7 had his opponent two inches from breaking down... LDM7 pressured his opponent to THAT extent... yes his opponent was under even MORE pressure... LDM had his opportunity to win, had a break to get an effective plan in place to execute and win.
When LDM7 gets more of this situation in tourneys and does more tourneys, he will not only know what to do, but be able to execute efficiently and win those situations, games, and matches.
This is my story and I am sticking to it.
We also had 5 of us local players have a HUGE meal after the long tourney day of 12 plus hours AT the venue, not including activities BEFORE.
