Your mental toolbox to a better game
I contested the pairs event in shooting at my first Commonwealth Games. In that event my partner was having a poor day. The format meant all competitors shot their match at the same time, with the scores for the pair added together. I was a quick shooter so finished ahead of most, and was thus […]
My favourite type of competition is teams. In this format the randomness often associated with the ‘run of the cards’ which we experience in pairs competition is removed. Your team is pitted against the opponents in an equal battle where skill, rather than luck, is the decisive factor. Playing teams can also bring its own […]
Pressure comes in a variety of ways in all types of activities. Bridge players are not immune to this and may also feel pressure when playing an event. Whether it is the pressure of leading the event, the pressure of expectations, time pressure to finish because you are a slow player or have slow opponents, […]
Bridge is a game with many facets. To be successful, a player needs to achieve a high degree of skill in each of these facets which include: technical ability; partnership understanding or agreements; concentration logic and clear thinking; match fitness and stamina in a long tournament, and all the other factors which go into being […]
Match anxiety or match pressure has differing degrees of influence on different people. Some players are completely immune, whilst others fold under pressure. One disastrous example I saw occurred when a shooter in the Olympic final shot on the wrong target, scoring a zero & losing the gold medal in the process. Incredibly four years […]
In an earlier article, I spoke about competitors make errors when performing well in competition because they become anxious or nervous due to their performance exceeding their expectations. They get outside what’s known as their comfort zone. One way to enhance this anxiety is to spend a lot of time looking at the scoreboard between […]