Recently I participated in a club tournament which was at the end of a summer camp. (this was not by any means sanctioned). And would like to share a few lessons I learned.
(Also a note on abbreviations: DE = direct elimination bout.)
1.) Bring lots of fluid (I brought a 64oz water bottle, another smaller water bottle, and two electrolyte drinks). This one may seem rather obvious, but can often be overlooked.
2.) A clean t-shirt. After pools I brought a spare t-shirt and it really helped in making me feel fresh, and not icky and gross for DE’s.
3.) Having a positive outlook. Yes this may seem corny, but try it sometime. Having a good mindset and outlook on your performance, will do wonders for your enjoyment level.
4.) Just because you lost to them in pools, does not mean you will lose to them in DEs. I lost to a kid in pools 5-1, I beat him in a DE 10-6 (we did 10 as the final score because there were some younger kids, and 15 would have taken to long)
5.) Pools determine your run. If you fence well in pools, you will fence the people who did not do so well. This will determine the ease of your first few DE bouts.
6.) Always try your hardest. If you know they are much better than you, and could walk forward and score a touch. Try to just get one touch, then another. If nothing else just score one, and maybe next time you will score two. If you keep at that rate, eventually you will win.
I hope these tips aid you in a future tournament, and improve your overall experience.
Until next time,
-Fuzzy