How do you get your "tourney brain" on?

[Mansur]

I relax, and go out to fight just for the sake of the fight. I've won my share of tourneys, including Queen's Champion twice. Totally relaxed every time.. Almost Zen, I guess you could say

Crown is a bit different. Haven't won it yet, I've placed third, and placed fourth a couple of times. In Crown the average caliber of opponent is far higher and I tend to get pretty tightly wound up. However, I just take it one fight at a time and focus on how I'm going to exploit my next opponent's weaknesses.

[ThorvaldR Skegglauss]

I have been taking my time to consider how to best answer this question:

I enjoy the tourney experience, I love the trappings and the little things like playing to the consorts and the crown..... BUT;

when it comes down to time to fight I will narrowly focus down onto certain things.....

How is my opponent standing, where is his sword, where is his shield, where is his center of balance and the same for me in all these areas. I vaguely have an idea where the marshal is standing and the confines of the list....

other than that I see nothing else, for lack of better words; someone could be getting laid in the gallery and as long as they weren't screaming I would miss it... the world shrinks down to me and my opponent and the small little world of the list field.

How do I do this....... concentration. I can read in a loud room and unless someone calls my name will ignore the rest of the world.

Thorvaldr

[Callidus]

I've won a couple of dozen or so singles rattan tournaments of all different types and weapons forms, plus about 1/2 dozen melee rattan tournaments, and a few fencing tournaments.

[William Freskyn Murray]

I've won a couple of dozen or so singles rattan tournaments of all different types and weapons forms, plus about 1/2 dozen melee rattan tournaments, and a few fencing tournaments.

When we were landed a few years back we had the privilage of honoring Sir Callidus for this 25th Tournament victory, he's won a couple since then

Thanks for the discussion, it has been kind of fascinating. Again - when I'm "in the zone" I am fine and give my opponent a good fight, when focused I haven't been "punked" in a very long time.

The problem is when I'm not in the zone I usually don't realize it until I've been punked. My original intent behind the post was just to ask the question "what do you do to make sure you're 'in the list' and giving your opponent the fight they deserve" not so much a "how do you win every fight." Honestly winning is cool but I've never been unhappy about a tourney win or loose unless I don't show up mentally, then I could win and still be pissed about the day.

So I think get in the kit early, hum some Carmina Burana and bitch slap the person on the other side of the list holding the stick... got it

thanks
Will

[white mountain armoury]

The times I ahve done well are often the times when I have had my armour with me but no real intention to fight. I get asked to suit up to even the list/balance the numbers and end up doing well.
Its not having befor time to think about it I guess.

[Leo Medii]

So....

I'm an okay fighter. Some days I walk in the list, go to guard, and club people.... some days I walk in the list, go to guard and debate what my opponent is going to do, my favorite flavor of ice cream, how many jelly beans ARE in that jar on the counter, whatever - everything but being face to face with a person trying to hit me with a stick.

SO.... days I "click" early I do well, days I don't I waste my opponents time and want to kick myself. Trying to figure out how to flip "the switch" EVERY time and struggling with it.

Any thoughts? What do YOU do to get the brain in gear?

To quote Homer "Shut up brain or I'll stab you with a Q-Tip"

thanks
Will

I have your same problem. The basis of mine is I'm not trying to kill people in the SCA. It's more like a fun tag match. I can never get out of this mindset, and I guess it's a good thing considering I kinda have a bloodlust and enjoyment of violence.

[Richard Blackmoore]

Hmmm.

I've lost a lot of tournaments simply because my focus more often than not, is primarily on teaching others, trying to pull off a difficult & challenging shot or weapons form instead of going with the high percentage shot or form, by experimenting myself with things just to see if I can pull them off as it amuses me or by fighting my opponent's game instead of my own.

ANd perhaps most importantly, to win you should control the fight, take the initiative and dictate the pace and tempo. Fight your fight and don't let the opponent fight his fight and force you into his comfort zone. I often fail to do this, sometimes on purpose.

Don't get me wrong, I am always trying to win. It is just that if you make maximizing your chances of winning your bout the number 1 priority, you will win more. Often a lot more.

By fighting my opponent's game, I mean that each combattant has strengths and weaknesses. And if you want to improve your chances of victory, your strategy should be to control the fight so that your strengths are in play and you take advantage of his weaknesses while minimizing his changes to employ his strengths. And at a tactical level to use footwork, blows and defense that support this strategy.

Why do I toss this out the window at times?

Because I find it challenging and amusing to see if I can fight my opponent at his game, in his comfort zone and try different things. Even if it means I lose.

Good examples are Konrad, Thorvald and Steffan Von Dresden. I know that if I fight them in close and just go for it, fighting aggressively balls to the wall, I will probably lose. But I find it tremendously fun and challenging to do that. And I learn something from it every time. But I will probably lose.

So once in a while I get smart, fight at mid range and try actually using defense. I don't necessarily win (I pretty much never hit Steffan anymore) but I live longer and improve my chances substantially.

But I'm also an older fighter and a knight. I don't feel like I have anything to prove, except to myself. So as long as I'm trying things where I push myself, I feel good about it.

On the other hand, having gotten back into fighting more regularly, I'm curious to see what happens if I actually try very hard to win by maximizing chances and not trying to pull off lower percentage shots. I found that to a degree, I'm still capable of being pretty effective at times. I've also learned that some of the things I thought I did well, and did at one time in the past, I've gotten sloppy on or my timing and targetting is off.

So I really do need to go back to getting my form, timing, footwork back and add things as well. In many cases the game has changed and I need to modernize and improve my technique to be successful and not just get by on youth, power and speed, since I'm no longer young, strong and fast. For example we face thrust a lot more and a lot more effectively these days across the board, polearm work kingdom wide has improved and is much more deadly across the board, the more modern sword parallel to the shield hybrid of hanging guard and high A-frame dominates Eastern fighting which causes my preferred hyper aggressive attacks to put me in different risks and alters my shieldwork, we are no longer deep wrap happy but the shorter 1/2 wraps at medium to short range (exemplified by Count Gryffith who is great at this) open gaping holes in my defense.

If I really want to start winning more and setting a good example for unbelts, instead of having them copy my less effective moves, I need to start fighting smarter.

I'm still back and forth on this. I had great fun at war of the roses. I won the roses tournament against some pretty good competition and came in third in the baronial. There were a couple fights like the one against master Thorvald were I decided to try really hard to win and resist the impulse to close and slug it out, knowing I would have had more fun but probably lose. And I won all of those fights where I tried hard to do the high percentage choices.

I think I went undefeated in the roses tournament and lost two fights in the baronial. In both tournaments I tried to win every fight, but had some fights were I was just having fun trying stuff but pullled off wins anyway even though it reduced my chances.

Deacon beat me in a sword and shield bout, where I should have played him at range or rushed him and crushed him (or tried to anyway), not stood at mid range. But I wanted to see what happened if I played his game; what happened is he beat me fair and square at his game. And I won one fight against Yoshi using sword and shield. In the bout to see who would go to the finals, I resisted the logical choice which was to stay with sword and shield, because fighting him bastard sword and just going for it is way too much fun and I failed to resist temptation. While I am glad I went to bastard sword and it was a great & fun fight (better than winning as far as I'm concerned), it cost me the tournament as he beat me fair & square and advanced to the finals.

Sometimes winning and having a good day are not synonymous. I'll remember that fight with Yoshi for years, where I'll probably forget many fights from the tournaments where I've actually won or done very well this year.

And frankly, when I try something challenging and win anyway instead of maximizing my chances to win, it is often more gratifying.

I had several incredibly fun fights in the two War of the Roses tournaments with D. Sebastian (sword and shield, great Danish axe and single sword/saber) where I would have been much better off with sword and shield in all of them and/or just trying to win no matter what, not teaching and pointing out things he could do differently. But both of us tried new, different or challenging things, pulling off tricky shots that exposed us to counter attacks that could really hurt and I had more fun than I can relate in words. In those cases I ended up winning all the bouts, but it could have gone either way. But I'll remember those fights more than others I won where I was patient, forced the opponents to play my game, at my pace and maximized my defense. Different kind of fun.

At Kings & Queens champions, I brought out sword & spear, did best of three axe fight in a bye round (very tiring, not a good way to conserve energy) and tried to fight Konrad in close where he is awesomely effective. I had a really good time. Did it cost me the tournament? Who knows. I know it reduced my odds of victory. But despite all that I did make the quarter finals in a 90 man list while hung over and tired from getting home from Gulf Wars the day before. It isn't that I was not trying to win. I was trying very hard to win. But I greatly reduced my chances of success. Looking back? I would not change a thing. I did what I thought was the best thing for me to do on that day.

Some think I set a bad example at times for unbelts, as they often really need to focus on winning in order to improve, they don't have the luxury of screwing around with low percentage shots and being entertaining. Perhaps that is true. On the other hand, I want people to try new things and not be afraid to try to excel by trying something new. And I still look at every tournament as a teaching opportunity. Sometimes I teach someone by destroying them quickly so they see the gaps in their fighting, other times fighting their game and letting them work at perfecting it while improving my defense by trying something where I am deficient helps me as well.

So I still plan to try weapons forms like sword and spear, which really only work so well. But I also plan to go into some tournaments and try hard to win. Though once I start having fun, it is hard not to start goofing off and trying things.

If I fight in the next crown tournament, I'm going to go for it 100% and try as hard as I can to focus, to win, to avoid the temptation to try risky and fun things. Because I want to see how I do when I'm really trying hard to defeat people and see if I can do so, when they are trying their best to win. Crown tends to be more serious than any other tournament we have, so it is a good way to measure yourself against people's A game. Despite my tendency to play around in crown. I did try to win in this past crown and not screw around, I did had all fun fights, I just wasn't successful (out in four) and my temptation to close and hammer got the better of me and my arm went out too fast. I also failed to properly prepare my weak shield arm (tendonitis) so I had to go away from my game too fast and go to a lot of sword blocking and overly aggressive offense, which played into my opponent's strengths in two fights.

Anyway, if you want to win?

Focus. Concentrate on doing what what you do efficiently and accurately.

Conserve energy. Don't end up at the end of the tournament out of gas.

Dictate the pace and type of fight. If you are a fighter who belongs at range counterpunching, stay at range and counterpunch. If you are an aggressive in close fighter, stay in close. Have a strategy for the fight overall, based on what you expect him to do, how you want the fight to go and have options ready in case he does the unexpected.

Know your opponent. Study what he does against others, talk to people about his style, strengths, weaknesses. Use this to your advantage. Is he a very fast, strong guy but one who tires quickly? Don't die in the first minute, let him tire himself out. Find out what his comfort zone is and take him out of it. Stay in your comfort zone.

Your high percentage shots. Know what they are. Throw them at the right time. Mix in feints and other blows so he does not know they are coming.

Mental. Fighting is a head game that is lost at the lay on. I've won plenty of fights against better fighters, rested fighters, faster fighters, because I took them out of their game. Often the best opponent does not win, the smarter fighter wins. If you are exhausted? Exude confidence and energy, odds are he's tired too and it does not help him to think that he has an edge. Keep him guessing. If you don't see any openings? Let him come to you and he will hopefully give you one when he approaches. Talk to him during the fight if it isn't going your way. People get distracted easily in many cases or are totally freaked out that you are so comfortable chatting while fighting, that they obviously are not dominating the fight However with me, chatting like this just encourages me, so this goes back to knowing your opponent. I am unusual in that I love it when my opponent is doing great and really making me work just to survive, many of us in the chivalry live for those fights, which is part of a winning mindset; look for the best possible fights so that you are forced to try your hardest and improve. It is somewhat Darwinian, you have to toss out what doesn't work or you will lose a lot and die.

Don't be tense but don't be too relaxed either. Be vigilent, aware and ready to act or react at all times. If you are out of breath, so something silly to buy time. Take a step back and an odd stance or wave the sword around, ask how his kids are doing or compliment him on his heraldry and ask where he came up with it? Get him thinking about anything but hitting you.

If you have nothing left in your arm and fear you are about to be overwhelmed? Suck it up, throw an insanely hard shot into the middle of his shield or the lower edge with a lot of body; give him the impression you are ready to crush him should he not block the next blow. Boy does that buy time and make people change their defense temporarily. Unless it is Darius, who reacts like Joe Frazier and likes it One thing I do, is grin constantly. In my case it is because I am simply having so much fun being out there, I can't help it. But many people actually find it disconcerting or intimidating. Use this sort of thing to your advantage.

People also get nervous, scared, angry, frustrated, confused, tired, panic, take chances, etc. This is when they are most dangerous offensively, but also most vulnerable defensively. Know the signs. Avoid letting this happen to you. Take advantage of others when they exhibit these. Have a plan.

More people beat themselves before they even enter the lists, than you might imagine. Many people hear their opponent's name called and think "I can't beat him" and they are toast before being lit up. I have the opposite reaction. I hear the name of my opponent called and I get excited if it is someone who is better. Even if it is Steffan and I know I probably won't win. That is NOT the same as knowing I can't win. On any given day, anybody can beat anybody. It may not be likely, but it is possible. Never start out a fight already defeated. You might get lucky, but you have no chance if you don't at least try.

Take your opponent's confidence away. How? Find out what the absolute best thing they do is. Their bread and butter blow or their fastest, most powerful and dangerous weapon. Purposely put them in a position where they will be tempted to use it, but where you are 100% ready for it. Defeat that blow, look as casual as possible, look them in the eye and smile so they know that you know it is coming, that you can stop it whenever you want and that they need to try something else. Give them that "Is that all you got?" look? Or "You did not really expect that to work on me, did you?" even if it almost took your head off and you just got lucky that it did not land; he does not need to know that (until after the fight)

Compliment them on a well thrown blow you just barely got out of. Tell them you really love the way they throw that blow, that it is something you've been watching, that you really like defending against it because, while you can block it pretty easily every time, you noticed how incredibly effective it is against others and you really appreciate the opportunity of practicing against it.

Don't focus on the crowd. Block out all other distractions. Think only about the person in front of you, what they are doing and what you want to do. Try to have your shots be automatic, so you are not thinking about how you are throwing a blow when you are doing it. You want to be thinking about what you are doing in the fight step by step, often one or two steps ahead, with your blows coming and being executed automatically when the brain calls for them, so they are not tying up your thinking at the execution level.

Look like a knight. If you look like a powerful, experienced and dominating warrior type, people are more likely to assume you are a powerful, experienced and dominationg warrior type. Often they will be afraid or less likely to go at you 100% aggressively and crush you, as they don't want you to pick them apart. So a beginner or intermidiate fighter who has decent armour, heraldry, nicley constructed weapons, can often buy time by having the other fighter think you are better than you are. And also you will look more like someone worth teaching, so knights & masters are more likely to try to help you as you will look like you want help and advice. Much like riders who show up for instruction with proper riding boots, gloves and a helmet, properly polished and maintained; it shows respect for your instructor and that you want to do things right and learn.

Terrain. Know your footing, check for elevation differences, list size and borders. Use all this to play to your strengths and your opponents weaknesses. For example, if you are short, get your opponent on the low ground to make head shots easier and the high ground to make leg shots easier. If you both have great weapons and it is a tight list, back him up so you have room to maneuver and he does not. Make him feel pressured, closed in and dominated.

If the other fighter is just plain better than you and you have little chance of victory? Try the unexpected. Charge the Duke, throw suppression shots directly into his sword to get him to commit, maybe you will be able to take the initiative, get him to blink or make a mistake that you can take advantage of. If nothing else your courage might inspire him to take notice and teach you something after he crushes you. Better than standing back and letting him have his way with you. Or just go 100% defensive, block like crazy while moving laterally to get him out of position. What have you got to lose? Sometimes we experienced fighers lose to newbies or less talented fighters, simply because you guys do the unexpected and we don't expect some odd hail Mary blow that the other good fighters rarely throw because it is a low percentage shot. Try a war cry as you close.

In the end, if you really want to win, there is no substitute for being confident, capable, in shape and smart. That comes from training, exercise, study and experience. Don't just fight at practice, learn, use a pell, work on technique, get critiques from others, get advice, read, watch the known world symposium videos and study online fight guides (the Bellatrix stuff is great), innovate and try things on your own. Hang out with knights and fighters with kingdom level fighting awards, find out how they win and how they lose. Learn from this.

Once you are truly good, winning comes naturally. You want to be the last one standing? Walk into a tournament as best prepared as you can be. Dominate your opponents, sieze the victory by besting them honorably, intelligently and with conviction. Success breeds success. Never leave anything on the field, give it 100% in every bout.

Finally? Killer instinct. Some have it, some don't. Some have it in real life, have actually hurt or killed people for real (lots of former boxers, MMA or athletes, ex military service personel in the SCA) but don't have it here as they don't want to really hurt their friends. In the SCA, you don't have to actually hurt anyone. But those that win fights a lot, often have killer instinct. Here it translates to when you see an opportunity for a winning blow or setup, you instinctively jump on it, acting decisively to finish a fight with ruthless efficiency. Many people fight a good fight, but don't finish it properly, they let victory slip away, miss chances, wear down and don't capitalize on opponent's errors or weaknesses. You see it in some people's eyes, you make a mistake and they pounce without hesitating, the kill happens instantly. They will see an opponent's flaw or problem, and seize upon it, mercilessly tearing at it and exploiting it, like a boxer throwing jabs at an opponent's eye once it is cut, until they break the opponent down, either physically or by breaking their will.

Many of us have tried hard to become nice guys and we are. But we are in a fight we want to win and we see some small mistep or opening and we instantly exploit it to maximum advantage and take someone down. It can be over in a nano-second and then we want to be sure our opponent is OK. But there is that flash of "I will destroy you now, you are food and I don't play with my food." that is almost primeval.

Look at the old black and white photo of Ali standing over a vanquished opponent, bicep flexed, almost roaring and you'll see the look that expresses that moment pretty well. Many of us who have excelled at SCA combat at one time or another, have actually had to restrain our competitive impulses as even simulated combat in the real world or contact sports often have a significantly higher level of impact, violence and danger than what we do in the SCA. Often when I land a killing blow, my lizard brain is telling me to now close, grapple and take the opponent to the ground and really finish them off. Kind of scary actually, as you guys are my friends and I have no real wish to hurt you. But the lizard brain is telling me to destroy you utterly. I lose a number of fights because I'm busy restraining the lizard brain When I fight more for fun, the lizard brain chase, catch, kill commands don't kick in and I think more about the technical aspects of the fight, the splendid armour, the joy of competition, the grace with which a weapon cleaves the air. When I'm trying to win, the beast comes out. I don't always like the beast...

Just some thoughts.

Richard Blackmoore
KSCA East

[Sigurd of Jorvik]

Great advice here.

I've been looking for some good fights on Youtube, but the unfortunate vast majority are hand held with inane commentary from the peanut gallery.

Could someone point me in the right direction for some high quality tourney vids?

With Thanks,

Generichead

[Richard Blackmoore]

Great advice here.

I've been looking for some good fights on Youtube, but the unfortunate vast majority are hand held with inane commentary from the peanut gallery.

Could someone point me in the right direction for some high quality tourney vids?

With Thanks,

Generichead

Duke Logan's household site has tons of them:

http://ebonwoulfe.com/fighting.htm

[Hartmann]

How many of you respondees have ever won a tournement?
Just curious.

10 or so, in different formats. And taken part in maný more.

[Leo Medii]

I have never won an SCA tournament.

I have won almost every full-contact tournament I've entered.


Odd that.

[Konrad]

I'm 2 for 5 in the Artemisian Crown finals that I've fought, but as I like to say: "Sure I'm a Duke, but I'm also a 3-time loser."

Here are a couple things I try to think about before tournaments:


'If you want to be the man, you have to beat the man.'


You can see plenty of people who get overly anxious about having to face a certain Duke or Knight in a list. I try to approach every tournament with the idea that I will have to fight every single person in that list no matter who they are or how skilled they might be. You should never be afraid to fight anyone, and you shouldn't be hoping that somebody else does your work for you and takes out a feared opponent. Let your success in the tournament be measured by the trail of the dead you leave in your wake.


'Take no expectations of victory or defeat into the eric.'


Don't go onto the field with shoulders slumped dreading the outcome, be the guy who is secretly licking his chops at the chance to show his strength of character. Eliminate feelings of dread or excessive anticipation, the will give you nothing. Take care of the things you can control, not about what might happen.

Treat every round as a blank slate, and every opponent as the deadliest fighter you've every faced. For all you know, the guy you one-shotted with a flat snap 6 months ago has been training night and day with every intention of siezing this opportunity to kick your ass and return the favor. Overconfidence is just as worthless as underconfidence.


'Two men enter, one man leave.'


Nobody gets a free ride. No matter how new or experienced your opponent might be, I feel that I owe it to myself and the tournament to give my best fight. When the Marshals say 'go', be ready to 'GO'.

Everybody carries a puncher's chance onto the field when they pick up their weapon and tell the Marshal that they're ready to fight. All it will every take to win any single bout is a single telling blow, no matter how ugly or beautiful it might be. Be ready to deliver that blow at all times because you might not know when that opportunity will present itself ahead of time.


Finally-


No hugging before single combat, save it for later around the campfire. If people could have hugged it out beforehand, there might not have been as many duels back in the day...


Konrad von Krixen
Artemisia

[HauoctheWild]

How many of you respondees have ever won a tournement? Just curious.

Close to if not more than a dozen. When I get to the finals, I've only come in second twice.

Havoc

[Nissan Maxima]

Also this:

http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your ... u_are.html

[raito]

Yeah Thorsten has a great point


You win a given fight 3 weeks before it happens.... by training

3 weeks? More like 3 years. You're not going to learn enough in 3 weeks to win significantly more than you were winning already.

Different people get their brain on in different ways. Some, like Duke Zig, are at their best when they're a little excited. Me, I'm best when my mind is cold and empty.

So take stock. Learn to monitor your mind. When you do well, what does the monitor say? When you do poorly, what does it say? Once you know that, work on what gets you there. For some, it's ritual. One guy I know really never does well unless he re-tapes his sword the night before. As for me, it's just putting on the armour by myself. And Fish Fry.

I realize that this is more meta-advice, as in advice on how to advise yourself, but there's enough individual variation that it's not possible to tell you how your brain works.

About the only really hard pirce of advice I can give is to treat "Lay On" as "I'm killing you now." I'm usually disappointed at the number of people who treat 'Lay On' as 'get ready, we'll be fighting soon.

OK, another piece. The only fight there is is the next one. The one's you've already had are gone, and you don't have time to review them when there's another one coming up. Anything beyond the next fight you might not even get to, so don't worry about it.

As for my opinion on Crown... I treat it as any other tournament. That makes it be not special, which in turn makes it easier and routine.

If I'm really trying to gear up and hone an edge on myself, I keep score at practice. This keeps me focussed on the winning thing, rather than the fighting thing.

As for resume, I've won hundreds of SCA tournaments of various varieties, including the paperwork His Grace mentioned. I have also won collegiate wrestling tournaments, modern fencing tournaments, TKD tournaments (both sparring and forms), and full-contact practice bouts (the other guys were practicing, but the couts were scored). Heck, you may as well throw in victories whil on the high school math team.

I've also done my share of losing.

[Alric]

Tournaments are a different kind of stress. Atheletes or performers are well familiar with performance based stress.
There are reasons why atheletes and performers are so superstitious. The superstition breeds familiarity. The more familiar an environment the easier it is to perfom in that environment. The more torunaments you fight, the more familair you become in the tournament environment.
Devotion to your inspiration comes in as well, but that's a whole other topic.
The best way to get better at fighting in tournaments? Fight in as many torunaments as you can.

Alric

[bkillian]

I use a Technique called anchoring. In short I have programmed my self to change focus when I put my glove on. It is the switch that takes me from Happy go lucky fool to "cold killer"

[Garick]

Interesting thread necromancy. I missed this thread last time around, so I'm glad it popped up again.

Not trying to brag, but I believe I have the chops to be considered "Rolex" on this subject, and have been complemented on my abilty to take things to another level through focus.

I actually have a very different take on this to many here. I don't try to dominate the fight or my opponent. I try to share it with them. I just want the bigger slice of the pie. I think that this is more fun and even if it perhaps decreases my edge a tidge (I really don't think that it does), if they are having fun too they are more likely to come back and play more. Plus, I have more fun as well.

So how do I get "in the zone?"

It starts with warm-up. I want to be fully warm when the tournament starts. Muscles loose and just a bit of sweat. I also want to have already taken my first adreniline boost of the day, either from taking a shot or from having *just* made a block. Then my muscles are ready to go in twitch mode, and I've sped up my brain without getting it out of control from getting "pumped up" or twitchy nervous.

Then it goes to the next level during my salute to my lady. I mentally gather in her support and use that time to reduce my focus area to just her. I take a deep breath and as I expell it I release everything but the concept of the combat. No details, no plans, just the concept. As I extend my sword to my lady, I try to release anything remaining that is not that. I try not to get more tightly focused, as something unexpected can startle tight focus away. Even if it stays strong, if it is too tighlty focused on, for example, your opponent's sword, you might miss something like a patch of bad footing, body position clues, etc. I like a focus area (in single combat) that is about 5 feet wide.

Once I extend my sword to my lady, as far as I'm concerned,the fight has begun. Nothing changes when "lay on" is called, as I've already taken my focus to the level I want it.

I realize that this all sounds rather esoteric. The key thing is to find out what works FOR YOU and then PRACTICE IT. A very valuable drill for focus is called "finals of crown." It should ALWAYS be used as an end of practice drill, and only one per day. You should be treating it like the finals of crown, so you should be tired and you should be leaving it all on the field. It should be in the same format as the finals that you are familiar with, including weapon choices, if applicable, heralded bouts, and at least one marshal if available. When you do this, treat it like it is actually the finals and seek not only to fight your hardest, but to gather your focus as you would when you are really that close to making your lady Queen.

You would be amazed what this can do for your focus. I once did this drill with a young fighter with good physical skill but who had trouble changing the switch from "just playing around" to "for the marbles." We ended practice this way every week for several months before a Crown in which he was fighting (but I was not). I wasn't keeping track of results, as it was more for training him and for his focus, not his physical prowess. The week before Crown he beat me in the finals of Crown drill, and proudly informed me that that was the first time he'd won. The next week he went out and won the actual Crown.

[uwhguy]

A lesson on intimidation from Iron Mike.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9MtJ164XJI

[Kenshin Hanabe]

I sing the meow mix song in my head.....no joke. Its actually very zen like lol.

[Micah Nelson]

When I can, I just stop thinking and just hit the bastards. Thinking invariably leads me to overthinking, and then I'm just plain screwed. When I'm finally standing on the field, and the Heralds are calling my name, the time for thought is past. If I think about the situation, I will dwell on who I'm fighting, how they fight, how I should try to get through their defenses, how I should block that *CLANK!*. <--See? If I can't get clear, I fumble over options, and lose reaction time.

I'm not great, just good, but I'm a lot better in the moment when I stop thinking, and just act.