I recently played at a local tournament (that I actually ended up doing significantly better than I’ve ever done), and during every single match I played my hands would shake like crazy. I had a match against a guy who I pretty much knew I would easily win against before the match began, and I STILL had violently shaking hands. Even for a few minutes after a match would be over, I could watch my hands shake and go wild, and I felt really jittery.
I tried chewing gum during matches, hoping it would be an outlet for my body to do something instead of making my hands shake, but it didn’t seem to help at all. I tried calming my mind, taking it easy, not thinking about the stakes too much, but still no dice. It’s also worth noting that this isn’t my first tournament - I’ve been to one other local tournament, two pretty major CA tournaments, and EVO.
Other than continuing to attend tournaments, is there anything I can do to chill out? I’m considering things like taking NyQuil or a little alcohol, because the nervous shaking can really affect my game, and it’s kind of embarrassing.
What do YOU do to calm yourself down at tournaments?