What do you do to get ready for a big tournament?

[crawford]

How much do you practice and how many tournaments do you play?
Have these strategies worked for you in the past?

[Foozkillah]

FoozHi Crawford!

What seems to work best for me is to have intense, tight play for 2-3 hours, 2-4 times a week. Continuous hours and hours of play just seems to exaggerate bad habits and can even lead to soreness and injury. Switching every 2 or 3 points (no matter which side scored them) keeps you fresh during doubles practice, and it certainly wouldn't hurt your singles play, either.

Intense, serious play for 2-3 hours made me remember what I noticed during the play, instead of just remembering a worthless blur of 6 hrs of play day after day. Teaches your presence of mind to get up for the time you're on the table. And forces you to relax at the end of the session. Just like in the big tournament. Learn to sit down instead of pacing around for hours, too. And how to warm up quickly.

Equipment: check out any new wraps or grip-helpers, trying not to pull them out for the first time at the tournament. Bring a pair or two of your most comforatble footgear.. it's like a pool tournament, a lot of standing and quick moves in short bursts with the feet. You'll know which footgear and grip gear work best during practice...

Video: Avoid for 2 weeks watching all these pro-master/pro videos with defenses you'll rarely see, because these show defenses that are relaxed, planned, and practiced with a PHILOSOPHY, which is what separates beginner & rookie play from advanced play. I wish there were videos that demonstrated exactly how a bad D is performed and how it is attacked and what to wait for. Like foosball follies.

Good Luck! Hope to see you at the $7500 South Florida Open this October!

[trader1199]

Hey Brian. John from Strikers here.
If you'd like I can make a video of the bad defense you mentioned, or I can be available anytime to demonstrate! haha

[Foozkillah]

hey John!

Just remember that paper outline I showed you a while back.

Stay on one of the 5 lines. always cover or switch between two lines, NEVER have the goalkeeper and the two-bar player on the same line. And NEVER block outside the 1 or the 5 lane areas.

The video would be good, because most beginner and rookie players have NO IDEA where their defending players are... it's as if they generate their own optical illusion in their own minds.. I used to tell them to stop at anytime to see how out of position they were with a 12" ruler.

The ruler is also perfect for tapping them on the noggin each time they insist they were doing what they said they would do, and just show the giant open lane by putting the ruler on it.

[trader1199]

I was given a tip this past weekend i never heard before. I was told not to watch the ball at all. He said to just watch the goal area and move your men to open spots or something like that. What do you think? I actually had my best day of defense that day playing against Mark, Adam, and Jeff. But in the end, a few blocks wasn't enough.

[Foozkillah]

John,

That is exactly what I do, especially with a forward who has practiced enough to do his/her best to get my attention and adjust my defense to what he/she wants.

I check where the ball generally is, remember what possible shots can come out of that location.. and then I go into one of several defenses for that offense, be it snake, pull, push, pull kick, whatever.. Concentration on never covering the post or wall, and never leaving one or the other blocking man still for more than a split second. Stand still defenses are for morons. Anyone with access to a table can shoot a few hundred shots and remember how to hit openings by memory consistently. They just have to wait.

For example, with snakers that wiggle or not, the easiest offense is first, they master a square long/deadbar and a square 3quarter/razor on either the push or pull side, and also at least a spray 3quarter to long or a square long on the other side. They just wait until you havent covered the 3quarter or long for three or more counts of 1-2. i.e., if you shake or move the men across 1-2, 1-2, 1-2 and show the same 3quarter or long hole, that's what they hit.

I also check and reset everytime the ball position goes more than one half dot over. Once you get used to this, it's like regularly checking your sides and the rear-view mirror. Not too hard on the multi-tasking.

Fly Bri'