10 Tournament Tips for Lacrosse Players
- Recharge your battery in between games. Don’t watch the other lacrosse games so you can detach yourself emotionally and mentally while you are not playing. Get out of the tournament area when there is some time.
- Do not make the tournament into an “special” event. During practice, you are active for hours participating in drills and even some scrimmaging/live play. Competing at a tournament for continuous hours is no different. If you can handle practice, you can succeed at a tournament.
- Don’t spend too much time looking at opponents or rankings. (1) All you need to know is what field you will play on. You do not need to know the name of your opponents because that should not influence your performance. (2) Over-analysis of other teams/players leads you to be “looking ahead” and playing “what if” scenarios in your head. (3) Checking out the competition before playing can make the tournament into more of a special “event” which could add more unnecessary pressure.
- Avoid being around negative people and small time thinkers. Upsets happen to the best teams because everyone can be beat – no one is superhuman and no team is unbeatable! The only person on the field who needs to believe in you is YOU.
- Stay away from people who make you overthink or add pressure (certain team coaches, private coaches, parents, friends, teammates).
- Stay positive and BELIEVE in yourself even when it’s tough to do. Part of being mentally tough means staying stubbornly positive and optimistic despite adversity. This will result in a clear mind before you play.
- In between each game, stretch or give yourself time to relax. This will help keep you loose and will lower anxiety from just aimlessly waiting for game time.
- Use warm-up like a practice game. Go all out during warm-up to make sure your muscles and techniques are ready. Don’t tire yourself out too much; but make sure to use the warm-up time to get ready.
- Do not over or under eat/drink. Stay nourished, but stop when you are full. You should also be fully hydrated when you compete.
- Stay in the present moment. Don’t look ahead or behind. If you lost or played poorly, do NOT let the same opponent beat you twice. On the other side of the coin, do not celebrate or become too content when you win a game, pull off a big upset, or meet/exceed other people’s expectations of you. Just stay focused on the matches ahead of you for that tournament.
(edited on 2/21)