Well if you are ever feeling really down, just remember this
Been watching you play for years. You have the talent but you're a goddamn relentless troll on the forums. Have you ever stopped to think that maybe you're afraid of someone giving it to you the way you've given it to them? "If I don't beat them, then they're gonna give it to me on an internet forum where my sense of self worth means something!"
LETS DO IT
Focus on what you have to do.
It's still all a mind over matter thing my man. in your mind what do you think is going to happen if you don't beat them. Do you think you'll be humiliated? Will you feel depressed because you lost? Just remember it's a competition but you still went there to have fun. Don't think about anyone else but your own enjoyment and remember losing is a part of every competition. Is a loss isn't humiliating, it's a learning experience and helps you grow as a player. If you lost because of nerves take a step back and think why am i nervous? Eliminate the reasons to be nervous with positive reinforcement in your mind and you will find yourself wondering why you were so nervous in the first place.
Seems like the people that deal with them best are playing in tournaments all the time. I know you've taken a break from tourneys for a while, and that might have something to do with it.
I can empathize with you, Soup. On all accounts to be quite honest. When we used to play MK9 at VSM back in the days of yore we all performed well due to the environment being a casual one. There was no reason to get nervous when playing because there was no goal for anyone to reach. Now, when the time came for tournaments where it actually "mattered" nerves may or may not come into play. You and I both suffered from nerves for quite sometime. The only difference is our skill level. You're really good at MK, and to be honest you're naturally good at games in general, while as I am just above average at fighters. I've always have been. The reasons nerves surface themselves in the first place has to do with irrational thought that stems into fear. Ones mindset at the time is that they wish to do well in a tournament in order to advance further in the bracket, but simultaneously they don't want to scrub out. One will constantly think of thoughts that gravitate around said matter(s) and then begin to lose full control of common functions that need to be used in that place and time. One is perception while the other is reaction time. Combos drop, one does scrub like tactics, and one will go into auto pilot if all shit has hit the fan. These feelings amplify when one is put on stream because the whole world, or what it feels like, is watching you at that point in time instead of the small congregation of people watching your match from behind. Thousands of viewers are about to see a victor and the defeated. No one wants to be the one that is defeated. One doesn't want to be judged and castigated for performing poorly due to certain circumstances.
Map it out. You sit down with yourself for an hour every day and figure out what's agitating you at the moment. Write it down. One word each. Write a map with this. You'll find recurring issues and frustrations. You can then map those out. It's a long process, but you can break yourself down in a flowchart and fix your peeves.
