Underwater Hockey Brazil
Hoquei Subaquático Brasil
 

What do I need to do to participate in a tournament?

Tournaments are one of the most fun parts of hockey! You compete all day, meet people from all over the world, are exhausted to hell, feast like a king after the day and then you party till you just drop into your bed. You can learn an incredible amount during a tournament since you play a lot of short games (10-15 minutes) against all different sorts of teams. You see all different kinds of playing style, have to adapt to your opponent, watch some incredible moves, and hopefully pull some incredible moves yourself that you couldn’t even think of doing beforehand. You learn your position and your job in the team, such that the whole team works together.

So, I strongly encourage going to tournaments; they are fun and you learn more at your first tournament than you will ever learn at one time at any point in your underwater hockey career. After a tournament you will notice the game change in the club practices as well. The poor fishies who missed out.

To make all this happen you need to have your gear together and yourself organized a little. This guide is designed to help you prepare for going to a tournament.

Stuff to pack and bring

You are responsible for your own equipment! You need to bring your own full set (black and white) of everything. Borrow it from the club before the tournament if you don’t have your own. If you try to get it at the last minute, someone else might have your favourite stick.

Equipment list:

• Fins, plus socks and/or fingrips
• Mask, ideally plus a spare if you have one
• Snorkel with mouthguard, ideally plus a spare if you have one. If you don’t yet have a mouthguard, ask one of the coaches
• Caps in black and white
• Sticks in black and white, ideally plus spares
• Glove
• Food for the day - high energy, easily digestible
• Plenty to drink - at least 2 litres of water or non-carbonated energy drinks. If you don't drink enough, you will cramp up in your last game, which, as most tournaments end up with playoffs to determine final rankings, is probably the most vital for your team. Don't leave them a player short! Think of water as the oil that keeps your race engine running smoothly...

The mantra of how to maintain your energy levels during the course of a tournament is basically, between every game, "eat a little, drink a lot".

The tournament is followed by a tournament party with a banquet style dinner. However, there is normally no food offered at the pool during the tournament. There may be a small kiosk, but it will stand you in much better stead if you plan to bring your own stuff. During the day you will play 5-10 games of about 10-15 minutes each, with breaks of anywhere between 10 minutes and 1 hour between the games. The depending on the number of teams, "seriousness" of the tournament (the higher the level of the tournament, the longer the duration of the games) and the number of available playing areas. This means that you don’t want to eat a full meal if you are playing just 10 minutes later. Bring snack-like food, such as bananas and cereal bars. I also love noodles. You can eat them in small portions.

For your personal convenience, you can also bring:

• Swimming Costume
• Towel
• Bathing shoes/Flip Flops
• Fleece top and tracksuit trousers to keep you - read "your muscles" - warm between games
• For outdoor pools in sunshine: waterproof suncream and a hat. Ensure that suncream has been fully absorbed into your skin - no "white" - well before you get into the water.

Before the Tournament

Get the phone numbers of the other players going to the tournament. If you are sharing a ride, get the number of your driver (and possibly others in the convoy) and your passengers. There is always last minute stuff coming up.

The night before the tournament, carbo-load - that is to say, eat as much pasta or other carbohydrate as you can. This will be your main source of fuel for the next day.

Be at the pool on time to swim a warmup (approximately 30 minutes) before your first game.

During the Tournament

Be on time! Keep one eye on the schedule of the games and be ready to jump into the water (with everything on, including goggles) three minutes before your next game starts. The schedule might change as the tournament progresses...

Know your colour for the next match. If you don’t, bring both. Ensure that the colour of your cap matches the colour of your stick ... and that the colour of both cap and stick match those of your teammates!

During a Game

Your equipment always stays on you. In particular, do not take off your mask. The next strike will commence before you have the chance to put your googles back and this means your team is one man down.

And finally...

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask! Someone else may be wondering the same thing.