Nate (and anyone else)-- >>The State tournament is unique in that it is BY FAR the tournament with the longest timed games of any that we attend... 15 minute halves as opposed to the 8-minute halves at U of M. It makes endurance more important, in my opinion, which is usually to our advantage since we're used to hour-long breakneck-pace lunch meetings. Anyway, I'd appreciate any more endurance tips<< Over here in the UK we routinely play either 25 or 30 minute games (without half-time breaks either). The trick is not to go at them in the same way as an 18 minute dash. Good practice is to think of the game in four parts. The first lasts for about 5-10 minutes, when both teams and the moderator are all finding their feet. Good bonus conversion is essential in this time, as both teams will usually be equal on the tossups. If you can emerge from this section equal or even ahead, it's a good position. Trail at this point, and you've really already got a problem. The next 5-10 minutes (the remainder of your first half, really) are the low point of the game. Try to keep your attention on tossups going, as missing a few in a row can really hurt. Again, you just need to keep pace with your opponents. The third section is where it gets fun, and we have all sorts of strange tactics to bring into play. This lasts about 7-10 minutes, and it's really the last chance for a trailing team to catch up. Stir your team, and go really hard at the tossups if you are behind - go for snappy bonus answers as well (this is the "hurry-up offensive"). If you are in the lead, tell your team to forget the lead, and try to "win" over the next 10 minutes. If you do start to slip, take your time on everything. Use all the time on bonuses, and speak your answers on tossups and bonuses calmly. This frustrates your opponents and often causes them to neg needlessly (the "slow down defensive"). The last 5-7 minutes are dead time. The moderator will inevitably get second wind and speed up, and score gaps rarely change more than about 50 points at most. I would recommend that all teams should take a deep breath with about 3 or 4 to go (time out if you can) as after such a long game, players can often be running on pure adrenalin by this stage, and a neg due to jumpy buzzer fingers is the last thing you need. MAke sure you take your chances, don't skimp on conferring and don't take quick rash guesses just to "get one more question". Also be careful about interrupting bonuses - remember, they are allowed to swerve! The trick with 25 or 30 minutes games is to aim at much closer milestones than the finishing line, or you will lose interest around midway, and find you are suddenly trailing without a prayer. Oh, and one other thing - remember that it is quite possible for victory margins to be very large over 30, so don't be disheartened if you find yourself on the wrong end of what you would normally think of as a huge defeat - it's 50% larger than it otherwise would be. Similarly, don't get hyper over a seemingly big win. Oh, and good luck! Rob (Over the pond in Oxford)
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