Beyond Bridge
Getting the body ready for peak performance
There’s more to playing good bridge than bridge skill and judgment. Concentration and stamina are key. So are mindset and attitude.
How do you come to the table prepared to play your best consistently?
What does physical and mental training for bridge look like?
What should I be doing at tournaments to maximize my effectiveness?
What should I be doing between tournaments as part of my training regimen?
These are among the questions I want to answer this year. I have some ideas, but I’m looking for suggestions wherever I can. I have a few books in mind to read, and I hope to talk to some experts in the fields of physical and mental preparation.
Here’s what I’m doing so far.
Meditation
I have practiced Transcendental Meditation on and off for years. I’ve started doing it regularly before each session at bridge tournaments, and found it very helpful; it relaxes and focuses my mind.
This year, I’m making a commitment to doing TM twice a day—morning and afternoon—which is the recommended practice. I have been very good about this so far. It’s hard to measure the utility, but it’s something that builds upon itself over time. I’m enjoying the break in the middle of the day, and I do feel an energy boost for the rest of the afternoon.
Diet and Exercise
Surely being in better shape is better for your bridge. Tournament bridge requires enormous levels of concentration and stamina. That’s much easier when your body is fit.
I’m not going to go crazy here—I don’t need to be able to run a marathon. But I’m working on shedding 10 or 20 holiday pounds and trying to generally eat healthy. I’m not going to deprive myself totally—food should be a celebration! But everything in moderation.
I make it a point to take a walk every day. There’s a wonderful park a block from my apartment, which is one of the reasons I chose this neighborhood. It’s tougher during the winter when it’s cold, but I still try to get out every day, even if it’s just for 10 or 15 minutes.
I’m doing some stretching every day, but I’ve never been good about sticking to any sort of workout routine. I’m going to check out a gym near me and see about taking some classes or working with a trainer. Cliché, I know, signing up for a gym in January. But I’m waiting til after my Hawaii trip, so it’ll be February, and that’s fine. :-)
Water
Everyone will tell you that drinking lots of water is good for you. It certainly can’t hurt. I like to start my day downing a full glass of water. I drink a lot of tea. Usually black tea, which isn’t great, I know. So I’m trying to switch over to more green and herbal tea. I keep a glass of water next to my desk and try to remind myself to drink when I take a break. At a tournament, I always carry a water bottle around with me. So I’m pretty good at this already, but it’s on my mind as something I can continue improving upon.
Sleep
I’m already a good sleeper. I need a lot of sleep, though—9 hours is my nightly goal. I get it most nights, too. But nights when I’m out at a show are difficult—I still wake up early and get to work, which is also important. So I’m trying to schedule fewer events on weeknights. That’s one of the sacrifices I’m making for this project. A lot of tickets have already been bought, but I’m trying to schedule new things on the weekends.
Drugs and Alcohol
I’m not a big drinker, but I like good wine. (I have a wine fridge with nearly 200 bottles! Mostly reds from Bordeaux and Napa.) And I enjoy the occasional THC gummy. (They’re legal here in NY.) Obviously these aren’t a recipe for great mental performance. So I’m cutting back, particularly at bridge tournaments. No alcohol or gummies at the Nationals. I’m limiting the gummies to at most once per week, and wine only when out at dinner. I need my brain in tip-top shape!
Psychology
How does one come to the table in the best frame of mind to compete? How do you treat every board like it’s the deciding board of the Reisinger, every decision like it’s been posed in the Master Solvers Club? This is an area I’m very unsure of. I’d like to talk to some sports psychologists for insight.
Reading
I’ve based a lot of my thinking about Deliberate Practice on Geoffrey Colvin’s Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else. I’ve gotten a lot of other suggestions about books to check out about achieving top performance. Obviously these aren’t specific to bridge, but the basic ideas are universal.
Here’s the list I have so far:
The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance by W. Timothy Gallwey
The Practicing Mind: Developing Focus and Discipline in Your Life by Thomas M. Sterner
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ericsson
The Talent Code: Greatness Isn't Born. It's Grown. Here's How by Daniel Coyle
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
The Champion’s Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train, and Thrive by Jim Afremow
What do you do in your daily life that helps your bridge game? What do you do that holds it back? How can we organize our lives around keeping our brain sharp? I like crosswords and sudoku. Does that help my bridge? Probably can’t hurt.
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
I've read most of the books you mentioned (I loved The Talent Code, Flow, Peak, Mindset, Deep Work, and Talent is Overrated). Additionally, I recommend Grit by Angela Duckworth, Mastery by Robert Greene, and Rapt by Winifred Gallagher. (Mastery by George Leonard is on my to-read list.)
I attended Tony Robbins' Unleash the Power Within in 2019, just before the Fall NABC, where he emphasized the importance of taking massive action. Subsequently, I read Grant Cardone's The 10X Rule, which reinforces this principle. If I were to start a leveling-up project at some point (work and family take priority in my life now), I would adopt the 10X approach in the following areas: reading problem-focused books, practice more vugraph hands, extensively rehearse system agreements, and study World Championship books to gain insights into the perspectives of top players.
Finally, there's a chess book called The Woodpecker Method, where the authors recommend solving problems repeatedly to fully master the underlying concepts. Michael Bodell mentioned in a Bridge Winners post that he applies this technique to Bridge Master problems. This sounds like a powerful method, particularly for problem books. (I must confess, I’ve never tried it—I’ve typically read a book once and moved on.)
A lot of what you wrote about are suggested lifestyle changes for preventing cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer's - probably most chronic health conditions that affect Americans. There is a website called Anticancerlifestyle.org - they have a lot of resources, including an online education series that has modules on mindfulness, exercise, nutrition, sleep, and other factors that affect health. All of the information and training courses are free.