How Many Tournaments Should I Play?

How Many Tournaments Should I Play?
 
I hear this question often.
 
The answer is…
 
What stage is your game?
 
If you are developing new skills, sometime it is ok to take short break from tournaments and focus more in details on some particulars.  As soon as these details are more solidified, then you should again start playing tournaments.
 
How strong are you mentally?
 
If you can handle losses and not become discouraged, then playing more tournaments is good.  There have been times when I felt that my student was on the edge of quitting and a tournament would be just wayyyyyy too frustrating, so I asked him to not attend.
 
Will you implement new things?
 
If so, then you are well on your way to making progress.  See, you have play the same way you have always played, you will likely have the same results you have always had.  So you should make positive changes in your game to make you more consistent, to make you more powerful, to make you harder to play against.  Developing these areas of your game is relatively easy in the right training environment with an expert coach.  However, having the mental toughness to implement these in tournaments is really one of the main things that separates the champion from everyone else.  The champion knows that during the developing stages of his skill, he might lose, but implementing and playing the right way is going to pay off big time in the end.
 
So to answer your question, I want YOU to ask yourself – What stage is my game?  How strong am I mentally?  Will I implement what I know that I can do?