This is pretty good stuff, and thanks to all for contributing and sharing. Most of the things written here I learned the hard way in motorcycle racing, the conclusion: in competition don't try to be better than you are, do not take risk to compensate for poor skills and lack of training, accept your limitations and you'll grow. This is why I train for skills and reliable shooting techniques, and see a match/race as fact finding mission where I am compared to others. That might be sometimes annoying as progress seems not visible in the short term, but if you look at successful competitors no matter which sport - they all share -beyond passion- working on their skills, techniques, physical and psychological shape to have that "let it go" or even "let it happen" in race or during match.
Of course, that's not linear progress, everytime you find something to improve it will first take you back a step, or two. That's why you need passion to overcome that, and sometimes the strength to work against advice and habits.
In my mind to perform best at a match is to have confidence in my skills, have sufficient routine to focus just onto the stage's challenge(s) and knowing (!) that I can make every shot perfect. Like in motorcycle racing you don't win in the first corner/stage, you have to proof consistency throughout -perhaps- a whole day of competition.