Many people who are outside of the gaming world think that Esports is as simple as playing a video game well, and if you are good at it, you will win. They believe those who are professional gamers are in their positions simply because they play a lot of games. While it is most definitely true that professional gamers have played a lot of games to get good at them, they have not achieved their success simply because they play. On the contrary, professional gamers invest hundreds of hours into focused practice — building skills, strategies, and improving themselves — in order to achieve peak performance.
Winning in Sports offers proven strategies based on sports psychology that will help you improve both your gaming practice and performance, whether you are an amateur or a professional gamer. Our sports psychologist, Dr. Greene has dedicated his life to helping athletes achieve their dreams and take their performance to the next level. Below, we’ll go over the key to optimal practice for gamers. For more information, visit us online to take an Esports assessment today!
The Keys to Practice
Create a Schedule
When you are looking to up your gaming level, it’s time to get serious. Being a professional gamer takes much more than being good at gaming. You have to practice skills, solo work, and teamwork, as well as engage in scrims with other players, in order to hit the top level of peak performance. For that, you will need a practice schedule that you stick to where you engage in focused practice time and you concentrate on certain games, skills, or on teamwork in order to get better. Our sports psychologist suggests that you choose times where you yourself are at your very best, so if you’re a morning person, load up on challenging strategy and skill-building time; whereas, if you are a night person, save the most challenging aspects of your Esports training for that time. There is a time for just recreational play if you just want to take a break, but for the most part, you should be in training mode every time you pick up your game controls.
Stick to the Schedule
On the days you are training for Eports (which should be at least five days a week), you need to adhere to your schedule. Sure, your best friend’s birthday is Friday, so you go out to celebrate, end up staying up late, and sleeping in, messing up your whole gaming practice schedule. While these events do happen, they need to be kept to a minimum, and best case scenario, planned for, so that you can change your off day with a practice day that week in order to account for it. Plus, for team practice time and scrim time, you almost have to maintain a schedule if you want to practice because this is the time others can do it as well. Dedication, hard work, and focus are what will make the difference in your Esports training, so it’s best to take establishing a schedule and sticking to it seriously.
Vary Your Schedule
While training for any sport, be it football, basketball, or Esports, it can be extremely easy to get stuck doing the “same-ol'” and end up not progressing. For example, doing the same circuit with the same exercises at the same weight truly won’t yield you any results. You have to break up your routine, use heavier weights and different movements, if you want to see results. Similarly, with Esports, while having a routine is good, varying the movements, games, and skills practiced within your allotted practice time will be key to your success. This can be challenging, especially if you are focused on one or two games for an upcoming competition. However, pushing yourself outside your comfort zone, from different genres and games to different players in your scrims, will help you to discover other areas you need to focus on.
Include Breaks and Physical Exercises, as well as Meal Planning
Sitting in front of a computer for hours on end can be challenging, especially if you are lightning-focused on building skills for your Esports competitions. This is not only challenging, but it’s physically and mentally draining. Thus, it’s super important that you take care of yourself in all aspects.
You’ll want to ensure you are getting the proper nutrition and not just grabbing a bag of chips, a candy bar, and a soda for lunch. Ensure you are getting a good balance of macronutrients, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables, so that you can feel your best while gaming. Meal planning helps as well. You can prepare your meals for the week ahead, which then makes it super easy to microwave these in-between gaming sessions. You’ll want to ensure you are taking plenty of stretch breaks, as well as more structured physical exercise, such as joining a gym and investing in exercise. Taking breaks from the screen as much as possible and resetting is great for your mental health, as well as doing other activities outside of gaming, such as reading a book or hanging out with friends who are outside the gaming community.
Partner with a Professional Esports Coach or Trainer
There are many benefits to partnering with a professional Esports coach. First, professional Esports coaches often have more experience than you in competition. . They know how to perform well under pressure. They can help you with gaming strategies, teamwork, tips, and pro advice that can help you improve your game. Next, they serve as your cheerleader, always helping to provide motivation for you, even on the days you are on the verge of burnout. Esports coaches also see things you do not, helping you as an individual to perform your best in competition..
Choose Winning in Sports for your esports gaming today
Winning in Sports uses sports psychology principles to help you identify your strengths and those areas you can strengthen and then works with you on a one-on-one basis to help you achieve your gaming goals, whether that’s to play on a professional Esports team or just be a better player overall. We offer both individual and team Esports assessments, which give us a great baseline of knowledge from which we will build upon as we work together. Your Esports training program is unique to you, with specific training exercises and techniques you will do as homework to up your Esports play.
Let’s face it, while gaming is fun, it’s a lot funner if you win. Our sports psychologist at Winning in Sports can help you get on the leaderboard, stay here, and move up to the top. Visit our site to get started today!
