With the rise in popularity in E-sports, the approach taken to be successful for competitive gamers and teams alike has begun to take on a different look. 

Esports athletes have commonly been viewed as energy drinking, chip eating, sedentary gamers. But, whether or not the junk food part’s true, the stationary part was. When a gamer first starts out, they tend to think that the more they play the better they’ll be, often going for 24 hours at a time, shoveling down whatever food’s in reach.  This, however, has shown to be the wrong approach. Plenty of sleep and time for hands and wrists to rest do more for the gamer, helping make them more alert with faster hand/eye coordination and reducing the chance of injury. 

Taking it even further, esports teams are reaping the benefits of training like traditional athletes. Eating healthy, working out, doing yoga, meditating – these practices are showing results in higher levels of performance and success for esports athletes. Many teams that have the budget are starting to hire trainers to help improve endurance and cognitive function. Training regimens include physical activity every day, whether that is an hour all at once or ten minutes here and there. Some teams have completely turned around their seasons by employing trainers, nutritionists, and doctors. 

While the physical exercise, nutrition, and proper rest have impacts, the act of visualization, mindfulness and meditation have also proven to be effective in improving performance and mental health of competitive gamers. Gamers heart rates have been measured at 140 to 180 beats per minute. So, even though they aren’t exerting themselves in the way we think athletes normally do, their bodies are still working hard and they’re subject to high levels of stress and strain. 

One team that’s set the gold standard for team training is OpTic Gaming, who is sponsored by Red Bull. The teams have full access to the world class facilities, nutritionists and trainers at the Red Bull Training Center. The trainers create regimens designed specifically for gamers, where they do physical training but also incorporate exercises to improve hand/eye coordination and response reflexes. Team-building is also a focus, where the group participates in activities outside of their comfort zone, like paddleboarding, with the idea that it’ll build chemistry among the team. 

But, even small teams and individual gamers that don’t have access to Red Bull’s training facilities and coaches can make small changes that will add up to big results, in time. 

So, if you’re a gamer, don’t reach for the energy drink and pizza. Reach for some water, a vitamin D supplement, and drop and do 15 pushups while you wait to respawn! 

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ESports Gaming