6 Best Pre-Game Practices to Win More Games in eSports

Have you ever sat down to start a competitive gaming session and then quickly stopped playing because it just wasn’t feeling right? Or felt like you started on the wrong foot and just couldn’t bare the losses?

We published a post quite some time ago about a secret technique that improved performance. That technique being a pre-game ritual. We explained the importance of it, but never really gave too many examples. So in this post we are going to tell you the 6 Best Pre-Game Practices to Win More Games in eSports.

These 6 practices are guaranteed to help you see performance results and also make your sessions last a whole lot longer. The trick is to start on the right foot, and then trust yourself to see it through. Let’s jump into them.

1. Reflect On Your Previous Session – Then Let It Go

You have to reflect on your previous session before jumping into a new one. This way you are effectively walking down a path and not just playing at random. Not to say it will always be a progressive path. You won’t always have home run sessions. However, just being aware of your last session, and visualizing it, will help you in your next one. It keeps a pulse on your performance and allows you to stay within your optimal zone. The idea being that you ‘grow through, what you go through’. Most important is to then let it go. You shouldn’t dwell on your past session. Dwelling allows you to label it either good or bad and that information does not serve you in the current session.

2. Set Goals For The New Session – Macro and Micro

We have spoken in ad nauseum about goal setting. But that doesn’t change it’s importance. Setting goals is the fuel in your engine. It keeps you going and striving towards an end point. This will help maintain your passion and intensity throughout your session and draw your concentration back whenever it starts to wander. Focus on both macro and micro goals. Set overall big goals that revolve around a result of your performance. Typically in the form of wins and losses or points. Then set micro goals that focus on aspects of your performance. The micro goals can be more emotional and less trackable. Like wanting to execute what you’ve practiced. For example, landing combos or hitting more shots. They can also be trackable like kills and deaths, or creep score.

3. Visualize Performance and Concentration

Before you jump into a session it can be beneficial to visualize yourself playing. Consider this a moment to prime yourself for the next step. Visualize yourself playing the game without distraction and with a level of concentration that can’t be broken. If you do this correctly, it’s possible to convince your brain to stay away from things like your phone or social media during your session. By visualizing yourself playing and keeping those aspects out of your mind, you are less likely to gravitate towards them. Giving you an add layer of concentration that may not have been there prior.

4. Decide If It’s a Critical Thinking Day or A Performance Day

These differ entirely. Sometimes when we play, we are playing to ‘learn’. Meaning that we are allowing our brains to narrate things to us in a feedback loop as events take place. This is can be great for learning and making progress, but it doesn’t always net specific results. On the other hand, performance days are days where we tune it all out. Then we execute and worry about what happened later during our video review. Make the distinction and decision before stepping into your session. It will help guide you on managing your results and your emotional state.

5. Commit and Bring Intensity

You are primed from the prior step and almost ready to play. This is your moment to make a commitment to yourself. That you will fully concentrate and put effort into your performance. Too often we tend to merge our energy from one task to another but expect different results. Imagine if you brought the same energy that it takes to move laundry into whatever game you’re playing. Sounds silly, but it happens. Sure that energy is useful for moving laundry, but will it help you win? Same goes for browsing social media and other activities that don’t fuel a competitive mindset. After you make your commitment, bring your intensity. Amp it up! Think about driving in your car and listening to a song that you haven’t heard in a while but you really like. What are you going to do? You’re gonna reach down and turn it up! No effort required! So do the same here. Turn it up! Get ready and act as if you’re going to war.

6. Warm Up

Overlooked. I could end this point right there. It goes without saying how important warming up is. But false confidence can sometimes allow us to jump into a session expecting peak performance without us actually being there. Warm up, get yourself one step closer to peak. This will help you build self trust and confidence in your ability. Ultimately leading to less second guessing.

Wrap Up

Give these 6 Best Pre-Game Practices to Win More Games in eSports a try and see your improvement. Ritualization and routines really help to achieve that peak optimal space as an eAthlete.