We asked our varsity esports players to share their strategies for healthy game play, and how they prepare mentally and physically before a match. Here’s what some of our Valorant players do to be their best selves during their competitions.
(The following is the personal opinion of our players. None of our players’ recommendations should be considered official medical advice. Techniques and results may vary for individuals. Consult a healthcare professional if you are having mental or physical health symptoms.)
Brandon “Allegro” Diehl
NIU Valorant Varsity Player
- Get a good night’s rest the day before your match (or every day if you can). Especially after closing out your night with VOD review or aim training, sleeping allows your brain to subconsciously process a lot of information very quickly so a lot of sleep is necessary for learning, as well as making sure you are just mentally ready for the next day.
- Don’t have an empty stomach for your match, but also don’t eat anything too heavy before your match. I think for me, the best thing to do is eat something light like 2-3 hours before your match.
- Especially if you play a lot or play on a super low sensitivity, wrist/arm stretches can be helpful.
- Getting in the right mental state is really important. A positive but focused attitude is achieved in different ways. For me, this is done while listening to music while I am training in my warmup.
Ishan “CLB Boy1drr” Rai
NIU Valorant Varsity Player Alumni
Tip #1: Your habits are your biggest drivers to success. From the simplest things in the morning, like brushing your teeth or not going on your phone immediately in bed, to the latest things at night, like washing your face or changing your clothes, your habits drive each and every day. Create and maintain good habits, and work to lose your bad ones. Create a list of 10-15 (or more) things you do when you function at your best everyday. They can be as simple as “Brush my teeth 15 minutes after waking up” or “Put lotion on immediately after my shower”, as long as they help you be at your best. Then when you’re not at your best, look back at your list. I guarantee there is something you’re not doing to be at your best. Fix it.
Tip #2: Maintain a good sleep schedule. Sleep is the most important part to being a healthy human being. I know it’s hard, especially in college, to get a full 8 hours of sleep. However, here are some tips to help you do so. No caffeine past 2 p.m. Caffeine takes a long time for your body to process. Help your body help you fall asleep by not drinking it past 2 p.m. Prioritize your sleep. Think of it as prioritizing an assignment or quiz. Sleep should be just as important.
Tip #3: Good diet/exercise. Just like the past two tips, good diet and/or exercise keeps your body performing at its peak. Take notes of what foods make you sluggish vs. energetic before a match. Don’t eat foods that’ll make you lethargic. Eat foods that will make you feel awake and ready to play. My recommendation for game day: Small carbs and large protein for breakfast, quick protein snack (very low carbs) 1-2 hours beforehand.
Tip #4: Keep your mental high. Although some will disagree, gaming can be quite taxing to your mental health, especially at a high level. If you have trouble building confidence, try “I am” statements. Your unconscious mind is unable to tell lies from truths, so when these “I am” statements flow from conscious thoughts to unconscious, you begin to believe in them (and yourself) more. Example “I am” statements:
I am in control.
I am optimistic.
I am here for a reason.
I am a winner.
I am playing offense, all day, everyday.
I also typically meditate for 15 minutes at the end of everyday and reflect on my day to know what I could’ve done better. Lean on your teammates and coaches. Having a shared sense of purpose can help. Create goals with your teammates on what you want to accomplish. All good teams have open, transparent communication. “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Tip #5: Control your thoughts. Every human has 12,000 – 60,000 thoughts a day. Roughly 80% of them are negative. Most of the time, we’re unable to control our first thought. However, the conclusion we draw from the first thought (aka your second thought) can be either positive or negative, based on how you feel it should be. Control your second and third and fourth thoughts. Don’t let your first thought control you.
Tip #6: Plan your attack, attack your plan. Be prepared. You can have the absolute best skill in the world, but you’ll never be truly ready unless you plan. Have backups for backups. Be ready for anything. Have the confidence in yourself that you’ll be ready to attack your plan if need be.
Tip #7: Be loose in your warmup. I do tons of eye tracking warmup, aim warmup, in game movement warmup, mental warmup, and even simply stretches 2-3 hours before every match or practice. You may not have the same time, but still do each and every warmup possible for your game to be as loose and ready as possible for your matches. Have a consistent routine for all of these as well to create that as a habit.
