Recently, we have been working our “booty off” (pirate quote!!) playing online and preparing for an upcoming MLG tournament. We have taken what we
have learned in the past and applied it to our game plan. We have been playing with the top teams and have shown some great improvement in our strategies and our overall gaming skills.  However, there was one more thing that needed training - our brains! No, we didn’t sit down and play Brain Age or Big Brain Academy. Instead, our fabulous coach/team captain Rhoulette suggested we read a sports psychology book to prepare our minds for competition.

For us, it seems that the skills are there, but the lack of confidence and positive mindset has been holding us back. We needed to break out of the negativity that has been holding us back and move forward. Since we have gotten a book (called “The Mental Edge"), we have been able to tap into our true potential in several ways:

1. I’ve begun to enjoy playing again. Sometimes, when you play a game over and over again, it becomes more like a job.  After realizing that I was not having fun, I began to find the joy in the game again which helped me play better.

2. I sat down and asked myself if this is something I really wanted. I determined it was and that I was going to dedicate my time to it as much as possible.

3. I’ve learned to put my mind in the right state so that I could just play. Sometimes, over-analyzing can really throw you off your game, but letting your hands do what they do best - which is frag - can enhance your gaming skills.

4. When practicing, play like your playing at a tournament. This will help you stay in the right state of mind for competition.

These are just a few things that I’ve learned from the book and, I’m telling you, it helps! Gaming is really mental and the ability to be master of your own mind can really influence the way that you play. One of the most important things to do is to keep that moment that you performed at your peak and invoke that feeling. Knowing how to do that and feeling the confidence of your game makes a world of a difference in competitive gaming. It’s all about your attitude; having a positive one can bring you the win!

Ohh, and we also happen to have the best intimidator in the gaming world - Valkyrie!!!!!!!!!  (Our secret weapon.)

Game on!