When the pressure gets too much to handle during the game, it’s highly likely for a player to experience a state of stress which is known as “tunnel vision”. “Tunnel vision” is often referred to the psycho-physiological reaction characterized by an adrenaline rush that causes a significant reduction in intellectual and physical performance. This state of mind and body often leads to a significant drop in performance, poor decision making and choking. However ‘tunnel vision’ doesn’t necessarily need to lead to choking and a lost round/game. If you have the right mental skills in your toolbox you would be able to break this state of being and take back control over your game. Here are three practical steps to apply when you want to overcome ‘tunnel vision’ in esports.
Regain awareness of your environment
When you experience ‘tunnel vision’ you become overly focused on a single target or event. Often you might even ‘lose’ your peripheral sight. One of the reasons why this happens is because your mind and body prepares you to face danger. Keep in mind that when it comes to mental and physical reaction to danger, our brain is rarely making a difference whether it’s just a game or an actual physical threat.
What you could do instantly to overcome this feeling is to regain your sense of environment. Check the numbers – seconds left in round, people alive, potential weapons etc. Analyze, not paralyze.
Communicate with your team
Often, when you are under a ‘tunnel vision’ experience, not only you become silent, but you also tend to ignore the information you are provided. In esports – the less info you have the more likely it is to fail. Try to practice active communication next time you are under stress and you enter ‘tunnel vision’. Request information, start talking about what you are about to do, ask questions. Sometimes being silent is also key for a win – you need to listen for cues of your opponents location. This is perfectly fine as long as you consciously are choosing to do so and this silence is not a byproduct of your tunnel vision experience.
Stick to your goals
Don’t stop asking yourself – “What’s the plan?”. Keep in your head all the necessary steps you need to take to achieve success based on the situation. Do you have to plant or defuse the bomb? Do you need to pick up a better weapon? Clutch 1v3? Your current goals could be very different based on your current situation, however, the important part is not to get overwhelmed by the negative emotions and pressure and completely forget what your target is.
Have you experienced ‘tunnel vision’? How do you overcome it? Please share in the comments. If you want to build a clutch mentality and learn new mental skills that would help you overcome your difficulties in your game – message me at contact@goendgame.com and receive your first session for FREE.
