In the previous article we discussed some of the reasons why you might experience pressure during overtime in your game. Managing pressure in esports is a mental skill that all successful players should develop.But how to manage that pressure?
The way pressure is experienced is very subjective and different individuals develop different mechanisms to overcome it. However, there are some key principles that you could follow and adapt to your game and personal experience.
The first thing you have to understand is that pressure is your friend. To an extent. Too little pressure and you have a sloppy game, too much pressure and you choke. So the first thing you need to learn to do is to
Maintain just the right levels of pressure
Again this is very subjective, easy to learn but hard skill to master. You would need to know and understand yourself very good as a player in stressful moments such as overtime. If you know you are anxious and tense during the game in general – it’s highly likely that in overtime, you would experience pressure more than others. In such cases it would be a good idea to practice relaxing techniques, deep breathing or meditations. On the other hand if you are a player who is really calm in all situations, you risk being too slow and miss your chance to close your game during stressful moments. In such cases you would need to boost your mood, increase your focus and attention when overtime comes.
Focus on your communication with the team
Usually during overtime players tend to focus too much on themselves and their performance which prevents them from understanding on time key aspects of the game. During overtime, the team / players who receive most information and make good use of it would usually win. If you play only by yourself, ignoring others and events in the game most likely the pressure would take over and choke you.
Believe in yourself and maintain your confidence
During overtime each mistake could lead to defeat. However, if your focus is on the fact that you or a teammate made a mistake, you automatically invite more pressure in your thoughts and allow it to affect your actions negatively. Instead you should remind yourself and your teammates that if you made it so far – there is a reason behind it and you should continue believing in yourself and the victory ahead.
Overtime games are particularly stressful for some players. How do you manage stress during overtime? Have you help another player with that? Please share in the comments. If you are unable to overcome pressure during stressful moments such as overtime, don’t hesitate to message me at contact@goendgame.com
