Considerations and Strategies for Esport

Performance Enhancement

Abilio Rodriguez, PT, DPT

Physical Therapist at the University of Miami - Plantation

Esport Researcher

Creator of nerdsandwellness.com

Topics

• Exercise

• Breathing

• Sleep

• Nutrition

• Hydration

• Ergonomics/Posture

• Motor Imagery

The Sword of Nerds and Wellness

A sword is a weapon.

The sword of Nerds and Wellness has been placed on IMPORTANT slides throughout this presentation as a means of providing you with a weapon to defeat your opponents during

competitive Esports play.

Exercise

• Exercise has a variety of benefits, both physically and mentally, which may benefit the Esport athlete.

ExerciseBenefits of Exercise

Increase economy of effort and reduce energy expenditure

Improve efficiency of glucose metabolism

Promotes ANS modulation

Reduce stress, depression, anxiety

Putting on muscle improves BMR

Provides nutrition to viscoelastic structures and lubrication to joints

Improves functional capacity of muscle’s stressed

Improves bone health

Improve cardiovascular fitness, health

Improve sleep and nutrient uptake

ETC!!!

Exercise Specific to Esport Athletes

• As in other professional sports, Esports deserves to have performance specialists who are able to prescribe and periodize programs to improve competitive performance

• Not just… “Lift Weights = Good Game”

Why Should Esport Athletes Exercise?

• The Esport Player Paradox –• Natural Selection

• Phasing out

• The point at which, practice and access to resources being equal, some athletes continue to excel while others plateau - which must then be attributed to phenotypic and genotypic advantages.

Exercise Specific to Esport Athletes

• Benefits• Increase endurance of postural muscles

• Increase coordination, reaction time, and click speed of hand muscles

• Improve cardiovascular response to stressors of competitive play

• Improve efficiency of glucose metabolism – rocket fuel for the brain

• Improve visuomotor precision while reducing fatigue

• Promote career longevity

• Reduce“learning time” for new games

• Reduce cognitive fatigue

• Avoid injury

What Type of Exercise?

• Aerobic Exercise

• Resistive Exercise

• Inspiratory Muscle Training

• Balance and Proprioceptive Training

• Visuomotor Training More than just…THIS …and… THIS

Exercise Considerations for Esport Athletes

• Dosing, Frequency, and Intensity

Breathing

• Stability • Ventilation

Breathing

• Hyperventilation = Hypocapnia

• Hypocapnia leads to:• Muscle guarding/co-contraction

• Neuronal excitation

• Dizziness

• Visual disturbances

• Anxiety

Breathing

• Inspiratory Muscle Training

Inspiratory Muscle Training

• Resistance training for your diaphragm!

• Improve cardiovascular endurance

• Promotes spinal stability via closed pressure system

• More efficient energy production

• Reduces oxygen requirements of the diaphragm therefore leaving O2 for other working muscles

• Reduce breathing effort

• Promotes ANS modulation (fight/flight vs relaxation)

• Normalize blood pH

• Reduce musculoskeletal pain

Sleep

• We intuitively know more quantity and quality of sleep will benefit us...

• …then why is getting “better” sleep so difficult?

• Start with some practical and tangible goals!

Credit:National Sleep Foundation 2015

From the National Sleep Foundation’s website

From the National Sleep Foundation’s website

Sleep Consideration for Esport Athletes

More Sun or Less Screen?

This study looked at the effects of either decreasing retinal exposure to blue light (via glasses) for the final 9 hours before the subject’s internal midnight vs increasing exposure to natural morning light. The impact on total sleep time and circadian phases was recorded. Circadian phases were assessed via Dim-Light Melatonin Onset saliva samples.

Nutrition

• Know your MACRO’s – understanding your fuel sources!

Nutritional Considerations for Esport AthletesThe Insulin Response

Body breaks down carbohydrates into available sugars for fuel

After ingestion of a high calorie - low fiber snack circulting blood sugar levels tend to increase

Your pancreas secretes insulin – an “insulin spike”

Insulin assists in glucose transport, storage into muscles and liver as glycogen, storage as fat for later use, and prevent breakdown of proteins (lean body mass)

After resolution – insulin levels remain high and blood sugar levels become low

Body becomes lethargic and peak function is compromised - less available/metabolized glucose available for fuel

Tends to result in ingestion of another high calorie – low fiber snack

Cycle through insulin spike again

Over time your body becomes sensitized to insulin – rendering it less effective in managing blood glucose which contributes towards obesity/metabolic syndrome

Adapted from science.howstuffworks.com

Nutritional Considerations for Esport Athletes

• Control Insulin Response• Eat nutrient dense snacks (veggies, fats, proteins)• Make sure carbohydrate-predominant snacks also have fiber

• Remember the Paradox of the Esport Athlete Appearance!

• High calorie – low fiber foods do serve a purpose!• Increase readily available glucose (fuel) prior to a “short-duration competition”• For longer competitions ‘strategic snacking’ may serve a role as a means of

improving alertness/biological fuel stores – needs to be dosed appropriately to avoid “crashing”

Nutritional Considerations for Esport Athletes

• Principles of Dieting (adapted from work by Brad Schoenfeld)1. Create a caloric deficit

2. Keep protein intake at 1g/lb. of ideal body weight (for a variety of reasons)

3. ADHERENCE!!!

Nutritional Considerations for Esport Athletes

• NEAT or Non-exercise Activity Thermogenesis• Based on the work of Dr. J A Levine

Nutritional Considerations for Esport Athletes

• With training, work, school, and other daily demands the Esportathlete may simply not have time to exercise

• NEAT may be an efficient way of promoting physical activity without having to set aside time for formal exercise

• NEAT seems to be INSTINCTUAL

• Ways to improve NEAT:• Take stairs, stand to play, fidget lower extremities while playing seated, use a

stability ball when playing seated, stretch/perform quick exercises during pauses in play, pursed breathing strategies

Hydration

• “Being dehydrated by just 2% impairs performance in tasks that require attention, psychomotor, and short-term memory skills…”

• Adan A. Cognitive Performance and Dehydration. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. 2012• Credit to Jake Middleton article at:

• https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/training-room/article/the-impact-of-hydration-on-esports-performance

• Energy and Caffeinated drinks serve a purpose:• For short competitions• Remember to time strategically for long competitions• Performance enhancement catalyst

Staying Hydrated

• Daily Hydration Needs• Women: 2.7L = 91 ounces = 11.375 cups• Men: 3.7L = 125 ounces = 15.625 cups

• ***Another method can be derived by drinking an amount of ounces equal to half of your body weight***

• 80% comes from drinking liquids (water, coffee, juice) and 20% is usually derived from food

• If exercising or participating in Esport competitive play – your hydration needs may INCREASE secondary to water loss

Adapted from Dietary Reference Intakes: Water, Potassium, Sodium, Chloride, and Sulfate (2004) National Academies

Ergonomics and Posture

Chasing the Perfect Posture?

• Esport athletes will experience musculoskeletal pain in good postures, bad postures, and neutral postures

• Esport phenotypes vary along dimensions of age, fitness levels, height, weight, and genetic make-up… yet to avoid pain all must assume 1 IDEAL POSTURE???

• Traditional views on posture largely ignore the proprioceptive and neuromuscular system and place too much importance on viscoelastic structures (tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissue structures)

Postural Strain

• A more complete and robust way of viewing human posture

• Accounts for motor control, proprioception, and movement variability which are all components of “good movement”

• Defined as the additive effects that arise from maintaining a specific posture for a prolonged period of time.

Proprioception“Sensory”

Movement Variability

Motor Control“Motor”

Ergonomic and Postural Considerations for Esport Athletes

The problem…is not being in “A BAD POSTURE”

The problem …is being in “ONE POSTURE FOR TO LONG”

Ergonomic and Postural Considerations for Esport Athletes• Solutions:

• When training shift positions in your chair every 20-30 mins

• Fidget with your lower extremities

• Introduce small perturbations to your gaming environment which necessitate change, yet do not stress the organism

• During breaks perform “microbreak” exercises to reduce strain on tissue, re-perfuse postural muscles, lubricate joints, and promote circulation of metabolic by-products

Seated Thoracic Extension

Chin Tuck

Shoulder Circles

Standing/Sitting Pelvic Tilts

Segmental Roll-Downs

Motor Imagery

• The mental representation of movement with no concomitant production of muscular activity

• “Imagine performing (a motor task) with attention to all 5 senses”

• Used as a training tool in many other professional sports

• Share partially overlapping neural pathways with those for motor execution

• Suggested to be effective in improving motor performance

Temporal Congruence

• The equivalence between how long it actually takes to complete a motor task physically versus how long it takes to imagine completing the same motor task

• Research suggests “experts” demonstrate more temporal congruence with tasks than novices!!!

Motor Imagery Considerations for Esport Athletes

• When watching tutorial videos or streaming competitions…• Hold your PS4/XBOX/Switch/Pro-controller/Mouse in your hand as you watch

• Attempt to play along with what you are watching

Maximize on Motor Learning Effects

• Recall research has demonstrated a correlation between circulating blood lactate levels and motor acquisition

• Combine Moderate Intensity Aerobic Exercise with Motor Imagery:

• Watch tutorial videos/competitive play while exercising on a stationary bike

• Imagine playing while on a stationary bike

• Watch a tutorial video/competitive play AND simulate play with a remote while on a stationary bike

Special Thanks to my Esports Performance Enhancement Network

Joanne Donoghue M.S. Ph.D. NYIT

Marlon Wong PT Ph.D.University of Miami

Steven Lesh Ph.D.Southwest Baptist University

Thomas Andre Ph.D.Ole Miss Jake Middleton BS CPT

Esportstrainer.gg

Dave Amirrezvani DPT CSCSNew York

Find Today’s Presentation and More at…

• http://www.nerdsandwellness.com/2019/02/25/esports-performance-enhancement-documents/

• Follow us on Social Media:• Twitter: @Nerdswellness

• Instagram: @Nerdsandwellness

• LinkedIn: Abilio Rodriguez