Here in Victoria we have to take standardized tests every few years, from grade 3 all the way through to year 9. The first piece of advice I was given by both my teachers and my parents was to eat a healthy breakfast the morning before the test. Apparently this promotion of healthy eating has a direct correlation to increased test results. Researchers have found that eating a good meal in the morning stimulates brain activity throughout the day. This logical continues into all activities. If you're physically prepared, there's a higher probability you're mentally prepared.
In an article published in the Mental Health Journal in November of 2000, Dr. Jennifer C. Panning explains that “physical activity has been shown to help with being emotionally and mentally fit.” Dr. Panning uses an example of overcoming depression via exercise and continues by explaining how improving one’s physical health is a sure-fire way to improve mental health and emotional stability. One of the more prominent examples in Weenus’ article described an irate personality that brought down the team. Dr. Panning suggests that exercising regularly is an effective method to overcome stress and anxiety problems. Could exercise be the solution to a fighting team? No, that’s not very likely. However, exercise would help alleviate some of the tension (Panning).
One of the most important factors in individual Call Of Duty development is reduced reaction time. The faster you react to an event, the more likely you are to make the correct play (You're on tap wall on strike, you hear a jump close to you outside cafe. Reaction time is the difference between realizing he just naded you, moving and living or sitting there to take it on the chin.) In the March 2006 issue of Neuroscience Literature the article “Physical exercise facilitates motor processes in simple reaction time performance: an electromyographic analysis” examines the impact exercise has on reaction time. At the Université de Provence in France, scientists put a group of people to the test and found that “exercise improves simple RT [reaction time] performance.” The study went on to state “physical exercise improves late motor processes” and found that reaction time was at its peak during exercise. With that in mind, I don’t recommend anyone doing cardio in between (or during) rounds (I think I may have seen Omen jumping around while Synic was trying to clutch last Saturday); however, the information provided suggests that adding exercise to your daily routine will improve your play.
One of the paradigms associated with gamers is a lack of sleep. It’s not uncommon to observe someone playing from early afternoon to midnight. When it comes time for an ODC you might see a team play their first match at 10:00AM in the morning and be forced to wait an hour between each match. That waiting period is draining on a person wishing to play; one’s intensity drastically changes as the day comes to a close. Even more common is the team forced to play into the early hours of the morning as a result of their success at a LAN. When was the last time you heard of a Respawn concluding before 2:00AM? Whatever the case may be, all of this playing (or lack thereof) requires a lot of mental strength and energy. With a strong physical foundation, a player has a better chance to endure the lengthy hours required for competitive gaming. Essentially, the better physical shape you’re in, the better chance you’ll have at fragging someone through the small gap in the smoke across the Strike street at 4:00 am in the morning.
Here are some examples of players and teams taking it to the next level by practicing sound physical lifestyles to promote better performance. Unfortunately, COD examples aren't exactly easy to find, so they're all from Counter Strike... Sorry!
The most comical example of improving physical health for the benefit of better Counter Strike performance surfaces in the stories I’ve heard about the days when Michael “Hare” O`Toole was the captain of United 5. Hare demanded perfection from his team and this stance sometimes resulted in extraordinary means. An article from a member of this team told about Hare asking (requiring) the team to run laps before a match to stimulate their mind and body. In theory, exercising lightly before a match would speed up reaction time and result the players' minds being alert and active. However, doing light cardio before a match seems a little over the top to me. I can see it now: MindFreak running laps up and down the street outside MidCity prior to their grandfinal match against Immunity, after reading this article.
My favorite example of physical health awareness in Counter Strike occurs between Mark Dolven and the Pandemic players. Mark advocates positive lifestyles and insists that all of his players get a good night's rest and remain sober during LAN competitions. Mark went as far as stating that in order to join the Pandemic roster you must agree to a strict (yet professional) schedule during LAN competitions, including the aforementioned requirements. When was the last time you saw a professional athlete go out and party late into the night prior to a major competition? It just doesn’t happen. This isn't really as relevant to us, but it's still the same concept, emphasizing the importance of physical health.
Having read the studies and looked at many more examples than these, I know now that my horrendous sleeping pattern, which involves going to bed at 6:00AM some nights and 11:00PM on others, could be having a serious impact on my performance. Just think, how much better could you be if you were as buff as Tekkno?
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