Insight #11: Improve Performance With Mental Preparation
Up Your Game With Visualisation and Mental Images
As humans, we have a tendency to generalise our feelings by applying emotion to situations that would be better solved logically. This can not only create unnecessary anxiety, but it can have a profound impact on our focus levels because being emotional instead of rational can lead to overthinking.
This can be relieved through mental preparation, which involves understanding the difference between emotional and rational thinking as well as focussing on the right things instead of the wrong. By using this as a warm-up technique before a gaming session, it allows thoughts, fears and worries to be put into context, processed, analysed and taken into consideration.
The result is a clear, focused mind. But why is this important? Well, gaming is one of the most mentally-affected sports one can compete in. Professionals often describe the mental factors of gameplay having 50-80% effect on the final outcome.
Too often, gamers focus on the task itself instead of how they’ll execute it. That’s why some players are vulnerable to failure. But focusing on what is happening now and what to do next should be the only things to think about while playing. When focussed, there are no obstacles to stand in our way; no emotions cluttering our decision making. Better focus, ultimately, means better decision making and faster reactions: skill that all gamers want.
Practising mental preparation can seriously up your game as it offers a better sense of control, enabling you to keep focus on what matters most.