Environment – Preparations before matches

To be able to concentrate on a game, you have to try to create a distraction-free environment for the duration of the match. This also means that if you feel the urge to go to the toilet, you should do so before you start. It often happens that someone is out of breath in the first 1-2 minutes of a match just because they have to go to the toilet. Sometimes this leads to the opponent immediately gaining a small advantage. In the case of LOL, for example, when the opposing team with 5 men carries out a so-called invade right at the start of the match and your own jungler is afk and therefore immediately falls behind.

• The thing with the toilet
  If you have to go to the loo, do it before you start a game?
• Something to drink
  Have something to drink ready so that you can take a sip during a short break in a longer game. Running to the fridge during a match takes too long!
• Phone
  Switch your cell phone to flight mode and unplug your landline phone or put it on silent
• Roommate
  Let your roommates know that you do not want to be disturbed. Whether parents, roommates or girlfriend/wife. If you ask nicely in advance, most people will comply
• Window & Light
  Avoid any disturbing incidence of light that could occur because the sun starts to shine unfavorably on the monitor during the match. Or switch on the light beforehand when it is just starting to get dark in the evening.
• Appointments
  Do not start a match that may take longer if you know that you have to attend another appointment soon. This will cause you to rush unnecessarily right at the start and, in the worst case, you will have to abandon the match, which usually ends in defeat.
• Noise
  If you live directly on a busy street or if a building site nearby is causing noise: close the windows for the matches and ventilate between games. It often depends on whether you hear a warning signal in the game or not. It’s easy to miss a single important ping when a jackhammer thunders in through an open window.
• Chats and conversations
  During a match, your full attention should be focused on the game. Talking in parallel with a friend who is not in the game on Skype, for example, is very distracting.
• Stretching and circulation
  Before every match, you should get up from your PC chair for five minutes and move around a bit. This stimulates your circulation and improves your cognitive abilities. You should also stretch your hands and arms before every training session or game evening to prevent injuries such as the typical tendonitis.
• Don’t eat too much and not too greasy just before the session
  If you eat a lot and/or very fatty food, the digestive tract is supplied with more blood. This makes you feel “limp” and “full” and reduces your cognitive performance. The body is simply occupied with something other than “thinking/gambling”. If you would like to find out more about this topic, you can also read our short nutrition guide.
• Check the status of your Internet connection
  If you know that your internet connection is often a bit spotty, then you should check how it is working before a ranked match. Because if you have a 250 ping, you don’t need to start a Solo-Q lobby only to realize in the match that it was an auto-loose thanks to the Telekom or something. You can find out more about ping and internet connection here in our Ping Guide.

In principle, these are the same tips that you follow when you are working on an important project on the PC, preparing for exams at university or practicing an instrument. If you follow this advice and prepare everything else you can think of for your individual environment, your concentration on the game should improve significantly.