In a Red Bull article written by Tom East, Michael O'Dell, the managing director of Team Dignitas talks about his take on fitness in eSports and why all gamers should be fit.
Michael O'Dell likes for his players to stay fit and is upset about how the perception of gamers in the UK is still of someone who lives in their moms basement.
O'Dell notes that many gamers who play competitively are very fit and that being both physically and mentally fit is important.
If you want to improve your game then you may want to listen to Michaels advice. O'Dell has his team train at the gym regularly and they even have their own nutritionist. He told Red Bull that he wants to see more personal trainers and sports scientists within eSports.
Here is the full interview with Michael O'Dell.
Why do eSports athletes keep fit?
We do ask our League of Legends team to go to the gym a few times a week. It breaks up the monotony. They’re training, practicing and living League of Legends 24/7, so breaking up their time practicing is important.
Does it help their game or is it more about personal well-being?
A bit of both. I used to play sports before I got into gaming so being fit and playing games helps, I’m pretty certain of that. Obviously you don’t have to be fit to play games, but I’m certain that it does help being fit than not being fit. Would it help players’ concentration levels and stamina? Yeah, definitely. I’ve got no doubt about that.
What do the League of Legends team do?
I haven’t been to the gym with them, but they don’t stand in a line and do squats and stuff like that - they just go into the gym, put their earphones in and do what they want. They go every other day - I don’t think it’s worth going every day unless they want to be body builders, and I don’t think it’s good for them to go every day.
Our league starts on 15 January, so practicing for that is more important, but like I said earlier, you’ll burn out if you practice 10-12 hours a day. You need to break it up.
We also have a cook in the house in LA who’s a nutritionist as well, so it’s everything - keeping their minds fresh, keeping their bodies fresh and making sure they’re eating the right stuff at the right times.
What’s the future for fitness in eSports?
Ultimately, when we’re a big, rich team and I’ve got my training facilities all over the place, the guys will be coming in and going in the gym first thing in the morning, and then doing the tactical stuff, and then going to their mansions with their Lamborghinis. That’s my dream.
I want personal trainers for my players and I want personalized plans for each player. Three years ago, if you’d said we’d have a house in LA where we’d be training and going to the gym, I would have raised an eyebrow but that’s what we’re doing.
Will you use modern technology to improve your players’ fitness?
I want all of that to come in. I want people to test players, find out reaction times and it will be interesting to see who is faster than others. I want to see everything that happens in real sports in eSports, even down to the medicals they have for footballers when they sign on for teams. I haven’t quite worked out how that will help me yet, but I don’t see why that shouldn’t come in later, and once we get more advanced that sort of thing will happen.
You can read the original Red Bull article by Tom East here.
Even though you may not be on Team Dignitas, you can still get professional training here at ESPL. Take advantage of my free consultation and get started today.
Best Regards,
Jake Middleton,
ESPL Founder
O'Dell notes that many gamers who play competitively are very fit and that being both physically and mentally fit is important.
If you want to improve your game then you may want to listen to Michaels advice. O'Dell has his team train at the gym regularly and they even have their own nutritionist. He told Red Bull that he wants to see more personal trainers and sports scientists within eSports.
Here is the full interview with Michael O'Dell.
Why do eSports athletes keep fit?
We do ask our League of Legends team to go to the gym a few times a week. It breaks up the monotony. They’re training, practicing and living League of Legends 24/7, so breaking up their time practicing is important.
Does it help their game or is it more about personal well-being?
A bit of both. I used to play sports before I got into gaming so being fit and playing games helps, I’m pretty certain of that. Obviously you don’t have to be fit to play games, but I’m certain that it does help being fit than not being fit. Would it help players’ concentration levels and stamina? Yeah, definitely. I’ve got no doubt about that.
What do the League of Legends team do?
I haven’t been to the gym with them, but they don’t stand in a line and do squats and stuff like that - they just go into the gym, put their earphones in and do what they want. They go every other day - I don’t think it’s worth going every day unless they want to be body builders, and I don’t think it’s good for them to go every day.
Our league starts on 15 January, so practicing for that is more important, but like I said earlier, you’ll burn out if you practice 10-12 hours a day. You need to break it up.
We also have a cook in the house in LA who’s a nutritionist as well, so it’s everything - keeping their minds fresh, keeping their bodies fresh and making sure they’re eating the right stuff at the right times.
What’s the future for fitness in eSports?
Ultimately, when we’re a big, rich team and I’ve got my training facilities all over the place, the guys will be coming in and going in the gym first thing in the morning, and then doing the tactical stuff, and then going to their mansions with their Lamborghinis. That’s my dream.
I want personal trainers for my players and I want personalized plans for each player. Three years ago, if you’d said we’d have a house in LA where we’d be training and going to the gym, I would have raised an eyebrow but that’s what we’re doing.
Will you use modern technology to improve your players’ fitness?
I want all of that to come in. I want people to test players, find out reaction times and it will be interesting to see who is faster than others. I want to see everything that happens in real sports in eSports, even down to the medicals they have for footballers when they sign on for teams. I haven’t quite worked out how that will help me yet, but I don’t see why that shouldn’t come in later, and once we get more advanced that sort of thing will happen.
You can read the original Red Bull article by Tom East here.
Even though you may not be on Team Dignitas, you can still get professional training here at ESPL. Take advantage of my free consultation and get started today.
Best Regards,
Jake Middleton,
ESPL Founder