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I've joked that a lot of the nerdy sports like League, Smash, speedcubing, etc. need some crazy Russian coaches. Someone who forces them to train like hell, com

I've joked that a lot of the nerdy sports like League, Smash, speedcubing, etc. need some crazy Russian coaches. Someone who forces them to train like hell, complete like hell and win. This isn't exactly the same, but it's still cool seeing them adopt mainstream sports training techniques. But for real, it's funny seeing competitors in these nascent sports not doing the basic min-max tricks that established sports take for granted. Stuff like consistent sleep, good diet, conditioning, etc. isn't just for show. It's about maximizing your mind. Fencers, for instance, have long known about the effect of meditation and physical endurance on their mental game. Now we need the gamers to learn to scream like a proper athlete.

aetimmes 8y ago
> I've joked that a lot of the nerdy sports like League, Smash, speedcubing, etc. need some crazy Russian coaches. From everything I've read about South Korean Brood War and League of Legends organizations, this thing already exists in the form of team houses where players practice for 8/10/12 hour days, and the result is that SK is head and shoulders above their competition in both games. Of course, those games were the most popular of their respective eras in a country that values esports more than any other, and in the case of League of Legends, had massive financial support from the game developers. You won't see something similar in Smash, where the developer isn't providing that same support and the competitive scene is dominated by grassroots communities in countries that are less gaming-centric than SK.
- atom-morgan 8y ago
  Yes, you're right about StarCraft and as a former competitive speedcuber I can tell you they practice like hell too.
- plopz 8y ago
  This was true back in the kespa days, but not anymore. There are no longer teamhouses and all the professional players are streamers which is where the majority of their income comes from (boxer just started on twitch this week).

aetimmes 8y ago

> I've joked that a lot of the nerdy sports like League, Smash, speedcubing, etc. need some crazy Russian coaches. From everything I've read about South Korean Brood War and League of Legends organizations, this thing already exists in the form of team houses where players practice for 8/10/12 hour days, and the result is that SK is head and shoulders above their competition in both games. Of course, those games were the most popular of their respective eras in a country that values esports more than any other, and in the case of League of Legends, had massive financial support from the game developers. You won't see something similar in Smash, where the developer isn't providing that same support and the competitive scene is dominated by grassroots communities in countries that are less gaming-centric than SK.

atom-morgan 8y ago
Yes, you're right about StarCraft and as a former competitive speedcuber I can tell you they practice like hell too.
plopz 8y ago
This was true back in the kespa days, but not anymore. There are no longer teamhouses and all the professional players are streamers which is where the majority of their income comes from (boxer just started on twitch this week).