IN TRADITIONAL SPORTS, it is common for teams to conduct intense pre-game warmups to sharpen the senses of players.
In basketball, players would lineup and practice their shot selection, while in football, players would conduct rondos to hone their ball movement.
But before these drills, players would stretch their bodies with the help from physiotherapists.
Does the same apply in esports? While it is required for players to test the equipment as well as the internet connection, it is uncommon for physical therapists to aid esports athletes.
However before the mouth watering fixture between AP.Bren and Onic Philippines, it was revealed during the broadcast that the Bees have changed the meta.
AP.Bren went the extra mile and hired Total Life Support (TLS), a group of physiotherapists from Tokyo, Japan.
The ultimate life support
"They flew in three days ago, they want to showcase what they do. We're actually surprised that the service that they're offering is very effective," revealed Coach Francis "Ducky" Glindro in the press conference.
A day before their match against Onic, the boys from Bren tried their services. The defending world champs have been physically active, and their decision to undergo treatment from TLS would elevate their physical needs.
"Basically they bent us like carton boxes. Right after that, sobrang gaan ng pakiramdam namin. I was very thankful that they came here and offered their services."
These services include therapy, spinal correction, acupuncture, acupressure, etc, and before Bren could utilize these services, the members of TLS would conduct a physical assessment by placing the players' pain points under a microscope.
For those who are clueless about pain points, just imagine the chakra points in the anime Naruto.
The importance of body posture
Given that esports athletes tend to sit down for hours, grinding nonstop, it is possible that players would experience a gradual shift in body posture. Due to the constant staring at a mobile device downward, players tend to slouch.
A study from the Harvard Health Publishing highlighted the negative effects of a poor posture, which could cause heartburn and constipation.
And this could also hamper an esports athlete's performance, which was something that the representatives of TLS mentioned.
"Common position of esports players, slouching forward because they look at their phones downward, if they are at this posture (slouch), their back will be stiff and they'll have headache and less concentration."
And there is a science behind it, something that Coach Ducky further elaborated.
"Basically the nerves that go through your brain or goes through your bloodstream, is impeded because you have a bad posture."
TLS would aid Bren in fixing their posture, but this isn't just limited with how they grind, practice or play competitive video games.
Even the players' sleeping habits have also been analyzed.
"One very good thing that they actually noticed is that there are issues with our sleeping habits," started Coach Ducky.
"Particularly Kyle(Tzy), he didn't know that he was having issues with his cervical region, so they suggested that Kyle sleeps on a better pillow. Starting tonight, we'll be having adjustments with the pillows and stuff like that."
With Bren venturing into physiotherapy, perhaps the other MPL teams could follow their lead.
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