THE MEMBERS of AP.Bren previously mentioned that money has been one of their motivations this Season, which could explain why the Beehive is still on fire despite a string of nonstop tournaments last year.
However during the post-match press conference, the team further narrated the other formulas for their success.
Since the team was burdened by a very hectic schedule, Coach Francis "Ducky" Glindro had to make adjustments to make sure that his players are mentally psyched for the challenges ahead.
The two-time World Championship coach gave his boys what they needed during the Holy Week.
"Alam naman namin yung lagay namin, the boys haven't had actual rest for the past year, so ang dilemma ko when I was drawing up yung schedule nila is just something that I'm willing to risk, of like having the entire Holy Week to themselves," he explained.
"I woke up one day, and I said that they totally deserved it, so the entire Holy Week will be off for five complete days. Come back kapag training day."
Ultimately his decision paid dividends as AP.Bren ended up winning a crucial game against ECHO PH, making them the current top dog in the 13th season of the MPL Philippines.
"I think it paid off because the mental reset was something that they very much needed. Sobrang stress, sobrang mentally drained that I felt sa mga bata, and luckily it paid off and hopefully in the future magkakaroon kami ng pagkakataon na magpahinga."
The importance of rest in esports
There have been a lot of narratives in esports regarding the daily grind that most athletes would endure, some even going as far as playing for more than 10 hours.
While the 10+ hours of playing video games could help a player hone their mechanical and micro-oriented skills, it can be detrimental especially when looking at its psychological impact.
Coach Ducky provided glimpses about the amateur scene which he reflected during the press con.
"For amateurs, naglalaro sila ng 16 to 24 hours, it suddenly shifts kapag pumasok ka sa pro scene, it suddenly shifts to hindi ka pwedeng magpuyat ka. It has to be limited to 8 to 10 hours."
"And then you rest, hindi magandang mindset yung maglaro kayo for 16 hours. That's crazy," he emphasized.
As the head coach of a team who is aware of the pressure that his players would endure, whether from the fans or the weight of expectation, for Duckey, it is important that his players would realize that there is more to life than just jamming their mobile devices.
"So it's just a matter of scheduling for me at least, for my perspective as a head coach. That's one of the key points and as much as possible, kung meron kaming mga bakanteng araw, I give them away sa mga bata, so they can actually feel the life outside of MLBB."
He further elaborated: "Sinasabi ko sa kanila na, 'Please huwag kayong maglaro,' kasi I have this good feeling kapag medyo stress na sila. I also encourage yung mga bata na to build a culture where we engage in physical activities."
How AP.Bren spends their time off
Since Ducky is adamant to keep his players mentally in high spirits, his players would answer his call.
Part of sustaining a good mental character stem from having a sense of fulfillment on what they're doing, and this was something that Angelo Kyle "Pheww" Arcangel revealed.
"Feeling ko hindi kami na-e-exhaust kasi masaya kami sa ginagawa namin, tapos sobrang healthy ng environment namin," he started. "So ayun, kahit sunod-sunod yung tournament, manalo matalo, basta masaya kami na nagkakasama kaming. Hindi namin masasabi na napapagod yung mental health namin."
And this was also something that was echoed by Bren's EXP laner, David Charles "FlapTzy" Canon, who admitted that he spends his dayoffs playing MLBB.
It may seem like he has been grinding a lot, but Flap highlighted that his love for the game and his connection to his friends would mask the burden.
"Kapag kunwari dayoff, parang nanonood lang ako ng mga movies pampa-relieve sa sarili ko, sa stress, tapos nagbabatak pa rin ako, nagra-rank game ako, nagla-live ako with the fans, tapos lagi kong kinakausap yung mga friends ko. Nag-e-enjoy kami, kaya para sa amin never naapektuhan yung mental health ko kasi sobrang saya ko sa ginagawa ko."
During training days, Flap is barred to sleep late, and he makes up for lost time during his dayoff.
Meanwhile his teammate Pheww would spend his rest days, straying away from the game.
"Sa akin kasi hindi ako nag-e-ML kapag dayoff. Nanonood lang kami ng partner namin ng movies, tapos kumakain din kami sa labas, tapos naglalaro din ng ibang games."
Is work-life balance crucial to win championships?
It seems the current trend to win championship stems from a healthy environment, which was something that Coach Robert "Trebor" Sanchez experienced even during his stint with the M4 World Champions, ECHO PH.
Back when he was with the Orcas, Trebor saw how active his players were physically. Besides spending their time grinding in MLBB, the Orcas would also play basketball.
The same principles apply with AP.Bren.
"Ganundin naman, kaso yung parang bonding namin nag-g-gym sila tapos basketball din kasi may court din kami na half court, tapos tamang laro rin ng card games," he recounted.
And because of the optimism shared in the bootcamp, as well as the high level of player management, for Coach Trebor, his team is in full harmony.
"Sobrang chill lang yung sa practice namin. Hindi kami nai-i-stress, kahit alam namin na matatalo kami sa scrim, chill lang talaga yung team. Hindi talaga kami nag-e-exhaust."
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