September 16, 2023
Lionscreed and MTM furthers their existing partnership.
Lionscreed is pleased to announce the expansion of our partnership with Mastering the Mind (MTM), allowing for further support to our Valorant and League of Legends teams.
Mastering the Mind plays a crucial role in understanding and applying sports psychology, and working in partnership with them has allowed us to enhance our in-game performances. By improving and refining the cognitive abilities of our players, we are able to break barriers and reach levels of performance that were previously thought to be unattainable.
Speaking on the expansion of MTM’s partnership with Lionscreed, Dale ‘Tr3yal’ Adams said:
“MTM has played a crucial role in the team, applying world-leading knowledge from the sporting world and adapting it within the esports industry. With esports being a very different industry, they have taken a hands-on approach and worked very hard, and I am delighted that the partnership will expand further.”
The role of a sports psychologist is typically overlooked, but we sat down with Charlotte from MTM in order to understand the crucial role that they play:
What exactly does a sports psychologist do within esports?
“The growth of esports has fuelled the demand for sports psychology to integrate itself into its unique world. The need for traditional sports psychology has risen alongside this demand with the purpose of supporting the physical and mental health of individuals and organisations within esports. From a performance perspective, sports psychology helps to facilitate the fine motor skills that are required to compete in competitive esports. Employing psychological strategies will help players to gain an edge over their opponents through enhancing cognitive and physical skills as well as to develop their psychological mindset towards performance.”
How is sports psychology within esports different/similar to traditional sports?
“The fundamentals remain the same with the purpose set to optimise performance outcomes and to support the psychological needs of the client. In comparison to more traditional sports, the psychological challenges that esports athletes face are more similar than what people perceive: Challenges such as confidence issues, performance anxiety, managing a work/life balance, teamwork and criticism are just some examples of what individuals and teams may face in esports.”
What is the main work that you do for Lionscreed?
“I work to support the psychological needs of the players and staff across the League of Legends female team as well as the Valorant team. I also provide key psychological strategies to facilitate performance needs and to provide education on the benefits of sports psychology within esports. I also have a role within the Lionscreed performance department which has two other sports psychologists (Jon and Olly) and a physical therapist (Ethan). We work as an MDT to further provide support on an organisational level. This ensures that our services are accessible to all teams and individuals across Lionscreed.”
What do you hope to see more of when it comes to the attitude towards sports psychology within esports and why?
“Ultimately, a positive shift in attitudes towards esports – this will come with a greater understanding of the challenges people face and more awareness of what esports involves. It’s also really important to me that females are better recognised in a world that is largely male-dominated – often stigma comes from a lack of understanding and part of my role within sports psychology is to provide this education and help change the perception of females within esports.
Sports psychology as a discipline is so important – and its effectiveness is demonstrated across the traditional sporting world. The translation of sports psychology into esports is essential – it not only gives voice to the conventional and unique challenges that arise in esports, but it further facilitates performance outcomes and will help take esports to the next level.”
As our partnership with MTM expands, make sure to follow us on all of our social media to stay up to date with all things Lionscreed!
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