An Extended Study on Training and Physical Exercise in Esports

Abstract

This chapter is an extended revision of the authors' earlier study (2016) on the training routines of professional and high-level esport players, with added focus on their physical exercise. The study is methodologically mixed with a quantitative survey sample (n=115) and a qualitative interview sample (n=7). Based on this data, high-level esport players train approximately 5.28 hours every day around the year, and professional esport players at least the same amount. Approximately 1.08 hours of that training is physical exercise. More than half (55.6%) of the professional and high-level esport players believe that integrating physical exercise into their training programs has a positive effect on esport performance; however, no less than 47.0% do the physical exercise chiefly to maintain their overall state of health. Accordingly, the study indicates that professional and high-level esport players are physically active as well: those of age 18 and older exercising more than three times the daily 21-minute physical activity recommendation given by the World Health Organization.

Key Terms in this Chapter

High-Level Esport Player: Seriously striving to become a professional player and performing similar activities as professional players, but having not yet reached international competence or team contracts.

Training: The process of learning or becoming better at specific skill or skills, sometimes synonymous with practice.

Professional Esport Player: Individual competing in sanctioned international leagues or tournaments, or playing in an officially registered team with a contract.

Practice: Performing certain activities in order to become better at them, sometimes synonymous with training.

Physical Exercise: Activity requiring physical effort, carried out to sustain or improve health and fitness.

Esports: Cultural practices of exercise and contest on commercial play products that are governed by executive owners.