Sometimes, you might think your lacking mechanics hold you back from climbing the VALORANT ladder. But the issue may be in your mindset.
That’s what former competitive player and current coach Geoff “m1sfit” Woodward demonstrated in a Twitter thread from June 28, in which he claimed overthinking was “destroying your mechanics” and listed seven reasons why that is.
He explained overthinking will cause a “cognitive overload” that will make you distracted, lose focus, and slow down your reactions.
Usually, we realize only after a round or match that we were overthinking. It may also seem much easier to remember and pinpoint which thoughts we had during the game that were useless.
Some of those thoughts might include fixating on why a teammate made a bad play, thinking too long about the consequences of a play without actually having the time to do it. It can also just be rambling about a mistake you made after you’ve already started the next round.
m1sfit wrote those thoughts will make you lose a “flow state,” where you gain fluidity and efficiency, or when “your mouse feels like an extension of your arm.”
He also explained you can’t get too much “in your head” and second-guess calls or you’ll play too slow.
“The play was good two seconds ago. Trust your instincts. Assess the play but don’t miss your timing,” he wrote.
The thread can help us identify better when we’re entering that nefarious mindset and understand why we should avoid it. On the other side, it’s not that easy to do.
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Even pro players often share their struggles with their ability to focus when training in VALORANT. And it’s not a permanent state, so usually, you’ll need warm-up before getting to this “flow state.” And even then, it will only last as long as you’re able to focus on fast-paced action and digest a continuous flow of information, which is mentally draining.
Usually, you’ll progressively slide out of focus, and overthinking might be a symptom of that. When it’s the case, the solution is to leave the competitive queue and rest—whether it’s only for a short break or completely ending your gaming session.
If you keep trying while you’re losing focus, you’ll likely end up tilting and losing more matches. We’ve all made that mistake, but playing less while prioritizing peak efficiency, will help you climb the ladder more than playing match after match.
