June 18, 2020

Written by Rehan Nana

A healthy body is a healthy mind. Garmin fēnix 6 and Instinct smartwatches could improve both for esports players.

If you would’ve asked me a week ago if I would feel compelled to write a blog on the importance of competitive esports health training and how Garmin Instinct® and fēnix® health monitoring can  help improve esports performance, I would’ve told you there was probably a better chance of me becoming, well, a competitive esports player. To be upfront, I’m not an esports enthusiast. Chiefly, because I am horrible at esports. The last time I picked up a controller was in college to play Halo and I got beat. Very badly, as I recall.

Then someone forwarded me an article, and I fell down a rabbit hole. A giant, seemingly endless rabbit hole burrowed in the new frontier of esports. What I found so fascinating about this article was the demanding nature of esports and the parallels esports have to traditional sports.

The article, written by Jake Middleton of Adamas Esports, discussed the taxing physical and mental aspects these athletes endure at a competitive and professional level and the increased importance of physical training. After a lengthy phone call with Jake, and reading more on the subject, I started to understand how physical training for esports players can help lead to improved performance.

At surface level to non-gamers, it may seem counterintuitive that gamers could benefit from physical training but consider the following:

• The average career for a professional esports player is just a few of years, roughly the same as a U.S. football player’s average career of 3.3 years. According to some, burnout is a major contributing factor. 
• During competitive play, heart rates can reach 160-180 beats per minute (bpm). Here is a video of an individual setting a world record; his heart rate gets to 172 bpm. NASCAR drivers have heart rates from 120-150 bpm, by the way.
• Esports gamers face 51 different stress factors during competition, which is on par with other traditional sports.
• Some competitive players may only sleep 4 hours a day. 

The above is by no means a critique on the nature of esports, but instead showcases the toll that this new breed of professional athlete faces is indeed great.

So, what can be done?

If we understand and accept the demanding physical and mental nature of esports, then we should consider that the pillars of improvement with traditional sports training should hold true with esports athletes. Increased physical fitness leads to increased physical performance.Because esports are based largely in cognitive performance, the traditional mantra of “A healthy body is a healthy mind” may be even more important.

Health monitoring features on the Garmin Instinct and fēnix watches are used by top athletes across the world. By tracking, analyzing and making necessary adjustments in their lifestyles based on data provided by their Instinct or fēnix smartwatches, these athletes can shape how their bodies react to the physical and mental pressures of their sports.

Using the same health monitoring technology as other top athletes, esports players can monitor their health in order to help improve their overall esports performance and health in the process.

While there are many features that esports players may find beneficial in the Garmin smartwatches, below are a few that might benefit their physical well-being, and in turn, their potential performance.

Author’s Note: Because I mentioned I am not a gamer, I’ve brought in two experts to help me out further explain these concepts, Jake Middleton of Adamas Esports and Herman Bonner of FirstBeat. 

Heart Rate Monitoring