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[G] Positive Mindset: The Key to SC2

Forum Index > StarCraft 2 Strategy
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TangSC
Profile Blog Joined July 2011
Canada1866 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-04-20 15:14:14
July 17 2011 20:38 GMT
#1
Positive Mindset: The Key to SC2

[image loading]

Hello Everyone!

A lot of people ask me: "What's the one thing you can tell me that will most drastically improve my game?" There's a million subtle in-game tips and tricks I could tell you about, but perhaps the most crucial yet often-overlooked idea is your MINDSET.

You've probably all heard sayings repeated over and over like "The Power of Positive Thinking" and "Healthy Body, Healthy Mind", and there's a reason they're repeated: they're true! Think about IdrA, he's among the most phenomenal SC2 players. His mechanics and game-sense are on a whole other level than the average player, but you still see him struggle in tournaments and make bad decisions when he's in pressure-filled situations. Stress and anger, you'll find, are a SC2 player's worst enemies.

So, how can we apply this to our game? It's simple:

1) Be Good Manner - + Show Spoiler +
Oftentimes, people get so caught-up in the stress of the game that they forget to have fun. At the start of every game, don't me mute and don't be rude: put out the GL HF. If he doesn't respond, that's fine - you're probably in a more positive mindset and now you know you have that edge over him - so smile to yourself . Take it a step further every game by wishing your opponent the best of luck and telling him to have a blast, and leaving every game with "GG nice timing push or "GG wp, that harrass was killer, man!" If you stay good mannered, you're more likely to stay in a focused and positive mindset. Then, instead of rage-quitting and queuing another game while you're angry, you can take the reasons you lost and apply them to your game to further your growth. And who knows, maybe that player to whom you showed respect in your gracious exit from the game will provide you with a couple tips and practice games to really help you overcome that flaw in your game.


2) Be Confident - + Show Spoiler +
Now, I'm not saying everyone should point at IdrA and do the throat-slash like oGsMC did at MLG, but SC2 is competitive and you have to know you have an edge over your opponent to play your best. When I play a game, I use positive self-talk to stay pumped and focus. Yes, it sounds like something an insane asylum resident would preach, but I assure you it's been proven effective. There are two types of Self-Talk I recommend. The first is motivational self-talk: say something to get yourself into the zone like "I'm going to win this game" or my personal favorite "The way I see it, those are my ladder points - You're just holding them for me ". The second type is instructional self-talk. For example, say "I'm going to get my speed up early, then expand, then I'm going to drone to 27 get a warren down and grind this guy's front door with ling/roach. Man, I'm going to FORCE the issue until he makes a mistake, and when he does, I'm going to capitalize on it." Therefore, talking to yourself doesn't mean you're crazy - it keeps you focused on your specific goals in the game and gives you that oh-so-critical mindset advantage.


3) Focus on YOUR game - + Show Spoiler +
How many times have you heard someone complain about how strong colossus are, how slow hydras are, or how this guy or that guy is a maphacker. Ignore this type of thinking. Every SC2 player would learn and play significantly better if they considered imbalance, hacks, and cheese none-existent. If you stop focusing on things you can't control, you'll start focusing on the things you can. When someone cheeses you, treat it like you played a 30 minute game and still be polite and good-mannered. When someone marine/scv all-ins you, avoid thoughts like "What a cheesy noob" or "can he not win a real game?" When you get cheesed, exit the game with class, and pay attention to how you could have scouted a little earlier, how you could have reacted a tad faster, how the execution of your defense could be improved upon. Cheese is a part of the game, you can't get rid of it but you can be adequately prepared for it.


4) Be Healthy - + Show Spoiler +
This last tip isn't absolutely necessary to success, but if you want to play at your best you have to be at your best - both physically and mentally. I have celiac disease, so my diet is heavily restricted, but ever since the diagnosis I've paid very careful attention to what I eat and I feel and play the better for it. I'm not going to lecture you on working out and eating right, but you WILL notice a difference in your focus if you're properly nourished and you WILL notice a difference in your stamina if you're in better shape. Something I do frequently is workout in between games. You don't need a strict routine - but do some pushups, situps, planks, whatever - Get the blood flowing and the heart racing in between games and snack on blueberries and yogurt instead of nachos and ice cream. There's no reason someone who plays 12hour days in SC2 can't be in excellent physical condition - try to apply your in-game dedication to other areas of your life!


Discussion Questions

Question: How many losses do you usually go before you need to walk away?
Answer: + Show Spoiler +
I think what you experience is similar to the psychology behind a gambling addict (I don't mean that to offend you lol bare with me). You start to lose and you think "I need to get my money back." It's like in poker when you're playing well for an hour, and then you lose a HUGE hand (or get bluffed) and you go on tilt. You start thinking about that hand and how you should have played it, and your overall focus deteriorates. You start to bluff too much and you don't stick to your planned strategy.

The same things happen in StarCraft when you're losing, people start to blindly all-in and they deviate from the gameplan that usually leads to success. People place a lot of importance on points/ladder rank/win-loss ratio, so there's a certain level of stress when you start losing. You'll start thinking about the game where you got cheesed and lost while playing new games, and that's basically like a poker player being on "tilt" - you won't be "In the zone" so your timings/execution will start so slip. That's why you need to GG after every game and review (with an open mind) the games you lose, carefully looking over your mistakes and your opponent's build/thought process.

If you find yourself rage-quitting games, being bad-manner, or even just have those familiar "Ugh this guy sucks, what a cheeser" or "I suck, I should be winning, what's wrong with me?" thoughts, it's time to take a break. It doesn't have to be a long break just do something that'll renew your confidence/focus. Coffee and a light workout do wonders for me, some players save replays where they perform really well so watch that and remember how good you're capable of playing. When you sit back in front of the screen, you should be focused on your strategy and your minset: the only thing you should think about yourself is "I'm a great sc2 player and I'm going to win these games, nothing is going to stand in my way."


If you make these changes in your game, what's the worst that could happen? Thank you all for reading, I wish everyone the best of luck in their games, and hope you all have a blast!

- Tang
Courtesy of www.TangStarcraft.com
Coaching www.allin-academy.com | Team www.All-Inspiration.com
Aletheia27
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
United States267 Posts
July 17 2011 20:47 GMT
#2
I don't understand why this is in strategy....
I am that I am
TangSC
Profile Blog Joined July 2011
Canada1866 Posts
July 17 2011 20:48 GMT
#3
You don't see the correlation between mindset and strategy?
Coaching www.allin-academy.com | Team www.All-Inspiration.com
KuBa
Profile Blog Joined October 2010
Poland98 Posts
July 17 2011 20:55 GMT
#4
On July 18 2011 05:47 Aletheia27 wrote:
I don't understand why this is in strategy....

I don't see anything wrong with it. He is giving important hints to all players about your mentality upon improving, so it's a strategy to further improve. :D

However, very nice read, keep on the good work! I think that way too many people just overlook these points while they're in their mass gaming phase, they should give this a go. :-)
Check out my stream: http://www.justin.tv/kubathebear
Moda
Profile Joined October 2010
Norway60 Posts
July 17 2011 20:59 GMT
#5
Great post, However I know quite a few people that have a verry positive mindset, but their mechanical skill is close to terrible, and it makes them look they don't want to get better at all. I think that even though you NEED to have a positive mindset, it is also crucial to beat your self down whenever you make mistakes, you MUST be able to see what mistakes you did and to make sure that they will never happen again.

Why is Anger a bad thing? The reason I got into platinum from bronze is because my friend that introduces sc2 to me would do theses retarded cheezes all the time and I got pissed, and wanted to win against him.
dat microwave
TangSC
Profile Blog Joined July 2011
Canada1866 Posts
July 17 2011 21:00 GMT
#6
Thanks KuBa!
Coaching www.allin-academy.com | Team www.All-Inspiration.com
Big J
Profile Joined March 2011
Austria16289 Posts
July 17 2011 21:00 GMT
#7
agree with everything, just want to add some points:
1) write gg guys. I think I'm the only guy in Europe who does it.
and it correlates with 3), because people get so mad about "imbalances" that they start to cheese, all-in and try bad stuff, instead of focusing on beating those colossi, trying to play a macro game vs zerg etc...
most important points are 2) and 4)... If you don't think you can win any matchup in any situation, you will have a bad gamefocus. And if you are tired and sick... don't ladder! Watch a stream and get some sleep!
Aletheia27
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
United States267 Posts
July 17 2011 21:01 GMT
#8
You don't see the correlation between mindset and strategy

One for improvement, but not for in game strategy
I am that I am
TangSC
Profile Blog Joined July 2011
Canada1866 Posts
July 17 2011 21:01 GMT
#9
Well anger CAN be fuel for dedication and learning, sure, but it's typically destructive. I think staying positive is important for maximum progress, and anything you can do while angry you can likely do while happy.
Coaching www.allin-academy.com | Team www.All-Inspiration.com
Aletheia27
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
United States267 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-07-17 21:13:46
July 17 2011 21:13 GMT
#10
On July 18 2011 06:01 TangSC wrote:
Well anger CAN be fuel for dedication and learning, sure, but it's typically destructive. I think staying positive is important for maximum progress, and anything you can do while angry you can likely do while happy.


I don't see how anger is necessarily the opposite of a positive mentality. They go hand in hand. But this is neither time nor place. My remark was not to the validity of your post, but dedication and mentality to me seem more 'the way" to approach a game and your own development. However to me strategy exists within the confines of the game and should be used to assess individual situations rather than the reverse analysis. Maybe I have my definitions confused or TL didn't intend strategy to embody so stringent a definition. Anyway, good write up.

EDIT: Err, to clarify. My remark was not to the validity of your post, but the categorization of it or placement
I am that I am
Jastermarrel
Profile Blog Joined June 2011
United States60 Posts
July 17 2011 21:18 GMT
#11
@TangSC I also have celiac disease! Not something to be 100% happy about lol but since going on the diet a few years ago after being diagnosed, I have noticed that I am feeling better physically which helps me be focused on what I do. My grades in school went up and I noticed my abilities in videogames have increased dramatically! Good tips to help you improve! Keep up the good work man!
TangSC
Profile Blog Joined July 2011
Canada1866 Posts
July 17 2011 21:20 GMT
#12
I mean I notice it with my students when we're doing lessons, if they stay calm and focused they play well but once they make a mistake or 2 and start sighing and grunting, their overall game-play declines. And if they start swearing, it's over!

Surely you're right in that everyone is different and needs to find the optimal way to learn themselves, but I just provided some general guidelines that I, based on personal experience and coaching experience, believe will help the majority of readers.

I feel like when people are angry they start asking themselves the wrong questions like "Oh man why did I do that, I'm such an idiot" instead of "Ok what can I do now to give me a chance to win this game?"
Coaching www.allin-academy.com | Team www.All-Inspiration.com
RedDog51
Profile Joined May 2011
United States12 Posts
July 17 2011 21:24 GMT
#13
Nice post man! . . . I agree with everything. I know I play so much better when I am in a positive mindset. I do have that side of me that gets negative and rage-quits just to reload another match to rage-quit again.

Have to have a nice balance of self-criticism but also a positive overall attitude.
RandomAccount#49059
Profile Blog Joined June 2009
United States2140 Posts
July 17 2011 21:30 GMT
#14
--- Nuked ---
Premier
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
United States503 Posts
July 17 2011 21:34 GMT
#15
Anger helps sometimes, you get mad and you get focused. If you find that you lose focus when you get angry, definitely work on controlling that
Picture Me Rollin' - DJ Premier, Titan of the Tables
ppshchik
Profile Joined September 2010
United States862 Posts
July 17 2011 21:36 GMT
#16
I remember when Fruitdealer qualified from his Code S group last season he said ZvZ is all about mindset and mood that's why he was confident on beating Check in ZvZ.
Legends never die... they end up working in McDonalds.
Mahtasooma
Profile Joined November 2010
Germany475 Posts
July 17 2011 21:51 GMT
#17
I would be more mannered when the Zerg scouting information from a 6rax wouldn't be identical to the scouting information of a 1rax expand (seeing no gas, one rax, few marines, no addon) and the time when the OL even reaches the enemys base, the 6rax is already moving out.
http://twitch.tv/mahtasooma
ThePianoDentist
Profile Joined July 2011
United Kingdom698 Posts
July 17 2011 22:03 GMT
#18
i disagree with people who say anger will help you get better. anger may provide the drive to play non-stop but i would find that you always learn so playing non-stop of course you'll learn but i would reckon slower than being positive.

getting mad surely just throws off any further games you play because you're thinking about the annoying previous game instead of your current one, and we form conclusions and think more clearly when calm therefore you're more likely to be able to make an accurate assessment of why you lost and therefore improve faster.

also i can see how going into a match positive helps. being positive usually means you will be decisive and any decision is better than no decision. also it will help you to play aggressively which even if you lose from you still learn more than just turtling
Brood War Protoss, SC2 Terran/Protoss
Yoshi Kirishima
Profile Blog Joined July 2009
United States10325 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-07-17 22:22:33
July 17 2011 22:22 GMT
#19
starcraft is not a game of just macro'ing and micro'ing to defeat your opponent, it is a game where you must first conquer yourself :D

so it is a strategy to focus on this health aspect :D

thanks!
Mid-master streaming MECH ONLY + commentary www.twitch.tv/yoshikirishima +++ "If all-in fails, all-in again."
BrassMonkey
Profile Joined April 2011
Canada84 Posts
July 17 2011 22:23 GMT
#20
I think anger is a natural feeling to feel after losing a game, especially to some no skill cheese/all-in, or just forgetting obs of some sort when its obvious he's going dts. no one likes losing. I think to shove it down and not acknowledge it is doing yourself a disservice. I feel the best way to deal with your anger is to step away from the game for a few minutes, let your anger dissipate naturally and go back to playing with a "clean slate"

I do always try to gg, but my god, sometimes its hard.
TOO EZ
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