• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 23:58
CEST 05:58
KST 12:58
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
[ASL22] Ro24 Preview: Summer's End6Serral wins HomeStory Cup 2915Serral wins Maestros of the Game 243ByuL, and the Limitations of Standard Play3Team Liquid Map Contest #22: Results and Winners7
Community News
Weekly Cups (August 10-16): SHIN doubles0GSTL Returns in 2026!43Weekly Cups (Aug 3-9): Protoss get shut out7RSL goes to London! 2026 Offline Finals Nov 21-2212Weekly Cups (July 27-Aug 2): SHIN's big week0
StarCraft 2
General
Weekly Cups (August 10-16): SHIN doubles Balance hotfix patch 5.0.16b (July 16) GSTL Returns in 2026! SC4ALL: II Talent Announcement! Protoss AoE skill expression
Tourneys
PIG STY FESTIVAL 8.0! (13 - 23 August) WardiTV Mondays 2026 KungFu Cup Announcement Sparkling Tuna Cup - Weekly Open Tournament 2026 GSTL Announcement
Strategy
[G] Having the right mentality to improve
Custom Maps
Nexus Wars 2021 GUIDE [M] (2) Industrial Park
External Content
The PondCast: SC2 News & Results Mutation # 539 Thunder Dome Mutation # 538 Media Blackout Mutation # 537 Hostile Territory
Brood War
General
SC4ALL II: Brood War Player Announcement 3/4 - soO BW General Discussion Rush's Odyssey Controversy [ASL22] Ro24 Preview: Summer's End StarCraft 64 is coming to Philly at SC4ALL II
Tourneys
[ASL22] Ro24 Group A Small VOD Thread 2.0 CSLAN 4 is Coming! ASL Season 22 LIVESTREAM with English Commentary
Strategy
Odyssey Mineral Stack Saturation Fighting Spirit mining rates Any training maps people recommend? Simple Questions, Simple Answers
Other Games
General Games
General RTS Discussion Thread Nintendo Switch Thread Anyone here play Quakeworld back in the day? Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread EVE Corporation
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
[TL LoL EUW IHs] Teemo shall perish TSM pausing esports and CLG Dead
Heroes of the Storm
Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Deck construction bug
TL Mafia
TL Mafia Power Rank TL Mafia Community Thread NeO.D_StephenKing vs This Guy From 1 Million Dance
Community
General
The Letting Off Steam Thread US Politics Mega-thread Artificial Intelligence Thread Russo-Ukrainian War Thread European Politico-economics QA Mega-thread
Fan Clubs
MarineLorD Fan Club The ShoWTimE Fan Club The herO Fan Club!
Media & Entertainment
Movie Discussion! Anime Discussion Thread Series you have seen recently...
Sports
MLB/Baseball 2023 Football (Soccer) Thread TeamLiquid Health and Fitness Initiative For 2023 NBA General Discussion Formula 1 Discussion
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread Simple Questions Simple Answers FPS when play League Of Legend on laptop
TL Community
The Automated Ban List Northern Ireland Global Starcraft
Blogs
LOCKPICKING NOOB
LUCKY_NOOB
Chinese Gen Z: Between Dream…
TrAiDoS
Cathedral Of CS And NY pizza a…
FuDDx
Please support my new stand…
Peanutsc
Hello guys!
LIN1s
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 6620 users

Psych approach to ladder anxiety - Page 6

Forum Index > SC2 General
Post a Reply
Prev 1 4 5 6 7 8 19 Next All
Ballack
Profile Joined April 2010
Norway821 Posts
December 22 2011 17:54 GMT
#101
Great write-up. Luckily I no longer have this problem, but I know it is a big problem for many.
Just when I thought I was out, Blizz pulled me back in..
kabar
Profile Joined November 2010
United States616 Posts
December 22 2011 17:58 GMT
#102
an educated and insightful writeup on ladder anxiety. i usually don't read many threads about this but this one was really interesting. and protoss ass tattoo made me laugh. excellent.
Apolo
Profile Joined May 2010
Portugal1259 Posts
December 22 2011 18:23 GMT
#103
Demoting myself to one league lower, relieved me a lot of anxiety. Suddenly the worst that could happen, happened, and on purpose. I could then focus on playing without really fearing demotion, as i knew i wouldn't get demoted again for sure.

Your second paragraph explainst exactly what i've been saying countless times. SC2 is kind of brutal. Focus on 1v1's, public ranking that gives you your worth in the game. "if you play bad you suck, and everyone will be able to go to your profile and see how much you suck".
shadogi
Profile Joined November 2011
United States194 Posts
December 22 2011 22:29 GMT
#104
Awesome write-up! My ladder fear is slowing going down thanks to this. The biggest help for me is the mantra: "My current skill is plat, but my future skill is Master's and that's OK".

Thanks again! This really was very helpful.
berenoune
Profile Joined December 2011
Philippines5 Posts
December 22 2011 23:32 GMT
#105
nice read! tewai!
12/19/X1
eraft
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
Singapore28 Posts
December 22 2011 23:46 GMT
#106
Most of my casual friends stop playing as they do no want to loss and they just dun want to improve. Instead of fear, they totally just gave up.
HaruRH
Profile Blog Joined August 2011
Singapore2780 Posts
December 22 2011 23:56 GMT
#107
On December 23 2011 08:46 eraft wrote:
Most of my casual friends stop playing as they do no want to loss and they just dun want to improve. Instead of fear, they totally just gave up.


Most of us SG seems to give up on StarCraft 2 due to ladder anxiety :/ My friends gave up on SC2 due to the same problem. He rather run and play other games than feel this fear.
It is fucking D4 and you are still alive as a CONFIRMED FUCKING TOWN. This is how fucking terrible scum thinks you are - Koshi
Penecks
Profile Joined August 2010
United States600 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-12-23 00:22:43
December 23 2011 00:08 GMT
#108
A while back I made this graphic which I feel might explain why people sometimes don't like to ladder in this game, maybe it still rings true here:
+ Show Spoiler +
[image loading]


For some context, I guess I'm discouraged somewhat by the treadmill feeling of the ladder; I'm already in masters, even if I improve I won't make it to GM, if I lose I feel bad/discouraged, if I win it's just "meh, look how many mistakes the opponent made" and its hardly satisfying. If I'm in the top 2% of CS players and I join a server, I'm probably gonna be topping the scoreboard and doing pretty damn well for my team. If I'm in the top 2% of starcraft players and I join a ladder game I still have a 50% chance to lose the same way a silver player might. Maybe this is a different topic than "ladder fear", however, I'm wondering if others feel the same.
straight poppin
attwell
Profile Joined July 2011
United States220 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-12-23 00:54:08
December 23 2011 00:53 GMT
#109
Good read.

I don't entirely agree with you when you equate ladder fear/anxiety to an unexpected adrenaline response. I feel some anxiety before a match, but my heart doesn't start pounding and my palms don't get sweaty until I actually start to do engagements and have to micro and make decisions. I'm not sure if you are completely equating them or not, they are definitely pretty distinct, though related reactions.

The adrenaline response for me is a response to my opponent's aggression or decisions, whereas any anxiety I feel is before a game and is probably due to, as you explain, unrealistic negative appraisals.

Definitely going to reread this before I start playing later tonight.
ObliviousNA
Profile Joined March 2011
United States535 Posts
December 23 2011 01:09 GMT
#110
That was a damn good read, thank you.
Theory is when you know everything but nothing works. Practice is when everything works but no one knows why. In our lab, theory and practice are combined: nothing works and no one knows why.
Zombo Joe
Profile Joined May 2010
Canada850 Posts
December 23 2011 01:18 GMT
#111
I can vouch for this OP, his teachings allowed me to get over my ladder anxiety today. I did my placement match and I got promoted to masters.
I am Terranfying.
windsupernova
Profile Joined October 2010
Mexico5280 Posts
December 23 2011 03:34 GMT
#112
Nice thanks for the writeup.

Hopefully this helps people with ladder fear. I don´t play much anymore because of LOL reallife but I can see this helping tons of people
"Its easy, just trust your CPU".-Boxer on being good at games
SuperEight
Profile Joined December 2011
United States333 Posts
December 23 2011 05:01 GMT
#113
Wow. This write-up is pretty impressive. You hit the nail right on the head, my friend. I've known more than a few people who say that they don't like to play on the ladder. Why?

"Losing is frustrating."

I think WhiteRa said it best:

"When I starting play, I very disappointing and very sad after my lose. If you want to make one goal to win, you must lose. You can't win all games. We are people. You make mistake. You are not computer. And if you understand your mistake when you lose, you can just make analysis game and continue to play and try to fix it, and it's not problem. More, more GG. More skill."

Source

This kind of thinking has taught me to take every loss in stride. I don't fear defeat any longer. Whether I win or lose, I will continue to grow as a player.
To rest is to rust; to be active is to achieve.
eccokk
Profile Joined September 2011
Germany38 Posts
December 23 2011 05:31 GMT
#114
the main problem with sc2 ( or more like all 1on1 games ) is that by definition 100% of the time one player has to lose.

no one likes losing, thats why the most played game of all time is wow, becouse 90% of it is co-op vs ai where the ai takes the dumb part of the loser. in games as dota you can at least blame your "Noobteamates" for the lose while in quake or sc you know its all becouse you suck




partysnatcher
Profile Joined August 2010
156 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-12-23 09:55:17
December 23 2011 09:17 GMT
#115
On December 23 2011 14:31 eccokk wrote:
the main problem with sc2 ( or more like all 1on1 games ) is that by definition 100% of the time one player has to lose.

no one likes losing, thats why the most played game of all time is wow, becouse 90% of it is co-op vs ai where the ai takes the dumb part of the loser. in games as dota you can at least blame your "Noobteamates" for the lose while in quake or sc you know its all becouse you suck


Agreed. And like you say, WoW developers have been extremely adept at making people think they have accomplished something.

Another aspect is that the typical ladder gamer almost only plays sets of BO1s, which creates this absurd situation where after one single win, you may think that you are better than your opponent (and assume that your opponent thinks the same when he wins over you). While in reality, very few people would acknowledge a BO1 win in a real tournament situation as anything but a coinflip.
Hossinaut
Profile Joined June 2011
United States453 Posts
December 23 2011 09:20 GMT
#116
I dont understand ladder anxiety, but I can relate to one's ego being tied up in how one performs.

Good read, applicable knowledge. Thanks for the write up
wellAdjusted
Profile Joined June 2011
United Kingdom65 Posts
December 23 2011 09:52 GMT
#117
People who don't understand ladder anxiety vastly overestimate the rational brain's control over the body. A person can decide conciously that they're fine with losing and they just have to play more to improve, but that won't stop their scumbag subconciouse turning their gut into a chemical toilet.
"Rock is imba, but paper is ok..." - Scissors
Camlito
Profile Blog Joined July 2007
Australia4040 Posts
December 23 2011 10:20 GMT
#118
I study psychology myself (less than you have ) and i still got a lot out of this.

Absolutely great write up!
sAviOr...
ionize
Profile Blog Joined March 2008
Ireland399 Posts
December 23 2011 10:29 GMT
#119
This is an amazing article. Thanks for sharing your professional knowledge on this with us.

One thing I like to do to start a game session is setting up an alarm (1h will do) and hit that "Find match" button right away and play through the hour. Just don't think about anxiety or anything just play your games through the hour. It yielded amazing results for me.
I just love video games, what's your excuse?
Koshi
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
Belgium38799 Posts
December 23 2011 10:58 GMT
#120
I always said that ladder fear was silly, and that most people who suffer from it should talk to a psychiatrist. This post might be a solution for some.
I had a good night of sleep.
Prev 1 4 5 6 7 8 19 Next All
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
The Patches Monday
16:15
#3
Liquipedia
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
RuFF_SC2 194
Nina 53
StarCraft: Brood War
Rain 3811
GuemChi 2139
Leta 121
Noble 18
Dota 2
NeuroSwarm204
LuMiX1
League of Legends
JimRising 691
Counter-Strike
summit1g7755
Coldzera 620
taco 458
minikerr52
Other Games
hungrybox560
C9.Mang0390
WinterStarcraft370
m0e_tv340
singsing337
Maynarde130
Trikslyr48
ROOTCatZ43
Organizations
Other Games
gamesdonequick1076
BasetradeTV35
[ Show 16 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• Berry_CruncH360
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• Kozan
• IndyKCrew
• Migwel
StarCraft: Brood War
• RayReign 40
• BSLYoutube
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
Dota 2
• masondota2712
• lizZardDota214
League of Legends
• Lourlo972
• Rush763
• Stunt533
Other Games
• Scarra1179
Upcoming Events
Afreeca Starleague
6h 2m
Sharp vs Shinee
Action vs Shine
GSL
7h 2m
PiGosaur Cup
20h 2m
Replay Cast
1d 5h
Afreeca Starleague
1d 6h
BeSt vs Paralyze
Jaedong vs Speed
Kung Fu Cup
1d 7h
Replay Cast
1d 20h
The PondCast
2 days
KCM Race Survival
2 days
Replay Cast
2 days
[ Show More ]
PiG Sty Festival
3 days
CranKy Ducklings
4 days
PiG Sty Festival
4 days
Sparkling Tuna Cup
5 days
PiG Sty Festival
5 days
The Patches Monday
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

CSLAN 4
CranK Gathers Season 4: BW vs SC2 Team League
Eternal Conflict S2 Finale

Ongoing

KCM Race Survival 2026 Season 3
K-JUNGMAN
ASL Season 22
Super Anchor Qualifying S3
RSL Revival: Season 6
PiG Sty Festival 8.0
META DYMY #4
Esports World Cup 2026
Esports World Cup 2026: LCQ
BLAST Bounty Summer 2026
BLAST Bounty Summer Qual
Stake Ranked Episode 3
XSE Pro League 2026
IEM Cologne Major 2026

Upcoming

CSL Season 22: Qualifier 1
Escore Tournament S3: W8
CSL Season 22: Qualifier 2
CSL 2026 AUTUMN (S22)
Acropolis #5
Acropolis #5 - TRS
Blizzard Classic Cup 2026
HSC XXX
SC4ALL II: StarCraft II
Kung Fu Cup 2026 Grand Finals
RSL Offline Finals
Big Dog Cup 2026 Div 1
Stake Ranked Episode 5
PGL Masters Bucharest 2026
Thunderpick World Champ. '26
ESL Pro League Season 24
Stake Ranked Episode 4
1win Private Club #1
Logitech G Connect 2026
SL StarSeries Fall 2026
FISSURE Playground #5
BLAST Open Fall 2026
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2026 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.