Preparation is one of the most important things an athlete can do. Whether it’s practice routines, mental preparation, sleep & nutrition – or even simply reading the rules – optimal preparation greatly increases the chance of success.

Despite its role as one of the most important aspects of competition, preparation can be complex. It might vary between disparate titles, with different games having different requirements or rules. It could vary between players, as different people need different things to succeed. It might even vary within the same game between different events, depending on location, schedule, or rulesets.

In this article, my goal is to assess the many facets of preparation, providing insight and guidelines on how to prepare for all situations, ranging from the stadiums of large international competitions to the minutiae of daily practice.

My first experience with esports was at the age of nine.

At the time, my favorite game was “Age of Mythology”. We didn’t have a computer that could run it at my place, so I would ride my bike to my grandparents’ house and play, for hours on end each afternoon. I would grind away at the online ranked play, the Ensemble Studios Online ladder, or spend my time in Deathmatch Total War games. Then, in 2003, a tournament was announced. The World Cyber Games declared that they would host an event that year in Seoul, Korea – and Age of Mythology would be among the titles.

I spent weeks preparing. I played Egyptian, one of the three main cultural groups, and would invest endless effort into my Isis build orders. And yet, I failed at the simplest of hurdles – I didn’t read the rules.

When I breezed through the opening stages of the online qualifier, I reached the point when it came time to submit personal information such as name, address, and birthday. The organizer, undoubtedly with a touch of amusement and surprise, discovered a regrettable truth. I wouldn’t be allowed to continue in the tournament – I was too young.

Preparation is one of the most important things an athlete can do. Whether it’s practice routines, mental preparation, sleep & nutrition – or even simply reading the rules – optimal esports health and performance preparation greatly increases the chance of success.

Despite its role as one of the most important aspects of competition, preparation can be complex. It might vary between disparate titles, with different games having different requirements or rules. It could vary between players, as different people need different things to succeed. It might even vary within the same game between different events, depending on location, schedule, or rulesets.

In this article, my goal is to assess the many facets of esports health and performance preparation, providing insight and guidelines on how to prepare for all situations, ranging from the stadiums of large international competitions to the minutiae of daily practice.