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:D

Losing confidence or control is the same thing as giving up. It doesn't matter if it happens gradually during a match or over a course of a few weeks or months. It's almost like a slow acting virus. It will slowly but surely corrupt your thought pattern turning all that positive thinking into negative thinking. After this virus sets in you might not trust your teammate anymore, and constantly second guess him which in turn reflects on you. Or you might be in a phase where you're second guessing yourself, essentially the same thing will happen, missed shots and bad plays.

It's very easy to forget why we play games. Getting on the computer and playing with your team shouldn't be a chore, and it definitely shouldn't result in a negative thought pattern. If it does, now is a good time to reevaluate your situation. Negative thinking should not be left ignored for too long. Take a step back and try to analyze why you're stressed or unhappy with your situation. Playing the blame game should never be an option, but rather working with your teammates in a peaceful environment will lead to success. If it's a personal problem, it might be best to let your teammates know.

Some of the smallest actions can eventually rip your team to shreds. Cracking jokes is one thing, but you must remember that as a team you are all working toward the same goal, success. If a simple repetitive joke irritates you, let your team know this. I could give hundreds of examples on small details like this that could potentially harm your team. But in the end it's your job to talk with your team about this stuff. Every team goes through this type of stuff, don't let a small speed bump turn into a road block.

Focus

Which leads to the most important word in this article: focus. As easy as it sounds, it's the hardest attribute to find in ones self or a teammate. With school, work, friends, and family all on the list it's hard to actually focus on your game. But to get the results we all crave for, it's a quality that must be enacted. This doesn't just mean during match's either. To excel you must relax and focus whenever it's possible. Getting good doesn't happen overnight, but the thought process needed to excel can click on in the time it takes to read this article.
The next time you open up your game and begin practicing, clear your mind and focus on one thing and one thing only, improving. Don't let yourself be distracted, and at all cost don't get stressed out or angry. These are the key components to breaking your focus. If you're stressed out or angry, there is no reason to play because there is no clear focus to improve. It's important to not waste time when you have it. Every time I open this game I strive to improve. Whether it be deathmatching, scrimming, or even while in a match I play to improve. When I have an itch to play the first thing I do is relax. Once I'm playing I quickly isolate my current weaknesses and then focus on improving them individually, one step at a time.

Having a strong mental game is an easy concept to understand, but very hard to actually implement while playing. There are a lot factors in this game that hold teams and individuals back from their true performance. Tapping into the mind game and correctly utilizing it can eliminate these factors. When it comes down to it though, it all relies on your true desire to improve. A desire to practice, scrim, and to most importantly have fun. Don't let your emotions get in the way of what you truely desire.

The Mind Game

We've all heard the quotes of how sports are far more mental than they are physical, but how much does this apply to computer games? And if it does, how do I use my mental capabilities to my advantage? Well, the truth is these questions condone a simple and easy answer. But before you can fully utilize what you're about to learn you must understand why the answer is so simple. Given time you will learn to respect your mind and how a simple negative thought can result in a complete failure of your skill. Observation of ones self thoughts is a needed attribute to hurdle these road blocks we have each individually set up for ourselves. Follow along as I take you upon a mental journey full of information to help you.

Control
When I asked myself how I was going to write the mind game on paper, I visualized building blocks with tid bits of information. Almost like a Jenga set, where each block supports one another, but collapses under stress. Which brings me to my first point in this article. It doesn't matter how much you know, half the mind game is keeping control of your blocks of information and using them wisely. Without control, stress is exhibited onto the tower and sooner or later we witness a crash of that tower.

So how exactly do you stay in control of your blocks? Simple answer, you stay positive and smart. Emotions should never be an issue while playing, practice or match. It should be easy to spot when you're letting your emotions run wild, a simple burst of anger after a death is a great sign to the road of failure. Sometimes it's hard to keep in control of your emotions, programming your mind to relieve yourself of anger or negative thoughts is the first step to recovery. I've witnessed a lot of players lose faith in the round or even the game after a few players get picked or a few rounds are lost. This is where their tower collapses, and all their information and skill is now questionable. It doesn't matter if you're down 8-0 or you're in a 2v5. Losing control of yourself will essentially lose you the round. A player in control of himself will not take this time to doubt himself or his teammates but rather push forward and lead by example.

Confidence

Control is only the beginning of the mental game though. Our next key word is confidence. Regardless of the play your in-game leader calls or the situation you're in, you must have confidence. There are two categories that you must have confidence in, yourself and your team. A player can essentially be the best player in the game, but without confidence in himself to make his shots and plays, he will fail. When you're in a match and the pressure is on the last thing you want is to be second guessing yourself. It doesn't matter if your team is getting purely out played, losing confidence will only harm you and your team more. Keeping yourself and your teams head up in dire situations can get you that one round or play that sets off a chain reaction of momentum rounds to even the game out. Momentum is a powerful tool, and it must never be forgotten while at the same time it must never be feared.

That's the thing, in starcraft/wc3 the GG would come from the loser almost always signifying the end of the game. The loser doesn't wait around for the winner to say "GG" back, he simply says it and leaves. Once he says it that means he is admitting that whereas he lost, his opponent played well enough to beat him marking it a "good game."

If my opponent deems it a good game and says GG in a losing effort I will return the favour, or if my team loses I will always say GG.

If we win, I will never initiate the GG. Unless they deem it was a good game then I respectfully give one back.

Remember, never initiate a GG unless you lost. It's respectful to let the loser decide whether it was a good game or not.