“All coaching is, is taking a player where he can’t take himself.”
— Bill McCartney
There is no profession in sport without coaching. Likewise, emergence of player development, e.g. coaching, is a key inflection point in the maturity of competitive video games. Accordingly, look for the coaching narrative to shape the esports industry in 2017 and beyond.
To better understand the current state of coaching, I sat down for a Q&A interview with Mike Schwartz – head of player development at Counter Logic Gaming (CLG). As one of the most successful esports clubs in North America, CLG is at the forefront of investing in quality of life for its players and staff. The interview is as follows:
What is your personal background within and outside esports?
This is my first time setting foot in esports as a career, but I have followed various scenes from Starcraft: Brood War through Starcraft2 and League of Legends (LoL) since Season 2. Outside of esports, I’ve worked a myriad of jobs from a research intern at an investment bank and law firm, to lead resident assistant at my alma mater, and assistant general manager of a popular quick service restaurant franchise.
At the same time I was studying to enter law school, with the intention of doing intellectual property work (ideally in the esports space), I discovered this job posted on Reddit and applied. Around the time I got acceptances from law schools, I interviewed with CLG and ultimately withdrew to pursue the position of LoL Development Coach.
CLG has demonstrated commitment to an organization-wide culture. How has this influenced the approach to player development?
CLG is an organization focused on building, not just the best esports athletes, but people – mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. You get the entire package here at CLG, and while game performance carries the most weight as a premier esports organization, we push everyone to develop in all areas of life from going to the gym (or yoga), to social media branding building or even covering songs (a la Darshan). We believe that having people willing to push themselves in all areas creates the best possible individuals – those who are most driven to succeed, and that translates directly into how we view development.
In your opinion, is Fnatic’s 10-man roster a model other orgs will emulate?
One of the issues that have plagued esports is the lack of a viable bench. Riot had mandated that teams need to hold a minimum of 2 substitutes, but with no actual requirements to use them, they were just a provision to be upheld, lest the team be fined. With commitment to two full rosters and a focus on development of talent over immediate success, it puts starters on alert that they must perform and creates pressure.
Meanwhile it gives those on the challenger roster a legitimate chance to prove themselves and hopefully pushes them to challenge those starters. It is important to keep in mind that, Fnatic is an established organization and younger orgs may have a rough time implementing such policies until they become established as regional strength or have large enough investments to sustain through rougher years of development. In due time though, I believe that teams will begin such a roster expansion (CLG has just expanded to a Challenger Team as well).
How many coaching techniques carry over across game titles?
I was expecting there to be some static as I transitioned from LoL to Counter Strike Global Offensive (CS:GO). While the finer details will cause you to make small adaptations in how you communicate certain aspects of the game, there is actually almost a seamless carry over of techniques. The majority of what I focus on is how to get the players more mindful and appreciative of their circumstances, how to properly communicate with each other and being more well-rounded individuals outside of the game – which you can teach to anyone, not just gamers.
Athletes in traditional sports are exposed to coaching very early in their careers. Would esports benefit from the same?
Coaching provides structure, which is something that most players lack upon becoming a professional in their chosen game. Having something or someone to provide that to players earlier in their esports careers would definitely help create some sense of responsibility and understanding (of the work required to succeed) in the individual athlete.
Looking forward, do you think team houses will remain?
Team houses can be a valuable asset to an organization: from bringing all players and staff under one roof for convenience, to team-building and ease of access for media opportunities, but they are not without drawbacks. Oftentimes young players are coming from an environment where they are comfortable and supported (by family and friends) into an unknown one with teammates they may have only met online.
The communication skills that are generally developed through normal jobs and the education system may not be present without proper support structure from the organization. Conflicts that arise do not really get the same level of diffusion, since all parties are inevitably tied to the house. Staff is always around their players and may lose authority just by existing in the same space.
If properly managed, they can be a large boon to the organization, but without proper support, it can become an explosive cocktail of personalities that can explode at a moment’s notice. I believe that team houses may continue, but that teams will separate the “house” from where the teams live and an “office” environment where they work in order to remedy the aforementioned drawbacks.
How is the issue of pro player burnout, especially among League of Legends pros, best addressed?
Periodization of training and allowing players to have a say in the process. At elite levels, once you reach peak training efficiency the only thing that you can really do to improve is play more, unfortunately. A lot of teams simply say, “X is successful and plays 10 hours a day” and emulate that – the Korean model of practice is ideal in a sense that players are training with a purpose and getting the most value out of their time invested.
If your players aren’t maximizing their time, reduce the amount of practice initially and get them to focus on the process and gradually work into that system. Make sure you listen to your players’ needs during this time, but don’t be afraid to push them outside of their comfort zones.