Define Preparation: the activity of putting or setting in order in advance of some act or purpose; a substance prepared according to a formula;he cognitive process of thinking about what you will do in the event of something happening;

We have all had that match where we put our hearts into the game and practice 5 hours a day all week to gain a win which ends up with a hard defeat.

At the end of the match, everyone has their own opinion what impacted the match - Were you out skilled or just unlucky? This frustration can ultimately make teams stronger as they accept the defeat together, or break a team where a member can’t take the loss.In this article I will describe some ideas which can be implemented BEFORE the match to help relieve some pressure during the match. They won’t guarantee the win of the match, but they will defiantly make you feel a lot more confident when playing.

This article has been developed after Midnight Evil suffered a loss against the Finnish Insignia Cadre in the CAL-E pre-seasons. We didn’t give them a match which we felt was worthy of playing against them, this defeat made us change the ways we prepared on our match days.

Sorting the Opposition

This is the most basic preparation done before an official war; speak to the opposition to confirm the server details and password, this will relieve any stress of being late or not knowing when you are playing.

1. Be sure to check their server before hand - you don’t want to be playing on a 170 ping server or some 33 tick rate server hosted from someone’s basement. It sounds silly but it is rarely done!
2. If you can get some videos of the clan or a player from within the clan, a good place to start is their personal website. The objective of this idea is to learn how they play and pick up on regular positions and therefore weaknesses within strategies

Sorting Yourself

The next level of preparation for a big game is getting you prepared. No matter whether your playing style is offensive or defensive you still need to be prepared for the game.

Everyone has their own opinion what works and what doesn’t, therefore I have questioned several known top players from the CSS community what they do to help them perform well for an important match.

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[mEm]Boffy: What preparation does zEx do before an official war?
zEx|Fifflare: eh? Preparation? ;D

Getting comfortable before playing is a must!

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aux`PhX: Personally, I’ve found that find the right mouse, mouse mat, sensitivity being used for as long as possible is the best. I have talked to players who change resolution everyday but just couldn’t do that.

Get Pumping!

Boosting your adrenaline of the game can be very good before you play. Many players listen to some strong music before going into training and match because it gets them into the mood of “fraggin some headz” and boosts their confidence before the game. Just don’t listen to sapping music; you don’t want to shred a tear whilst doing a 5man.

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aud\url before BIG matches I would play a song, one that inspires me and gets me pumping

Warming up

This is pretty self explanatory; you need your reflexes to be fast if you want to perform your best. How can you improve them in game? Well it is a personal preference, some say public whilst others Deathmatch.

Others warmup methords

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mEm|D: We tend to start off warm-up with an aim map; it gets the headshots rolling in.
aux`PhX: I don’t play aim maps, deathmatch or public, you either got it or you dont
aux`JaFro: In uQ we used 2 make sure we all had a little warm-up, whether it be against each other on aim maps or on deathmatch

Sorting the Team

Once the match has been arranged and you are ready yourself, its time to get the team organized. Your teammates should be your closest friends as well as mean killing machines so it’s best to treat them correctly as they should treat you. The main priority before a game is to attend early and on time this will ensure your team can get prepared together.

Early Start and Attitude

Always get on early on match day, it is vital to know of any changes before going into the game. If tactics need to be changed or players aren’t around a substitute could be found earlier or the opposite team could delay the match given prior notice. It also helps show a good attitude and dedication to the team and the players within the team. Be very careful what is said before the match, everyone should be respectful and not creating troubles or starting conflicts between players.

Morale

One of the controversial thoughts I have had is if clans use a morale booster, how much does it really affect your playing ability? Do you have something which gets the team pumping together in frenzy ready to destroy the opposition? A comment, phrase or even song which is played before the game starts could really help boost the team’s confidence.

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aux`jaFro: In uQ after we used 2 win a game Kazatan used 2 play chuckle vision down the mic
aux`PhX: Gandos re-creation of Mel Gibson’s famous William Wallace speech in brave heart that’s the only thing our clan does before a big game, it’s a real good confidence booster)

Again, both these teams have a method of boosting the team’s morale before a game and in their opinion it does work. Midnight Evil have a phrase which does boost the team effort between us, we all put in 100% (I hear Ubj calling 200%). Even in Powers Gaming they had a phrase before a game to help them focus, no matter how bizarre they may be, the players may benefit.

Refreshing Tactics

Most teams do this before the match to get their reflexes warmed up, but getting a match before your official is a great way to refresh old tactics, especially if it hasn’t been played for a long period of time. Most players find it a pressure to remember every tactic name and their position for it. Therefore it is best to do a quick refresh by getting a match.

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{P|F}rip: Normally we have a quick tactics refresh and then a mirc pcw
Dignitas|philipp: we play some trainings and hear music to relax that’s our way to play the best
CSA|HaGGiS: All we do is try and play map we need to in 3/4 pcws and make sure we get a pcw before the official

Calm before the Storm…Relaxing

With 15-20minutes to spare before a match, you should all relax. This helps you compose yourself before having an official war.

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Dignitas|Head: We don’t do very much before an important match, mostly we chill out for about 30 mins, that way some of us can eat and others listen to music.
CSA|xXhanubis: Basically relax! If you are uptight, you are never yourself
i|fraz: We tend to try having a 20 minute break before an official war to relax, it works nicely

Additional Charms

After asking CSA|HaGGiS a few questions about preparation before the big game, I found out a personal key to his success. Being such a kind person, I thought I would share them with the whole of the CSS community…does it truly work?

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CSA|HaGGiS: I haven’t got any lucky charms or nowt
[mEm]Boffy: not even lucky underwear?
CSA|HaGGiS: I don’t wear any clothes for officials

Well there we have it; here are some of the top methods used by the high skilled players to prepare themselves before a match. I hope it has made you consider just a few of these options to truly see if it works. Post on the website if you have some similar experiences