Table of Contents
The State of Health & Performance in Esports with Dr. Doug Gardner pt. 1
By Dr. Matthew Hwu, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS·
Quick answer
This is the first episode of the HPFORGAMERS podcast, with sports psychology consultant Dr. Doug Gardner, who has worked with NFL and MLB teams. It covers where health and performance in esports stand today. Topics include why showing value matters, the role of physical therapists, the barriers to bringing health staff into teams, and why esports is not the same as traditional sport. A main takeaway is that relationships, education and a supportive culture drive buy-in from players and organizations.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
In our very first episode we will be talking about the current state of health and performance in esports. While this can be a lengthy topic to discuss - our goal is to provide you guys with a general picture of where we are TODAY - with health and performance in esports. Dr. Doug Gardner is a specialist in the areas related to athletic development, performance enhancement and athletic transition - and has worked as a Sports Psychology Consultant across various professional teams in NFL and MLB. I have had the pleasure of working with him for the past year and I consider him as having the best understanding in both the art and science of helping players develop themselves within a system to optimize performance.
On Today’s Episode We’ll Learn:
- Who we are, introduction into the podcast [0:30]
- Matt's preface on where we are with health & performance in esports [2:05]
- Doug's take on the state of health and performance in esports, narrative shift [3:45]
- Tipping point with Health & Performance, importance of value demonstration [6:00]
- Esports is community Driven, trickle up effect from grassroots [8:20]
- Physical Therapists and their important role in Esports health & performance [9:10]
- Bridging the gap - helping teams understand who and what to hire [11:10]
- Barriers and Hurdles Doug has experienced in Gaming, similarities with traditional sport and other disciplines [13:29]
- Integration into esports organizations, education is key due to lack of exposure [15:40]
- Understanding the community to enter the space [17:15]
- What does the administrative side of esports need to understand [18:38]
- Barriers are opportunities for growth [21:40]
- Relationships are king in any industry for buy-in [23:47]
- Esports is NOT traditional sport, nuances are important to understand for implementation of structure [26:27]
- What can medical professionals do further to prepare themselves for work in esports [29:08]
- Culture & environment created helps with buy-in in esports [36:54]
- Player Development & systems on the league-front in esports [40:30]
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE:
- Astralis - The Mind Game Meta
- Immortals Hiring Doug as Director of Performance
Key Resources for Doug Gardner:
Share the Love
If you like HPFORGAMERS- Never miss an episode by subscribing to our email list below
- help improve the show by leaving a comment and review in Itunes (when its finished preparing we'll let you know)
- Share this with anyone you think will benefit from the episode
- Support & Donate to 1-HP so we can continue creating great content for our community:
