Esports Training in StarCraft II: Stance Stability and Grip Strength

TL;DR

This study investigates the physical abilities of top StarCraft II players, revealing differences in balance and grip strength compared to a reference group, and highlights the need for targeted training to improve esports performance.

Contribution

It provides the first comparative analysis of physical abilities in elite StarCraft II players, emphasizing the importance of physical training for esports athletes.

Findings

Esports players showed better balance on one leg than the reference group.

Esports players performed worse in grip strength tests across attempts.

Physical activity levels did not fully translate to improved fitness in players.

Abstract

Esports are a mostly sedentary activity. There is a growing need for investigation into how biomechanical and physical abilities can be optimized for esports through training. One such research avenue concerns the ability of esports players to perform balance tasks due to the prolonged sedentary states that are required to reach the top echelon of performance. Our aim for this work is to describe and compare physical abilities (balance, grip strength, and self-reported training habits) of top Polish StarCraft~2 tournament players. Esports players differed significantly from the reference group in their ability to balance on one leg. Additionally, in a grip strength test, the esports group fared worse than the reference group in all consecutive attempts. Despite self-reported physical activity in the esports group, player fitness requires further research. Training optimization could offset the issues arising from sedentary activity, and intensifying esports training so it could take less time overall.