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Winning and Wellness: Alex Myers on How Meditation Helps in Street Fighter
Mental clarity isn't just for Ryu. Fighting game competitors have a lot to gain from meditation, as well.
Physical training isn’t just for athletes. Street Fighter pro Tempo Storm | Alex Myers has discovered that being in good health is essential for top fighting game performance, as well. A combination of meditation and regular workouts has helped Myers level up — take a look at what he told us about his new process.
Fisticuffs to Fighting Games
Myers was introduced to meditation as a means of improvement via a real world warrior. “I actually got into meditating from my girlfriend's godfather, Peter,” he recalled. “He has been giving me visualization advice, as he used to be a national champion in Karate. He said he'd do all sorts of things to help him get ready to compete and I've been trying to follow suit. Recently I started to incorporate meditating in that.”
Since then, Myers has found that meditation and wellness has become crucial to honing his Street Fighter skills and keeping his mind sharp. “I feel it's very important actually,” he stated. “I feel most people lose because their mind is too weak — myself included. I feel the best players have either something naturally; like NuckleDu has a certain confidence that pushes them to win some of the biggest tournies in the world, like Capcom Cup. And then you have other players that don't have that as naturally, like Tokido.”
EchoFox | Tokido, Evo 2017 champion, is a big inspiration in Myer’s quest for fortitude. “Tokido built that into his mind through meditating and paying attention to not only his physical health, but his mental health as well. You can see him meditating, running in place and practicing all throughout almost any tourney he goes to. He is a prime example of why I'm trying to also pay attention to my mind more instead of focusing solely on match ups and what not. If your mind isn't strong enough, you can't clutch out the big W. [It’s a] rough lesson I've been learning for way too long.”
Going beyond the battle
Myer’s routine is relatively simple, yet requires dedication and control. “I try and workout every other day, whether it be running or working out at the gym. For meditation, I'm starting to set timers for 5 minutes and just do that to get my focus back down during tournaments. I will also do this a few times throughout the day when I'm not at tournaments just to practice it. I feel it helps me just rationalize things better and have a better grip on my mind in general.”
He has a few tips for fighters looking to hone their skills through bodily health. “I think they should first try and run a little bit or start off by going on walks,” he suggested. “Cardio is very important for your health and I think going on a light run before tourneys is really important for me now. I also will try and do a different form of meditating where I just visualize what I want and focus on that instead of regular meditation, where I try to slow down my breathing and address any thought that comes to my mind.”
“The key is to empty out your mind and just address anything that pops into your mind, instead of focusing on certain things. Reading a few books about meditating might help as well, but I honestly just consult my girlfriend's Godfather when I need more advice instead of looking stuff up online.”
Myers was signed to team Tempo Storm this summer, and since then, has been working his hardest to achieve victory. “I've been doing these things more intensively since around before Absolute Battle this year, and I noticed a big improvement overall. I started beating players I've never been able to beat before, including Smug and Punk — two players I never could really beat before I spent more time focusing on my mental game.”
“Hopefully I can keep working on this technique and use it to get a big win, but more than anything, I'm grateful I've been able to get better in game and out because of it. Thanks for all the help, Peter!”
What worked then works now
Ancient samurai used the art of zen to gain mental clarity and fortify their spirits for battle. Today, virtual warriors can utilize these same techniques to channel their concentration into combos. Just like Ryu, players must go beyond the battle and take extra steps to ensure they’re in top shape for competition. “Don’t fight for victory — fight to improve yourself. Victory will come.”
