Except for the obvious difference in the physical output traditional sports requires from their athletes, the training programs for traditional sports and competitive gaming athletes are pretty similar. When putting together training programs for traditional sports and esports athletes, our guest, Taylor Johnson, focuses on five focal points: psychological, physiological, cultural, neurological, and tactical. 

However, when working with gamers, Taylor makes sure he also works their cardiovascular fitness for longevity and cognitive performance. 

Taylor Johnson is a Performance Optimization Coach, Project Manager, Speaker, Author, and Founder of Taylor Johnson Performance, LLC. He worked with the San Francisco 49ers as a Performance Coach before jumping into the esports space, where he had his first experience as VP of Performance at Infinite Esports & Entertainment. 

Throughout this episode, we go through the similarities and differences between the preparation of traditional sports and esports athletes. We also discuss the difference between purpose and goals and why it is crucial to discover our purpose. Taylor shared his thoughts on the importance of focusing on building productive habits, being present, incorporating breathing routines into our lives, journaling as a method of being accountable for our actions, and more. 

Resources:

Visit Taylor Johnson Performance’s website: https://www.taylorjohnsonperformance.com/

Follow Taylor on Twitter: https://twitter.com/coacht_johnson

on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coacht_johnson/

or connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorjohnsonperformance/details/experience/

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Full Episode Breakdown:

2:32 – Taylor explains how physical exercises can benefit gamers and why focusing on their cognitive effort while gaming is crucial.

7:13 – Taylor talks about the three main blockers that keep gamers and esports athletes from taking care of their health more consciously.

13:30 – Taylor describes his “stupid-simple” approach to physical conditioning to avoid getting too technical and losing their coachees in the middle of their training.

18:09 – Taylor explains why it is crucial to develop certain habits.

22:17 – “Coach, I’m freaking out” Taylor shares a story to explain the difference between having a purpose and setting goals.

23:50 Knowing ourselves is creating cheat codes for the game of life. Taylor talks about his journey to discovering his purpose.

31:35 – Taylor talks about why he loves to create blueprints and frameworks to work with gamers and esports athletes.

36:23 – Our days are super long. Taylor shares a life-changing experience he had in the desert.

41:51 – Taylor talks about the similarities and differences between traditional sports and esports athletes’ preparation.

45:15 – Taylor explains why he prefers to keep training and nutrition programs for gamers simple.

49:01 – Taylor shares some advice on upgrading our cognitive output.

54:32 – Final words from Taylor, he shares three takeaways on enhancing our performance right away.