Coaching players on and off the stage

Matthew “Eliann” Chan sits down at his desk after a long day of school, he turns on his computer, puts on his headset, and starts reviewing video clips for the game Rocket League, as Northeastern University’s Rocket League coach.

 

Chan is a third year student in Northeastern University’s animation program. He first started Rocket League in 2016, partway through his freshman year at university.

 

“Rocket League is basically soccer, but instead of players, you drive cars… and the cars have jet packs.” says Chan, when asked to describe the game. 

​

If you're interested in what Rocket League looks like? Click here.

 

When Chan is not playing the game, he’s on Discord (a popular audio and text chat application for gamers) with his team, practising and scrimmaging online against other players.

 

An avid soccer fan as well, Chan says coaching an Esports team and coaching a soccer team isn’t much different, “you make a game plan, you analyze videos of your team’s performance, and you try to help them improve.”

 

While Chan coaches his team online from his own room, whom he shares with a roommate, he doesn’t think that the lack of a physical training location affects the level in which he can coach effectively.

 

“What I do is I try to point out what’s going wrong in [the team’s] play, and fix it before it becomes a habit, its important for them to have that outside opinion to really understand their mistakes.”

 

Tim “Nalu” Hostnik, a League of Legends coach for European Esports team Origen, says that “the players’ relationship with the coach is important,” adding that “having a good relationship with the players really helps you get through to them, and vice versa, it is important they know what you are trying to tell them.”

 

Hostnik, a Slovenian, currently resides in Origen’s gaming house in Berlin, where he lives with the other coaches and players. He feels that “living together [in a gaming house]” really helps build that sense of chemistry between the players, and the understanding they have show when they play the game.”

 

A look at Fnatic's Gaming House in Berlin, the main hub for the European League of Legends Championship Series:

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

While Origen is not competing in the European League of Legends Championship Series (EULCS) in the 2018 season, Hostnik recounts his coaching from previous years.

 

“I would always have my notebook with me when I’m on stage, standing over the player’s shoulders, and watching the game from my screen behind them.” Hostnik explains that in League of Legends, the coach has direct access to the players through his headset, making calls and analysing plays on the go, much like coaches in any other sport.

 

Recounting his experiences in the past two years as a coach, Hostnik adds that “[coaching] is a very stressful situation most of the time, you feel like you are right there alongside the players and you feel responsible for their performance in the end.”

 

In the current off-season, Hostnik coaches players online through a website, where players from all over the globe send clips to Hostnik, who then reviews the footage with the player through Skype or Discord.

 

“I’ve coached players from all skill levels,” says Hostnik. “It is like when I coach [Origen], I analyze the footage, and I explain to the player, what they are doing wrong, and what they should do to change that.”

 

Joon-Hwan “GuardiaN” Cho, an Overwatch player for the Shanghai Dragons believes that the coach is what “ties the team together.” Recently signed for the Shanghai Dragons, Cho says “the coach is someone everyone respects, we know that he is knowledgeable about the game, and we trust him to call for the important plays.

 

Cho recounts his experience playing for Toronto Esports, despite finishing second with Toronto in the Overwatch Contenders 2018 Season 1, Cho believes Toronto’s lack of a coach at the time he was in the team, led to frequent communication breakdowns between the teammates.

 

“I don’t want to always sound like I’m bossing [my teammates] around, says Cho, which was an issue that always came up during his time with Toronto Esports, but has not been an issue for the Shanghai Dragons.

 

While coaching the Northeastern University Rocket League team, Chan is no stranger to the odd argument between teammates. “A lot of the time, if the team has a bad performance, some of the players tend to get a little mad at each other. As the coach, you are the voice of reason for the team. Even if it means breaking up a fight every now and then.”