"A lot of times people look at the negative side of what they feel they can't do. I always look on the positive side of what I can do."
- Chuck Norris
Psychology huh? Seems very indepth for a game about battling wizards? Any sport or game that has a competitive element requires some degree of it. Good psychology or "mental toughness" is a very important skill for any DOTA player - RTS type games are very mathematical in basis - they require calculated decision making and sound instincts.
Becoming agitated and emotional can prevent you from making rational decisions - your anger, fear or greed temporarily overwhelm the logical part of your brain.
This causes you to lose focus, preventing your from executioning your skills properly, and making more stupid mistakes. Rage buybacks anyone?
Ok, so reacting emotionally is bad? Well not entirely, you want to enjoy the game so getting a bit excited and channelling your emotions into your determination to play better is useful. The difference is finding a balance and using them in the right way.
"Fire in your belly, but ice in your mind."
Keep that fire in your belly - that desire to win, to do better, to never give up. Enjoy the moment, get your team positive and pumped up. But also keep that ice in your mind - cold, calculating and methodical. Do the maths, make the sacrifice plays and focus the most important targets.
Ok, so you accept my premise...but understanding it and doing it in stressful are two different things. What can you try that might help?
- Stay calm. Losing your temper will achieve nothing. Take a deep breath, release it slowly. If you've just died, you can move away from the computer for a moment and gather yourself. This goes double if you've naturally got a short fuse or are hot-headed. Wait 10 seconds before typing anything.
- Look forwards, not backwards. Your team might be in a bad situation because X,Y or Z happened...but the game isn't over yet. You don't get a prize for being the first one to say "GG", and you certainly won't help the situation by raking over what's gone wrong. You can't change what's happened, but you can change what happens next.
- Be constructive. Which statement is more helpful? "The next time we do Song of the Siren into Reverse Polarity, we need a signal to get the timing right" rather than "THAT F*&$&$* ***** Magnus messed up an easy RP! OMG you suck so hard". Don't talk about what went wrong or lay blame, make suggestions about how to do it better next time.
- Think about what went wrong, and then put it aside. You do need a moment to reflect on what went wrong in a situation - keep it brief and technical. "Missed that Split Earth, need to aim a bit further ahead next time". Then forget about it, you don't help yourself by dwelling on what went wrong.
- Practice. You only get better at something by doing it right. The mental side is probably the hardest thing to develop, but it carries through to the rest of your life in various ways. You won't always get it right, sometimes you will get mad. Accept it, set it aside, and try to keep improving.