Regina's XP League adds physical aspects to gamer training
XP League’s Regina chapter has added physical activities to its gamer training programs.
The goal of the organization is to coach gamers between the ages of five to 15 to become great gamers, with a non-traditional approach.
As a warm-up before the kids hit the computers, the league has teams do sprinting drills, planking and stretches.
XP League said most people think video and computer games are all about mental stimulation and strength, but physical strength is also important.
“You need to make sure you’re healthy physically as well as mentally,” Blake Zanidean, league commissioner, said. “Using that physical aspect you get that mental stimulation I think is really important for the kids.”
Zanidean added the physical drills are also a great way to increase hand-eye coordination, communication skills and teamwork.
Some of the kids who spoke to CTV called it an important and helpful way to prep themselves for gaming marathons.
“I get a little bit warmed up so my fingers aren’t asleep or anything,” said 11-year-old Julien Trombley.
Nine-year-old Liam Riemer said “for gamers that’s what people need to do because if they just sit the whole time it’s not good for their bodies.”
Zanidean said Esports, and the coaching approach XP League is taking, would be similar to that of any team sport like soccer, hockey or football.
“Traditional sports may not always be every kids outlet, so this is a great way to integrate the same skills that they would get from traditional sports, but still doing something they enjoy,” Zanidean added.
The Regina XP League chapter is hoping adding the physical element to the gaming training will encourage more families to consider Esports as a team sport and not just a way for kids to spend more time in front of their computer screens.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.