Pedaling to Performance: Exploring the Effects of Pre-Tournament Cycling on Rocket League Esports Performance

Abstract

Exercise has been well documented to elicit cognitive benefits; therefore, we aimed to examine the effect on performance of a single bout of cycling exercise before an esports tournament. Twenty healthy males (age, 24 ± 6 yr; height, 177.3 ± 7.3 cm; body mass, 80.7 ± 20.9 kg; ranked between Gold 1 and Champion 3) participated in a randomized, counterbalanced crossover study involving 1) a 20-min cycling exercise bout at 60%–70% heart rate reserve or 2) 20 min of rest before competing in an esports tournament. Tournaments consisted of 10 paired, rank-matched Rocket League 1 vs. 1 matches played in three series. Participants were assessed before and after the tournament for hemodynamics, cognition, and gameplay mechanics. Heart rate was monitored throughout the tournament, with gameplay performance and post-match surveys completed after each match. Exercising before the tournament led to higher initial fatigue (P = 0.002), higher average heart rates throughout the tournament (P < 0.001), lower perceived individual performance in series 1 (P = 0.03), lower overall perceived opponent performance (P = 0.03), and improved goal percentage in series 3 (P = 0.04) compared with rest. Participant save percentage decreased over time in both conditions (P = 0.04). No differences were observed in cognition measures, gameplay mechanics, or hemodynamics. A single bout of cycling exercise completed before a Rocket League 1 vs. 1 tournament had no negative effects on performance or wins. It did, however, lower perceived match performance and fatigue at the beginning of the tournament while improving goal percentage during the last series.