Dallas Fuel Players Work Their Bodies and Minds to Improve

It’s always a nice treat when we’re given a glimpse behind the scenes of Esports and pro gamer’s day to day lives. In an article posted today by the Overwatch League, we’ve been given a look into the work-out regimen of two members of the Dallas Fuel, Jonathan “HarryHook” Rua and Pongphop “Mickie” Rattanasangchod. While the Dallas Fuel have been on quite an upswing of late, it’s what happens off-screen that often fascinates fans more than anything.

Working with personal trainer Paul Buitrago out of the Burbank Fitness Club, the gym sessions seem to have worked wonders for HarryHook at least, commenting “Before, I never had confidence in myself, in how I look. I mean, I still don’t look super good, But I am more confident than ever.”

“I think pro gamers should be getting a lot more credit and respect for what they do,” says Buitrago. “They have 12 to 14-hour days. They stream, they scrim, they’re playing matches, they’re doing interviews. They do so much more than meets the eye.”

While the piece goes on in more detail on the thoughts and actions of the players when they head to the gym, the important point to touch on is the work that the Dallas Fuel are putting in to maintain themselves as competitors in the Overwatch League. While the organization has had a troubled start to the inaugural season, their results in Stage 4 have so far shown a marked improvement as a team, with the individual players stepping up to the plate and the team adapting quite well to the meta overall. While we can’t say if these sessions at the gym have been a contributing factor to the team’s success, the fact that the players see the benefits should be reason enough for other organizations to see the value in keeping their players sharp in both mind and body. You can read the full article on the Overwatch League website, here.

(all images via Blizzard)