Handling competitive pressure is something that needs to be learned. In this part we cover how Benjy “benjyfishy” Fish learned it and the role of coaches and analysts. If you didn’t read part 1, you’ll find it here.

The article originally appeared in the book Build It Like benjyfishy & MrSavage: The Unofficial Fortnite Esports Guide for Players and Parents, written by Anne Fish and me.

Benjy “benjyfishy” Fish focused during competitive play at DreamHack Anaheim in February 2020. Photo credit benjyfishy.

Benjy handling pressure

Anne: ‘My son Benjy never saw his age as a barrier to success and often competed with children a lot older than him, including his brother Charles. Every Saturday morning I would take them along to the local ten-pin bowling club. Benjy would go along to spectate and watch the weekly league matches. He was captivated and it wasn’t long before he was insisting that he wanted to play as well.

On Benjy’s 2nd birthday he finally got his wish. He managed to push a bowling ball down the lane for the first time, by using a ramp, and was instantly hooked. remarkably within the year he had managed to develop a double-handed technique to throw the ball down the lane, without the aid of any bumper rails and started knocking down the pins. This was the stepping-stone he needed to start taking part in some tournaments.’

Bowling tournaments

Anne: ‘Benjy participated in his first bowling competition at the 2008 South of England, Junior Open Tournament in Dunstable. On the day of the tournament I remember Benjy being very overwhelmed by his new surroundings, as he had never been to the centre before.

When it was time for him to throw his first ball, Benjy’s nerves got the better of him and he tripped on a small step on the approach, which he was not used to when playing on a Saturday at Guildford Youth Bowling Club (YBC). As a result he got very upset, but the coaches calmed him down and he managed to continue playing and score some points. He even left with a trophy. Awarded to him for being the youngest player at the competition.

That experience taught Benjy that in competitions, if you fall down, you have to pick yourself straight up again and carry on.’

Understanding lane conditions

Benjy aged 4 with his bowling trophy. Photo credit Anne Fish.

Playing competitive ten-pin bowling is not simply just a case of throwing a ball down the lane – it is highly skilled. The lanes have different oil patterns on them and it is important to know what type of ball to use, where to stand and what to do when the lanes start ‘drying out’.

Anne: ‘When Benjy was taking part in the tournaments especially at a young age, he would find it difficult to master these bowling techniques. Sometimes when the lane was drying out it meant that if he slightly moved position it could be the difference between getting a strike or a gutter ball. As a result, there have been several events where Benjy has ‘gone to pieces’ because a game or tournament didn’t go well and was unable to pull himself mentally back to perform well. In these scenarios Benjy often doubted his skills, however it was simply a case that he hadn’t understood the lane conditions.’

Anne: ‘Benjy went on to have success in bowling tournaments with his ultimate goal to play for England. Unfortunately, due to developing Osgood-Schlatter's he was in a lot of pain while bowling and had to stop which is how he came to be playing Fortnite and took the competitive drive that he had in traditional sport over to esports.’

Fast forward to Fortnite

Over the years Benjy has learnt how to handle pressure and to master his mental attitude when it matters most, even when tournaments have not started out that well in the beginning. Never give up as tournaments are won or lost quite often in the last match. Both Benjy and his duo partner Martin “MrSavage” Foss Andersen have mastered the ability to handle pressure when competitions are not going well.

Coaches and analysts

Fortnite Battle Royale was released in September 2017, which has not allowed much time for esports coaches and analysts to develop their professional role, supporting professional players.

Due to the individualistic nature of Fortnite, with solo players and teams forming across esports organisations, there appears to be a reluctance from organisations to invest in this kind of professional support. This is however changing, as current Fortnite professional players have started looking for new career opportunities.

The role of an esports coach has been established for years within other multi-player games such as Overwatch, CS:GO and League of Legends. Erik “Bloodx” Guttormsen was perhaps one of the first players to enter such a role within Fortnite. Bloodx played a crucial part as Martin’s duo partner and mentor during Martin’s breakthrough in late 2018. In February 2021 Bloodx became Fortnite Head Coach at the esports organisation Apeks. During the lead-up to the Fortnite World Cup in 2019, professional player Hugh “DestinysJesus” Gilmour spent time analysing landing spots and background information. Subsequently he went on to join the esports organisation FaZe Clan to develop his career as a coach under the name FaZe Destiny.

Players are also starting to coach their peers during big tournaments. At the NA East Bugha Throwback Cup, in July 2020, Mark “Bizzle” Felder coached NRG Cody “Clix” Conrod live on stream which lead to his victory. Benjy and Martin have also supported other players: in May 2020, during the FNCS Solo Invitational they coached Turner “Tfue” Tenney.

Coach analysis of videos and gameplay (VOD reviews) on YouTube also plays a vital role in helping aspiring players improve their game. Both Benjy and Martin are part of various groups on Discord where elite players help each other improve, but also coaches and mentors like Bloodx and DestinysJesus participate.

Benjy and Martin have not yet hired a coach on a permanent basis, but that may change in the future.

What is an esports coach?

Tom Dore, the Head of Education at the British Esports Association, explains it like this:

‘Like traditional sports, a coach will help the team train against other teams (aka ‘scrim’) in order to improve.

Coaches work closely with the players, to motivate them, identify their strengths and weaknesses and make sure they are playing at their best. They will develop strategies and analyse opponents in order to win as many matches – and tournaments – as possible.

A coach is responsible for every aspect relating to performance within a team. This includes, but is not limited to, growth of individual skill of the players, team cohesion, in-game strategy, motivational responsibilities and discipline.’

What is an esports analyst?

‘Analysts are experts at taking information and using it to provide interesting stats or learn from it, either for a particular team, tournament provider, broadcaster or game developer.

Team analysts usually work with coaches to generate strategies, analyse strengths and weaknesses, and communicate this to the players in order to get the best out of them. Sometimes a person will be responsible for both coaching and analyst duties.

Some companies or developers will employ analysts or statisticians to keep track of facts, stats and other game information throughout each season.’

Among professional Fortnite players the terms “coach” and “analyst” seem to be used interchangeably, with more use of the former than the latter.

Rocket League coach and British Esports game adviser, Mike ‘Gregan’ Ellis, supporting one of his players . Photo credit Joe Brady, Gfinity.

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Interested in learning more about MrSavage but also his long-lasting, previous duo partnership with benjyfishy and how they built their Fortnite careers? Check out the book Build It Like benjyfishy & MrSavage with a wealth of useful information both for players and parents alike.

Esports Mental Attitude - Part 2