1. What is ‘the process’?
The purpose of creating a routine or process in any endeavour is to minimize the mental baggage around deciding how to go about improving at something.
If we can know exactly what we need to do, the ‘excuses/barriers’ that prevent us from undergoing that activity are weakened.
Let’s use the gym analogy. If we know exactly what time and day of the week we are going to the gym, what exercise to do, and how many reps/sets to get in, the initial decision to go is significantly easier to make.
Compare this with not knowing when we are going to the gym, how we’d get there, what we’d even do when we show up. It’s so much harder to muster up the motivation to walk out the door.
Although playing League is fun, motivation alone cannot carry you through the challenges and hard times you will face. That’s where process comes in.
2. What is a three-block?
The 3 block process involves playing three ranked games in a single sitting, reviewing after each game, and then taking a short break.
To the right is a visual model of what the three-block process looks like.
3. What is the purpose of it?
The idea behind this method is that we are playing with more focus/higher intensity, so that we are playing at our best and able to clearly identify our mistakes to improve on.
Playing League of Legends at a high level requires a lot of brain power, just like studying or doing any cerebral activity.
You simply cannot focus 100% for longer than 2 – 3 hours at a time.
4. The benefits of three-blocking:
- To prevent us from tilt-queueing. Let’s say you have a 0-3 block, you can’t queue up anymore. What might have been a 0-7 tilt spree, is now a simple 0-3 block.
- Reviews in between games act as a refresh mechanism and give you time to identify mistakes or problems that you might be able to solve or adjust in between games.
- Knowing roughly how long the three-block will take also increases your ability to schedule your day. This is extremely important to people who study or work full time.
- Playing in blocks is an effective way to overcome ranked anxiety as it forces you to get games in. For people who are nervous to queue up, it’s a great way to break that mindset.
- Three-blocks are a consistent, slow and steady way to improve at the game while also enjoying it.
5. Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Four game blocks are also fine as long are you well rested, fed, and feeling energetic. Anything past four games is extremely dangerous and not recommended due to extremely lowered levels of intensity and focus.
NOTE: Energy levels will increase over time as you get more comfortable getting ranked games in.
The recommended break time is one hour between blocks. In this time you are ideally doing some form of physical activity, or running the errands you need to do.
This is also a good time to reflect on your ranked journey overall and the things you need to work on from your previous block.