Street Fighter Champ Is A Running Man: How the Body Moves the Mind Choysauce Follow Aug 11, 2017 · 6 min read

Evolution is my absolute favorite fighting game tournament of the year. There is an electricity in the air knowing that you’re watching the world stage for fighting game competition. It was a great treat to watch many great and hype matches with players from around the world. And to see one of my favorite players, Tokido, take the championship for Street Fighter V was the cherry on top. But we all saw something a bit peculiar from the champ that hadn’t really seen before.

He’s a maniac!

Tokido started running in place right before his grand finals match against @punkdagod. This might seem like it isn’t really anything at all, but from watching Tokido play for many years, I saw that this was something different for him. And I argue that this was a factor in his championship win.

A Tale of 2 Tokido’s

For those unfamiliar with Tokido the “Murderface”, he is an exceptional player known for being able to rank high in every fighting that he plays. He has a genius understanding of fighting games in general and doesn’t shy away from exploiting powerful techniques in any game he touches. He’s most known for his “Murderface” in which he seems to give off the energy of a calculating and focused killer while playing his matches.

The famous “Murderface” of Tokido

But we saw something much different during the Street Fighter V finals at EVO 2017, a much more relaxed and “Funface” Tokido. So it begs the question of what’s the difference between these 2 Tokido’s? Did that make the difference for his big win at the world’s largest Street Fighter V tournament?

The new “Funface” Tokido

Can Your Mind Flex Too Hard?

It is known that having a good and strong mentality is essential for playing fighting games well. There are many flavors of mentality that players employ; being cocky and aggressive, or stoic and emotionless are typical examples. Tokido had taken this aggressive style to a new height with his “Murderface” mentality.

Conceptually the “Murderface” is cold, calculating, and extremely concentrated on the match. This style probably led him to be able to have great reactions, smart decision making, and impeccable spacing. While this may have won him many matches throughout his street fighter career it may have come with some consequences. Being so laser focused in the match is very draining and also can narrow his mental vision of the match. Tokido admitted in this interview (translated by @jiyuna) that he wouldn’t be ready when someone broke his expectations in a match. These “mental breaks” plus having to slough through several days of matches would tire anyone out.

On the other hand the “Funface” is calm, relaxed, and having fun. This is a type of mentality that can help to keep energy levels up and allows for more risky moves. Although this style can come with some risk of playing too loosely, it may be just enough to get past to the next round. Being calm and having fun during such a high stakes match would allow him to be mentally flexible, so anything that goes wrong in the match can just roll off his back.

But what does this running man stuff have to do with this “Funface” Tokido?

The simple answer is that it pumped him up to get ready for the next match.

This is a practice that many other players have been using. Famously, Eliver “Killer Kai” Ling & Poongko also have their versions of this where they will take their shirts off and flex their muscles. And it seems to work to varying degrees.

While it may seem silly to do all this external stuff, it does have some real implications when it comes to getting an edge in the match.

The Power of Science!

There is some scientific studies on how our body actually affects our mental state.

Tony Robbins, famous life strategist, says that we can radically change our (mental) state through our body. If we’re feeling crappy then most likely we’re down in a slumped position and being lethargic. But if we’re feeling amazing and pumped up, our bodies will want to move around and act excited.

Tony suggests that we can actually manipulate our current state of being in the opposite direction because body and mind are linked. We can move our bodies in such a way that will get us to feel more positive and energetic. So running in place or “Raising the Rufus” a bunch of times can help you to gain a more positive state.

A Harvard research study (by Erik Pepper & Amy Cuddy) shows that having good posture will improve our mood, hormone, and energy levels. It will also decrease our cortisol levels (stress) and increase testosterone (sense of power).

Their experiments show that putting yourself in a power pose or stance will make you feel more in power, in control, and increase your risk tolerance. Poses that are open, expansive, wide spread, and takes up a lot of space will induce these positive feelings. In high level play, the thing that you want to do the most is to exert power and control over the opponent (as Tokido mentioned in his EVO 2017 post victory interview).

Real footage of Low Tier God working to increase his power level.

Conversely a small and bunched up pose will leave you feeling weaker and less confident. Poses that take as little space as possible will induce these more negative feelings. If a player is overcome by these feelings, it is a great indicator that they are not going to overcome an opponent.

How You Can “Body” Opponents

You can come up with your own ways to change your mood to keep you in the state that helps you to overcome obstacles.

Rituals can help snap you into a state where you feel like you will play well. @Gootecks has a ritual where he claps his hands together to get into his stride. And @Dacibro has a ritual where he washes his hands before he plays to keep them feeling warm. Many players also listen to a favorite music track that gets them hype or keeps them calm to stay focused in the game and block out distractions. I personally spin the stick before each round to loosen up my hand and arm to have better left hand control.

If you lose a game, it may be wise to go back to character select and stand up for a bit to shake off the loss. Getting yourself back into a positive state will increase your chance to win the next game.

You can also try some things at home or away from the game to improve your body and mind. Exercise like running or weight lifting is great to increase your energy levels and endurance. Meditating or praying will help you with increasing your mental ability by being able to stay focused and present.

In the end, it’s up to you to try new things to get you in the right headspace to perform better. Feel free to experiment with channeling different moods or mindsets and see what physical actions help you get into those states. Then see how it works for you the next time you fight.

Hopefully you can use this to help you overcome your next match (or whatever you’ll be tackling next). Whether you decide to add it to your arsenal or not, I’m certain that the Evo champ will keep running his way to victory.

Let me know in the comments if you have something that you do before matches to get you ready. Or let me know if you’re considering trying something new before your matches.