One thing I have always enjoyed is the pleasure of improving beyond my limits. Sometimes, however, one realizes that there is not much more to learn from traditional methods.
Nowadays everyone offers articles and videos that say the usual repetitive things: how to improve braking, how to accelerate faster, how to follow the racing line.
Then there are those that make promises like: this will forever change the way you race, I wish I had known this when I started simracing, "alien" secrets that will make you faster, etc.
Therefore, I have decided to share with you the 3 unorthodox things I have done to improve in simracing, and how. Some may seem silly, but indulge me because I think you will find them interesting and fun.
Image credit: Microsoft
Ten years ago there was a real craze for this game. Everyone played it, there were references everywhere, and somehow it had become pop culture. Today it is mostly forgotten. I decided to pick it up because I wanted to understand how it worked, what it was, and why people were so madly in love with it. Starting with the easiest levels, I gradually got to the most difficult Sudoku puzzles. This journey taught me that this game teaches me to think logically, to look at every little detail and, when necessary, to make decisions based on deduction to minimize the risk of making the wrong choice. This in turn has improved my simracing by teaching me to carefully observe my opponents, even before the race begins. I look at their stats, the data available, even things as simple as their current ping, to make well-founded assumptions about what I might expect from them in the race. It helped my focus and my attention to details when it comes to car behaviour and possible lap time gains.
Playing Sudoku is very easy, either online or by purchasing a dedicated magazine. I personally use Microsoft's official app, available in the Windows 11 app store for free.
Image credit: Chess.com
My grandfather taught me to play chess when I was little. He never let me win until I learned and improved enough to beat him in a fair game. I will always treasure that memory and that teaching, which he imparted with serene severity. No frustration, no unfairness. Play, learn, improve, earn it.
Chess teaches you to think about what you do, about its consequences. In an age when our minds are no longer able or accustomed to making complex connections, thinking is the silent revolution. It calms the mind, it makes you ponder about the "big picture," it makes you accountable. If you lose, you made a mistake somewhere. You could have made a better choice, but that's okay. You need to figure out where the mistake was and try differently, better, in the next game. Your mistakes do not define you. It is your ability to use them to improve yourself, to turn them into bricks that do not weigh on your shoulders, but take you up a ladder you build with them, that does. You can and will improve; your mistakes are how you can do that.
Chess has improved my simracing, by teaching me not to get frustrated. There will be another race. I can improve, even if only a little, even if only one step at a time. Whatever happens can teach me something and I can turn it into something constructive. There is always some move I can do better, there is always a way to put pressure on my opponent, fairly. At the same time, there is no need to put everything on the line in every race. Chess has given me the serenity to understand the big picture.
You can play chess for free through a great website that is Chess.com. You can play online, with Elo ranking, or offline, even without registring, against different AI opponents. These have different personalities and, of course, proficiency levels
Image credit: Statespace/Aimlab
I have always been amazed by the training of F1 drivers. The way they improve their reaction times through various drills and techniques. I've been looking for a way to do that myself and found it in this fantastic application that is Aimlab.
Aimlab is free and available on Steam. It is "aimed" (excuse the pun) at fps players, but it can actually work for everyone, especially simracers. It puts you in a sandbox where you face different challenges. The common goal is to improve reaction time and accuracy. There are leaderboards, ranking, timers, everything you need to maintain motivation and monitor results.
Aimlab has improved my simracing by making my every move more careful. In other words, I try to make as few moves as possible to get the best possible result. I aim (again, pun intended) for quality rather than quantity. I do more with less, effectively.
Plus, it's a great way to relieve stress sometimes
Nowadays everyone offers articles and videos that say the usual repetitive things: how to improve braking, how to accelerate faster, how to follow the racing line.
Then there are those that make promises like: this will forever change the way you race, I wish I had known this when I started simracing, "alien" secrets that will make you faster, etc.
Therefore, I have decided to share with you the 3 unorthodox things I have done to improve in simracing, and how. Some may seem silly, but indulge me because I think you will find them interesting and fun.
1. Playing Sudoku
Image credit: Microsoft
Ten years ago there was a real craze for this game. Everyone played it, there were references everywhere, and somehow it had become pop culture. Today it is mostly forgotten. I decided to pick it up because I wanted to understand how it worked, what it was, and why people were so madly in love with it. Starting with the easiest levels, I gradually got to the most difficult Sudoku puzzles. This journey taught me that this game teaches me to think logically, to look at every little detail and, when necessary, to make decisions based on deduction to minimize the risk of making the wrong choice. This in turn has improved my simracing by teaching me to carefully observe my opponents, even before the race begins. I look at their stats, the data available, even things as simple as their current ping, to make well-founded assumptions about what I might expect from them in the race. It helped my focus and my attention to details when it comes to car behaviour and possible lap time gains.
Playing Sudoku is very easy, either online or by purchasing a dedicated magazine. I personally use Microsoft's official app, available in the Windows 11 app store for free.
2. Play Chess
Image credit: Chess.com
My grandfather taught me to play chess when I was little. He never let me win until I learned and improved enough to beat him in a fair game. I will always treasure that memory and that teaching, which he imparted with serene severity. No frustration, no unfairness. Play, learn, improve, earn it.
Chess teaches you to think about what you do, about its consequences. In an age when our minds are no longer able or accustomed to making complex connections, thinking is the silent revolution. It calms the mind, it makes you ponder about the "big picture," it makes you accountable. If you lose, you made a mistake somewhere. You could have made a better choice, but that's okay. You need to figure out where the mistake was and try differently, better, in the next game. Your mistakes do not define you. It is your ability to use them to improve yourself, to turn them into bricks that do not weigh on your shoulders, but take you up a ladder you build with them, that does. You can and will improve; your mistakes are how you can do that.
Chess has improved my simracing, by teaching me not to get frustrated. There will be another race. I can improve, even if only a little, even if only one step at a time. Whatever happens can teach me something and I can turn it into something constructive. There is always some move I can do better, there is always a way to put pressure on my opponent, fairly. At the same time, there is no need to put everything on the line in every race. Chess has given me the serenity to understand the big picture.
You can play chess for free through a great website that is Chess.com. You can play online, with Elo ranking, or offline, even without registring, against different AI opponents. These have different personalities and, of course, proficiency levels
3. Playing Aimlab
Image credit: Statespace/Aimlab
I have always been amazed by the training of F1 drivers. The way they improve their reaction times through various drills and techniques. I've been looking for a way to do that myself and found it in this fantastic application that is Aimlab.
Aimlab is free and available on Steam. It is "aimed" (excuse the pun) at fps players, but it can actually work for everyone, especially simracers. It puts you in a sandbox where you face different challenges. The common goal is to improve reaction time and accuracy. There are leaderboards, ranking, timers, everything you need to maintain motivation and monitor results.
Aimlab has improved my simracing by making my every move more careful. In other words, I try to make as few moves as possible to get the best possible result. I aim (again, pun intended) for quality rather than quantity. I do more with less, effectively.
Plus, it's a great way to relieve stress sometimes
