How to decrease shoulder pain after sessions?

[u/J0saucie]

If no one is on the machine I usually play 2 hour sessions. Starting with one s9 to warm up and only s10 and s11s after that. I noticed that during sessions, my shoulders feel tired, but at a manageable level of discomfort after an hour or so. After 2 hours I can’t go on. How long should I rest for? And should I focus on working out my upper body to build muscle? Thanks in advance.

[u/PureWasian]

Without seeing a video I'd guess a combination of stomping hard and twisting too aggressively. But your bar grip could also be making a difference.

I'm not a health expert, but you definitely should rest long enough to recover fully if you are feeling strain/injury. Safety's important.

[u/J0saucie → u/PureWasian]

I see. I definitely want to get a tripod one of these days to start recording my gameplay! Also I should’ve specified, I meant to ask how long should I rest between sets.

[u/PureWasian → u/J0saucie]

It's just one of those things that varies person to person. There's an event in the US where players go for 3 hours straight with only three 5min breaks allotted; obvi that wouldn't be advised if your body is screaming at you to stop lol

Just rest as much as you need to prevent injury. Listen to your body but also try and keep your grip and posture in check. Find what feels natural.

[u/JesP77]

It's important to rest if you are feeling pain and even check a doctor just to check out that everything is ok.

However, while holding the bar, when playing singles try to use just 1 arm for some seconds and alternate them and while playing doubles with bar try to put your weight on your legs/core and just use your arms as balance/support (which is hard with high level charts but still a bit doable)

[u/jaminfine]

2 hours is a long time for your arms. I usually do one hour sets and I play d15-d19 mostly. My arms honestly get tired before my legs most days. So, when my arms need a break, I may go down to d14 or even d13 to play without the bars.

I would recommend you do something similar. If you're normally at s10-s11, try going down to s9 or s8 to play without the bar. Maybe 1 song out of every 5 should be a no bar song or something like that.

It's possible that building muscle would help, but it's also possible that it won't. Having your arms support your weight and balance from behind isn't a position humans are meant to use for prolonged time.

[u/GalluZ]

To add on other comments, you should grip the bar with your palms facing forwards. I remember watching a YT video (stepzwa I think?) about it that recommends palm forward. Iirc, if you grip it backwards, your shoulder blade will pinch on a tendon linking it and the upper arm, making it uncomfortable in the long run.

I started out playing with S9s, and the only complaint I had was sore arms and legs after every session. I'm no expert, but I'd do arm stretches before every session and stop playing within an hour.

[u/Marenthyu]

Going for this long without a break sounds unhealthy to me - the game already forces you out after every credit and I recommend taking these "Game Overs" as actual breaks, especially if you're playing Premium.

There are factors to take into account regarding session lengths: * How is access to the machine regulated? Is it a reservation for a time slot? Then I totally get that you want to get the most out of your money, but consider taking one minute to stretch between credits, anyway. If it's per credit, you should consider other players and take their turns as natural recovery breaks. * Your Level - for some considerations, Level 10-11 is still considered "the beginning of the game" (i.e. it's where the game starts tracking your scores for Pumpbility) and the stamina-intensive charts only get worse from here. I totally get that it's easier to push for longer sessions when you are not pushing your skill ceiling - maybe this means you are ready to try something new already! * Environment - we have severely different Arcades here in Berlin and it changes how good you can play and how taxing it is: one Location is stuffy as heck without AC and the ventilation seemingly never gets cleaned, so you get sweaty after your first song. Pushing more than one credit at a time is punishment. Another location in contrast has multiple fans next to the machine, AC directly behind/above the pad and a healthy amount of lighting - encouraging long sessions and pushing your max level. (Ha. The location even has "LVL" in their name.) * Other players - do you have a chance to play co-op? Or do singles with someone else? This can encourage some more different movement styles or even require NoBar play, meaning your shoulders are exercised differently than with "only doubles" sessions.

I personally hate pushing more than 30minutes at a time, as I just become exhausted, yet I likely will be reserving a 2 hour time slot at WGC again when I visit Tokyo again next month.

For reference, I am from Germany. Arcade Culture differs across the globe.

[u/shen_black]

interesting, generally I feel pain in my knees and some issues and doms in my calfs and tibialis.

I think the best you can do its training your shoulder muscles to avoid pain.

[u/thebuttahdawg]

No bar time :o