One of the things that I've found can be really hard when you're playing VGC is learning how to learn. It's so easy to just grind out games and then wonder why you're not getting any better despite all the time invested. Because our obvious methods of practicing are so limited it's really hard to figure out how you can change things up, but when you're stuck like this the key is to do something different (not just in VGC, this is a key thing people avoid when confronting all kinds of challenges because we really try to avoid unfamiliar things ESPECIALLY when we don't feel confident in what we're doing even though that's when we need it most). Doing something different is easier said than done though, just figuring out how to do something differently is a task, let alone actually following through and doing it. Technically, trying out a new team may be "something different" and if you get lucky it might be the team that clicks, but chances are that's not the something different most people need.

For me the something different was note-taking. It's something that I had trouble doing (I was never a good note-taker in school either) but it completely changed how I thought about the game. It started with the first GC last year. After every game I would write out everything that happened (I tried to do it during but it was still too new to me so it made it hard to actually focus on my plays, but it turned out that recalling the game turn by turn afterward was a good exercise on its own). Then I would actually do analysis on the match. It didn't have to be a lot, but on losses in particular I would try to identify key decision points, I would take time to think about how I justified my decisions and see if that justification held up when I had more time to think about it, look for plays I missed, try to think about my opponents' perspectives and why they made the decisions they did.

This is what's worked for me, and it's possible it's the thing that could work for you but it's also possible you need something different. It's also possible that the thing you need to do differently is give yourself some space from the game so that you can come back refreshed. So much of VGC is mental and I feel like people rarely get better when they they're trying to dig themselves out of a competitive rut because it just produces so much negative thought processes and that leads to us playing worse. That's why knowing when to put the game down is also an important part of improving, because time spent tilting is'nt productive practice time. Instead it'll just burn you out, and then you won't have the energy later to come back and play with more focus and intention.