In my estimation, focus was more than difficult to realize as a functional process. It seemed to have variety built into its nature of understanding. My mental assessments of focus seemed to change with the weather so I began searching for definitions and advice to better grasp the concept. I remember one story from an expert rifleman relating the vision of the sight blade through the aperture needing to be perfectly clear with no other thought but the target in mind being his interpretation. At the time it seemed to be the most related to my situation, but sure as anything my way of focusing became more and more difficult. There did however come a time when I became aware of a book on sports psychology, which constructed a concrete method for one’s ability to focus. The Inner Game of Tennis was touted as systematic approach for applying this concept. To transfer these ideas to our sport seemed doable, yet as before the ideas became muddled and obscure. Finally after a post, here on AZ, authored by sfeinen,
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=216564 , I was able to put together a plan that remains stable and has produced results that give me the confidence I needed to better enjoy the social interaction and competition, which were the most important to me. Used as a directive, the “let go” method, as described , has been a helpful tool for many who have sought to better their pool game. Players who have used this method first realized that errors in shot execution were not merely physical, but were products of mental error in preparation. This fact is most obvious when a decent player misses a short straight-in shot. The “let go” method attempts to prevent such mental errors by having the player “let go” of all thought concerning the shot during execution. The simplest way to describe this is for the player to let his mind go blank once he has addressed the cue ball. This works in part because it directs the body to depend on “muscle memory” rather than on commands from the player’s conscious mind, which is fallible, especially under stress. It may help some who desire to mentally improve their game to better understand what actually happens when they “let go.”
Functional separation is the process of separating the conscious and subconscious activity of the mind. For persuasion that this is of great value, functional separation is the subject of study, and intended goal for many sports psychologist. It is first necessary to understand that what separates decent players from consistently good players is the amount of experience and the use thereof. All useful experience is stored in the subconscious. Consequently, any excess activity in the conscious mind is a hindrance to the subconscious mind’s control over the body. This is because the human was designed such that the subconscious rules the body in the absence of conscious commands, but is always overruled by the conscious in the event of commands (consider blinking). Development of skills that lead to transition from conscious to subconscious is the foundation of shot preparation with silencing of the conscious mind being the chief cornerstone.
After planning shot execution by conscious assessment, a transition to the subconscious for the duration of that execution enables the vast storehouse of useful experience therein to have exclusive influence during the execution. This alone eliminates any and all external factors that could detrimentally influence the shot execution. External factors are not limited to only those outside of the body (such as loud music in the room, etc.), but are defined as anything that is recognized only by the conscious mind. This includes all thought. Such common thoughts as excitement over possibly winning, fear over possibly losing, and despair over recent failure, are all present only in the conscious mind and can be entirely eliminated by a transition to the subconscious.
Venues obviously contribute to ones’ ability to concentrate without distraction. Type of music playing, volume, karaoke night, “party” environments, can be factors. Some atmospheres are relaxed, some contentious. Common are failures belied to circumstance. On the other hand a remarkable shot made in the Masters final, at a state tournament, became memorable due to an unexpected shoving match occurring close by. Loud yelling began just as the contestant was about to shoot. In this situation the shooter didn’t seem to notice the disturbance at all. Not only did he make the shot but he continued as if nothing was going on around him. Comments made during league play about a variety of visual and audible distractions are commonplace. Be it a waitress walking by as a shot is being made, annoying noise levels, players’ antics, etcetera, we have all experienced “breaks” in our focus at one time or another. Internal thoughts can be compelling as we recognize moments of pressure to win. It’s easy to relate to personal expectations as well the fear of losing. Some strive valiantly to better their abilities through diligent practice while others feel experience is the best teacher and time should increase performance. Regardless, neither of these two guidelines for improvement addresses the necessity for functional separation.