Mental Focus Exercises
- Thread starter okinawa77
- Start date
okinawa77 said:
If there is one single thing that has more influence on the outcome of any match, it is the concentraction factor. Unfortunately, I have never come across any "exercises" that can help strengthen one's concentration. However, a few years back, Bob Fancher wrote an excellent book titled Pleasures of Small Motions in which you can find all you really need to know about the mental game as applied to pool. Dr. Fancher is a trained psychotherapist, plus a certified pool instructor, so he really knows what he is talking about.
I believe that book is still available through Be Bob Publishing.
Roger
I have several articles posted at this link -
Click Here
I also have some posted here on Azbilliards at the main site
http://www.azbilliards.com/2000columnist.cfm?id=18
Click Here
I also have some posted here on Azbilliards at the main site
http://www.azbilliards.com/2000columnist.cfm?id=18
Neil said:
Now, I have finally heard of a mental exercise that might have great value.
Neil said:
Thanks.
The only time the music bothers me is when it's so loud your teeth are rattling.
I think I've becomed so conditioned to music, that when I go into a quiet pool hall....it's a little disturbing....but I get used to it rather quickly.
-Mathew
Thanks
I've read some of your articles. I think your Concentration section in Hitting the Wall article kind of explains my problem.
With my job, I am thinking about multiple product issues and trying to keep them straight in my head....and I'm also dreaming about playing pool.
I think reading articles about pool before playing, will help me get myself in the right frame of mind.
Blackjack said:
I've read some of your articles. I think your Concentration section in Hitting the Wall article kind of explains my problem.
With my job, I am thinking about multiple product issues and trying to keep them straight in my head....and I'm also dreaming about playing pool.
I think reading articles about pool before playing, will help me get myself in the right frame of mind.
Great Thread.
Tom...There was something about that in our lesson. Do you remember?...the "attaboy" principle. Prime advice, that we can all follow!
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
3kushn said:
Hello,
This is my first post.
I hope you don’t mind me jumping in but I have a little mental exercise I like to use.
I’ve always had the same trouble focusing and concentrating. This exercise has helped me a lot.
Sit down and get comfortable with a book, any book will do ,no pictures, a paperback is best. Now find a page with 200 or 300 words. Start counting each word from top to bottom, don’t read, just count.
Don’t use your fingers, just look at the word, count it and move on to the next one. All the way down the page. Don’t let your mind drift off on other thoughts or lose track of the number you’re on. Stay steady and focused. I do this twice with the same page and see if I come up with the same number.
Once a day, ten minutes, for a few weeks and you’ll notice quite a difference in your mental ability to stay on target..
It’s not a fix all….but it does seem to help control those “drifting” thoughts.
Hope this helps!
-ezdog
PS: Just got Pleasures of Small Motions and can’t wait to read it.
Try working on breathing techniques. Before you start playing take 11 deep breaths. Breath in deeply through your nose, hold it, exhale from your mouth. You'll find yourself more focused and alert afterwards.
During the match be careful to avoid shallow breaths. When your brain is getting adequet oxygen you'll be more focused.
Another thing that helps is finding a rhythm around the table that suits you. It can help you get into the zone.
During the match be careful to avoid shallow breaths. When your brain is getting adequet oxygen you'll be more focused.
Another thing that helps is finding a rhythm around the table that suits you. It can help you get into the zone.
I would try reading a book call in pursuit of excellence by terry orlick a well known sports psychologist there is a lot of good info in his book.it helped me be more focus especially when down in a match its not a book of pool but its a book pertaining to any sport.
1stroke
1stroke
Some thoughts from a retired psychologist that may be of use.
Ever notice how relaxed and loose Efren Reyes seems to be when he plays? That is one of the characteristics of his exceptional level of play. He usually has a laugh or a smile when he misses a silly shot. This is a key concept that is often missed. In any sport one's body must be relaxed and ready get it all together as needed. In a sense you are ignoring all irrelevant information from your body by having it completing relaxed. You can see this loose body in basketball at the free throw line when the player seems to shake themselves loose before attempting the shot. This is the precursor to enhanced focus: Let it all go so I can place all of my attention at one point.
Focus can be described as narrowing ones attention by excluding irrelevant information. It can begin by attempting to visualize the line of travel for the object ball from about six inches behind the OB to the pocket (see Jack Nicklaus' comments on visualization). This line is then visually traced to the contact point and one attempts to visualize the smallest possible contact point throughout the time the player is bending over. This will help exclude other information and one's focus increases with attention to physical detail that is real and imagined.
Increasing focus means that you are excluding other information. The exclusion of irrelevant information so that one can attend to some specific aspect of a task is otherwise known as concentration. Your concentration increases as you trace and then watch the cue ball roll to and make contact with the object ball. The cue stick is left on line and you are, with great intensity, attempting to determine if the cue ball rolled exactly as you wanted.
Verbal ization is disruptive to this process. This is why we make our calculations for hit and cue ball roll before we bend over, One of the things that will improve your concentration is to get the internal dialog out of the way. If you think about it you cannot hum a song you know well and verbalize at the same time. Internal humming and or the use of some thing like “Omm” will help to increase your concentration.
People who practice Yoga know that if you hum th word “Omm” allowing yourself to go up and down the scale, increasing and decreasing the resonance you will find a natural, pleasing sound that suits your body and your temperament. Find this sound and use it internally to stop the dialog and to help increase your concentration.
One way to initialize the level of focus and increased concentration is to use a three phase process: Stand and calculate. When your calculations are done, shake yourself loose (like a basketball player). Use a half crouch to initiate the intense stare at the object ball. This is a signal to your mind to start your personal sound and to stop thinking. As you bend to the shot, exclude all outside information and simply observe your mind and body concentrate on the shot.
Of course you need a good pre-shot routine that you enter automatically. Focus often shifts to stroke mechanics for some people and this is disruptive. To the extent that one can learn to trust their mechanics and never lose sight of the place the cue ball is targeted, focus increases and the body stays relaxed. It is for this reason that planning the cue ball's resulting position is done before one bends over. Once you bend over it is all about narrowing one's attention to exact lines of travel. Basketball players, excellent golfers and pool players are not thinking about mechanics as they make a shot. They are simply looking at or concentrating on the ball.
One of the things that helps one's concentration is knowing there is no aftermath from the resulting shot. Exceptional players simply walk away, shake it off, perhaps laugh and move to the next condition. When the unconscious knows there will be no self criticism following the shot it can concentrate all the more on the shot. Some people might be angry they missed but they are not angry with their self. Jimmy Connors and Earl Strickland come to mind here as do some of the other well known pool players. Anticipation of self recriminations can also effect one's play. The appearance of anger is just that.
Given the foregoing you can see that improving one's ability to concentrate is fairly straight forward. Depending upon where you work and what you life is about, you can create exercises that will help you to rapidly shift into a high state of concentration.
One way to do this is to use traffic red lights. When you come to a red light determine your next move, let's say a left turn. State exactly where you want the car to come out, check traffic, increase your foucs, humm, and observe your body make the turn to exactly the place you want to be.
Better yet, practice at the pool table !
One of the keys to going into and out of a relaxed state of high concentration is to stay loose, relaxed and have a slightly fuzzy feeling between shots. If you are worried about your girlfriend flirting with that guy at the bar, deal with it and get back to the important things in life
Ever notice how relaxed and loose Efren Reyes seems to be when he plays? That is one of the characteristics of his exceptional level of play. He usually has a laugh or a smile when he misses a silly shot. This is a key concept that is often missed. In any sport one's body must be relaxed and ready get it all together as needed. In a sense you are ignoring all irrelevant information from your body by having it completing relaxed. You can see this loose body in basketball at the free throw line when the player seems to shake themselves loose before attempting the shot. This is the precursor to enhanced focus: Let it all go so I can place all of my attention at one point.
Focus can be described as narrowing ones attention by excluding irrelevant information. It can begin by attempting to visualize the line of travel for the object ball from about six inches behind the OB to the pocket (see Jack Nicklaus' comments on visualization). This line is then visually traced to the contact point and one attempts to visualize the smallest possible contact point throughout the time the player is bending over. This will help exclude other information and one's focus increases with attention to physical detail that is real and imagined.
Increasing focus means that you are excluding other information. The exclusion of irrelevant information so that one can attend to some specific aspect of a task is otherwise known as concentration. Your concentration increases as you trace and then watch the cue ball roll to and make contact with the object ball. The cue stick is left on line and you are, with great intensity, attempting to determine if the cue ball rolled exactly as you wanted.
Verbal ization is disruptive to this process. This is why we make our calculations for hit and cue ball roll before we bend over, One of the things that will improve your concentration is to get the internal dialog out of the way. If you think about it you cannot hum a song you know well and verbalize at the same time. Internal humming and or the use of some thing like “Omm” will help to increase your concentration.
People who practice Yoga know that if you hum th word “Omm” allowing yourself to go up and down the scale, increasing and decreasing the resonance you will find a natural, pleasing sound that suits your body and your temperament. Find this sound and use it internally to stop the dialog and to help increase your concentration.
One way to initialize the level of focus and increased concentration is to use a three phase process: Stand and calculate. When your calculations are done, shake yourself loose (like a basketball player). Use a half crouch to initiate the intense stare at the object ball. This is a signal to your mind to start your personal sound and to stop thinking. As you bend to the shot, exclude all outside information and simply observe your mind and body concentrate on the shot.
Of course you need a good pre-shot routine that you enter automatically. Focus often shifts to stroke mechanics for some people and this is disruptive. To the extent that one can learn to trust their mechanics and never lose sight of the place the cue ball is targeted, focus increases and the body stays relaxed. It is for this reason that planning the cue ball's resulting position is done before one bends over. Once you bend over it is all about narrowing one's attention to exact lines of travel. Basketball players, excellent golfers and pool players are not thinking about mechanics as they make a shot. They are simply looking at or concentrating on the ball.
One of the things that helps one's concentration is knowing there is no aftermath from the resulting shot. Exceptional players simply walk away, shake it off, perhaps laugh and move to the next condition. When the unconscious knows there will be no self criticism following the shot it can concentrate all the more on the shot. Some people might be angry they missed but they are not angry with their self. Jimmy Connors and Earl Strickland come to mind here as do some of the other well known pool players. Anticipation of self recriminations can also effect one's play. The appearance of anger is just that.
Given the foregoing you can see that improving one's ability to concentrate is fairly straight forward. Depending upon where you work and what you life is about, you can create exercises that will help you to rapidly shift into a high state of concentration.
One way to do this is to use traffic red lights. When you come to a red light determine your next move, let's say a left turn. State exactly where you want the car to come out, check traffic, increase your foucs, humm, and observe your body make the turn to exactly the place you want to be.
Better yet, practice at the pool table !
One of the keys to going into and out of a relaxed state of high concentration is to stay loose, relaxed and have a slightly fuzzy feeling between shots. If you are worried about your girlfriend flirting with that guy at the bar, deal with it and get back to the important things in life
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Chicken suit
Really...wear a chicken suit...practice in a public place...don't forget load up the juke with music that you can't stand...a clown suit would also work, but some people are afraid of clowns so be carefull.
Practice under those conditions and nothing will ever bother you again...this is not an April Fools comment, I'm dead serious. Try it.
-Aaron Silva
Really...wear a chicken suit...practice in a public place...don't forget load up the juke with music that you can't stand...a clown suit would also work, but some people are afraid of clowns so be carefull.
Practice under those conditions and nothing will ever bother you again...this is not an April Fools comment, I'm dead serious. Try it.
-Aaron Silva
I'd have to say gambling out of your comfort zone... The only thing that holds my attention tighter than winning money is losing it.:smile: