Music Music Music.... Everyone of us has a favorite song. Usually the thing that hooks us about a specific song is that it's tempo is pretty close to our own internal rhythms. We all have our own drummer so to speak. Heart rate has plenty to do with our tempo when playing the game. It's also one of the key factors behind pressure having adverse effects on our games until we have grown used to it....
Pick out your favorite song and then practice to it... Rinse/repeat..... You know Mosconi was trained in dance before he took up the cue?
Now once you get your tempo and rhythm working for you at the table pick out something that is uncomfortably faster than your favorite song and try and practice at the new tempo. This change should have a similar effect on your game that pressure will have. When faced with pressure we get a nice dose of adrenaline. Heart rate jumps up and suddenly our drummer thinks it is time for his/her solo.... A missmatch in our external and internal rhythms makes everything feel wrong.
Option 1 is to work on breathing and meditation to keep our drummer in check. This has been the advised method for controlling stress for ages.
Option 2 is to embrace the adrenaline and use it... We all know players who can freewheel at super high speeds. They have an extra gear or 2 they can call on to outrun spots and beat players who we think they shouldn't.....
Option 1 type people can always be forced into new stress levels by raising the bet, tush hogging or other sharking methods.
Option 2 type players can be stalled out of their rhythm and slow played into comas....
Becoming a player that has both options available is what we should all strive towards.
I have actually started practicing to classical since it is way slower than my option 2 personality prefers. My normal speed matches pretty close to the Stroke by Billy Squire and I have it along with about 40 other similar tempo songs on my ipod under a playlist titled 9ball (lots of AC/DC).
Just food for thought......
Pick out your favorite song and then practice to it... Rinse/repeat..... You know Mosconi was trained in dance before he took up the cue?
Now once you get your tempo and rhythm working for you at the table pick out something that is uncomfortably faster than your favorite song and try and practice at the new tempo. This change should have a similar effect on your game that pressure will have. When faced with pressure we get a nice dose of adrenaline. Heart rate jumps up and suddenly our drummer thinks it is time for his/her solo.... A missmatch in our external and internal rhythms makes everything feel wrong.
Option 1 is to work on breathing and meditation to keep our drummer in check. This has been the advised method for controlling stress for ages.
Option 2 is to embrace the adrenaline and use it... We all know players who can freewheel at super high speeds. They have an extra gear or 2 they can call on to outrun spots and beat players who we think they shouldn't.....
Option 1 type people can always be forced into new stress levels by raising the bet, tush hogging or other sharking methods.
Option 2 type players can be stalled out of their rhythm and slow played into comas....
Becoming a player that has both options available is what we should all strive towards.
I have actually started practicing to classical since it is way slower than my option 2 personality prefers. My normal speed matches pretty close to the Stroke by Billy Squire and I have it along with about 40 other similar tempo songs on my ipod under a playlist titled 9ball (lots of AC/DC).
Just food for thought......