What's your go-to "trigger" to dial in your focus?
When I find myself just going through the motions (and playing like crap as a result), my most reliable "focus trigger" is to concentrate on tip/CB contact accuracy. I watch my tip approach the CB for a couple of practice strokes until my attention is narrowed onto the shot like tunnel vision.
How about you?
pj
chgo
P.S. I posted this in the Aiming Forum because the most noticeable result is more precise aiming - but it also affects stance, stroke, etc.
I have tried a couple of concentration techniques with limited success. "The Monk" teaches a breathing exercise which is interesting. I don't find much else of his any great value and he personally has a horrible stroke but that aside here is a breathing focus kind of thing. You breathe in through the mouth and out through the mouth then in through the mouth and out through the nose then in through the nose then out through the mouth and finally before shooting it is in through the nose and out through the nose. The final step is supposed to engage the sub conscious. He is not clear on how many breaths to take, etc but what is interesting to me is how the process of focusing on ANYTHING you have to count and change and count again, etc seems to draw your focus to what you are doing. It is hard to count and not pay attention.
CJ Wiley does one where he focuses on 3 things he can see, then 3 he can feel, then 3 he can hear (I may not have the order right) then he repeats with 2 each then one 1 each. That too seems to do the same thing. It takes your mind off boredom, complacency or the worry over the match, league , shot, etc as you have to think and count.
More than anything I think all the thinking and counting does help. You could probably make up your own version of something to think about and a sequence to count and it would work to a greater or lesser extent. When I can't focus because I am completely NERVOUS the only thing I find that works is to lay off the all day coffee drinking, which I do to try to get focused to begin with. :wink: