Consistency
Now I’m going to suggest some differences that might make a difference in taking your game to the next level. Each will be a separate post.
The first is consistency. You can set up a shot, with donuts for example, and repeat it over and over. It’s something you can measure and track. Improvement is trackable. Alex P. talked about allotting a time frame to work on an element of his game. That session is then solely devoted to that. If he has set aside 5 hours to reach a particular standard and he has reached it in only 2 hours, he suspends the session. He went in with an objective. Consistency is about that very thing. Pick a level you want to reach, it must be reachable, from your current level, then focus on the incremental improvement to get there.
It must also have what I call functional intent. The thing you strive to improve (intent), must have some consistent function in the overall performance/execution matrix. Obscure skills might fascinate and engage you, however, rarity of use doesn’t translate into everyday consistent performance. One of the key elements is to have a good model of consistency.
Years ago starting from the effect of how we empathize with what we see, a coaching method emerged. When players watch pros in competition, then go and play immediately after, their performance often improves. They execute at a higher level than normal, however, the effect tends to be temporary, wearing off all too soon. This was during the era of the introduction of music videos on tv.
Noting the phenomenon of what I dubbed the music video effect, a different reaction was noted. Listening to a new song on the car radio was different than seeing the video. Once the video is seen, if the song plays on the car radio, images like those in a Miley Cyrus video or an MJ moonwalk, emerge in our consciousness. As coaches we decided to harness this.
Ideal models for players at their current level were hard to sort out. Adult bodies and body types failed to meet what was needed for younger players. Then it dawned on us that consistency involved players themselves become better versions of themselves. We set up video cameras and taped each player performing. The tapes were then edited and a master tape created when the player executed successfully using good technique. A tape highlighting success after success was created. Then a soundtrack was considered.
Super learning techniques used specific brain wave producing music, baroque was ideal. We soon rejected that idea. Our functional intent here was to associate the images with the music to trigger them later. Any music the player liked without already existing visual links would work. Players chose their own soundtrack.
A videotape was created for each player. Then an audio cassette was produced with the execution sounds and soundtrack combined. Players were to watch the tape passively before a competition or practice. During play if all was going fine, players just continued. However, if performance could use a boost, during a break, simply listening to the cassette was suggested. In short, the results were a success.
That process was long and arduous in the era it was devised. With the technology today nearly everything could be thrown together to view and listen on a single handheld device. Earbuds could help players keep in form at the table, during execution, especially with the ability to turn audio on and off easily.
This is just one idea. What do you do to bring out your most consistent self?
Since I posted this I found an interesting quote.
“Aldous Huxley was less gentle. He called an individual who was insistently consistent a “fanatical monomaniac.” If it works, stay with it; if not, make a change. Necessary adjustments aren’t indications of inconsistency; they are indications of enlightenment.”