block out distractions

K

kyootie

Registered
How do you block out other distractions when shooting pool?

How many times do you find your mind wandering? During a game wheither your at a table or not.

Someone asked what is your weakest part of pool, and mine is focusing on the task at hand.

Sometimes I'm in the process of shooting and other thoughts come to mind.

Does anyone have any advice or can relate to me?
 
kyootie said:
How do you block out other distractions when shooting pool?

How many times do you find your mind wandering? During a game wheither your at a table or not.

Someone asked what is your weakest part of pool, and mine is focusing on the task at hand.

Sometimes I'm in the process of shooting and other thoughts come to mind.

Does anyone have any advice or can relate to me?
Click to expand...

What other thoughts?... shot related? If so, that easy to correct.

Or are we talking about you're thinking about something TOTALLY unrelated to pool?
 
both,

Sometimes, it's just the pressure of people watching me.

Sometimes I'm just praying that I'll make a shot.

Sometimes I think I am just over focusing on the shot.

Sometimes, it's just a random thought.

I wish I could just go up to the table and do what needs to be done.

Sometimes I'm on my game and I'm able just to take care of business. But that's not to often.
 
If you are distracted, then you are not focused.

It is easy to notice in children, you can yell multiple times before they even acknowledge you.
 
I make sure to do all my thinking while I'm standing looking at the shot, when the time comes that I get down on a shot the only thoughts going through my head are related to making my decision happen. If for some reason my focus or the shot doesn't feel right when I get down, I get back up, chalk my cue and go over the shot again.

The best advice I can give is to not get down over a shot until you are fully committed to it.
 
This is some of what has helped me... and continues to help me:

  • To play well, pool must be played in the present. When down on the shot, there is no past (no thoughts about last shot or last game). There is no future (do NOT think, If I make this ball, I win the game.)... there is only now. Only the present exists.

  • The best players pay attention to detail on every shot. There is no easy shot upon which to relax. Give every shot your best effort.
  • Each and every shot is either a learning... or a confirming... experience.
  • Do not shoot in the thinking position... and do not think in the shooting position. If you do, reset... start all over with the thinking and visualizing part.
  • Visualize your shot (while in the thinking position)... every detail of it before going into your stance. Know what will happen when you pull the trigger.


Learn these... they should make for a good start on getting over the hump of what you have been experiencing.
 
You'll know that you are there (over the hump of letting distractions affect your game) when after you sink the last ball, your opponent says to you...

"Nice break 'n run."... to which you reply...

"Thanks, but I really didn't realize I was on a break 'n run. I was totally absorbed in each and every shot."
 
I've always recommended;

Acknowledge your distractions. All those little things that you mention that take your mind off what you are suppose to be doing.

Most tables have a shadow around it. I call this shadow the Action zone.
Standing outside the action zone, do all your thinking. This is where you do your acknowledging. This is where you are when you walk around the table and check out all the balls and trouble shots.

Once you've completed your 'walk about' you'll notice your distractions are little or non.

Time to focus on the pre-shot routine.
You have a shot, you know what you want to do, go over all the action you plan on executin. The stance, your cue to the cue ball, the cue ball to the Object ball and then your object ball to the pocket.

Just by looking at these three lines, you be excluding all the distractions with what you need to execute the shot.

Once you've decided what you want to accomplish, you are now ready to step into the action zone and get down and focus on the cue tip to the cue ball to the object ball sighting routine. This little routine will assist the Brain to accomplish your execution.

Practice strokes, pause, follow through. You're a player, act like one. Accept the result and go on to the next step.
 
allow your distractions to focus you

Pre-shot routines and focusing methods are great, as long as something unexpected doesn't come along to disrupt your focus anyway. People drop beer mugs, cell phones ring, packs of wild dogs occasionally break into the bar.

You need to learn not only how to focus and ignore the distractions but also how to focus while accepting the distractions. If you're thinking about your shot and your girlfriend asks you whether you want the winter lager or a shock top, does that throw you off your game or are you able to step out of the game for a moment, deal with the distraction, and slide back into the game without feeling completely disrupted?

As far as the OP, it sounds like you're being disrupted by distractions that can be ignored, mainly internal monologues. Understand that internal distractions can be solved by focusing on the external task. Understand, also, that every distraction is internal. You're not being disrupted by the things around you, you're distracting yourself with your response to them. Allow the distractions to exist, take a beat, take a breath, and move on with your game.
 
The best way to improve your concentration "to the task at hand" is to simply make balls. To put in the time and effort necessary to have complete focus you must become the pool player you want to be. If you want to be a shortstop: a guy who is a tough opponent no matter what then you must become that player. that requires making balls, lots of balls. Playing till you physically hurt and then playing some more. And always practice, everyday if possible. Meaningful practice; this means you must be focused in practice too.

If you can become the player described above; then I don't believe you will any trouble with focus and concentration.
 
I've learned that I simply dislike participating in individual activities that are conformed to a team format. Especially when my team can witness my efforts. I can't deal with the phantom staring eyes and peanut gallery judgements. Same when I play golf. I will never get used to it.

Playing for myself, however, is a lot easier. It's my $20-something dollars I put up to play in the tournament, and I couldn't care less if I lose it. Distractions creep in a lot less and I have more fun. I can concentrate on my physiological connection to the game and less about how mad my teammates will be if I miss.
 
Bingo!

thintowin said:
The best way to improve your concentration "to the task at hand" is to simply make balls. To put in the time and effort necessary to have complete focus you must become the pool player you want to be. If you want to be a shortstop: a guy who is a tough opponent no matter what then you must become that player. that requires making balls, lots of balls. Playing till you physically hurt and then playing some more. And always practice, everyday if possible. Meaningful practice; this means you must be focused in practice too.

If you can become the player described above; then I don't believe you will any trouble with focus and concentration.
Click to expand...

So much is written and said of how to be that great player and you sir have hit the nail on the head! Time at the table and balls and balls and more balls. Their is no substitute for being a great ball maker. As mentioned by someone else, The Inner Game of Tennis, by W. Timothy Gallwey, $15 Barnes and Noble, is required reading for players of any sport or game that involves falling into your zone or happy place or whatever that thing is we pool players usually call dead stroke. Easily less than a two hour read. I read it a hundred years ago but lost the book or loaned it out and just bought another copy a few days ago. Much like a Dale Carnegie course, just keep reading it every few years and you just might become an incredible awesome and better for America player just like me!!!
 
I just Plug-in....

Find the right music, which may not be what you think, and (for me at least)everything else just fads away.
 
Focus • flashlight

You can only focus on one thing at a time. That is a secret that most people don't know.

If that is true, then you can choose what you want to focus on. The mind does not have room to focus on more than one thing at a time.

Think if your focus as that of an adjustable flashlight, you know, the one where you can make the light cover a large area or adjust it to a small, single, bright spot light.

When you are at the table, you must narrow your focus from encompassing the entire room, down to the table and the items on the table. After you have the strategy planned, you must narrow the focus further, perhaps to just the cue ball and the object ball, after that even sharper focus to just the object ball. When you are able to do this on a regular basis, there will be no room for distractions. If distractions happen, you acknowledge them and then continue to narrow your focus as mentioned above.

Good luck.

JoeyA
 
not two things?

JoeyA said:
You can only focus on one thing at a time. That is a secret that most people don't know.

If that is true, then you can choose what you want to focus on. The mind does not have room to focus on more than one thing at a time.

Think if your focus as that of an adjustable flashlight, you know, the one where you can make the light cover a large area or adjust it to a small, single, bright spot light.

When you are at the table, you must narrow your focus from encompassing the entire room, down to the table and the items on the table. After you have the strategy planned, you must narrow the focus further, perhaps to just the cue ball and the object ball, after that even sharper focus to just the object ball. When you are able to do this on a regular basis, there will be no room for distractions. If distractions happen, you acknowledge them and then continue to narrow your focus as mentioned above.

Good luck.

JoeyA
Click to expand...

In my only golf lesson before I gave up the game, the pro told me not to focus on more than two things at once; any more than that and focus is lost.
I've never really thought about whether or not two is one two many. I do know that I lose focus when other thoughts enter my mind. I forget something to making a good stroke and making the shot.
I don't want to hijack the thread, but I have a question: how do you guys tune out things in your peripheral vision and things you can't quite hear? I find myself myself zeroing in on those things, even in the shooting position. It's worse for me on easier shots. I guess I focus on the harder shots.
I'm trying be more precise at the table: leave the cue ball on a spot instead of in a zone, make the ball in a specific part of the pocket, etc. I think it helps, but who knows......
Bottom line is table time.
kcv
 
The problem with concentration is that too many of us spend too many braincells obsessing over concentrating at the time of execution. I think what you mean by "over thinking" (kind of like the saying "think long--think wrong") is that instead of focusing on the shot you are kind of focusing on focusing on the shot. The longer you're set in position worrying about whether or not you're concentrating hard enough, more stimuli come in (others around the table, noise, and the inevitable question "what if I miss?") and screw with your concentration. The moment you visualize missing, you've already missed...guaranteed. The best is to visualize your shot (to include what the cue ball will do) then focus like a lazer on your contact point, and knock it out. Confidence in your stroke, mechanics and success is huge.

It helps me to add a deep breath and exhale to my pre-shot routine, as well as a pause at the forward part of my measuring strokes right before I pull the trigger. I make a mental checklist for my preshot routine...I look at the object ball's path to the pocket, line up my stance, visualize the shot going in and the cue ball getting position on the next shot, get into my stance, stroke, checking my stroke for wobble or discomfort (am I lined up?), check where I'm going to address the cue ball, then adjust my contact point for throw (if required, not as huge as some people think). If something feels wrong, just stand up, step back and start over. Use the check list to keep your mind focused on making the shot, not on asking yourself if you're concentrating hard enough. I'm also one of those guys that keeps my eye on the contact point (object ball) when I pull the trigger, helps me to guage how well I'm doing with that part. Even if I miss, if I hit the contact point I wanted I've narrowed down my error to throw or something else.
 
Some people get distracted when they aren't sure about what they are doing. When someone is extremely confident about what they are doing, very little throws them off.

In the case that you know what you are doing and you get distracted, then you can blame being stressed out. Stress plays a big factor, dealing with constantly moving around, few comforts of being home and dealing with a changing crowd. If you are not stressed out when you are shooting there is a good chance you won't be distracted.

After hours of intense play, it gets stressful and it becomes easier to be distracted. How can you relieve that stress in the middle of a match, with little or no break time? The only quick solution is accept the fact it happens and find a way to deal with it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top