Breathing

Fast Lenny said:
Sure Donny. Well the roller coaster I was on when I was about 9 or 10 years old I would say and was at Six Flags in NJ on a ride called Lightning Loop which went forward in one big loop and then did the big loop in reverse. I was next to my cousin who was about 13 and we were all ready to go but I was not secured into place by the safety harness. I told my cousin and showed him the harness could go up and down and did not and would not lock in, but it was too late we started to move forward so I grabbed onto what I could and made it through the loop, the bad thing was I had to go through the loop in reverse. A girl died on that same ride because of the operator not securing her properly. Here is the video of the accident the young lady was in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kONWwpo_rwY


The car accident took place when I was 20 and me and a friend left a party, both intoxicated and I passed out in the passenger seat with no seat belt on and the seat in the down position. He was on a mile straight away with a donut on the car and decided to do a 100mph, the curve came up and he just went straight through it hitting a culvert pipe and lauching us 30 feet in the air taking out some tree branches, I was ejected through the rear of the car.

I do not remember the accident but the noise of the crash and a few things after. I was covered in blood on a backroad a few miles from home and thought this is a shitty way to die on a backroad. My friend was still in the car with it on its roof and the car running, I could not get him out through the drivers door but did get him out through the other side. He did not have a scratch on him amazingly but he was in shock and crying as he looked at me and my mangled face.

I was calm like usual and asked for a smoke and he gave me one and I smoke it with smoke coming out of the holes in my face. A firefighter who knew me did not recognize me because I was so mangled but then realized who I was and was thinking I was not going to make it. I had to have 2000 stitches during 6 hours of surgery costing about $75,000, I talked to the surgeon the whole time and he was stunned I was so calm.

After I was stitched up and test done I signed myself out and went home against the recommendations of the hospital but I wanted to go home. I had a full head bandage on and was taking pain killers and whatnot by the handful and watching Casino over and over again for days. I am lucky to be alive but have a bunch of scars to show for it and nearly lost my right index finger which still has limited use.
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Scary stuff Lenny, but are you sure your left thumb (your bridge hand) did not suffer some irrepairable damage ?...:eek::eek::eek:
 
To add to the fear factor, the roller coaster ride was at night time also making it all the more freaky. :eek:
 
SJDinPHX said:
Scary stuff Lenny, but are you sure your left thumb (your bridge hand) did not suffer some irrepairable damage ?...:eek::eek::eek:
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Haha, I just have big thumbs! You know what they say about guys with big thumbs right?, they give a super thumbs up! :p
 
A decade back I would have never thought about it, but now that I have little time for playing I am not as comfortable over the cue.

I realized recently that this discomfort over the cue was causing me to hold my breath. I broke & quickly ran a rack & after I broke the next, I got dizzy as I reached for my playing cue. :eek:

I think as long as you are breathing at all during the shot, you are fine. Dave's suggestion about "centering" may be something to consider between shots. I'll take a look at his info.
 
Jason Robichaud said:
Do you change your breathing during play? I never thought about it until the other day. I ate a lot and got down on the shot... didn't feel right. I did a big exhale and little breaths while down. I felt more steady. Works even better when not stuffed.

I did a search with no results. Anyone have info on breathing while under pressure?
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If you want to relax take in for 4 seconds hold for 16 seconds and exhale for 8seconds, as you get better at it increase these numbers. Remember the ratio should always remain the same, which is hold for 4x you take in and release for 1/2 the time you hold. Do this ten times in a row and it will calm you down and make you more alert. Breathing is super important and helps you deal with pressure.
 
Jason Robichaud said:
Well, IMO, we are shooting pool!!! Go read what a sniper or pro shooters do and then let me know what you think! And all they do is pull a trigger, they don't even need a stroke.

I don't over look anything that might help me improve. IMO changing my breathing... controlling heart rate will do that.
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Snipers exhale slowly as they squeeze the trigger much in the same way that you follow through smoothly on a stroke.

By slowing down your breath, you slow down your heart rate. They are both correlated with each other.

You have to remember to breathe in a match. You can most definately starve your brain of much needed oxygen so that it's not performing at it's highest ability.
 
Jason Robichaud said:
Do you change your breathing during play? I never thought about it until the other day. I ate a lot and got down on the shot... didn't feel right. I did a big exhale and little breaths while down. I felt more steady. Works even better when not stuffed.

I did a search with no results. Anyone have info on breathing while under pressure?
Click to expand...

One very respected player, (who just happened to get lucky and win the Gem City Classic last weekend) mentioned in a chat room a couple of weeks ago that before a difficult shot, he will take a large deep breath and exhale just before shooting the shot.

Just for the record, I watched him VERY CLOSELY this past weekend and on SOME difficult shots he does take a deep breath just before getting down on the shot to shoot.

Just my theory..... If you exercise a lot (cardiovascular workouts) you will probably not need the specialized breathing. Your body/mind needs lots of high quality oxygen going through your body to help you maintain focus.

Taxing your respiratory system with a big meal before a match is tantamount to inconsistent focus but you already know that. :smile:

JoeyA
 
I am a breathing expert. I have done it almost all my life and I think it is important to focus on your breathing while you are shooting. Keep it up.
 
Thanks

Blackjack said:
For those that can get something out of it, here are some videos that explain the centering technique to refocus. These are some videos from a clinic that was put on by Dr. Dan Gould, and the techniques covered apply to all sports.

How-to-Refocus-with-Breathing-in-Sport-Part-1

How-to-Refocus-with-Breathing-in-Sport-Part-2

If you are looking for some tips on the mental game that can be directly applied to your game, there are many videos available on this video site.
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Thanks for the video links.
It is always good to hear the same important information in a new way so that it stays fresh in your mind.
 
Maybe I got used to this from when I used to do archery, but I've always been fond of breathing in during my backstroke, pausing, and exhaling during my forward stroke. I breathe normally during my practice strokes, but when it comes to the pause on the last stroke, I get comfortable in the freeze, then I breath in on the draw back, hold my breath slightly during the pause, and breath out on the stroke forward. I never really noticed it until this thread, so I went and shot some balls in the basement. When I'm really focusing and playing well, this is what I do. Otherwise, between shots, I just breath normally.
 
Jason Robichaud said:
Do you change your breathing during play? I never thought about it until the other day. I ate a lot and got down on the shot... didn't feel right. I did a big exhale and little breaths while down. I felt more steady. Works even better when not stuffed.

I did a search with no results. Anyone have info on breathing while under pressure?
Click to expand...

Chew gum! If you are chewing gum it forces you to breathe. It works!!!
 
Fast Lenny said:
Sure Donny. Well the roller coaster I was on when I was about 9 or 10 years old I would say and was at Six Flags in NJ on a ride called Lightning Loop which went forward in one big loop and then did the big loop in reverse. I was next to my cousin who was about 13 and we were all ready to go but I was not secured into place by the safety harness. I told my cousin and showed him the harness could go up and down and did not and would not lock in, but it was too late we started to move forward so I grabbed onto what I could and made it through the loop, the bad thing was I had to go through the loop in reverse. A girl died on that same ride because of the operator not securing her properly. Here is the video of the accident the young lady was in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kONWwpo_rwY


The car accident took place when I was 20 and me and a friend left a party, both intoxicated and I passed out in the passenger seat with no seat belt on and the seat in the down position. He was on a mile straight away with a donut on the car and decided to do a 100mph, the curve came up and he just went straight through it hitting a culvert pipe and lauching us 30 feet in the air taking out some tree branches, I was ejected through the rear of the car.

I do not remember the accident but the noise of the crash and a few things after. I was covered in blood on a backroad a few miles from home and thought this is a shitty way to die on a backroad. My friend was still in the car with it on its roof and the car running, I could not get him out through the drivers door but did get him out through the other side. He did not have a scratch on him amazingly but he was in shock and crying as he looked at me and my mangled face.

I was calm like usual and asked for a smoke and he gave me one and I smoke it with smoke coming out of the holes in my face. A firefighter who knew me did not recognize me because I was so mangled but then realized who I was and was thinking I was not going to make it. I had to have 2000 stitches during 6 hours of surgery costing about $75,000, I talked to the surgeon the whole time and he was stunned I was so calm.

After I was stitched up and test done I signed myself out and went home against the recommendations of the hospital but I wanted to go home. I had a full head bandage on and was taking pain killers and whatnot by the handful and watching Casino over and over again for days. I am lucky to be alive but have a bunch of scars to show for it and nearly lost my right index finger which still has limited use.
Click to expand...

For a young guy you have had your share of trauma.

You are an endorphine junky if you are going after the plane jump after all of this. I like to face my fears no matter how scary they are. In some sort of eccentric way, it justifies my existence. The rush (endorphines) is great too. :D If I ever get to Ohio I am going on The Cedar Point roller coaster rides, especially the Thrill Dragster.:shocked2:

JoeyA
 
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