I have been playing pool now for about 3 years now and I am a 500 Fargo level. In the three years I have been playing it is rare for me to be in competition without some sort of fear or stress over missing a shot or losing. It's the same apprehension and fear that all players suffer, and it can ruin your game. Although, there have been times when for whatever reason I have competed devoid of any apprehension or fear, where my skill set came out fully unimpeded, and I have excelled in my game in those moments. I have run tables and made amazing shots when fear is gone, but it is so difficult to get to that point. I am not sure how to get to that point of being without fear of losing or missing, but when I do I am a very good player. Any tips on how to get to that point? Have you had times when you have played when you didn't have any fear? Are there techniques I can use to help me reach this goal?
Remember this:
The brain areas involved in fear and excitement are closely intertwined.
- Shared Physiological Response:Fear and excitement share the same underlying biological response in the body, triggered by the sympathetic nervous system, including:
- Increased heart rate and blood pressure.
- Heightened sensory awareness.
- Release of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline.
- The Amygdala's Role:The amygdala, a key part of the limbic system, plays a significant role in processing both fear and excitement.
- It's responsible for detecting the emotional salience of stimuli, essentially gauging how important or attention-grabbing something is.
- It doesn't necessarily distinguish between positive and negative arousal, but rather responds to the intensity of the emotion.
- Interpretation and the Prefrontal Cortex:The difference between experiencing fear or excitement often comes down to how the prefrontal cortex, involved in higher-level processing, interprets the situation and context.
- For example, seeing a lion at the zoo might trigger excitement, while encountering it in the wild would likely trigger fear.
In essence, while the initial physiological and amygdala-driven responses can be similar, the prefrontal cortex ultimately shapes our conscious experience of these emotions.
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So, the next time you feel nervousness and fear when performing or preparing to perform, remember that you can also just consider that you are instead feeling excited, and move on.
Weight training (a truly high cardio exercise actually), stretching (the kind that takes an hour to do your entire body), and deep breathing (practiced properly - yes there is a right way to breath, I am a symphonic low brass player so I know this) all these things together can, practiced regularly over time, increase your bodies level of oxygen and this will give you an advantage when under high pressure, and an ability to both calm yourself and remain calm under performance pressure.
Believe me I know nerves, and I know fear. And I know what it can do to you. Mentally, physically, and emotionally. I have been destroyed by it at times, and I also learned how to beat it. It is something you never past experiencing too. Even after you have mastered it completely, it is always there ready to pounce on you when you least expect. So, you learn how to fight it down, and put it in its place if it flares up on you in or before a performance.
You train yourself physically, and also in the art of what you performing in (also physical but more specific of course), regularly and over time, weeks and months, to be able to be calm under pressure. Ultimately it is all about oxygen, and the way nervousness and high tension depletes it in your body, thus impacting your ability to function.
Many musicians I knew would take beta blockers before a big performance, or audition. But, the physical training, and workouts, meditatively and a lot of breathing, several times a week, was my way of doing this and being always in a state where I was ready to be under pressure, and it really worked for well. At any time I on any given day, I could warm up on my horn for an hour or so and be ready to play anything, anywhere, in front of anyone. Of course, in addition to tall the physical training and other work, I also practiced my instrument hard 2-4 hours a day, at least usually. Often more. I took serious lessons from the top players in the world, and I played all kinds of gigs, everywhere, all the time. Rock, Jazz, classical orchestras, big bands, everything you can imagine. I am saying in additional to everything else I did, I played all the time everywhere I could. People just kept calling, after a fashion.
I think when performing at anything, under the pressure of performance in front of an audience in particular, any emotion is not good. You will want to focus on your task. Your routine. Your 'game' if you will. Shut everything else out, as much as possible. This is what will allow you to perform at your best.
As a concert soloist, when you walk out on that stage, you are alone. You have your instrument, your skills, and you know exactly what you are there to do. You really don't care about where you are, or anything else. That crowd of people may as well be trees in a forest. You simple don't care that they are there. You just do what you know how to do and focus on that alone. Most great soloists don't use music on stage. The music is in them and so familiar that they are not playing a song. By that point, they ARE the song.
Practice. Become consistent. Know your game, and your technique, and when playing let that be your salvation. Breathe. Stay calm. And, as a great player and teacher once told me: "Be the ball."
