I have been playing pool for about 6 years now and have taken a couple of lessons from some of the better players in the northwest. They have helped my game a ton. My biggest problem is staying consistant and staying focused. I am a fast starter but it seems when I hit the peak of my game for the day I can not sustain this. I seem to get bored and lose focus therefore letting players come back when I have them down. The same is when I practice I can't seem to stay focused through the whole session. Does anyone have any pointers where I can work on sustaining my focus during matches and practice?
Cosistence problem?
- Thread starter macaframa
- Start date
macaframa said:
Bet more. That should pique your interest.
i'm in the same boat. days when i tell myself during practice to repeat everything on each shot i can do for about a couple drills and racks then i find my mind wondering off. Allison says its different for everyone but we all lose our focus so when you do practice drills its best to change them up every half and hour or so this way you don't start practicing bad habits. But these days i repeat my pre shot routine, stay down, make shure my body is in align with the shot everything down to a dime. Then the next day i dont' do it, i find myself just getting down and firing, although i make the shot etc... but i ain't being repeatable, and thats what bring and makes consistence, being repeatable. For me i think its i am clouding up my mind with too much when i should try to keep it simple so i end up with my mind wondering. The experts should be here to respond and gives up some help with consistence soon LOL.
This happens to me sometimes as well. However without seeing you play it is rather difficult to pin point your problem.
For me it is a combination of things. I start out and run an ungodly amount of balls, I then get lazy, miss a few, tighten up and lose my stroke. After that it's like pulling teeth.
How long do you practice, or play? If it is for 3-4 hour sessions or longer, you may need to take some breaks. It is easy to get tired after playing and concentrating for a few hours.
Personally I like to try and play through fatigue, because it is good practice.
For me it is a combination of things. I start out and run an ungodly amount of balls, I then get lazy, miss a few, tighten up and lose my stroke. After that it's like pulling teeth.
How long do you practice, or play? If it is for 3-4 hour sessions or longer, you may need to take some breaks. It is easy to get tired after playing and concentrating for a few hours.
Personally I like to try and play through fatigue, because it is good practice.
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i tend to get into to long sessions with players of my level 4 or more hours at a time but even during tournaments I can't keep my focus. I had the problem addressed in my last lesson but I just can't keep my focus. I am currently in college right now and one of my recent teachers recommended me to go have a test done because I do the same thing in class. He thinks I'm A.D.D or whatever that is. Do u guys think that could have an affect on my consistency
Jude Rosenstock said:
It seems to me that you're a adrenaline junkie. A prime candidate for Gambler's Anonomous.
Surely there's a better way to focus the mind than to gamble your money away trying to stay focused.
but like i said i need to figure a way to stay focused when playing or practicing. i love the game but I just can't figure how to stay focused. The better I play the faster i lose focus. when this happens I let people have a chance. My ability is much greater than what is shown due to this problem and is pointed out by many of my peers. I'm stuck right now at a point where this is causing my game not to get better.
Someone here pointed something out that has helped me with my focus. They said (I paraphrase) you can burn out of you try to focus continuously over time. Fortunately you do not need to focus for continuous periods, rather try to get focused for a single shot as you begin your pre-shot routine, then relax again when not shooting (bewteen shots). I find that this little break allows me to go back time and time again without tiring as much. My mind still wanders sometimes, but not as much I find, and my shot execution is more consistant. I'm still no pro.
Dave
Dave
im slowly coming to the conclusion this is the main part of my game i need to work on......and its also the hardest to work on. Its like meditating, who has the willpower and the focus to sit somewhere and work on your mind? I read a book called the mental edge ( i think).....that was very interesting about training your mind and using visualization. The basics of the book is this, your mind doesnt know the difference between what your body is doing and what you think about your body doing. It really ties into the whole sports physiology theory that randyg uses at school.
I'm going to lookin into the book. I sometimes after playing pool for long periods find myself mentally drained. I've been putting a lot of focus into my preshot routine since every lesson i've had has put a huge emphasis on the part of my game. I really need to get passed the getting bored part my game is really suffering for it.