Focus & Concentration When You Are Dead Tired

[Dhakala]

When you're in a long tournament or match, your blood sugar level will drop, and this will make you feel weary. Eating fresh fruit will put you back on track.

"Is that a banana in your pocket, or are you trying to hustle me?"

Great suggestion, Ted! And bananas, rich in potassium as well as sugar, are a good choice. A baggie of dried banana chips is a handy thing.

The worst thing is bar food - fried anything. Sucks the blood right out of your brain.

 

[ShootingArts]

Black Tea?

Perhaps black tea would be worth experimenting with. Caffiene for a mild stimulant but more interesting is the claim in this article(link below) that it suppresses the stress hormone. Depress it too much and you will miss because you are a mellow kind of guy but that isn't likely to happen.

Stess is probably at least as tiring as the exercise and if you lower the stress level you may find yourself substantially less tired near the end of tournaments.

Hu

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/10/05/ntea05.xml

 

[mikepage]

When I'm really tired, I seem to be able to think clearly (at least I think i do and I am sure I do not make the best decisions-just think I do ) but it is my inability to pocket average shots that I cannot control that frustrates me so. Why is it that I can see the contact point on the object ball perfectly clear but I cannot put the cue ball where it needs to go. I loosen my grip. I move only my forearm keeping the rest of my body perfectly still and still I miss.

When I shoot a long tough shot, say a spot shot from a few inches off the head rail, I usually miss. The reason for that is I'm not very good at this game ;-) But, I think I notice a pattern. When I get my cue really level and I get my head really low down on the cue, I tend to make it or miss it a little more likely on the pro side. On the other hand, when I catch myself for whatever reason not working as hard to get low, I tend to miss it by hitting too fat.

I think there are two things that drive me to keep my head a little higher [and thus miss shots fat because the perspective is different from up there].

One is fatique. It takes a little more effort to get down low in position, and I think that tends to get compromized when I'm particularly tired.

The second is insecurity. When I'm out of stroke or not feeling confident, I think I'm more reluctant to lose that perspective of the shot, that image of the table that I have with my head a little higher. Shooting a pool ball like we're supposed to involves abandoning that perspective we have looking down. It takes a certain faith to pull it off. The tendency to shoot with my head a little higher is akin, imo, to the tendency to lift my head to see where a golf ball is going.

Joey, if your head is not quite as low when you're fatiqued, then perhaps you see the shots a little differently and hit them a little differently (for me, fatter with a higher head). just a thought...

I've heard of your ability to drive for miles and miles and drop in on the pool room and still be able to clean most forum pool player's clock. What's up with that? Or is that just another urban legend? ;-)

LOL. Nobody seems to notice that my hair is still wet from the motel shower down the street...

 

[DelaWho???]

When you're in a long tournament or match, your blood sugar level will drop, and this will make you feel weary. Eating fresh fruit will put you back on track. Fruit works a lot better than fruit juice, soda, or other processed snacks, even better than coffee. So, eat some fruit every couple hours and you'll find your energy and concentration will remaing a lot more consistent because your blood sugar level will stay constant.

TAP TAP TAP....

Great post......I would add that avoiding softdrinks with HFCS (high fructose corn syrup), and diet drinks with no natural sugar. OJ is good, fruit is better, but promotes sticky fingers. I make it a practice not to eat or drink anything with my bridge hand, I use my butt hand.... guess I learned this from bowling yrs ago...

Not currently a bowler.....

McCue Banger McCue

 

[!Smorgass Bored]

What, Me Tired ?

I know a very good player that has tried many of these suggestions. I suggested that he take a 'snapper' and gave him one. He placed it in his shirt pocket. He was so leery about taking it that I told him to break it in half. He left it in his shirt pocket and his wife washed his shirt and when he looked later on, he couldn't find it.
I know Joey A. well enough not to suggest this remedy to him...
Doug

 

[MrLucky]

Interesting and timely post....

Last night I went out to my favorite room and played one of my teamates I like most have at times suffered from lack of focus after a grueling or extra long play! Last night I went back to some of the things I was taught when I used to play in many money straight pool matches (back in the 60's) after about 5-7 games I went into the rest room washed my face and hands freshened up and returned to play with a fresh attitude and focus! We played from 6:30 PM until 2AM this morning and I kicked butt with only a few mental lapses! Not only does freshning up help your attitude and ability to stay focused but it works on your opponent! Anyone watch (of course this crowd has!!!) The Hustler? Jackie Gleason as LOL! Fats told Eddie he was beat mentally not just physically ! while Eddie was drinking and ruffled Fats stayed fresh and clean and alert !
Now back in the day I have watched my Uncle hustle by bringing a pint of bourbon and sipping on it while playing a 100 point straight match, giving his opponent a false belief that he was getting drunk ! all the while though the guy was getting hustled! So I guess it can work both ways!

 

[JoeyA]

Joey, when fatigued you're not doing things as perfectly as you think you are. You miss for the same old reasons - bad aim, off-line stroke, etc. You just aren't able to spot these things when you're fatigued.

Also, the mind-body connection is dampened by fatigue. Your tired body is like a worn-out car that doesn't respond to the accelerator promptly, and whose loose steering linkage is no longer as precise as the hands on the wheel.



See my previous messages re: meditation and yogic eye exercises.

David, I played really well last night and after 5 sets, fatigue started setting in and I missed a few very makeable balls. I started doing some of the eye exercises coupled with some 4 count breathing and it seemed to help as I was able to finish the sets completing the shut-out. It did not bring me back to my best play but it seemed to keep me from falling into the abyss.

Thanks to everyone who wrote. I am compiling a list of things to do and not do and will be trying virtually everything including a little ogling at the ladies. Peanuts and fruit are next to try when I'm tired. Going to Fort Walton Beach Florida for the weekend to play well.

Thanks,
JoeyA

 

[JoeyA]

I know a very good player that has tried many of these suggestions. I suggested that he take a 'snapper' and gave him one. He placed it in his shirt pocket. He was so leery about taking it that I told him to break it in half. He left it in his shirt pocket and his wife washed his shirt and when he looked later on, he couldn't find it.
I know Joey A. well enough not to suggest this remedy to him...
Doug

LOL, ROTFLMAO.
JoeyA

 

[JoeyA]

When I shoot a long tough shot, say a spot shot from a few inches off the head rail, I usually miss. The reason for that is I'm not very good at this game ;-) But, I think I notice a pattern. When I get my cue really level and I get my head really low down on the cue, I tend to make it or miss it a little more likely on the pro side. On the other hand, when I catch myself for whatever reason not working as hard to get low, I tend to miss it by hitting too fat.

I think there are two things that drive me to keep my head a little higher [and thus miss shots fat because the perspective is different from up there].

One is fatique. It takes a little more effort to get down low in position, and I think that tends to get compromized when I'm particularly tired.

The second is insecurity. When I'm out of stroke or not feeling confident, I think I'm more reluctant to lose that perspective of the shot, that image of the table that I have with my head a little higher. Shooting a pool ball like we're supposed to involves abandoning that perspective we have looking down. It takes a certain faith to pull it off. The tendency to shoot with my head a little higher is akin, imo, to the tendency to lift my head to see where a golf ball is going.

Joey, if your head is not quite as low when you're fatiqued, then perhaps you see the shots a little differently and hit them a little differently (for me, fatter with a higher head). just a thought...



LOL. Nobody seems to notice that my hair is still wet from the motel shower down the street...

Great suggestions and I will be on the lookout to use them as I also will be on the lookout for a slicked-down Mike Page, should he be passing this way.

One thing that I notice is that when I am playing really well, as I get down on the shot, I drop into my shooting position and seldom have to move, I see the edges of the cue ball with perfect clarity which forms the lane the cue needs to travel. I also visualize the two necessary contact points on the cue ball and object ball for a successful pot, am very much aware of holding the cue very lightly and also I set up MOST of the time with my bridge hand position already set for anticipated squirt. I apply the necessary English to complete the shot and shoot passed the object ball which seems to help me shoot a straighter path. After all this time, I think I know what I'm doing when I play well, now it is time to fine out what I am doing wrong when I am tired and see if it can be corrected with fuel, fire or improved thinking. I'll probably defer to the first two.

JoeyA

 

[JoeyA]

Last night I went out to my favorite room and played one of my teamates I like most have at times suffered from lack of focus after a grueling or extra long play! Last night I went back to some of the things I was taught when I used to play in many money straight pool matches (back in the 60's) after about 5-7 games I went into the rest room washed my face and hands freshened up and returned to play with a fresh attitude and focus! We played from 6:30 PM until 2AM this morning and I kicked butt with only a few mental lapses! Not only does freshning up help your attitude and ability to stay focused but it works on your opponent! Anyone watch (of course this crowd has!!!) The Hustler? Jackie Gleason as LOL! Fats told Eddie he was beat mentally not just physically ! while Eddie was drinking and ruffled Fats stayed fresh and clean and alert !
Now back in the day I have watched my Uncle hustle by bringing a pint of bourbon and sipping on it while playing a 100 point straight match, giving his opponent a false belief that he was getting drunk ! all the while though the guy was getting hustled! So I guess it can work both ways!

Thanks Mr. Lucky. Congratulations. Will you be at Mr. Cue's II on November 3. If so, please say hello and bring some of those secrets that Uncle Cisero passed on to you.
JoeyA

 

[JoeyA]

Perhaps black tea would be worth experimenting with. Caffiene for a mild stimulant but more interesting is the claim in this article(link below) that it suppresses the stress hormone. Depress it too much and you will miss because you are a mellow kind of guy but that isn't likely to happen.

Stess is probably at least as tiring as the exercise and if you lower the stress level you may find yourself substantially less tired near the end of tournaments.

Hu

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/10/05/ntea05.xml

Any black tea drinkers out there? If so what brand? Results???
Thanks Hu.
JoeyA

P>S. Practiced early Saturday morning at Starcade Billiards putting ass-whup on anyone and everyone. When the tournament started I played very poorly and everyone else played better. I think I won one stinking match. Oh yeah, I also won another match with Mr. Bye never getting to the table even once. Probably played my worst tournament in years. Hope this type of play stays gone. Some super players there although I played none of them except in practice.... David Broxson, John Schmidt, Scotty Townsend, Tommy Kennedy, Jim Jennings, Josh Hilliard and many more. About 80 something players. Nice atmosphere. Tables were a little wet from time to time. Nice people.

 

[hanshewcustom-q]

wouldnt recomend the toilet....but not a bad idea

This reminds me of the little joke that Old Has Been told about going to the bathroom and putting your feet in the toilet for a couple of quick flushes which refreshes the feet. RIP--------------LOL


in high school during a long all day regional track meet that went on till about 2 in the morning most of us were pretty wore out. my friends grandmother told us to wash our feet and put on a fresh pair of socks, we didnt believe her ( and didnt have extra socks ) so she went to the store and bought a big pack of socks. the only thing that can refresh you more is to actually go take a shower. used this trick throughout highshool for sports and have used it since once or twice playing pool and a lot working on the ambulance ( have a lot of 24 and somtimes 48 hour shifts where you never make it back to the station to take a shower )

 

[DougT]

Wasn't there was a pro golfer last year that was hiding in the porta-potty between holes doing some eye exercises? Didn't want to do them in public because it looked kind of silly, but I think there was some focusing on a golfball, then left/right/up/down, or something. Can't recall who, but I believe he took first or second, perhaps against Tiger in a playoff?

There's one other thing I've seen suggested, which is to actually work out your eye muscles used for focusing. I think I've heard this suggested in the past, but I saw this detailed in an old copy of "American Handgunner" that someone had left lying around my office (Note that I don't approve of this kind of thing myself. Being English I'm firmly against allowing rebellious colonials to own weapons, who knows what kind of trouble they'd get into ;-)

Anyhoo in the 2004 Sept/Oct edition, page 44, there's an article quoting Ernie Langdon advocating eye exersises. The one that sounded relevant to Pool playing was to hold a pencil (Or other small object) in front of your face as close as you could to still be able to focus on it. Then you should switch your focus to a more distant object and repeat.

It seems to me if you setup to do this with a cue ball and an object set at the maximum length of shot you would find on a 9' pool table and practicied this a few times a day it may help in long sessions and tournaments.

 

[chefjeff]

I try to hold up in my mind's eye my desire, my reason, for playing so I can focus on that instead of focusing on tiredness. I remember why I'm there and not home sleeping. I vividly picture my goals and how good playing helps acheive them. The more tired I am, the more often I must do this to maintain my level of play.

But that gets tiring, too, so sometimes my desire for sleep overcomes my desire for playing....one of the reasons I now rarely play in those tourneys that last till closing time. I.e., I'm avoiding the problem by lowering my pool goals which may or may not be the best solution, depending on one's big goals.

I know....herion. At least then you won't care.

Jeff Livingston

 

[JoeyA]

Good subject Joey.

The above sounds like good advice. But I really think when I'm getting tired all this kinda stuff goes out the window. I'll stand there while my opponent is shooting telling myself I really need to focus now. I need to forget those few mistakes. They're in the past. Now I need to be careful, deliberate, focused, etc. Then 60 seconds later I'll catch myself playing shape for a ball that really doesn't pass into the pocket (i.e, I didn't really look at it in advance). I know what I need to do when I'm thinking about it, but I can't seem to hold the appropriate mens rea in my head for any length of time.

It's as though when I'm tired I get a temporary case of attention defecit disorder. Maybe we should look at strategies special ed teachers use for improving concentration in ADD students...

...behavioral strategies, that is. Not pharmaceutical strategies.

I have read a good bit about attention defecit disorders and just got finished doing some additional research on the Internet. It seems that other than meds, teachers encourage adults and children to use "props" to organize themselves. Things like calendars and post it notes. I use my alarm on my cell phone to remind me about my upcoming match, trying to remember to put it on vibrate instead of that shrill ring I normally have it set on. I don't see myself writing notes and reading them before taking a shot when tired. My opponent might think I'm Johnny Archer. ;-) ............. Easy......Johnny-fans and Pro-fans. I'm one too, just having a little fun. Maybe I will quiz the pros on what they do. Certainly they too must have the problem.

JoeyA

 

[DougT]

In a long tournament I try to keep drinking gatorade or powerade.
I also wonder which vitamins would help. B complexes?

 

[Dhakala]

In a long tournament I try to keep drinking gatorade or powerade.
I also wonder which vitamins would help. B complexes?

Naw, that's for hangovers, and injections work best.

Electrolyte-rich drinks are for sweaty sports. Do you lose a lot of sweat during tournaments?

Muscle tension causes most of pool's fatigue. Meditation and yoga are the drug-free cures.

 

[AuntyDan]

Electrolyte-rich drinks are for sweaty sports. Do you lose a lot of sweat during tournaments?

Quite right. Ever read the nutritional label on a bottle of Gatorade? Lots of both sugar AND salt. (10% of it's total content) Not a good thing to guzzle regularly unless you are actually sweating it off. (Literally, not figuratively!)

 

[Williebetmore]

I also won another match with Mr. Bye .

JoeyA,
Yeah, that Mr. Bye is a freaking pushover compared to Mr. Ghost; I have a LOT better luck with Mr. Bye (I don't think he's ever beaten me).

 

[chefjeff]

JoeyA,
Yeah, that Mr. Bye is a freaking pushover compared to Mr. Ghost; I have a LOT better luck with Mr. Bye (I don't think he's ever beaten me).

Yeah, I was beating Mr. Bi once and when I bent over to pot the 8-ball, he tried to poke me in the arse!

Jeff Livingston