da_rookie_77 said:
This is my first year playing leagues, and I am a true 9 in both leagues (including VNEA.) I have done hours of research on focus and rhythm reading articles by pro's n what not. I have come to find out that if I just stay relaxed and don't try to focus I shoot lights out. If I try to focus I miss many shots. In the articles they all say, "Do this." and "Do that.", but I get into my stance take 2 practice strokes and then shoot and it works the best with me. Also I was wondering if this has something to do with the fact that I'm what people call a natural shooter or what?
I sorta cleaned it up, ^^^^ and I can read this a whole lot easier. And I would like to comment:
Focus is basically when you become involved with just one aspect of pool. For example focusing on hitting absolute dead center on the cue ball.
Nothing else mind you.
No concern over making the ball, position, or how many practice strokes. Just from beginning to end a center ball hit. That in essence is Focus.
SIDEBAR: Think of when you for the first time picked up a stick and gave this game a try. Remember how everything about the game was foreign to you? The feel? How to aim? Accomplishing a straight stroke?
You focused on each individual nuance until it was mastered to your satisfaction. Soon you were accomplishing things one by one until you accumulated quite a list. An exhaustive list as a matter of fact. Yet it was through concentration of all in that list that kept you successful. Not focusing on the individual items on the list.
Now back to the discussion at hand...Focus in the game of pool is not all encompassing as the game requires. It's OK to focus from time to time on aspects which are causing you problems, but focusing does not allow for seemless play.
Concentration on the other hand does. Concentration takes all the information you deem as important into account when playing the game. Every aspect you find as essential in the game requires your concentration. Some of us find it very hard to play the game if we single out a few aspects of the game and focus on them. Because it seems if we increase our awareness on a few items we completely forget about other key ones we need. The result is we just aren't hitting on all cylinders.
Concentration is basically well ordered thinking by the sub-conscious. Or call it,"In tune." Or even "Dead stroke." Or "Shooting unconscious." Why? Because it is sub-conscious thinking. Some of us don't even remember any shots at all after a game because we were deeply in the subconscious.
Conscious thinking is more like focusing. You are bringing the issue to the front of your mind. Dead stroke is the flip side of the coin and is handled by your sub-conscious just like your breathing. Your mind has taken the building blocks you learned in this game (that long list again) and wired it in your head to make it automatic. It soon learned every aspect that was needed in concentration to get the desired result.
When we lose concentration "by taking a shot for granted" as an example. We have missed a key element in that long checklist.
In practice we can break down that concentration into a preshot routine.
We focus consciously on learning what we do sub-consciously when we play. The reason why we do this is to help our game when it falters. (You know the days we cannot keep concentration and our game can be best described as, "Out of sorts.")
By using what you know about your preshot routine and bringing it to your conscious, that is focusing on the preshot routine; you remind yourself of what you do exactly when you play the game subconsciously. That is, this is how I do it when "I'm on."
You don't continue to focus on the preshot routine though. You just use it as a reminder as to the rhythm and detailed physical aspects you use for a couple of shots to get you back into that proper subconscious state of mind. That way you can use it as many times as necessary to get you back on track.
Lingering on a preshot routine shot after shot after shot is again focusing and it is conscious thinking that if overused becomes more of a hindrance than a help. It will break up your well ordered thinking in the game that makes you more successful.
Just use the preshot routine to get you back into that comfort zone that breathes confidence back into your game. Practice this part of the mental game because it sounds like you have pretty much everything else at hand.
Are you a natural shooter? Maybe, but I think that is another tangent entirely (Natural feel players vs. Analytical players.) This is all about the thought processes and they are the hardest to master.
Just my $.02
I kid, I kid!
