Focus vs Playing Loose
- Thread starter irock
- Start date
Your arm should be loose, but your brain should be focused. In other words, you should specifically know what task you are going to perform at the table, but the actual execution should be somewhat of a subconcious action.
If I start losing focus, I remind myself is that all I can do is try my best. Anything that happens beside that like unlucky rolls is outside of my control and doesn't matter. It also helps to have the confidence in my game to where, if the rolls are going my way, I know I will win.
If I start losing focus, I remind myself is that all I can do is try my best. Anything that happens beside that like unlucky rolls is outside of my control and doesn't matter. It also helps to have the confidence in my game to where, if the rolls are going my way, I know I will win.
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Good stuff here!
what he said...
More good stuff!
I disagree with this. when I practice alone my game gets sloppy. When I compete I play my best pool. I guess it has something to do with wanting to win and and having something to lose.
I think I am just getting to that point where my game requires more competition to stay fine tuned.
^^^^That!!!
Better learn to play like you practice,,,or,,,practice like you play!
When I think about playing loose, I think about being relaxed. I think that it is very important to stay focused on the game and match. And I think it is equally important to be able to play with a relaxed state of mind. You don't want to play tight. Playing tight makes you second guess yourself and you have less confidence in shots. Of course training your mind to be focused and relaxed will take a bit of work, but it will do wonders for your game.
Focus smokus
Focus is one of those abused words, like awesome, and my pet peeve of all time,HERO. Everyone thinks they focus, everyone thinks they are great lovers, and everybody plays really good pool. Ever notice what happens when you fall into dead stroke? Nothing happens, your in this shooting fog, where it just starts happening and you say wow its like I'm on auto. The secret is how do I (fall) into the fog. Can I make it happen or do I have to wait for a foggy day? For me its fantisysing. I have beat really great players before. All the ladies are watching ME. I am playing in a very huge tourney and venue. The adulation you get when you make a huge shot! It's hard to conjur up all this when your just playing small stuff, but you need to know you can bring it whenever you have to. The bigger it gets the better you play, hopefully. Some folks start really focusing when it gets big. They are not playing their game. Play like its Saturday night and your whipping up on all your buddies. Comfortable isn't it. Shoot as good as you can. You only have so much ability and that won't improve greatly but your mental attitude can improve 50 75 100%. The cueball is your monkey. Make the monkey dance white boy.
Focus is one of those abused words, like awesome, and my pet peeve of all time,HERO. Everyone thinks they focus, everyone thinks they are great lovers, and everybody plays really good pool. Ever notice what happens when you fall into dead stroke? Nothing happens, your in this shooting fog, where it just starts happening and you say wow its like I'm on auto. The secret is how do I (fall) into the fog. Can I make it happen or do I have to wait for a foggy day? For me its fantisysing. I have beat really great players before. All the ladies are watching ME. I am playing in a very huge tourney and venue. The adulation you get when you make a huge shot! It's hard to conjur up all this when your just playing small stuff, but you need to know you can bring it whenever you have to. The bigger it gets the better you play, hopefully. Some folks start really focusing when it gets big. They are not playing their game. Play like its Saturday night and your whipping up on all your buddies. Comfortable isn't it. Shoot as good as you can. You only have so much ability and that won't improve greatly but your mental attitude can improve 50 75 100%. The cueball is your monkey. Make the monkey dance white boy.
IMHO the Mental Part of pool is very difficult to learn.
I second this recommendation. :thumbup:
It has helped my mental game significantly.
Regards,
Abe - i4pool
I agree both are important, understanding that loose can be both physically and mentally. Being ADD I understand that what I term "hyper-focus" is "the zone" for me. My teammates often make fun of me when I am in "the zone", as it's one of the few times they ever see me with the serious face on. I'm usually an animated, sarcastic clown.
Three things need to happen to be in "The Zone".
Physically, my back, my elbow, and the rest of my body cannot have any pain or stiffness to distract me. My body must not be starved for sleep causing me to mentally break down.
Mentally, I must not have any distraction that manifests itself as a physical impedance, such as nervousness causing my hands to shake or sweat profusely.
Purely mentally, I must not have anything weighing too heavily on my mind such as a huge project/problem at work, or at home. I have never allowed myself to dwell, or get agitated, when I poorly execute.
I have obvious problems when I have exhausted myself mentally and physically working several 15+ hour days in a row, something which is common in my business.
Three things need to happen to be in "The Zone".
Physically, my back, my elbow, and the rest of my body cannot have any pain or stiffness to distract me. My body must not be starved for sleep causing me to mentally break down.
Mentally, I must not have any distraction that manifests itself as a physical impedance, such as nervousness causing my hands to shake or sweat profusely.
Purely mentally, I must not have anything weighing too heavily on my mind such as a huge project/problem at work, or at home. I have never allowed myself to dwell, or get agitated, when I poorly execute.
I have obvious problems when I have exhausted myself mentally and physically working several 15+ hour days in a row, something which is common in my business.
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Great replies so far. My sense of this is that focus is the key during the conceptualization of shots, but once your ready to execute your shots, you need to have both focus on execution of the plan you have devised for the shot along with the looseness.
Yes! They are not mutually exclusive. Intense focus - being in the moment with the shot - can be perceived as concentrating so acutely, that its like not concentrating at all. Tension is our nemesis.