Have you seen my focus?

J

jjohnson

Registered
I had it here a minute ago. Where the hell is it? Hey, Mac. Have you seen a focus laying around here?
What are you talkin...
Hey, Babe. Have you seen...
Get lost.

Unable to focus on your pool game? This may be the number one reason why some players become pros and champions while others not.
I think Cole was such a great player because whenever he picked up a cue he was all business, whether practicing or gambling. If you ever looked into his eyes, they were intense.

You've got to pick up the little lady by 5. You've just set your watch's alarm to 4:40. You've got 15 minutes left to practice...
Time must be getting short now. But I can still get in another rack.
Just a couple more balls left.
No alarm? I'll throw a few more balls onto the table.
Where's that alarm?
The hell...
Ah, there it is.

Like in the movie, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: "When you have to shoot: shoot. Don't talk."
Is there a little voice in your head chattering away?
Are you ogling the chick shooting on a nearby table?
Or thinking about that big pay out just a few balls away?
Or are you being sharked?
Is your opponent "micro-bullying" you?
Intimidating?
Annoying?

If your focus shooting pool is not 100% you probably will fail to execute.
Pay 100% attention to your game.
You must simply decide what is most important to you.
The game or all the other crap going on.
 
It's headroom. In the successful, focus is byproduct of conscientious application. You can't force that. You can't plug and play that. Your being is anchored in the performance.
Or it isn't.
 
Baseball, Basketball, Tennis, Golf, Billiards, --many sports require extreme FINAL focus on the ball ( or in the case of basketball, on the basket) in order to achieve very consistent high, high levels of performance. That final focus is not long in duration, but it is much more intense ( focused) than what an average person puts into sports execution.

Your body( muscles) actually need to be extremely relaxed as much as your eyes are extremely focused - this is the essence of extreme performance in certain sports. For some it is more natural, if it is not as natural, then you have to understand where you are lacking, and work like hell to make up for natural shortcomings in that critical area.

Concentration is being centered in thought on your surroundings and your goals during a given event, focus in pool is a more momentary event that is repeated over and over each time as the shot is delivered to the cue ball. One may have have excellent concentration , but not great final focus, and that can be corrected if one is aware of the need.
 
mikemosconi said:
Baseball, Basketball, Tennis, Golf, Billiards, --many sports require extreme FINAL focus on the ball ( or in the case of basketball, on the basket) in order to achieve very consistent high, high levels of performance. That final focus is not long in duration, but it is much more intense ( focused) than what an average person puts into sports execution.

Your body( muscles) actually need to be extremely relaxed as much as your eyes are extremely focused - this is the essence of extreme performance in certain sports. For some it is more natural, if it is not as natural, then you have to understand where you are lacking, and work like hell to make up for natural shortcomings in that critical area.

Concentration is being centered in thought on your surroundings and your goals during a given event, focus in pool is a more momentary event that is repeated over and over each time as the shot is delivered to the cue ball. One may have have excellent concentration , but not great final focus, and that can be corrected if one is aware of the need.
Click to expand...
I use the word "focus" to mean concentration. Not as in focusing of the eyes as in vision. When you are practicing or in a match, even if you are not in the process of shooting a pool shot, your entire focus or your entire being should be/must be surrounded by and within your intent to play as perfect a game of pool as you possibly can. It must be a state of being that has consumed your soul, so to speak. All benefits from the game that are possible at least become available. You are not somewhere else. You have perfect presence at every moment in time. Anything else is a loss of focus, more so or less so.
 
mikemosconi said:
Baseball, Basketball, Tennis, Golf, Billiards, --many sports require extreme FINAL focus on the ball ( or in the case of basketball, on the basket) in order to achieve very consistent high, high levels of performance. That final focus is not long in duration, but it is much more intense ( focused) than what an average person puts into sports execution.
Click to expand...

My dad ask me one time why "I spent all that money to drive the snot out of my car on race tracks."
I looked at him and ask "Do you remember how it feels to hit your driver 300 yards straight down the fairway" ?
He said "yes".
I then said, "Now imaging having that feeling every 15 seconds for 20 minutes in a row".
 
jjohnson said:
I use the word "focus" to mean concentration. Not as in focusing of the eyes as in vision. When you are practicing or in a match, even if you are not in the process of shooting a pool shot, your entire focus or your entire being should be/must be surrounded by and within your intent to play as perfect a game of pool as you possibly can. It must be a state of being that has consumed your soul, so to speak. All benefits from the game that are possible at least become available. You are not somewhere else. You have perfect presence at every moment in time. Anything else is a loss of focus, more so or less so.
Click to expand...
I just remembered what pool players call it: being in the "zone."
 
We concentrate with our minds and we focus with our eyes when it relates to billiard games- that is the terminology consistent with any legitimate billiard playing instruction. People jumping all over the place with inconsistent terminology is both confusing and helpful to no one.
 
mikemosconi said:
We concentrate with our minds and we focus with our eyes when it relates to billiard games- that is the terminology consistent with any legitimate billiard playing instruction. People jumping all over the place with inconsistent terminology is both confusing and helpful to no one.
Click to expand...
Especially when it is holier than thou
 
jjohnson said:
I had it here a minute ago. Where the hell is it? Hey, Mac. Have you seen a focus laying around here?
What are you talkin...
Hey, Babe. Have you seen...
Get lost.

Unable to focus on your pool game? This may be the number one reason why some players become pros and champions while others not.
I think Cole was such a great player because whenever he picked up a cue he was all business, whether practicing or gambling. If you ever looked into his eyes, they were intense.

You've got to pick up the little lady by 5. You've just set your watch's alarm to 4:40. You've got 15 minutes left to practice...
Time must be getting short now. But I can still get in another rack.
Just a couple more balls left.
No alarm? I'll throw a few more balls onto the table.
Where's that alarm?
The hell...
Ah, there it is.

Like in the movie, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: "When you have to shoot: shoot. Don't talk."
Is there a little voice in your head chattering away?
Are you ogling the chick shooting on a nearby table?
Or thinking about that big pay out just a few balls away?
Or are you being sharked?
Is your opponent "micro-bullying" you?
Intimidating?
Annoying?

If your focus shooting pool is not 100% you probably will fail to execute.
Pay 100% attention to your game.
You must simply decide what is most important to you.
The game or all the other crap going on.
Click to expand...
You must learn to silence all that chaos so the subconscious can do it's job. Run balls. Lots and lots of balls.
 
lfigueroa said:
I think it's cal


I think it's called "dead stroke."

Lou Figueroa
Click to expand...
That's what we called it around here. Dead Stroke.
I've heard the Zone more recently. The trick is being able to access that at will. We've all seen guys get there once then never again.
Others seem to get there whenever they need to.
Gotta get out of your head and let subconscious rover take over. 😎
 
H
Mensabum said:
That's what we called it around here. Dead Stroke.
I've heard the Zone more recently. The trick is being able to access that at will. We've all seen guys get there once then never again.
Others seem to get there whenever they need to.
Gotta get out of your head and let subconscious rover take over. 😎
Click to expand...
having a repeatable routine such that no thought is required, you just know how to make that shot. Ingrained muscle memory. How many of us have run a rack and not remembered much about it at all?? That's the subconscious doing it's job.
Kinda like driving a car and you've been on auto pilot for the past 20 minutes but drove just fine. Can't remember any of the sights or things along the way, but you drove fine. Same thing.
 
Mensabum said:
H

having a repeatable routine such that no thought is required, you just know how to make that shot. Ingrained muscle memory. How many of us have run a rack and not remembered much about it at all?? That's the subconscious doing it's job.
Kinda like driving a car and you've been on auto pilot for the past 20 minutes but drove just fine. Can't remember any of the sights or things along the way, but you drove fine. Same thing.
Click to expand...
That is called "missing time" by UFOlogists.

I've watched many videos where the players comment on their matches. Even from years before. They recall lots of shots exactly. That is one strong trait I think top players have: an excellent memory.

My problem begins even before that. I have short-term memory problems. I can't even remember that I need to remember something.
 
Found your Focus
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