How do you stay focus?

X Breaker

X Breaker

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
During a match, have you ever experienced the feeling that nothing is within your control and everything is going wrong? Like your opponent is fluking balls left and right, you are missing the easiest shot in the world, people are walking in front of you whenever you are ready to shot, someone is always talking right behind you when you get down on your shot, to make things worst, your opponent is playing the best pool in his life...etc.

How do you stay focus when that happens?

Richard
 
I Whistle sometimes to drive my opponent NUTS, and it help me Focus. Also i try 110% of the Time to say to my self 110%, that saying 110% reminds me to Focus 110% on my Pool Shot, and block out all the Bull Shit happening around the Pool Room. :)
 
Unless you are a 20th level Shaolin priest cross trained by Tony Robbins, under those circumstances, you should just quit after the 3rd game and say something like, "you're a friggin lucky ass!" and then storm out. There are some additional time tested strategies that can be employed in the parking lot as well. Full information on these are available at any of my clinics. Pm me if interested.
 
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Buy the book " Pleeasures of small motions" it explains in great detail how to get yourself in the best playing mind set. Amazon.com has it

and I like to remember, sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you!.....Good luck, Gerry
 
nipponbilliards said:
During a match, have you ever experienced the feeling that nothing is within your control and everything is going wrong? Like your opponent is fluking balls left and right, you are missing the easiest shot in the world, people are walking in front of you whenever you are ready to shot, someone is always talking right behind you when you get down on your shot, to make things worst, your opponent is playing the best pool in his life...etc.

How do you stay focus when that happens?

Richard
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No simple answer here, Richard, but I'll note that this subject pops up from time to time on the forum and one thing most AZB forum members seem to agree on is that strict adherence to your pre-shot routine will help you to keep your focus and remain in control of your emotions over the glorious green felt.
 
Nostroke said:
Unless you are a 20th level Shaolin priest cross trained by Tony Robbins, under those circumstances, you should just quit after the 3rd game and say something like, "you're a friggin lucky ass!" and then storm out. There are some additional time tested strategies that can be employed in the parking lot as well. Full information on these are available at any of my clinics. Pm me if interested.
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haha, A course to teach people that they should spit the dummy and how best to do it. Would make a great comedy spot, or even the basis for a Jim Carey movie. The scenes of him going off in 'Me, Myself & Irene' were hysterical.:D
 
sjm said:
No simple answer here, Richard, but I'll note that this subject pops up from time to time on the forum and one thing most AZB forum members seem to agree on is that strict adherence to your pre-shot routine will help you to keep your focus and remain in control of your emotions over the glorious green felt.
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Agreed. In fact, I think systemization of many areas of one's game is useful, as it allows us to feel control over what we are doing. When a total feel player loses confidence, the balls can go anywhere, and the spiral into doubt, fear and frustration grows.

No your game and how you do things, and then when little things go wrong in a match they will bother you much less. You may just laugh about them as you have so much faith in your ability to overcome them.

Mind you, achieving calm at the competition table is probably hardest for the mid-level player who really wants to be better but hasn't done enough work or has limited skills. Find me a player in this category who is always calm and I'll show you a person of great character...or perhaps just a looney who plays for a different reason.
 
Focusing

Most of the time I am so absorbed into the game
that I do not know what is going on around me, but
sometimes I do, particularly if someone is being really
annoying. I try to concentrate on the game, by guessing
which ball the opponent will miss or get out of line on,
thereby increasing my chances to get back to the table.
I, also, analyze the table layout, and plan where my cue
ball must be for each shot for a runout. I also make plans
for breakouts if needed. I also look for good safeties if I
think it will be required. Most of the time I don't have to
think over a situation very much when shooting because I
already have a plan when I go to the table. If there is
background noise, normal or near normal, not really loud,
and I am hearing it, then I try to 'narrow' my focus down
to a more finite level so I can stay focused at the task at
hand.

I do feel though that my profession of being a systems developer
in computers has helped me to get in focus quicker and more
intensely in Pool as well as when I worked.
 
nipponbilliards said:
During a match, have you ever experienced the feeling that nothing is within your control and everything is going wrong? Like your opponent is fluking balls left and right, you are missing the easiest shot in the world, people are walking in front of you whenever you are ready to shot, someone is always talking right behind you when you get down on your shot, to make things worst, your opponent is playing the best pool in his life...etc.

How do you stay focus when that happens?

Richard
Click to expand...

This happens from time to time and you have a number of choices if it is an action match. One that is successful is to quit and play another day. A lot of players try to get a spot adjustment which can turn things around.

I had this type of situation going on about a month ago where all of my opponents who I usually beat were playing their best pool. In one match of one pocket at $50 a game my opponent who I was giving 9-7 was drilling me, he was 6 games up and offered to adjust to 9-8, I told him there was no need to adjust that he was playing great and deserved to be winning. I lost $500 and paid him and congratulated him.

I never lost focus and I never got upset, my opponent was playing above his level plus all the rolls were going his way and I was playing a little below mine.

By handling it this way I believe it makes me a better player and will help me in the long run.

Wayne
 
Thank you for everyone's advice.

I was really into the zone the other day, then all the sudden the owner assigned a group of ball bangers with a 4 or 5 years old child next to my table. Needless to say, the child would stand in front of us when we shoot and he would move in whichever way he felt like. The ball bangers would be in the way of our shooting and would take forever to shoot. They were waving their cues in the air, talking really loud and somehow liked to stand on our side of the table when they chat.

Me and my friend decided to move to another table, only to find a worst situation. People were gathering around our table to talk, and the owner would not do anything about that. He believed those were his valued customers and had as much right as any of us. He liked to clean the balls up by rubbing them when they were in the tray, and he was making all these noises when we were down on our shots.

Anyway, I totally failed to focus and it is a shame because I was really playing well before this happened.

Another problem was that my opponent was a very slow player and he had a very unique stroke. As I was watching him shoot, and trying to fight all the demons in my head, I found that I was starting to shoot like him.:eek: It felt as if my rhythm was totally gone and I was following his!

Believe me, it was like a nightmare.

I felt so bad about myself. It shows how immature I am as a player and how incapable I was in staying focused.

Richard
 
When these kind of things happen to me, I get completely involved with my pre-shot routine and make sure every shot is as exact as it can get. It is amazing how you can turn these kind of distraction and "slop display" into making the other person feel so out-classed that they will just fall apart. Their confidence goes quickly.

Oh and if you are not shooting well or if you are playing a game where you can, my other and more favorite thing to do, is to play heavy defense. 5 or 6 innings without a good shot will take most of these kind of players out of their game and rythem faster than anything. ;)
 
Playing in money games help me keep my focus in pressure games, respecting my opponent's game like you describe if they are having the time of their life and playing their best game just makes me wanna play my best. If i miss easy shots and/or blow a easy run out i have to let go of my mistakes cause i found if i don't then it gets worse. I delt with players talking to me, waving their hands in front of the ball or pocket, etc... and this experience helped me out actually. Someone said preshot routine, this really helps me out too, cause it calms me down and lets me know that i aint rushing anything.
 
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