Tuning out distractions

midwest__player

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
This topic been on my mind for a while we all know svb is pretty much deaf but he plays better than almost anyone. So my question is when your in a pool room with plenty of distractions is it better for your game to have a mp3 player on? I think it is because you are eliminating the drunks and kinda putting yourself in your own world where its just you and the table. Opinions would be greatly appreciated thanks
 
midwest__player said:
This topic been on my mind for a while we all know svb is pretty much deaf but he plays better than almost anyone. So my question is when your in a pool room with plenty of distractions is it better for your game to have a mp3 player on? I think it is because you are eliminating the drunks and kinda putting yourself in your own world where its just you and the table. Opinions would be greatly appreciated thanks
I think that when you are playing well you don't let anything distract you, and when you are playing bad people tend to let everything distract them.
 
thebigdog said:
I think that when you are playing well you don't let anything distract you, and when you are playing bad people tend to let everything distract them.
I agree for the most part. When most people are playing bad they try and blame it on distractions because it is easier to do that then figure out why you are actually playing bad. I have been playing before and people were talking to me and I didn't even hear them. Ultimately, whether you can hear or not it is up to you to be able to tune out distractions. If you are truly focusing on the task at hand distractions should not be a problem. So I guess in my opinion FOCUS is the best way to eliminate distractions.

BVal
 
I've sometimes found that the occasional distraction is GOOD for me. Every once in a while I'll be down on a shot and that voice in my head will be saying I'm going to miss. I'll stand up, find something to distract me for a moment, then get back to the game...It helps me out quite a bit. And once I'm down on a shot, I'm almost more distracted by people who stop walking just because they don't want to be a distraction. I understand why they stop, and it's very kind, but that distracts me more than anything and i usually just stand up, wave them through, and get back down again.
 
One of the biggest things IMO is knowing that focus is commanded. Sure, you may stumble upon some good runs here and there, but willing it to be allows for better retention and consistency in play and practice. Having that kind of focus makes you impervious to any silly drama or drunks around you.

So, no, I don't rock an MP3 player. I just try and not let my eyes leave outside the rails when I'm playing for anything important, be it money or my wanting to practice.

But, I have been known to be anti-social in the poolhall as well. LOL
 
I got this one...

fail proof, absolute solution to people that can't focus and are distracted easily.

Get married. The skill to tune things out while appearing to see/listen and the skill your mind develops to just screen the most important details in while filtering out the "grey noise" is uncanny. I'm highly skilled at this and virtually "unsharkable".

Big thanx to my lovely wife,
~D4\/\/G~
 
lmao

Beware_of_Dawg said:
I got this one...

fail proof, absolute solution to people that can't focus and are distracted easily.

Get married. The skill to tune things out while appearing to see/listen and the skill your mind develops to just screen the most important details in while filtering out the "grey noise" is uncanny. I'm highly skilled at this and virtually "unsharkable".

Big thanx to my lovely wife,
~D4\/\/G~

thats great advice lol but i think i will wait a while for that one still a kid
 
Ahhh, distractions. It's what kept me from being a great player. I fought with it for years. Every time I could drown out the world around me, then my mind would start in with it's distractions. I'd practice 8-12 hrs daily trying to work on my mental game. I came to the conclusion that some guys can go blank & play in another world. The rest of us just can't do it. Don't get me wrong, I love the game & play plenty sporty, but i'll never be great. My knowledge & experience is what makes me competitive. Everybody should play pool & enjoy it. But only a very select few with be truly great. That said, anybody can have great moments. Who knows, maybe someday i'll reach a point in my life where everything falls into place & I can expand my game. Until then i'll be happy just loving the game & doing my best in competition.
 
Dealing with distractions is part of mental toughness....I think it's a part of the game....

Granted, in a loud bar, it's easier to just absorb noises......they stick out a bit more when it's quiet....ultimately, I talk less during a tournament, but playing somebody that can't hear you due to music blaring in their ears is just annoying....
 
Alot of players at my hall tend to use mp3 players and it kind of pisses me off because when i need to ask them something, they don't hear me. I usually play some cheaper sets like for 20 a set so it's no big deal. I myself can sometimes tune things out and be focused but the other night.......I was in DEAD STROKE. I made a few hundred bucks because of it. I don't know what the hell it was because it was a loud Friday night and the place was jumpin. I don't usually play for money on "loud" nights but something told me to play. And since being in DEAD STROKE, I didn't hear anything or see anything else but the table in front of me. It was so sick, I couldn't miss. I wish I could obtain that kind of focus all the time. So I guess do whatever works for you, but try not to use disctractions as an excuse. If you learn to play with them, instead of using them as an excuse (not saying you do, but most players blame it on that) you will be invincible!!!
 
Ab bo su lute leee.... Distractions are killer bees waiting to STING YOU... I was an all-star Baseball catcher, a real grandstanding TYPE-A kinda guy, but I could back up any of my brag. I carried that to the Pool Room as a youngster & I played great snooker. I could YOW-YOW with the best of them.

One day, after I returrned to playing & had begun to play POOL (8-Ball, 9-Ball), my mouth overloaded my A$$. From that day, I could crumble in a instant, by simple distractions. My friends have suggested earplugs & I might just try that, but I feel that I may be outgrowing that plague.

The problem is, once the distraction has overided my composure, it seems that fortune on my part, turns to "you know what".

Your mind is a powerful thing, I know that I am supposed to use "it" to rule my behavior, but sometimes my mind is my biggest opponent. my consolation is that I am 66 years old & it doesn't matter any more. my days of gambling & shootin' the lights are gone... maybe my story will help some kid...
 
ceebee said:
Ab bo su lute leee.... Distractions are killer bees waiting to STING YOU... I was an all-star Baseball catcher, a real grandstanding TYPE-A kinda guy, but I could back up any of my brag. I carried that to the Pool Room as a youngster & I played great snooker. I could YOW-YOW with the best of them.

One day, after I returrned to playing & had begun to play POOL (8-Ball, 9-Ball), my mouth overloaded my A$$. From that day, I could crumble in a instant, by simple distractions. My friends have suggested earplugs & I might just try that, but I feel that I may be outgrowing that plague.

The problem is, once the distraction has overided my composure, it seems that fortune on my part, turns to "you know what".

Your mind is a powerful thing, I know that I am supposed to use "it" to rule my behavior, but sometimes my mind is my biggest opponent. my consolation is that I am 66 years old & it doesn't matter any more. my days of gambling & shootin' the lights are gone... maybe my story will help some kid...
how effective is that break rak? seems pretty cool
 
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