When you focus, do you shoot and play better pool?

CreeDo said:
Focus is a blend of 2 parts...

conscious effort, (in a nutshell: seriously trying)

and subconscious stuff (not being distracted, feeling confident, being in a comfortable rhythm).

I think when someone is seriously trying, that should bring out their "B game" almost every time. You have control over how hard you try. But the unsconscious stuff? I dunno if we have much control over that. You might need to get lucky for that part to fall into place.
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that's why all the sports psychologists make such big money....finding a way to get "there" would be worth anything to most professional athletes. One of my favorite examples was a game where Jordan (his Airness) couldn't miss. After hitting yet another 3 ball, he comes down court and SHRUGS....lol. I dunno, he didn't either, but he wanted the ball when he was there. :p
 
edit: looks like the post went through after all.
The forum software wants to usher in my new year right.
 
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Absolutely, I used wear ear phones when I played where I could block out people around me and the music helped me stay at a good tempo.
The problem with that is when you get used to it your in trouble when you don't have them. I still think they are worth a ball in my game although I haven't used them in several months
 
Focus is sometimes defined as concentrated effort or attention on a particular thing.

Normally, this is a great thing but I think that concentrated effort is a poor definition of focus. Sometimes when I put forth what I consider a "concentrated effort", I have mediocre results. (Everything is relative.)

I find that when my attention is focused on playing the game the way that I know it needs to be played, I still need to be relaxed, my rhythm must be fluid and I must be playing with a consistent confidence as well as all of the other things that go into playing well like (precise alignment, seeing the shot, straight stroke, stillness, smoothness etc.)

Concentrated effort on a particular thing is not the only important factor to playing well.

There are 1,001 SECRETS to playing great pool as Phil Capelle sometimes remarks and he is right. (Focus is just one part and it means different things to different people)

Stay tuned for some pool commentary by JoeyA and I will share some of those "SECRETS" down the road and if I don't know any secrets I will make sure to squeeze a few of them out of my pro player guests. :smile:
 
Thanks for starting this thread. It really makes you think about the word focus. In my case I think I focus too much and on the wrong things. I want for the day when everything comes together and I just shoot naturally. I tend to focus on whether my stance is correct, my aim is straight, my aiming point, my grip, follow through, position, etc etc. Then there are times when I don't even think, I just shoot and wind up running a rack. Unfortunately, I think and try and focus more than just letting whatever it is take over that allows me pocket balls and play like I know what I am doing.

I think confidence is more important than focus. I think if you are confident and you know you are going to make the shot you don't have to focus. Does this make any sense? Maybe you need to focus in lining up and seeing the shot, but then throw a switch and make your mind go blank so that no externals are tightening up any muscles in your body that can throw your shot off. You need to be fluid in your stroke. If you are focusing, can this throw you off some how? I read this forums religiously looking for the answers. Lets hear some comments on how you approach the shot, what goes on in your mind, any thinking, are you doing anything that makes you feel at ease and loosens you are. Any and all comments would be appreciated.

Sher-lock
 
Focus can be varied on each shot individually on command consciously , that is why it can be a bad thing. if you are focusing to hard on a certain aspect of your game ( making shots, position) Another aspect of your game can suffer. You decide what you focus on so choose wisely since improving focus is a voluntary action:grin-square: There are many contingencies in pool so your focus should vary depending on them. Whichever problem needs the most focus depending on your situation is where the focus should be applied (this will vary from shot to shot ) :smile:
 
I guess it's not that weird a question. You can focus on the game etc and still play sloppy. I have found that the only focus that matters for me is really tuning into each particular shot. Totally focusing on the contact spot on the cb as well as the ob. I mean completely seeing the spot and focusing on exactly where I'm hitting it and not shooting until I have zeroed in that focus. When I do that I seldom miss and am seldom out of line. Unfortunately for me I find it hard to stay that focused throughout a match.
 
Masirib5 said:
Are these some kind of retorical questions you ask Lock N Load? You are a very good player I have read and you ask questions that seem juvenile.

Do you know the answer or are you just making some point somehow?

--Jeff
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My guess is that Lock's questions are not rhetorical. As a matter of fact, I'm sure they are not.

You've read that Lock is a good player. The reason he probably is a good player is because he picks the brains of everybody on this forum, so that he can improve. Which is what we all should be doing.
 
Did you see Johnny A's final match in the Mosconi Cup ? THAT is focus.

I find that I definitely play much better when I am totally focused (eyes & brain) on the table and nowhere else.

Being well focused also adds to your confidence

(Lock - when I first saw your question I was going to ask you if you are "blonde" - LOL)
 
dougster26 said:
Thanks for starting this thread. It really makes you think about the word focus. In my case I think I focus too much and on the wrong things. I want for the day when everything comes together and I just shoot naturally. I tend to focus on whether my stance is correct, my aim is straight, my aiming point, my grip, follow through, position, etc etc. Then there are times when I don't even think, I just shoot and wind up running a rack. Unfortunately, I think and try and focus more than just letting whatever it is take over that allows me pocket balls and play like I know what I am doing.

I think confidence is more important than focus. I think if you are confident and you know you are going to make the shot you don't have to focus. Does this make any sense? Maybe you need to focus in lining up and seeing the shot, but then throw a switch and make your mind go blank so that no externals are tightening up any muscles in your body that can throw your shot off. You need to be fluid in your stroke. If you are focusing, can this throw you off some how? I read this forums religiously looking for the answers. Lets hear some comments on how you approach the shot, what goes on in your mind, any thinking, are you doing anything that makes you feel at ease and loosens you are. Any and all comments would be appreciated.

Sher-lock
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You are welcome for my starting this thread. I would like to get a lot of input too.
Many Regards,
Lock N Load.
 
Interesting story for me on the subject.
When I was playing in my early 20's, a few beers and having fun would do it for me. I would run tables and make money just playing. I "had it", then I quit for a while and just now getting back into it. I play now stone cold sober, I relax, think through my shots and play well.
When I focus too much or play too hard to win, my game falls apart. I have to balance focus and fun.
Now I did play New Years Eve with a few drinks in me and couldnt shoot for crap.
I balance and Im good.
Hope I can keep that once league starts! LOL! :rolleyes:
 
Meezer Girl said:
Did you see Johnny A's final match in the Mosconi Cup ? THAT is focus.

I find that I definitely play much better when I am totally focused (eyes & brain) on the table and nowhere else.

Being well focused also adds to your confidence

(Lock - when I first saw your question I was going to ask you if you are "blonde" - LOL)
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No, I am not a blonde. I like what you said.
Many Regards,
Lock N Load.
 
Focus can be a distraction!

Learning how to focus is the key. What you should consciously focus on and what should be left to the subconscious.

Proper focus is required for great pool though IMO.
 
For me, focus needs to be completely effortless in order to be very effective. You can't "force" focus. There are some mental tricks I use to induce focus, and avoid blocking it. For me two tricks are very effective, first I forbid myself from thinking in words at all, thinking in words recruits the wrong parts of the brain. I try to think only in visualization, this also inhibits negative thinking (universal game killer). The second thing I do is to find something to genuinely smile about. That usually does it for me.
 
(((Satori))) said:
What does "proper focus" mean to you?
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Proper focus to me means that if you focus and play a little slower you might play a little better pool game. Focus and concentration go hand in hand. Together they work wonders for your pool game.
Happy New Year to you and your family. Stay focused!
Many Regards,
Lock N Load.
 
Good thread

Focus is great at times, depending on what you are focused on. When I am focused on winning the game and really trying to win I don't do so good.

I play a lot better when I am relaxed, play the table, focus on making the ball and having another shot.

Some of the best run outs I have had was while I was talking to the person I was playing about something non game related and just walking around the table shooting the balls as they came. When this happens I am relaxed, shooting smoothly and shape seems to be automatic.

This is a good thread LNL. Maybe some others will think about times when they were shooting there best and relate what they were doing at the time. :)
 
Lock N Load said:
Proper focus to me means that if you focus and play a little slower you might play a little better pool game. Focus and concentration go hand in hand. Together they work wonders for your pool game.
Happy New Year to you and your family. Stay focused!
Many Regards,
Lock N Load.
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Indeed focus and concentration go hand and hand when playing your best.

Focus being the width of your attention and concentration being the depth.

Proper focus during competition to me is when you narrow your thoughts to WHAT you want to occur. What will it look, feel, & sound like? Thoughts of HOW to do what you want, to a great extent, are a result of your conscious mind wanting to take control of your actions because of a lack of trust in your ability to perform the actions you want & these thoughts have no place in your head when you are competing IMO. Performance should be executed at a subconscious level once you have properly prepared.

Think about the last time you were in dead stroke. Did you have to tell yourself how hard to hit the ball, where to aim, things like that? Or were you relaxed, able to see what you were going to do, and confident you would do it?

Conscious thought of how to execute is great in practice when you are learning or working on something specific but during competition your focus needs to narrow.

Concentration is, as I said, the depth of your thoughts. How clearly can you picture where the cue ball is going to go? Can you see the exact route it is going to take? Or perhaps you are concentrating so well you can picture exactly what spin the cue ball will have, when it will start sliding, or you can picture how it is going to roll to its final destination. What part of the pocket is the object ball going to fall into? Can you hear the ping of your cue striking the ball, the click of the balls contacting each other, & the sound of the object ball sinking into the pocket? Can you feel the stroke required for each particular shot you make? The deeper you can see, hear, and feel all of the above the better your concentration.
 
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Lock N Load said:
Meaning, When you focus on exactly what you are doing in a pool game or practice, do you play and shoot shots better? Play position better, and play better safe shots? Focus and playing a little slower on shots might just make you play pool better!!!
Many Regards,
Lock N Load.
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To be honest I think I play worse when I try to focus too hard. It seems that me trying to focus on the game turns into self induced pressure and I just fall apart. Once that happens its over and I can't make a ball because I am trying too hard.

I find I play much better when I make it fun. I guess I am still focused in some way but I am not trying too hard, I just let the game come to me.
 
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