[Geno368]

I will be offering info on concentration in the pool game...It will consist of 3 articles and will definately be a great addition to your abilities in pool.
I am a TaeKwonDo instructor of over 40 years and have been inducted in 2 International Hall of Fames. Mental conditioning is as important as physical training in my sport. As I continue to work on my pool skills in APA league (sl-6), I am finding that I can use my mental strength as a very important criteria for improvement.
First, consider how to put yourself in position to accept training of the mind. This starts in private practice at home in a quiet surrounding. As your concentration increases, noises and other people become less and less of a factor. Here are a few of the distractions I consider probematic:
1) Purposely letting yourself hear comments from opposing players or team members
2) Watching those cute opposite gender objects
3) Overshooting any shot with more english than necessary just to impress
4) Dancing or singing along with the music
5) Engaging in acholic beverages
6) Cigarette in lips while shooting
Keep in mind, there is a difference in intensive pool shooting and practice and just screwing around. Sure, if it's just recreational pool with the buds, have a cold one and enjoy. That is a different scenario that what I am addressing.
Next article coming soon..feel free to ask questions or make comments

[Pelican]

I know I could certainly use some help with concentration. I have noticed of late that I make a shot and afterwards don't even remember seeing the CB contact the OB. I don't kow where my focus is

Pel

[Demondrew]

Ok let's start with the first problem (it happenst to be mine)

1) Purposely letting yourself hear comments from opposing players or team members.

I'm not sure if I'm purposefully doing this but I do here most of the chatter around me.

How do you block it out? Even when I am shooting in the "zone" I still here the chatter around me.

Demo

[Pelican]

For some reason talk doesn't bother me, it's just kinda like a 'white noise', it's there but you pay it no mind. I just can't seem to focus on what I'm doing at the table. Maybe its 'old-timers'

Pel

[headmuses]

I've noticed, when I am in the "zone" and shooting smooth and well, back ground noise, conversation and movement tends to disappear. I only see the table, and what I am concentrating on. I t is very rare that I get in that zone, but it does happen once in a while.

[mojomike]

headmuses, on Jul 7 2008, 06:04 AM, said:

I've noticed, when I am in the "zone" and shooting smooth and well, back ground noise, conversation and movement tends to disappear. I only see the table, and what I am concentrating on. I t is very rare that I get in that zone, but it does happen once in a while.

Yes, that proves you are in. Been there a few times as well.

[Pelican]

OK, what happened to Geno?

Pel

[headmuses]

Maybe he got distracted by #2 on his list

Headmuses.

[Geno368]

headmuses, on Aug 14 2008, 09:22 AM, said:

Maybe he got distracted by #2 on his list

Headmuses.

LOL...Not distracted, but kinda busy at work....haven't been here in a while....gotta get back to it....we are between sessions in APA League....I do find that a short break sometimes refuels the fire for practice...Do you agree???

[Pelican]

Yes indeed. I have one more week on the Wed nite league and three more on the Mon nite league. I'm ready for a break.

Pel

[Geno368]

Pelican, on Aug 24 2008, 08:53 PM, said:

Yes indeed. I have one more week on the Wed nite league and three more on the Mon nite league. I'm ready for a break.

Pel

Well, we get started in fall league again this week...I have rested my mind and done several drills. My speed control is off, but now I am again eager for competition. That is the one thing which improves my focus...

[Pin]

This sounds pretty interesting.

I know concentration seems to play quite a clear role in martial arts (I suppose the philosophical side to it promotes understanding of sports psychology in a way that other sports don't consider as much).


So how do we achieve this concentration?

I've found that I can achieve a clear head free from conscious thought, but even then, my focus isn't always drawn into the game that effectively. Clearing the mind is step 1, but step 2 has to be becoming immersed, fascinated, in what's going on at the table.


How do martial artists go about learning these skills?

[Geno368]

Very good insight....Let me try to explain a concept of martial arts. "Kime" This is a term which is defined as: Concentration of your maximum power on the smallest possible target area. Here is a simple explaination. If you slap a person on the chest with the palm of your hand, it may burn or sting a little, but no real damage is perceived. If you take a single finger and poke the solar plexus, it take much less power, but has dramatic results. Now lets carry this concept to a much higher level. I am going to concentrate my mental power on striking the white hair on the left side of that target with the second line of my index finger. Now, this is an advanced technique!
How many times have you faced an opponent who listens to his Ipod when he plays a match? This is, IMHO, a crutch for lack of control of your mental game. If you have ever watched Shane Van Boening play, you will notice his intensity, but he does look around more and his other senses are stronger since he is deaf, but his concentration is unbelievable.
When I get in a down level of performance, I usually take a potty break, wash my face off, close my eyes and re-distribute my thoughts to a more positive level. Then when I return to the match, I feel more prepared to face this opponent with more optimism and focus than before. I am now in "Kime" zone of thought. I hope this helps...Gene

Pin, on Oct 6 2008, 05:38 AM, said:

This sounds pretty interesting.

I know concentration seems to play quite a clear role in martial arts (I suppose the philosophical side to it promotes understanding of sports psychology in a way that other sports don't consider as much).


So how do we achieve this concentration?

I've found that I can achieve a clear head free from conscious thought, but even then, my focus isn't always drawn into the game that effectively. Clearing the mind is step 1, but step 2 has to be becoming immersed, fascinated, in what's going on at the table.


How do martial artists go about learning these skills?

[Pin]

Geno368, on Oct 6 2008, 03:20 PM, said:

If you slap a person on the chest with the palm of your hand, it may burn or sting a little, but no real damage is perceived.

Rick Flair, you lied to me!



So we can achieve focus on the game by targeting really advanced precision. Interesting.

I tend to find that what works to get me absorbed in the game one day won't work the next (or it works for a little while, then becomes kind of ineffective). It's as if having something new demands that I pay attention, then as I get used to it, my mind becomes free to wonder.

Yesterday I was playing 8-ball against a strong opponent in good form. At one point I changed something in the way I aimed, and suddenly I clicked into incredible clear focus. I ran out 6 balls with precision and certainty on several normally tough shots.

Sadly in the next frame the same thing didn't work for me. It's like trying to find Narnia.

[Pin]

Also, how do you redistribute your thoughts to achieve 'kime'?

Cheers

[Hillyer]

My secret weapon for pre-game prep= beer. Actually beers. It relaxes me a bit. Not that I recommend getting wasted..it just works for me to loosin up a bit by drinkin a couple.

[Geno368]

Pin, on Oct 20 2008, 04:57 PM, said:

Also, how do you redistribute your thoughts to achieve 'kime'?

Cheers

I have given you the secret of maximum concentration, grasshoppers(lol) but to be able to attain it regularly and quickly is, in reality, very hard to do. We must train ourselves constantly in our daily lives to do it quicker. In work, play and relationships. When I was competing in martal arts tournaments, I was in great shape mentally and physically. But I spent a lot of time in meditation. I worked on it daily. That why the touring pros are so good...it's a daily thing with many hours...most of us amateurs can't devote that much time. My main point is: any time you can spend developing this level of concentration is very valuable to your game
One final opinion; I love a beer or a cocktail regularly, but I have never shot my skill level while drinking. Some may be able to relax better, but I think it hurts concentration more than it helps.

[Pin]

This topic always seems so clear in theory, then gets so tangled in practice. But I think I'm getting there.

Meditation, clearing of the mind - usually pretty good.

Focusing on precision - largely new to me, to be honest.

But I think I've found one of my problems in achieving it.


When I slipped into a good run, I was relaxed, exloring the table with my eyes and sense of feel, taking my time and taking all the information in.

When I tried to recreate that state, I tried to very deliberately address the balls, pull out the key aiming info and feel, and get down into my shot. I thought I was being serious and focussed, asserting myself on the table.
(I exaggerate a little bit to make the distinction between the two clearer).

I probably should have spotted this sooner. The first book I read on sports psychology was founded (half) on the distinction between internal and external thought.
Yet here I was not realising that when I'd been playing well, I'd been coaxed out into an external wonderland of information. When doing less well, I was spending minimal 'external time' and lots of neutral and internal time.

I consider the key difference being that I need to take my time and genuinely be interested in taking in all the information around me (rather than rushing through the routine of my shot).


Playing well and taking in all this information feels incredibly strenuous, and time seems to pass so slowly (when you've not slipped into the zone naturally). And I think you genuinely need to walk away from the attitude of rushing myself or 'trying' to get into the zone.

This all seems to tie in to basic principles, and I feel quite weird about recognising that I have had these problems recently. It makes me feel like an idiot, but I suppose that having conquered very similar problems a couple of times before, then relaxed into doing things well, these errors creep in and it's easy to forget the lessons you've learned about.

[shawnbarley]

Good ideas

[GeorgeAllen]

Good ideas should be shared with your friends, what you learn help others with it.