The Importance of Focus

Mind of Steel

The Importance of Focus

Dr. Christopher Stankovich

www.drstankovich.com

Focus, or your ability to direct your attention toward a specific target, is an invaluable skill when it comes to playing your best pool. Pool players with a strong focus are able to block out distractions and only think about what is important – the next shot. Pool players who struggle with focus allow their minds to wander and think about things that really do not matter, including what happened in the last game, the next opponent on the bracket sheet, or even who is watching them play. Players who master the element of focus play to their highest ability, while players who struggle with focus often play far below the level of what they are capable of playing.

There are three specific concerns related to focus that all pool players should be aware of if they want to raise their game and play more consistently.

A) Too narrow of focus: This occurs when pool players try to always play perfectly, or are too “perfectionistic” in their approach. When you put so much pressure on yourself to make perfect shots, what inevitably happens is an increased level of anxiety due to the fact that we cannot be “perfect” (we are human after all!). Obviously pool is a game of inches, and you should always try to make the best shots you can – the problem is with the frustration some players feel when they do not make “perfect” shots. In these instances the player gets upset, his arousal level increases, his muscles become tense and tight, and usually ends up putting even more pressure on himself on the next shot. A better way to go is to play your best and when the shot doesn’t turn out quite how you would have liked, instead of getting upset begin to look at the lay of the table as a challenge – when this happens your mind and body will work in synchrony and you will make more shots!

B) Too wide of focus: This is the exact opposite of having too narrow of focus, when players allow all kinds of outside distracters to enter their mind and their focus ends up on everything else but where it should be – the next shot! Sometimes focus becomes wide when players are not challenged, are physically fatigued, or when they are simply not as interested in playing any longer. The result of a wide focus is a lot of sloppy shots and poor positioning on the table.

C) The wrong focus: Having the wrong focus has to do with knowing the game of pool and proper shot selection. When players focus on the wrong shots, the result is pretty obvious – he or she doesn’t end up stringing together many runs or playing appropriate defense, when necessary.

Examine your focus level and see if you tend to find yourself dealing with one of the three types of focus problems described above. Every pool player battles focus issues from time to time, but most will tend to deal with one type of issue more than others (i.e. the perfectionist will usually deal with trying to be too precise while playing, while the player whose mind wanders will usually have to improve upon having too wide of focus). Remember, better focus = better pool playing!

Dr. Christopher Stankovich is a nationally acclaimed expert in Sport Psychology and the Founder of Advanced Human Performance Systems. For more information on performance-enhancement products, including the exclusive “Mind of Steel for Pool Success” and the world’s first Sport Performance Assessment for Pool, please visit www.drstankovich.com