Intensity & Concentration! Key?

[Danger Steve]

Hey Chaps!

Over the past couple of days I’ve notice real improvement in my scoring and cue ball control during practice! I had a fellow forumite over at the weekend and got spanked 10-0 , but during that spanking I was paying close attention to how he played. There was a real intense concentration to his style of play, a no nonsense approach which I probably didn’t fully appreciate until I tried applying this level of concentration to my practice the day after! Wow it really works!!

This evening I went out and tried a few line ups which I was so close to completing twice in a row. Next I had 3 50+ breaks in open play and then I nearly cleared my nemesis 6red routine. My game just felt really solid all of a sudden, it’s hard to describe, and all this sparked from just one match!

[Neil Taperell]

It’s hard to be able to do this , will all the external stuff going on . Plus if you aren’t playing particularly well , you then have the added mental demons of self doubt about cue action , shot selection . So you lose your natural flow ,

I find it hard not to think about other things when I’m playing ……….I suppose it’s called being in the ‘ Zone ‘ .

Concentration is very tiring at times also , especially if you are playing a long session.

[Danger Steve]

Hi Neil! Hope your well

I think it probably is easier when I’m alone in the shed because there are no distractions, I’ll also turn off my music I usually have going.

I would say it’s different to being in the Zone, that’s more an outer body experience and your almost not even thinking about what your doing, it just happens. This is different, I make a conscious effort to really focus on the current shot, 2nd & 3rd shot and what area I want to place the cue ball. But as you say it does drain you mentally to play this way. I’m hoping if I practice more this way it will just become the norm and become more natural.

We’ll see how it goes over the next few weeks!

[mikee]

There’s nothing like a good hammering to focus your mind ,like a lot of sports playing someone that is better makes you focus and look at what they are doing and look at your own faults .Stephen Hendry when he was just coming through in to the pro game went on a 7 day exhibition tour playing Steve Davis every night and got destroyed every time ,he learnt from it and learnt quickly, he then went on to have a bit of success himself as a pro

[Danger Steve]

Interestingly though, there wasn’t the massive gulf between our level of ability that I was expecting, several frames could have gone either way, a few I had a 30+ point lead, he would concentrate and make some breaks start to comeback and I would loose on the colours. So although it was 10-0 I actually felt Ok about it! I know now I can afford silly misses against better players and I need to give it 100% concentration when I’m on a big break and try to kill the frame off there and then.

Hendry?? Never heard of him

[vmax]

I don't know anything about intense concentration, when I'm playing well I see the game, I don't think about it, but all I know is that there will be a time when I'll forget to look and I'll end up playing across the line.
Quite often it's the very first shot and then I'll start thinking and it all goes downhill very fast.
One would think that because I know this I could consciously remember to look but it doesn't work that way for me as that involves thinking. Am I alone in this ?

[mikee]

No ,I’m the same ,if I’m playing well it flows well ,thinking over complicates things for me too .generally the first shot you see is the right one .

[itsnoteasy]

I don't know anything about intense concentration, when I'm playing well I see the game, I don't think about it, but all I know is that there will be a time when I'll forget to look and I'll end up playing across the line.
Quite often it's the very first shot and then I'll start thinking and it all goes downhill very fast.
One would think that because I know this I could consciously remember to look but it doesn't work that way for me as that involves thinking. Am I alone in this ?

Yep good post. I could knock in a couple of one frame breaks, then cue across the line once and I go into over analysis mode. Instead of just letting it go and playing the next shot well, I can't let it go and it's downhill from then on. The brain is a funny thing, the biggest trouble is, this can last a frame or a couple of weeks then I'll just start playing well and wonder why I wasn't playing like this all the time as it's very simple and easy.

[mikee]

3 weeks ago I had a total knee replacement ,and the last week I have been on the snooker table hobbling around trying to slowly pot balls ,this takes a lot longer than it used to as I have to go round and pick the balls out the pockets .I’m trying to concentrate more at the moment and think about my cueing as it’s a bit of pain missing and starting over again ,maybe this will be a good thing in the long run ,spreading the balls around the table in open play with colours on the spots I have managed a 74 so far ,and have had two frames of proper snooker and knocked in a 31 .Maybe this slow change of direction will help stop missing easy pots and slack positional play towards the last few remaining reds on the table .So Steve is looking to concentrate more on his game ,I’m forced in to doing it .Hopefully next week I can get down the club for a frame or two and a few beers ,on the plus side it gets me out of being the driver .

[Cue crafty]

Hey Chaps!

Over the past couple of days I’ve notice real improvement in my scoring and cue ball control during practice! I had a fellow forumite over at the weekend and got spanked 10-0 , but during that spanking I was paying close attention to how he played. There was a real intense concentration to his style of play, a no nonsense approach which I probably didn’t fully appreciate until I tried applying this level of concentration to my practice the day after! Wow it really works!!

This evening I went out and tried a few line ups which I was so close to completing twice in a row. Next I had 3 50+ breaks in open play and then I nearly cleared my nemesis 6red routine. My game just felt really solid all of a sudden, it’s hard to describe, and all this sparked from just one match!

Sounds like you had a game with young Tom.

Great thread mate and have enjoyed reading the posts, lots of great content. With out a doubt the mind plays a huge part in this game especially for us mortals. I'd been putting in a fair bit of practice being out of work currently, playing ok in practice but struggling to take that rythm and timing into a game once an opponent slows things down and you have to wait... Real snooker!

Tom once said on here that it's funny how your game can be affected by your private life, when all is well in your life it's like the snooker god's give you full permission to relax and enjoy yourself and you play well. However when all is not well and you have niggling frustrations or had a barny with the wife Lolz etc etc it's like the reverberates through into your game and you can play some of the worse snooker of your life!! Happened to me the other day and I'm actually taking some time out of playing to hopefully try and regain some enthusiasm!

Funny old game Saint!!

[Cue crafty]

I don't know anything about intense concentration, when I'm playing well I see the game, I don't think about it, but all I know is that there will be a time when I'll forget to look and I'll end up playing across the line.
Quite often it's the very first shot and then I'll start thinking and it all goes downhill very fast.
One would think that because I know this I could consciously remember to look but it doesn't work that way for me as that involves thinking. Am I alone in this ?

I love that comment about "seeing the game" when things click for me, it's just, I know the angle, get down on the shot, see the shot going in, it's can't miss, draw the cue back slow, push the cue through smooth, it's an easy game!!! Until as said you cue across one, get a bad mental picture in the mind and start to see that bad shot each time you are down.

Same in pro golf, the guys use their pre shot routine to use a good shot from their memory bank when they stand behind the shot! Good positive visualisation on each shot is so important I think. You need to see it in within your mind's eye.

[Danger Steve]

I love that comment about "seeing the game" when things click for me, it's just, I know the angle, get down on the shot, see the shot going in, it's can't miss, draw the cue back slow, push the cue through smooth, it's an easy game!!! Until as said you cue across one, get a bad mental picture in the mind and start to see that bad shot each time you are down.

Same in pro golf, the guys use their pre shot routine to use a good shot from their memory bank when they stand behind the shot! Good positive visualisation on each shot is so important I think. You need to see it in within your mind's eye.

I think that’s where that intense concentration comes into play? Prevents some of those loose shots that end a break prematurely or that positional shot gone wrong! It is quite draining to keep so focused for a whole session and I think your right, If you head is filled with worry about your personal life then there’s no hope really.

I forget the film but I do remember this quote ‘Too Many Mind’, think it was a Kung Fu movie? Anyway that always pops into my head when I have too much going on and I can’t think straight! Lol

It was Tom more jam than Hartley’s that lad! Hopefully I’ll be able to return the favour one day!

[mikee]

Of course there could be another explanation ,most of us are just mediocre that make the odd decent break and the odd ton if we’re lucky ,then it’s back to 50 breaks in practice and the odd 30 or 40 breaks in games ,and we kid ourselves the balls were never there and didn’t have the run of the table .

[Cue crafty]

Of course there could be another explanation ,most of us are just mediocre that make the odd decent break and the odd ton if we’re lucky ,then it’s back to 50 breaks in practice and the odd 30 or 40 breaks in games ,and we kid ourselves the balls were never there and didn’t have the run of the table .

Lolz yes of course you are right, I guess for me I had a little goal to try and be more consistent and find my personal best level a little more often. I have now decided though at my age I can't rinse out my bad habits and I'll be a lot happier accepting that and just taking the rough with the smooth.

[John Flaf]

Sounds like you had a game with young Tom.

Great thread mate and have enjoyed reading the posts, lots of great content. With out a doubt the mind plays a huge part in this game especially for us mortals. I'd been putting in a fair bit of practice being out of work currently, playing ok in practice but struggling to take that rythm and timing into a game once an opponent slows things down and you have to wait... Real snooker!

Tom once said on here that it's funny how your game can be affected by your private life, when all is well in your life it's like the snooker god's give you full permission to relax and enjoy yourself and you play well. However when all is not well and you have niggling frustrations or had a barny with the wife Lolz etc etc it's like the reverberates through into your game and you can play some of the worse snooker of your life!! Happened to me the other day and I'm actually taking some time out of playing to hopefully try and regain some enthusiasm!

Funny old game Saint!!

Great post CC, once again your spot on, I was practising but just too much sh*t going on in my mind, couldn't do a thing, head went down kept trying just got worse so I've taken a break. still love the game but whats the point in doing something if our not enjoying it ? I just need to get a job as I'm at the lowest i've ever been every day is full of worry, you cant play with that hanging over you.

PS Tom is a great fella, always free to give advice, would have liked to be a fly on the wall to watch him play.