Can't Concentrate

[hanchi]

Hi,

It's been i'm playing snooker, but I've a big issue blocking me,
I can't concentrate, anything can get me out of the game.

I once felt concentrated i was about to clear the table, but I reached a high degree of concentration that I couldn't hear the music, noises, or even see the people around, it was just me and the table.

But It happens once, and I can't get to it again.

Anyone has any tips to help me workout my concentration

Sorry for my bad english,

Thanks in advance

[nrage]

Something which I think helps snooker in a number of ways is Yoga. I think I would be a better player if I went regularly.. I have only been a few times.

1. flexibility, some players I have seen can put a leg on the table in front of them, then sit on it, bending forward over it comfortably to cue a shot. I am nowhere near this flexible, but it's a huge advantage for those difficult to reach shots.

2. relaxation, if you practice relaxing often enough, you will be able to achieve a better state of relaxation even in stressful situations, like an important match.

3. focus, one of the things you do in yoga is focus, internally, to your breathing and your body and the signals it's giving you about tension etc. This is invaluable for figuring out if/when you're doing something wrong.

4. concentration, a side effect of #3 focus above is that practicing to focus also improves concentration, as you need to be able to block external stimuli to sense internal pressures etc.

[Terry Davidson]

hanchi:

Here are two 'tricks' for your concentration.

The first is to focus on the cueball when your opponent is on the table and do not let your focus wander. You MUST keep your eyes on the cueball at all times (this is VERY difficult but it will help get you into the 'zone' where everything else distracting fades from your senses).

The other ones are both practiced by Steve Davis. The first is to breathe very deeply (as in yoga) when you are sitting down or not at the table. The other one is a little painful, but Steve will bite his tongue when he gets back to the table and continues to bite down on the tongue while he is potting balls. This trick is supposed to put the mind into neutral and blank out any other distractions.

Terry

[hanchi]

Thanks, I'll try both of them