GetAwayDriva Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 (Not sure if this is the correct place to post this. Mods please move to the correct spot if needed) I would like to shut off the tape player the continually runs in my head. When I am making ready, then waiting for the beep, I am usually having a conversation with myself reminding me where the targets are, when I am going to reload, R.E.M. wrong to have good trigger control etc. It almost seems like the start beep interrupts this dialog but I "think" I have it shutoff moments before the beep. When I dry fire, I am verbally reminding myself to "remember to...... correctly" (whatever it was that I didn't do correctly the rep before) and for sure that dialog IS happening when the beep goes off. I have realized that when I am attempting to visualize something, I am actually telling myself what to do and am not actually seeing it in my minds eye. Problem is, the tape player NEVER shuts off. It goes on all day long. As a matter of fact, I have written this post a bazillion times in my head before now typing it out. So I need to figure out how to shut it off. I have tried the counting/diaphragm breathing exercise. I do it during the last "relaxation" pose at my weekly yoga class and I am horrible at it. (Although, it involves thinking things so not sure that would help anyways). I believe I need baby steps. Would there be any benefit to setting a short par time (like 5 seconds? I was serious about baby steps because I don't think I could even do 5 seconds) on a timer and trying to not think of anything at all during that time? Then increase the par time little by little? Any ideas of how to shut off that tape player so I can just "do" instead of "tell myself to do?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
promtcy Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 (edited) Yep, but I can't think of what it's called at the moment. I'll update this when I remember it. My brother in law is a PGA teaching professional and it's something he teaches to his students. I believe Lanny Bassham also teaches this. Some NFL field goal kickers use it as well. The premise is that you pick a phrase to repeat to yourself that has absolutely nothing to do with what you are about to do. Something that's short and easy to remember. Like "The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain". It can be anything, although it should be something that invokes good or neutral feelings. You go through your setup and think about what you want to do. After you holster starting repeating your phrase. Where I think you want to get to is the state you are in when you stick your keys in your ignition. It's a complex movement but I'd bet most of us can do it with our eyes closed. Most certainly aren't thinking about that particular act when they do it. Having said that, I don't do it. I am thinking about my first shot and only my first shot. Although I'm not thinking about it in any complex way. I don't seem to have any issue with excessive thinking right before or during a stage or during dry fire. Before and after my brain never shuts off. I've decided to embrace it, because I can't make it stop. I remembered what it's called. It's called a clear key. The idea is to get your conscious mind thinking about something else so that your subconscious mind can perform the action. Google "Carey Mumford of Clearkey Golf" and there is a pdf that explains some of it. There is also a video on youtube entitled "clear key lesson". Edited January 18, 2017 by promtcy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Expflier Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 I'm like promtcy and can't remember what's it called but do like Costner did in the movie when he was on the pitching mound Just say "clear mechanism" . Miraculously all the background noise went away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 Do this... Hit the "pause button" - Visualize a horizontal line through the center of your eyes and a vertical line through the center of your nose. Now imagine a spot (or small area) one inch of above the intersection of the two lines. Consciously place all of your attention on that spot. Be aware of your mind's activity when you do that. Notice - for the moment of the "placing," the thinking mind stops completely. Keep doing that until you get really good at it. Really good meaning suspending thought for a few or more seconds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 Killer graphic depiction: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pskys2 Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 I read once where it is impossible for the mind to not think, or maybe it was to be blank. Also the man who could focus on a single thought for 7 minutes? could rule the world. I have a hard time with ear worms, when a song or thought gets stuck in your head and you can't seem to get it out, but at a match it doesn't bother me. At the make ready I make ready, close my eyes and do an internal pantomime of my cof plan, assume the start position, take a deep breath, and then try to let my mind go blank, which it can't, so it ends up just being aware of the cof. On occasion I will focus on some action, grip, front sight, etc... Another trick is to see in your minds eye a perfect sight picture on your first target, but that trick seemed to slow down my first shot so I quit it. The one thing to remember is your best performance will be with your sub-conscious mind, once you start thinking of your shooting you will slow down and become erratic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mreed911 Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 44 minutes ago, pskys2 said: Also the man who could focus on a single thought for 7 minutes? "Not yet not yet not yet not yet not yet..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GetAwayDriva Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 Thank you all so much for the replies! They will all help me. I tried focusing on the pause button and I didn't think for a moment! That was cool. Definitely some things for me to work on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sstephns Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 On 1/25/2017 at 5:37 PM, benos said: Killer graphic depiction: This drawing legitimately helped me the other day during a match. If nothing else I laughed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 Lol'ing over here. Laughing is great - it kills the mind too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowdyb Posted February 7, 2017 Share Posted February 7, 2017 attention is just selective focus. you have to choose to begin the process of being in control of and directing, where your focus is. this is real work and has to be practiced. i've found the ability to be focused on the things i want of greater value than just having a mental check list style, stage plan. focus is vastly different than imagery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NervousEnergy Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 There are several classic Zen Buddhist techniques aimed at doing just this, though they all attempt to silence 'the babbler' globally rather than just in certain circumstances, like standing at the stage start mark. One of the more popular is koan practice, which is similar to the advice above to repeat a nonsense phrase, but is more intense in that it uses an unsolvable question to force the babbler into overdrive and exhaust him so he shuts up. The classic is 'what is the sound of one hand clapping', but also 'who is the master', 'what was your face before your parents were born', etc. It doesn't matter... just something to concentrate intensely on so you can drown out that tape player. Do it often enough and the tape will slow down and eventually stop. Another is go for mindfulness. Try and fill your attention up with everything around you as head to the start line. The targets and course, yes, but also the environment around it, the sunlight, the air... if you're concentrating on the world around you enough you won't have any time left for that tape player. All this is easy to type out but hard to do. I certainly fail most of the time at it. It's worked enough, though, that I'm convinced of it's utility... what's lacking is my own discipline. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Husker95 Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 Your quote on mindfulness reminds of Brian's practice of trying to live an "error free day". If your paying intense attention to everything in your operating environment, you have less bandwidth available for babble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 You have the opportunity to improve your ability to remain fully aware and alive to the present every moment of the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chopinlover Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 I think thinking too much is sometimes bothering, if I think too much, when the beep comes I will definitely forget what I was thinking about lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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