1 to 10 before the game

Have you ever heard of an Olympic medal winner who never trained at least 6 hours a day. Has a chess world champion won a championship match without hours after hours of serious work.

If we do not train, how realistic is it to expect to win anything significant. More likely, we will only ever been a Wanna-be and one day a Has-been.

But assuming that we take our training seriously, there is the competion aspect. So here are 10 pre-game tips for the May-be:

1. Practice is over
2. Win ugly
3. Get-out-of-jail cards
4. Performance mindset
5. Forget expectations
6. Process goals, not win goal
7. Strive for success, not avoiding failure or mistakes.
8. Go For It!
9. Kiss
10. The performer.

 Soon more details. After all, the devil is in the detail



A winner



A peacock

Zap the blocks

They say that practice makes perfect. So:

• Continuing to monitor and jot notes periodically about your focus, and lack of
focus, in your training games.
• After a session of bridge, take a brief, all-senses inventory during the experience of feeling completely focused. This can contribute to your “automaticity” of becoming more naturally and continuously focused, a kind of “muscle memory” of concentration.
• Create concentration intervals during your training matches. Define a specific period of time – 30 minutes, 1 hours, whatever stretches you – and maintain a competition-level focus during that time. Allow for recovery time then repeat the interval
• Experiment with the number and duration of these intervals. Log a few notes after your training
• Implement your refocus plan for your top distractors. At the end of a day, make a brief note of your results
• Away debrief yourself at then end of a competition, especially in regards to your top distractors. • Be merciless in your self-assessment.
• As your find that your top distractors get under control, go back to your list and work on the next top 3 distractors

Find the roadblocks

Step 2 - Find the roadblocks

The next step is to identify the situations that are your recurring distractors.

During each game, whether a practice game, or after a competition, make a note of the things that made you lose focus. Make sure you work out what the catalyst was. If you made a mistake when you know better, you will always find the distraction that took you mind off the ball.

It could be something internal - like a thought (eg. “I can believe I made that bid!”), a feeling such as anger at something your partner or opponents or teammates did, or a sensation that your performance is decreasing?

It could be something external, like another player being obnoxious, a unexpected card hit the table, your partner throwing his cards on the table.

Also try to make of note of how were you feeling just before the distractor appeared? Tired? Anxious? Focused?

You may get a long or short list. If it is very short, consider that you have not tried hard enough.

Once you have this list, prioritise the sources of distraction - Take the top 3 to 5. (Any more that than, and you will drown) and especially any pattern you noitced in how you were feeling just before the distractions got to you

Stop digging

Regaining focus - RRR

If you want to climb out of a hole, the very first thing you must do is stop digging…

Once something happens that affect your focus, there are 3 basic steps to regain focus. This must be practiced actively in training games until it becomes automatic.

Recognise

To ensure you regain your focus when a distraction does interfere with your state of mind, it is essential that you are consciously aware that you are at a distraction point. Through experience, you learn what situations are more likely to infer with your mental state. You mind may feel restless, your breathing changes, your body temperature rises. Or if a game is not going well, you may feel overwhelmed, despondent. Make a list of them and learn to recognise your mental reactions.

Refuse

Create a trigger to interrupt or stop the counterproductive thought(s). This trigger can be a:

• Verbal cue – Develop a few key words or phrases that you will use to stop your mind. Examples words are: Cards, stop, switch on, 7NT ( J ), I love this game…

• Visual picture – the moon, water..



• Physical action – Put down your cards, pick them up and re-arrange them, hit your fist against your hand, stretch, get up and get some water, throw away the distraction by putting it in your pocket ...

Relax

You now need to get your mind back to the bridge focused state. This is equivalent to a mini repeat of your pre-game routine. Use a focusing technique that you are comfortable with

• Count backward from 10
  


• Take 5 to 10 deep breath. It may help to count each breath you take



• Imagery – This is something you will have developed and practiced before hand. You may have a few images that can be used depending on how much time you have. Between games, you may bring back the image of the last word championship, or one event where you performed well. Or instead of bringing back the image, bring back how you felt at that time.


• With less time available , try to find your center, or imagine yourself bending all your energies toward the game

Now the world is your oyster

PS : Just remember that RRR must be used in practice matches. It must become second nature