Improving Concentration

[zasanya]

Our team is competing in our nationals (India ) where one may have to play around 60 deals everyday for a period of 7 days.Our team's concentration level seems to drop after the first few sessions (say about 40-50 deals). When you play week long tournaments how do you cope with the stress? Please suggest some tips to keep oneself fresh and concentrate on every deal. Edited November 29, 2010 by Gerardo
Edited topic title

[zasanya]

Ooops The title should be Improving concentration.Shows I need to improve concentration even when typing :rolleyes:

[mgoetze]

Get a third pair? ;)

[gwnn]

caffeine?

[OleBerg]

Plan well in advance, so that as few things as possible will distract you. This migth very well include:

 

- Being in reasonable physical shape. (I'm not talking health-freakness, just a litte.)

- Plan your eating. Again, not a health freak, but eat so healthy, and in amounts that makes you feel well afterwards. This migth include smaller meals for shorter breaks. Meals like a piece of fruit, or something less healthy. The important thing is to feel well, and be neither hungry nor bloated.

 

Your body and it's functions/malfunctions should not distract you during the game. Even very moderate excercise will get you to know your body well.

 

- Plan in advance where to eat, sleep and any other "away from the table" things you have to do. (Or plan who will do it for you, if you are so fortunate.)

 

- If you need to regain your composure betweem rounds, do it. If people want to strike up conversations, tell them firmly but friendly, that you need to relax before next round.

 

- If possible, arrange your life in a way, where the most sressfull times is not the time around the time of the tournament.

[babalu1997]

Our team is competing in our nationals (India ) where one may have to play around 60 deals everyday for a period of 7 days.Our team's concentration level seems to drop after the first few sessions (say about 40-50 deals). When you play week long tournaments how do you cope with the stress? Please suggest some tips to keep oneself fresh and concentrate on every deal.

 

World Class Ron Klinger offers some advice in his book, improve your bridge memory:

 

1) No liquor for the duration of the tournament- players who believe alcohol does not affect their judgement are only fooling themselves...the effects of alcohol can last for 24 hours

 

2)Avoid eating immediatealy prior to a session- heavy meals play havoc with your ability to concentrate

 

3)try to have plenty of sleep during a major tournament

[Fluffy]

For me what works is:

 

-Have some care about meals (other said enough stuff already)

-Have the most possible sleep, even stay in bed after wake up for a while

 

About the play:

 

-When you count to 9/10 tricks in their game stop thinking of the board and throw whatever.

-Try to disconnect when dummy.

[CSGibson]

I like to:

 

Be well rested going into the event, with multiple days of full sleep beforehand.

Make sure I eat three-four small meals instead of 2 large ones day of the event

Make sure that I get at least one night of sleep after any travel I do to the event (for things that are more than a couple of hours away from my home).

Don't waste energy on postmortems, or asking teammates about results. That can come later if you want to do so.

[Phil]

1. Drink a lot of water.

2. Have a Redbull during the last segment.

3. Stay loose - this might mean chatting during or between boards, or not, but you have to determine what works best for you and your partner.

4. Don't get upset at yourself or your partner for errors. They will happen, and post-morteming is a drain of your resources.

[mikeh]

I like all the advice I saw above, apart from the advice to drink redbull :P

 

The only additional advice I can give is to treat the entire tournament as 'work' rather than as a vacation. It happens that I like my job, and there are a lot of similarities between what I do for a living and bridge, so that helps. But what I mean is that one needs to decide why one is playing.

 

When I started playing in our team trials, I was always on a team that had no realistic chance...and we were thrilled just to be in the event. So we tried to enjoy ourselves....we'd make use of the hospitality suite, we'd go out for dinner with friends and teammates, etc.

 

Then I started playing on teams that had a shot, and with stronger players....Alan Graves helped me a lot with the mental side of things.

 

if your goal is to reach the finals and then to win.....have that as your goal from the outset. You're not there to socialize...you're not there to spend time with friends....you're not there to sightsee during any break in the action.....you're there to play the toughest bridge you know how to play......you can relax and enjoy yourselves after the event....and if you exceed your expectations, which you may well do if you adopt the right mindset, then the emotional reward makes the cost very worth while.

[nige1]

-When you count to 9/10 tricks in their game stop thinking of the board and throw whatever.

-Try to disconnect when dummy.

Agree with this and with...

1. Take care with your health and physical/mental well-being in the run-up to the competition as well as during it. Ensure adequate exercise and sleep. Arrive early. Don't eat much before sessions. Don't drink.
2. Keep your eye on the ball. Don't think about your performance in the championship/session/previous hand/this hand, so far. Focus on your current call or play.
3. Remember partner is on your side. Ignore partner's putative errors. Assume she has done the right thing. Assume she is trying to help you. Help her.
4. Maintain team-morale. Be friendly, appreciative, and supportive. Avoid even the mildest criticism behind their backs: It just cheers up opposing teams who will pass on your views to your team-mates.
5. Husband your efforts. Don't worry too much about extra over/undertricks. Conserve adrenalin for slams, games and doubled contracts. Prevent partner from revoking or leading from the wrong hand but otherwise switch-off, when dummy.
6. Don't let opponents' hassle you. Play at your own rate. If they get stroppy or try to start an argument, don't to try beat them at their own game. They are likely to have more gamesmanship expertise than you. Just call the director to sort out any problem.
7. After a session, don't exhaust yourself analysing all the hands with the crowd. If you noted points/questions during the play, then discuss them with partner but don't pillory her in front of others, not even team-mates. Even if you don't feel sleepy, go to bed, close your eyes, and relax.
8. Don't give up. If you are doing badly, examine your conscience for obvious faults. Have a brief constructive discussion with partner, if the partnership are doing something recognizably wrong that they can correct. Try to keep cheerful and start afresh with a clean sheet. Carpe diem. Accentuate the positive. Latch on to the affirmative.
9. If you're doing well, remember Aesop's fable about the fox, the crow, and the cheese. When asked how you're doing, mumble "so so". Go for a walk, away from the crowd; arrive just before the session-start, to avoid premature congratulations. Leave promptly at the end of the session. Resist the urge to celebrate early.

[zasanya]

Thank you guys.Thank you very much.

[kgr]

I even have concentration problems on the first board of a small tournament. Like I didn't see that partner played the 2 or the 4...(Or if LHO did lead the 2 or the 4, which is important if needing to know distribution later).

This is key to improve my bridge (no use to learn difficult squeezes if I cannot focus). Probably the only way to improve it is working on it: always try to find out the distribution (and points...) of the hidden hands, even if it doesn't matter.

 

But this is contrary to the advice you asked. In a long tournament you probably want to relax when it doesn't matter.

[sartaj1]

Agree with this and with...

1. Take care with your health and physical/mental well-being in the run-up to the competition as well as during it. Ensure adequate exercise and sleep. Don't eat much before sessions. Don't drink.
2. Keep your eye on the ball. Don't think about your performance in the championship/session/previous hand/this hand, so far. Focus on your current call or play.
3. Remember partner is on your side. Ignore partner's putative errors. Assume she has done the right thing. Assume she is trying to help you. Help her.
4. Husband your efforts. Don't worry too much about extra over/undertricks. Conserve adrenalin for slams, games and doubled contracts. Prevent partner from revoking or leading from the wrong hand but otherwise switch-off, when dummy.
5. After a session, don't exhaust yourself analysing all the hands with the crowd. If you noted points/questions during the play, then discuss them with partner but don't pillory her in front of others, not even team-mates. Even if you don't feel sleepy, go to bed, close your eyes, and relax.
6. Don't give up. If you are doing badly, examine your conscience for obvious faults. Have a brief constructive discussion with partner, if the partnership are doing something recognizably wrong that they can correct. Try to keep cheerful and start afresh with a clean sheet. Carpe diem. Accentuate the positive. Latch on to the affirmative.
7. If you're doing well, remember Aesop's fable about the fox, the crow, and the cheese. When asked how you're doing, mumble "so so". Go for a walk, away from the crowd; arrive just before the session-start, to avoid premature congratulations. Leave promptly at the end of the session. Resist the urge to celebrate early.

 

Great post

[y66]

Can't think of anything useful to add except maybe this point by Mike Lawrence which he expands on in his 1991 Bols Tip essay:

 

Most players know that it is important to keep your wits when things go sour. The trick is to recognize when your concentration is failing and to get your thoughts back together.

 

I think that is indeed a useful trick. Not just for bridge either.

[OleBerg]

I even have concentration problems on the first board of a small tournament. Like I didn't see that partner played the 2 or the 4...(Or if LHO did lead the 2 or the 4, which is important if needing to know distribution later).

This is key to improve my bridge (no use to learn difficult squeezes if I cannot focus). Probably the only way to improve it is working on it: always try to find out the distribution (and points...) of the hidden hands, even if it doesn't matter.

 

But this is contrary to the advice you asked. In a long tournament you probably want to relax when it doesn't matter.

 

I've had that problem too.

 

Some solve it by "warming up", by playing something like 4 boards, in a relaxed mode, just before the tournament.

 

I don't do that. I have made this rule for myself. When I've counted my cards (before seing them) on the first hand of a session, I take a pause of 5-10 seconds before looking at them. During this time, I remind myself that now is the time to focus. I have somehow maneged to enable myself to lock out distacting thougths this way, and be sharp (well, as sharp as I can be) for the first board.

 

It works for me, maybe it can work for you too. Or maybe inspire you to find another solution.

[Free]

I've had that problem too.

 

Some solve it by "warming up", by playing something like 4 boards, in a relaxed mode, just before the tournament.

 

I don't do that. I have made this rule for myself. When I've counted my cards (before seing them) on the first hand of a session, I take a pause of 5-10 seconds before looking at them. During this time, I remind myself that now is the time to focus. I have somehow maneged to enable myself to lock out distacting thougths this way, and be sharp (well, as sharp as I can be) for the first board.

 

It works for me, maybe it can work for you too. Or maybe inspire you to find another solution.

Talking to yourself really helps imo. As hard as it may be, just tell yourself "come on, concentrate" or "next", and respond "yes chief". ;)

[gwnn]

how loud?

[gnasher]

I find that it helps to put my underpants on my head and stick two pencils up my nose.

[Fluffy]

We are talking about improving self concentration, not dismisshing opponent's :)

 

For distracting opponents, big boobs is the one that works better against me.

[wyman]

Get a third pair? ;)

 

 

caffeine?

 

 

I find that it helps to put my underpants on my head and stick two pencils up my nose.

 

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