Topic: Attention time

[Old Meister]

That mental attitude thread was a good one, "Zeek Mullins" really came through with some great stuff as well as all the other foosball professors that added to it. So now let's delve into another good one, your own and your opponents attention time. Let's face it, staring hard at an object for a certain amount of time and your eyes, or their's, wander. This is physical stuff that is also regulated by will and practice.  The human eye sees, more or less, 20 frames per second. That is why we come up with different defensive strategies whether random or race or a hybrid in between. The funny thing about it is how slow 20 frames per second really is in relation to our hand movements. I mean we have free will and with skill can smoothly go any direction we want if we have the where-with-all to know how to do it. So the real question is how to overcome your opponent's reaction time. For some it is so smooth and easy while others who seem to have blazing speed just can't get it done. I have ideas on this but still struggle against higher ranked players so I sure am interested to hear thoughts on this.

[papafoos]

Timing has more importance than blazing speed although it's nice to have both.  Three guys who come to mind are Tom Spear, Tony Turner, and Mark Crowell.  (Am I showing my age?)  I didn't consider any of them blazing fast, but they knew how to time a hole.  Even when I was blocking them well, I never felt comfortable, knowing it was just a matter of time before they would figure me out.

I consider knowing your opponent more important than blazing speed also.  As for attention time, if you're having trouble holding the ball, then executing, try setting up the ball and closing your eyes for 5-7 seconds before you start watching the defense.  Mix that with your occasional 2 second shot.

At my age, my biggest problem other than lack of playing is losing focus and slipping off into a day dream.  That, and setting a bait and then closing it about 2 seconds after the ball has gone past.  Funny thing is...I still think I can play.

Don't lose faith when higher ranked players smoke you.  That's what makes them higher ranked players.

[Old Meister]

It's funny you mentioned that about daydreaming as I found myself doing that last weekend at a tournament. And I can relate to the getting burnt on baiting too, lol. The thing I'm talking about here is how far a move goes before the opponent sees and responds to that move when the move starts without a tell. That visual has to go to the brain and then a decision to move is made and the signal to the muscles is sent. As the one who has the luxury of making the initial move, you have the advantage if you are aware of what your advantage really is. I guess that is why I try not to prime an opponent by making quick moves and fakes before a shot unless I want him to over-react. But the thing that I noticed is how those top dogs react almost in unison with your moves. That is noteworthy as they are human but they seem to have a special ability to stay with those moves. I played Rick Martin at this tournament and was really impressed with his response time and he is around the same age as I am(56). I loved playing him but, yeah, he pretty much owned me.

[tonyfromak]

look up melanation, then forget about it!!!!