Shelly Barnes is the House Pro at Corner Pocket in Albuquerque, NM, a BCA-Certified Instructor, and a WPBA Touring Professional. Shelly's past columns are archived here. Visit Shelly's Website at http://www.flash.net/~shelly5/
	Dead Stroke By Shelly Barnes Dead Stroke or The Zone is the state competitors in all sports would like to achieve "at will." Not everyone has been in The Zone and some of those who have probably didn't even realize it. The first time I realized what Dead Stroke meant was in the finals of the 1993 BCA Nationals. After I won, a gentleman from El Paso questioned me about a particular game I had played and I was surprised I couldn't remember it. In fact, I remembered very little of that finals match. It was as if there was nothing but the pool table and me in the whole world. This is not to say you must be in The Zone to perform well. I have won tournaments without being in Dead Stroke but it was not nearly as internally satisfying as being in The Zone, whether I win or not. When I'm in Dead Stroke, results don't matter because I play my best. Many people want to know what is Dead Stroke and how to get into it. For those of you who have experienced it, the feelings and self-awareness are individual to you and your main goal is to find a way to get into The Zone "at will." For those of you who haven't experienced it, I can only try to express how I feel when I'm there. It is more than just playing well or playing smart. It is more than winning a match or winning a tournament. It is another level of consciousness that is so satisfying and fulfilling that the outcome doesn't matter, however, the result is almost always favorable. It is a state of being completely absorbed in my game. There is nothing happening in my world except me, the pool table, and the shot I am executing. Okay, so this sounds simple - just concentrate and you'll be in Dead Stroke, right? Wrong. You don't try to get into The Zone, you allow yourself to get into Dead Stroke by absolute interest, focus and absorption in your pool game. This isn't as easy as it sounds due to various external and/or internal distractions. There will always be external distractions such as other players, loud music, obnoxious spectators, etc. You have no control over external distractions and if you want to play in public, you must learn to deal with these distractions. You do, however, have control over internal distractions such as letting your mind constantly worry about results, negative thinking about unlucky rolls, and over-confidence or underestimation of opponent's ability. The best way to allow yourself to get into The Zone and combat internal distractions is to enjoy what you are doing and learn as you play. We gain experience every time we play and compete, even when we lose. Of course, no one likes to lose and we get frustrated when we lose, especially if we lose due to unforced errors. However, we learn more when we lose than when we win so the challenge is to use this learning to improve our pool game. The Zone is a feeling of complete serenity and confidence in who you are, not what you achieve. Keep playing and competing hard and The Zone will find you!   All copyrights are owned by Shelly Barnes. No duplication is allowed without her permission.