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    The SOFT TOUCH 

        

Your Dice Monkey Is Speaking ........ Are You Listening?

Negative thinking creeps up on us when we least expect it, effecting our performance at the craps table. 
 
Most good shooters will admit that when our mind starts to "chatter" - our focus is disturbed and our game goes south.  That good roll we thought we were having has gotten away from us again.
 
During our last DiceBusters workshop, I brought up the concept of addressing this chatter - this negativity that sometimes enters our heads as we shoot the dice. I called this chatter "Monkey Speak" - others like to call it "Lizard Brain." In either case, this concept has to do with the fact that while we are shooting at the tables, there is a little monkey that sits on our shoulders that likes to spew negativity at us.
 
 If we are going to stay engaged in the game in a positive way, we each have to acknowledge the little negative "Monkey" sitting on our shoulder - he has a way of spewing endless drivel in our heads to disrupt our game
 
"You can't possibly shoot another 7 on the come out."
"You were just lucky with that throw."
"That big stack of chips is in my way."
"Where's that waitress, I'm thirsty."
"You cannot possibly keep shooting this well."
 
 The list can go on and on, but I think you get the idea.
 
We are good shooters, but have to acknowledge and address this negativity if we want to stay in the game.    Once we acknowledge the existence of this "chatter", we can reset our focus and not let the monkey will get the better of us or derail us from our game.
 
How do we address this little critter with what it wants?  Feed it. 
 
Acknowledging that he exists is a good start. Obviously, it would not be grabbing your focus if it were not "hungry." A deep breath of air may be enough for your little critter. You could also say to the little beast, "Yeah, I know you're there. Listen, I am rolling the dice right now. And, I am going to do it in spite of what you spew at me." The idea is to connect with the "something" that is distracting you and address it.
 
It's up to us as individual players to discover what our little "Monkey" needs to eat. Simply verbalizing negative thoughts and feelings will help to dispel the chatter. Once fed, we can go back to achieving our immediate goal, which is achieving an extended roll at the table.
  
Many of you have heard me say that when I am shooting at the table with the Dice Coach, he will sometimes call his bets off in the middle of my roll.  Admittedly, I get a bit irked by that action.  He is obviously seeing something at the table that is an indicator, something that tells him my roll may be over. 
 
Sometimes he is right and sometimes he is wrong -but when this happens my little Monkey starts to chatter, "uh oh."
 
I acknowledge this distraction by placing the dice back on the table surface and moving away from the table slightly.  I take a long deep belly breath and pat my imaginary Monkey on the head and say - "everything is fine in spite of his bets being called off,"
 
I find that the next roll is a favorable one - and it brings a smile to my face when I notice Dice Coach turn his bets back on. He must have seen my shoulder Monkey "taking a nap."
 
That is one way I get past the distraction. The point is, my Monkey forced me to identify "something" that could have detracted from my goal at hand and I had to connect with it to put it to rest.
 
Most players will acknowledge that there is a mind/body connection when it comes to how successful we can be while rolling the dice.
 
This "Monkey Concept" is just one way of perceiving the negativity that goes on in our head.
 
It is up to us to decide how to best "feed" it.



Have a great playing year.
Soft Touch

Sports do not build character. They reveal it. - Heywood Hale Brolin -

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