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Hydro, I saw your apology and I posted back but I can't find it now. I just wanted to let you know that I appreciated it and I truly hope you don't think that about me. :)

One competitive athlete asked us once't,

Continuing the thoughts I've been having relating [my sport] to your musings on chess, martial arts, and baseball (of course), wondering if you've got any reading suggestions you might be willing or able to toss my way? I'm looking for stuff on mental preparedness/toughness, that type of thing.

One great book on this is "A Mind for POOL - How to Master the Mental Game," by Phillip B. Capelle. Whether you want to play pool, play tennis, put in a good afternoon's work, give a good public speech, solve marital performance issues LOL, push up the 12th rep in the bench press, or enjoy a stage play that you take your girl to … pool players probably study "The Zone" more than anybody else. Capelle is a top-flight tournament pool player who has given DECADES of thought to the issue we're going to put one post on … . === Defining (sic, Describing) The Zone === "When a pool player falls into dead stroke, playing exceptional pool becomes about as difficult as eating corn flakes. Here are the first 19 synonyms that come to mind in defining dead stroke…"

You're unconscious On top of your game You can't miss You're in the flow You're on a roll You're on auto-pilot You're free-wheeling You're in the groove … The game is easy You're playing by feel alone It's instinctual You're firing on all cylinders You're in the zone The cue is part of you You feel the magic You've completely let go

Cappelle notes, "one of the beauties of dead stroke is that it causes the pressure of playing big time pool to completely melt away." (BTW, that's Jeanette Lee, the "Black Widow," one of the top women's players.) . === What Causes Dead Stroke === Capelle reduces the search to just two elements (!!), in terms of grand strategy. Your best stroking action. Capelle points out that the first thing you need is a "swing" that is better than usual that day. The perfect mechanics are the first part of giving yourself the best chance to pocket a ball. The feel of the cue is a positive reinforcer, I would add. The nice feel of a great swing / stroke is a starting point. Self-confidence. Of course, but … how do you promote it? With a pre-stroke routine that is automatic and that relieves stress. Think Nomar — most hitters have something comparable (but that take a few minutes less before each swing…). Foul shooters bounce the ball the same number of times … Steve Nash does a golf-style pre-swing. Karl Malone had a mantra… Ichiro has his shirt tug, etc… That's it. Capelle says, Great Stroke + Total Confidence = Dead Stroke. . === Tactical Suggestions === Capelle gives 10 suggestions for finding The Zone:

1. FORGET mechanics — try playing solely on trust and feel. (Can work when you're wrapped around the axle - jemanji) 2. Take a lesson from an instructor you LIKE. Eliminating one glaring fault could send you instantly into dead stroke. 3. Practice stroking the cue ball only on center axis (no English - jemanji). (The equivalent would be a baseball hitter driving the ball up the middle, or a basketball shooter limiting himself to closer shots.) 4. Play on a table you love. (Set up your environment so you enjoy the play.) 5. (Open bridge … a billiards-specific tip) 6. Play faster. (See thread on de-caf for Jo-el.) 7. Practice simple straight-in shots to get better feel for your stroke. (See #3 above. Set easier goals, that you will actually achieve, to build confidence.) 8. Sit in your favorite easy chair and visualize yourself playing perfectly. 9. Find a stroke key (this gives you something positive on which to focus your attention). Cf. Ichiro focusing on the tension in his knees. 10. (Make sure your cue tip is in top condition — oil your glove like Ichiro - jemanji.)

. === You Just Gotta LOVE It, Dept. === On these particular pages (131-135) Capelle did not mention explicitly the three things most emphasized by the Russians and by Tim Gallwey:

1) Make sure you're getting instant feedback - the net swishing, the ball landing inside the baseline, etc. (Capelle hits on this on page 149.) 2) Have an open-ended spiral of slight improvement that captures your attention. 3) Forget about forcing results and engross yourself in the process.

The common theme in this, is to set up an environment that absorbs you in the process of improving. This is the easiest path to total concentration. It also creates an enjoyable session. "Liking" what you do is an absolute must if you want to get into The Zone. . === The Local Ballclub, Dept. === The belief that you can WIN — not "be competitive," slap me silly, but WIN — is of course an absolute. Capelle says on pages 166-167,

"Pool is a game of intimidation. When you feel that you are a lesser player than your opponent, then your game is primed for a fall. Your opponent's reputation or your losses in any previous encounters may have you feeling nervous and unsure before a match has even begun. Already your confidence is starting to slip. Intimidation can also set in before a match. This can result from your opponent's excellent play and/or you being off your game. Stir into the pot a few bad rolls and you have the ingredients for a disaster. The capper arrives in that moment when you mentally conced the match to your opponent. …your confidence is shot. You are now just going through the motions. You've given up … I was once astonished to hear a friend tell me he hoped his opponent — who was a lesser player — would run out, so he wouldn't have to miss again. This collapse occurred … by a player who has run over 100 balls on numerous occasions. Capelle continues, "Pool players have a not-too-flattering way of describing when a player has mentally given up … he caves in, he has 'broken down'."

Breaking down is a bad habit." Or, as Bobby Fischer put it, "I like to crush my opponent's ego. I like to see them slump and their chest collapse and to watch them squirm the rest of the game." ============== Losing sports franchises have kidded themselves that the players on the field don't really need to believe that they are the favorites to win the division. They are wrong. Every sports contest whatever has a bully and a customer. A baseball sabermetrician once flippantly denied clutch performance in sports: "Which major leaguers are clutch performers? All of them." Yeah, amigo, just like pool players. They wouldn't be there if they didn't perform in the clutch sometimes. But some athletes, like Roger Clemens, produce The Zone practically at will. The job of the front office is to find the elusive formula that produces it for an entire ballclub. Cheers, jemanji

Maybe if Daedelus or Four Tet had a predilection for acoustic guitar and harmonies, it would sound the way Vignetting the Compost. Or maybe if Leo Kottke was really into electronics, he cold make this record.

I suppose that’s hyperbole, Bibio isn’t as good at guitar as Kottke or adept at production as Four Tet, but wherever the meeting ground is between those two points, that’s where this release sits.

There really isn’t a great deal of info on this guy – just a brief review here and the obligatory press release from Mush Records.

Despite the fact that this disc counts as Bibio’s third (the two previous efforts are also on Mush), the sense of wonderment and enthusiasm seems as strong and virile as if it were his first outing. That’s the hallmark of a great musician though. And listening to this disc, one gets the sense that even without a label behind this guy, he’d still be cranking out music.

The tunes that he churns out do touch on the aforementioned IDM production and Takoma style guitar. But he sings too. Not exactly the high points of the disc, but the vocals fit well enough not to detract from the overall affect. There are birds chirping, looped record crackles and various nature sounds to contend with. Somehow Bibio is able to draw them altogether on each track in some different way. It’s similar in a lot of ways to Colleen or even Lori Scacco. But either way, Vignetting the Compost comes highly recommended for relaxing, going to sleep or feeling good on a lazy day.

Tracklisting: 01. Flesh Rots, Pip Sown 02. Mr. & Mrs. Compost 03. Everglad Everglade 04. Dopplerton 05. Great Are The Piths 06. Odd Paws 07. Under The Pier 08. Weekend Wildfire 09. The Clothesline And The Silver Birch 10. Torn Under The Window Light 11. The Ephemeral Bluebell 12. Over The Far And Hills Away 13. Amongst The Bark And Fungus 14. Top Soil 15. Thatched 16. The Garden Shelter