If you haven't heard Tomoharu Saito has won his Fourth Grand Prix title last weekend. I really like Saito as a player and writer. His English articles are good enough that it makes me wish I knew Japanese so I could read his "better" stuff. Saito's victory triggered today's subject. If you have never seen or heard of it Saito sometimes hits himself during games. Lovingly know as the "Saito Slap" it is a Concentration device used by Tomoharu to refocus his energies into the game. Sometimes to the onlooker it may appear that he is doing a self punishment for a misplay but really he is just jolting his system so that he keeps his mental energy in the game. Today I would like to talk with you about ways you can help your concentration.

Find a happy place

I know this sounds cheesy. But Happy Gilmore wasn't wrong. You really need to find a spot where time and distractions don't occur. Testing sessions are best when everything around the testing group is about Magic. Static noise that occurs all around us only serves to take away from our concentration. We've all had times where we were more productive because of the right environment. For some it's a quite place while for others the place includes things that would distract you or me. I've had students tell me they learn and do homework better when listening to the radio and I believe them. I just can't supply that environment at school.

In real life Magic we don't have the opportunity to select our environment. Room noise, table space, chair comfort, and neighbor's hygiene can all effect or play. This is where the "happy place" comes in handy. In Happy Gilmore, Happy is able to visualize his happy place from wherever he may be on the golf course. Then he is able to play his best golf without distractions no matter what the course is doing. Be careful not to get caught up in the fantasy though. Losing the game to a bomb when you had a Cancel in hand and mana open would be bad. Just because your "happy place" has a hot girl in lingerie pouring you a beer is no reason to drop a game.

I do as many things as I can to control the real world game as well. I always tap at 90 degrees. I always have my deck at my left hand. I always draw the same way. Every card in my library faces the same way. The list goes on and on. These things may seem OCD to some people but they help me keep the environment the same so I can be in a "happy place" easier.

Occupy your Physical

"Idol hands are a devil's plaything" is a phrase that I've heard from my Grandma for years. I always thought she meant that when I had nothing to do I would find a way to get into trouble. While that was true and she did a great job loading me down with chores it also applies to concentration. When your body is at rest your mind becomes more active. If you have nothing going on in your immediate vicinity then your mind will wonder about. While your opponent is thinking about his next play your mind starts to think about things outside the game. Idle thoughts like "did I turn of my TV", "is more car door unlocked", "I need to pick up some milk on the way home" are all things that can cause you to lose concentration and therefore the game.

In this realm there are many things you can do to occupy yourself. The most annoying is the card shuffle. Not shuffling your deck which would be illegal but your hand. You've seen this player before I am sure. He sits there and moves each card from back to front of his hand. Most do it in rapid succession so fast that you know there is no way there looking at the cards. I used to think that this was just a way to wear down sleeves faster but it isn't. By making their hands do this menial task they actually are creating a barrier to distractions. Their minds have to think about the cards as the juggle them around and that helps stimulate the brain to stay in the game.

As I mentioned I find this annoying to play against and it actually helps me to focus as well since the never ending sound becomes the center of my attention. In fact one of my most common play mistakes is not anticipating what my opponents have in hand. This habit of theirs gets me to think about what they may have. Also many players who do this create a "poker tell". The speed that they course through their hand can indicate how good their hand is. Also, what happens when they have one or no cards in hand? Their brain now has no focal point so it will wonder off easier than before.

What I like to do is arrange and sort. When I fell myself wondering I will often rearrange my cards. Sometimes I arrange them by mana cost, sometimes by relevance to the game, or even just a rarity or value sort. It really doesn't matter. It just gives me something to do. Other times I will reach to the side and grab some dice that I use for counters. I have multiple colors so I can sort them all kinds of ways. This also serves a secondary purpose of distracting my opponents. They begin to think of what cards that I may have in hand that use counters even when I have none in the deck. I DO NOT however roll these dice in any way. That is a disruption to the game environment and an annoyance to the players around you.

Create a Trigger

You remember basic Psychology from High School. Pavlov's dog should ring a bell. If you don't remember the idea is the brain works on triggers. Pavlov would go and feed his lab dogs but when he did he would ring a bell. After multiple occasions of ring bell = food the dogs began to salivate at just the sound of the bell. The brains started using the trigger of the bell to stimulate food responses in the body. You can do the same in your game.

The Saito slap is a great example. Saito has given himself a controllable self induced trigger. When he feels the sting of the slap his mind automatically focuses on the task in hand. I don't know Saito personally but I would be interested to know if he only does the slap with Magic or does he do it for any time he feels the need to concentrate. If he starts feeling drowsy behind the wheel does the slap occur or is it just time to grab a Red Bull. Also what happens if he gets a little fresh with the ladies? Does the slap received for untoward advances make him think about Magic? If that is the case then his first thought may very well be "What a Phage!"

I've known people to use many triggers. I remember watching Mark McGuire during his homerun case with Sammy Sosa. At every at bat McGuire squeezes his eyes closed and then opens them full out at least five or six times in most cases. He felt that this stimulated his eyes so that they could focus on the pitch. While that may be true they also served as a concentration trigger. You can see many other athletes doing this as well. Basketball players at the foul line, kickers in football, and golfers at the tee box all establish "routines" that help them to concentrate on the task at hand.

You can create your own of course. I read an article from a guy who puts his hands up like Horse blinders. Every time he does this it reminds him to only focus on what's in front of him. You could also hold your hands up like you're holding a pair of Binoculars. This would make you think to look at the details better. I like to take my thumb and middle finger and pinch the bridge of my nose. Kind of like I'm grabbing a pair of glasses like Steve Martin invented in the movie "The Jerk".

Utilize everything

See the world around you. There are so many things that we control that we just let exist. When you start alloying things that you control go pretty soon you lose all control. Everything that is your decision is just that. Make sure that you are taking advantage of everything around you.

You can't control how fast you opponent plays but you can make your play is at a tempo you like. When announcing and resolving a spell it is up to you how and when it happens. How do you keep track of life? In your head, on a dice, on paper or with some other means, it's up to you. Where do you place your deck? Where do Enchantments go? Do you tap before playing the spell or after? It's all up to you. Remember and exert control over as many things as you possibly can. The more things that your brain has to think about deciding the more it will work on the task in front of you.

See it for the first time or the last time

I used to have a poster of Farrah Fawcett in my room. My brother left it when he moved out and I got his room. When I first moved in I loved that poster. But over time it became just part of the room that cover a hole where my brother had punched the sheet rock. Seeing the poster became common place and my concentration lapsed. But when I finally moved out and I realized that I was probably never going to see that poster again I once again realized how hot she was. (Not to mention the subliminal message in her hair).

When you're midgame in Magic you should occasionally detach yourself and try to look at it as a spectator would from over your shoulder. This fresh perspective of seeing the game state for the first time can stimulate your concentration level. Or if you test a lot try to remember the last time you saw this situation and remember the way the game transpired. Just try to keep yourself fresh and on task.

F – O – C – U – S

As some of you may have noticed the main thing is Concentration is to focus. However you chose to do it. Just make sure it gets done.

That's the class for today. I am glad our classroom has Air Conditioning. It's hot outside.

Class Dismissed.