The Secret to Success in Dice Control: Empty Your Mind
We have all been there. Some days we can do no wrong. At work, every cold sales-call we make turns in to a hot sale. We have a thought or a feeling, act upon it, and it turns out right. We go to the driving range and every ball we hit goes 250 yards, and straight as an arrow. Wonderful, isn’t it? But why can’t we do this all the time?
I look at dice control as an athletic endeavor. We hear and read about baseball players saying when they hit for the cycle, that today, every pitch looked like a basketball coming to them. They saw the pitch, swung their bat effortlessly, and over the fence it went. In everything we do, the 80/20 rule is there, and in dice control, as in life, the game is 20 percent physical and 80 percent mental. Ask any sports nut who has the best focus in any game and the answer would be Tiger Woods. Yes he has the ability that he honed thru practice, but his ability to focus with his mind at the task at hand is what made him the top golfer in the world. When Tiger shoots he is all right brained.
Our left-brain is the part of the brain where we do our thinking. 2 plus 2 equals 4. In dice control this is the part of the brain that thinks about our fingers being straight on the dice, our grip being light, our 45-degree angle being thrown. Our right brain is the part of the brain where we have emotional thoughts. That great vacation we had that whenever we think about it a smile comes to our face that could light up the world; the thought or feeling that we had that worked out right; or in dice control as in Tiger’s case, where our mind has to be when we release the dice. We have to let our practice take over when we release the dice. Empty your left mind and become totally right brained. Don’t think about angle or grip. You have practiced all this at home, now is the time to just let it rip in a controlled way.
We spend hours at home practicing our technique, but how much time do you practice getting yourself focused or into right brain activity? I know that I am right about dice control being only 20 percent physical, and because that is the case, 80 percent of our time at practice should be on staying in right brain activity. The more right brain you train yourself to be, the better shooter you will become. Your left-brain will only hinder your progress. Of course you must learn the correct technique to be a good shooter, the grip, pickup, and delivery, but you must try to spend 80 percent of your time from just giving lip service to the zone, but to giving it actual practice.
OK, how do we do this? First take a few minutes, and I do mean just a few minutes everyday where you think of nothing. Try to empty your brain of all thoughts and just feel your breath as you take it in and exhale. You will be surprised at how relaxed you will feel. Yes, it does sound like meditation, but I didn’t want to use that word for fear that you will think that this has to be a 30 minute routine. It only has to be for a couple of minutes. At practice take 20 percent of your time and make sure your practice the right techniques, and 80 percent of the time to breath and throw. Use a four step breathing technique. Here is a routine that works for me:
- Breath out as you look at the dice
- Breath in, and think of your safe place, (that vacation that was wonderful or visualize 4/4 for a hard eight)
- Breath out as you set the dice
- Breath in and hold, then just release the dice
You have the secret to success in dice control and in life inside you. Just let it happen. During this 80 percent time forget about technique and empty your mind. Just throw and breathe. Only then, when you have completely emptied your mind and let it flow, will you achieve success in dice control.
You can learn more about Dice Control and read more by Dominator and the other Golden Touch™ Craps instructors at www.GoldenTouchCraps.com, or by calling 1-866-SET-DICE. Dominator will be a featured speaker at Frank Scoblete’s Gamblers Jamboree at Casino Windsor in Canada on May 21 and 22, 2005. For more information call: 1-800-944-0406 or 516-596-0406
