mind block

[SocoNhydro420]

So, heres the deal. I find that playing songs over and over again to practice and try to get better gives what we call "mind blocks", where we simply cannot hit even a simple particular part in a song because our minds have engrained the wrong note pattern (for whatever reason). This doesnt occur much as i dont really play the same song over and over again, but during a tournament its almost a must to try and acheive the best score you can and to whore a song. I know alot of other people get this problem as i see alot of complaining about it on tourney threads. So, im making this thread to get some feedback from anyone who is able to conquer these foul mind blocks that we get. In other words..

-How do YOU deal with your mind blocks?

(Please dont give an obvious answer like "dont play the file for a while" since this isnt really possible for tournaments, and also its a well known idea to combat mind blocks, so lets try to stick to new ideas that we can try and discuss)

[darkshark]

Re: mind block

I screencut on 1x so I'm not really sure if this would work for you, but if there's a part I can't seem to ever get right/blocked on, then a few seconds before it comes to that part in the song, I begin reading the notes from the very bottom of the screen and following them up the screen as they rise, follow the part you have difficulty on and it usually gives your brain enough time to decipher what's actually going on in that section and to act accordingly.

[ddrmaniacaaa]

Re: mind block

dont think i get mind block on certain songs during a tournament as much as it is just the pattern of arrows on particular songs. For instance the left right mini stream at the begining of the Brain of the Moon. For some reason I get a good in this spot almost every time, but can AAA the rest. I think this is where weakness in my game come in, so just have to wait to get better until i fix these scenarios.

When im having trouble in a tournament situation, i play a much harder song or a song with completely different patterns to put my mind off of the song i cant fathom.

OT: ds, you still use screencut? doesnt it lag for you, or is there a way to do this in standalone?

[Patashu]

Re: mind block

I play a different song

if you have a mental blocking personality just don't whore no matter how much you want to

you'll just get worse

and worse

and worse

and worse

and not better

[flashpantss]

Re: mind block

I play a different song

if you have a mental blocking personality just don't whore no matter how much you want to

you'll just get worse

and worse

and worse

and worse

and not better

This.... Pretty much if I keep getting worse, I give up all hope and get frustrated over nothing. Just play another song that you enjoy.

[SocoNhydro420]

Re: mind block

yeah, i do have a mind block mentality, i go from 2 goods on first run, get 3-10 next 50 tries, then get like 193847598132751 goods after that and i give up. My problem is that i whored it so much at one time that the blocks get stuck there for a loong ass time, like weeks. Looks like the advice im getting is to play it a couple times, go play other songs n chill, try it again or two, other songs etc. Sounds like a good plan to prevent mind blocks from happening in the first place, thanks guys im gonna give it a shot.

I came to realize that some mind blocks come from engraiving the note pattern wrong from playing it wrong so many times, but this cant happen if you can almost ace a song first 10 tries then go downhill from there.

I think the second problem lies a little deeper, after playing a song a few times you find a spot in the song you frequently get a good at. So you play the song again and again and know exactly when the part your gonna get a good at is coming, and when it comes your mind starts to panic and screws you up even worse.

So, psycologically speaking, i need to convince my mind not to panic and "over-try" at the part(s).

An interesting method i have tried is using mirror. Since it flips the notes to the other ends it effectively gives your mind a fresh start on the song. Perhaps using this in conjuction with the "alternating songs" approach we can fix already-ingrained blocks. Im going to give it a shot and let you guys know how it goes.

Any other approaches/ideas? Lets keep up the brainstorming

[richyrich55]

Re: mind block

I had a incredibly annoying MB on Divine Suicide of K at the beginning. I think I AAA'd the intro when I first played it and then a while after I tried playing it one day and I just couldn't hit the ****ing arrows no matter how hard I concentrated. Then I stopped playing when FFR went apeshit and I came back to it and now I don't have the block. Just take some time off palying that particular song and come back to it in a week or two or even a month.

[ichliebekase]

Re: mind block

Especially during tournaments, I'll play the song once or twice, then go play a bunch of other songs and see how I fair on songs of similar difficulty. Then I'll go back to the song in question and see what happens. If I do better than before, I'll play it a few more times. If I do worse, I go back to playing a variety of songs, maybe bumping the difficulty of songs that I play. Rinse and repeat. Usually works out pretty well for me, hopefully it can help you too :]

[SocoNhydro420]

Re: mind block

So, i went a played a ton of 11s and 12s for a while then tried my song twice. My PA went from like 15~ with the MB back down to 3-4 like i had when i played it first few times. The method of alternating songs is working amazingly. I also tried the method darkshark mentioned and it also worked pretty decently for dealing with the parts that my mind "panics" on. And for the record, the mirror fixed the parts i "panic" on but i end up totally screwing up fast parts i could nail before because the pattern was changed. Since the tourney round doesnt end till tomorrow night im gonna give ffr a rest in general and see how i fair on it tomorrow.

Great suggestions guys your helpin me out alot with this! I appreciate it.

Ill post tomorrow whether an ffr break overnight helps me get that AAA ;D

[HoneyMelonCalibrator]

Re: mind block

One word: Mirror

[woker-X]

Re: mind block

When i have a mindblock, I concentrate on the right arrow only in that section... For some reason my brain can still read the other arrows and hit them on time... It's weird but it works for me

[DossarLX ODI]

Re: mind block

Mirror can also help.

As for 1x screencutters - how the heck do you manage to even get decent accuracy? I can read but my PA turns to trash

[TC_Halogen]

Re: mind block

I'm not prone to mindblocks, but when they hit me, they hit me pretty hard. I've found that the best way to combat them (and eliminate them) is to screenshot the pattern that is giving me problems, tap them out at a low speed, and then slowly increase the speed until I've gotten it at near normal speed. Works all the time, for me.

[kmay]

Re: mind block

ew everyone writes so much. mental block? play harder songs for a while, go to SM and play some dumps, and stay away from that file for a day.

[SocoNhydro420]

Re: mind block

Well, after my day of rest from ffr i came back to that tricky file ive been beating myself up over. Started off with a few hard songs to warm up, and tried the song a few times with the mirror on. Only took me 3 tries to finally get that damn AAA.

And TC, that sounds like an excellent idea. Next time i get stuck on something im gonna try it out. (and your a lucky SOB that your not prone to mind blocks, i get them on any song if i play it repetitively enough, haha)