Clean Run - May 2012 - 60

Performance anxiety causes you to have a narrow internal focus, and results in you missing important relevant cues. The tendency is to monitor your performance and try to do everything perfectly. This results in everything being done in slow controlled processing, left brain analytical mode (such as “Where should I put this front cross?”) and leaves no attention available for the important information you need to be processing (such as, “Where is my dog looking? Is he thinking of going in that off-course tunnel?”—the famous paralysis by analysis complex).

Improving Your Skills
First of all, practice enough so that the basic skills such as a front cross, rear cross, and so on are absolutely automatic, so you don’t need to think about how or where to execute them. It’s like cleaning up the garage so that you have more space to work.

lutely anything, like a coffee cup sitting in front of you. For 10 seconds, focus on a point on that cup that is so tiny that the entire cup seems to fill your vision. Nothing enters your mind but that point on that cup. If an interfering thought drifts into your head, simply erase it and refocus on the cup. When you are able to successfully focus on the cup for 10 seconds, stretch it to 15 seconds, then 20 until you can concentrate on the point on the cup for a full minute. As you get better at it, you will realize that you aren’t noticing things happening around you, your whole world becomes the cup. This is one way you filter out distractions, by focusing narrowly on one thing. For those of you who have ever tried meditation, this will sound familiar. Try the same exercise on different objects. Then try watching an agility video and see if you can watch where the dog is looking for the entire video, watch his eyes only. Then watch the video again, focusing on a different aspect.

Broad Focus
Now do the same exercise with the cup, starting again with 10 seconds, but soften your vision to see everything in your field of vision without losing the cup as your focus point. Work up to 60 seconds where no thoughts interfere, but you see the big picture involving the cup. Watch the same agility video you watched in the previous exercise but watch with a broad focus, taking in general flow and path. For you iPhone lovers, there is an app called Focus Up, which is a fun focus game that forces you into broad focus to find the ever-changing numbers.

Thought Control
Staying focused is key, and as Yoda said so well in Star Wars, “Control, control, you must learn control.” When you get distracted, you must immediately focus back on what you do want to focus on, as opposed to not focusing on the distraction. The

Narrow Focus
Practice focusing on something for a short period of time. It can be abso-

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Clean Run - May 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - May 2012

Clean Run - May 2012
Contents
Editorializing: Our Best Agility Moment
Tip of the Month
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Agility…
Backyard Dogs
Embrace Your Dog’s “Inner Naughty” to Build Tug Drive
Building Blocks: Building Value for Jumps and Teaching Sends
From Hoof to Woof: What Riders Can Teach Handlers
Teaching the Weave Poles
Power Paws Drills: New Fun Drills with Letter H
Formula for Success
Analyze This! Judge Thomas Ammitzbøll
Review: Rubberizing Contacts
What’s in Your Toolbox?
Agility Mind Gym: Focus and Distractions
Tips for Purchasing a Supplement
Centered Dog Agility: A Closer Look at Reeducating Mind and Body
How to Become an Agility Judge
The Agility Road Less Traveled: Competing with Shy Dogs
Four Handling Tools for Obstacle Discrimination
Clean Run - May 2012 - Clean Run - May 2012
Clean Run - May 2012 - 2
Clean Run - May 2012 - Contents
Clean Run - May 2012 - 4
Clean Run - May 2012 - Editorializing: Our Best Agility Moment
Clean Run - May 2012 - Tip of the Month
Clean Run - May 2012 - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Agility…
Clean Run - May 2012 - Backyard Dogs
Clean Run - May 2012 - 9
Clean Run - May 2012 - 10
Clean Run - May 2012 - Embrace Your Dog’s “Inner Naughty” to Build Tug Drive
Clean Run - May 2012 - 12
Clean Run - May 2012 - 13
Clean Run - May 2012 - 14
Clean Run - May 2012 - 15
Clean Run - May 2012 - 16
Clean Run - May 2012 - 17
Clean Run - May 2012 - Building Blocks: Building Value for Jumps and Teaching Sends
Clean Run - May 2012 - 19
Clean Run - May 2012 - 20
Clean Run - May 2012 - 21
Clean Run - May 2012 - 22
Clean Run - May 2012 - From Hoof to Woof: What Riders Can Teach Handlers
Clean Run - May 2012 - 24
Clean Run - May 2012 - 25
Clean Run - May 2012 - Teaching the Weave Poles
Clean Run - May 2012 - 27
Clean Run - May 2012 - 28
Clean Run - May 2012 - 29
Clean Run - May 2012 - Power Paws Drills: New Fun Drills with Letter H
Clean Run - May 2012 - 31
Clean Run - May 2012 - 32
Clean Run - May 2012 - Formula for Success
Clean Run - May 2012 - 34
Clean Run - May 2012 - 35
Clean Run - May 2012 - 36
Clean Run - May 2012 - 37
Clean Run - May 2012 - 38
Clean Run - May 2012 - Analyze This! Judge Thomas Ammitzbøll
Clean Run - May 2012 - 40
Clean Run - May 2012 - 41
Clean Run - May 2012 - 42
Clean Run - May 2012 - 43
Clean Run - May 2012 - 44
Clean Run - May 2012 - Review: Rubberizing Contacts
Clean Run - May 2012 - 46
Clean Run - May 2012 - 47
Clean Run - May 2012 - 48
Clean Run - May 2012 - 49
Clean Run - May 2012 - 50
Clean Run - May 2012 - 51
Clean Run - May 2012 - 52
Clean Run - May 2012 - What’s in Your Toolbox?
Clean Run - May 2012 - 54
Clean Run - May 2012 - 55
Clean Run - May 2012 - 56
Clean Run - May 2012 - 57
Clean Run - May 2012 - 58
Clean Run - May 2012 - Agility Mind Gym: Focus and Distractions
Clean Run - May 2012 - 60
Clean Run - May 2012 - 61
Clean Run - May 2012 - 62
Clean Run - May 2012 - Tips for Purchasing a Supplement
Clean Run - May 2012 - 64
Clean Run - May 2012 - Centered Dog Agility: A Closer Look at Reeducating Mind and Body
Clean Run - May 2012 - 66
Clean Run - May 2012 - 67
Clean Run - May 2012 - 68
Clean Run - May 2012 - 69
Clean Run - May 2012 - How to Become an Agility Judge
Clean Run - May 2012 - 71
Clean Run - May 2012 - 72
Clean Run - May 2012 - The Agility Road Less Traveled: Competing with Shy Dogs
Clean Run - May 2012 - 74
Clean Run - May 2012 - 75
Clean Run - May 2012 - 76
Clean Run - May 2012 - 77
Clean Run - May 2012 - Four Handling Tools for Obstacle Discrimination
Clean Run - May 2012 - 79
Clean Run - May 2012 - 80
Clean Run - May 2012 - 81
Clean Run - May 2012 - 82
Clean Run - May 2012 - 83
Clean Run - May 2012 - 84
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