Quiet Eye

Are you aware of what your eyes are focusing on right before you’re about to play? Do you look at a certain part of the music, someone in the audience, or even close your eyes?

There's a specific technique that is mainly used in sports, law enforcement, the military, and by surgeons, called “Quiet Eye.” Top performers have been shown to have a “quieter” gaze in the few seconds before performing, meaning that their visual focus is much more still and calm, rather than moving around all over the place. This technique involves pinpointing your focus on a specific spot right before performing a task. Sounds simple, right!?

Our visual focus can give us an indication of what’s going on mentally. If your eyes are doing a lot of moving, then that probably means that your brain is doing a whole lot of thinking too, and this is particularly the case when you're anxious or nervous. As the brain and body speed up you enter into fight-flight-freeze mode, and your eyes go on the lookout for any possible threats around you.

So how do you quieten your gaze?

I've drawn from one example used in golf. As part of a pre-putt routine, a golfer will zone in on one dimple of the golf ball, and alternate to focusing on a particular point of the hole. The final point of focus is a 2-3 second gaze on the ball, followed by the stroke. This routine gives the player a very specific target to aim at (both on the ball and the hole), which leads to an improvement in accuracy. It also takes the mind away from the mechanics of the task, resulting in improved coordination, and a calmer, more focused mental state.

As a musician, you can tailor this example to work with your own performance situation. Start by focusing on a single point on the music, or on a point in the distance, below eye level. Perhaps this could be the first note of the piece, the opening dynamic marking, or a small mark on the back wall?
Then hear the first phrase in your head, whilst maintaining your fixation on your focal point.
Now ready your instrument, and play!

Stilling your gaze helps quieten the internal chatter, giving you the mental clarity to really work out what you want to sound like!
What is the character of the first phrase? What is the tempo? What does your ideal version sound like?
When you have this in your mind you can go for it with much greater mental conviction and confidence.

Do you do something similar to this before your play? If so, please write your experience below and how it works for you!