The Talent Code
- Thread starter chefjeff
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Bought the book. Stared at the balls for ten minutes today and didn't get any better. I must be doing it wrong.
Tried it on my wife as well, she wasn't amused.
You're not supposed to stare at your own balls. Doing so will eventually make you a dick head.:thumbup:
Jeff Livingston
Dang JB, got a pretty good sense of humor.
There is one main factor that really influence that final outcome of anything and this one factor is an unknown and you can't not control it.
This factor is the person or people involved. It is not logical to assume,(sorry, watched Star Trek movie series yesterday) that the same results can be made for all people. That all people think, reason, act, react, have the same motivations and so on the same. If they did, then certain topics would not start a firestorm.
It may say that all men are created equal in the Constitution, but in real life, this is not true.
I do not understand how the value of a person has been so dismissed in doing. More and more, there appears to be a effort to take the person out of the equation when it is only the person that makes the equation work.
"To become a champion requires a condition of readiness that causes the individual to approach with pleasure even the most tedious practice session. The more "ready" the person is to respond to a stimulus, the more satisfaction he finds in the response, and the more "unready" he is, the more annoying he finds it to be forced to act." Bruce Lee Tao of Jeet Kune Do
There is one main factor that really influence that final outcome of anything and this one factor is an unknown and you can't not control it.
This factor is the person or people involved. It is not logical to assume,(sorry, watched Star Trek movie series yesterday) that the same results can be made for all people. That all people think, reason, act, react, have the same motivations and so on the same. If they did, then certain topics would not start a firestorm.
It may say that all men are created equal in the Constitution, but in real life, this is not true.
I do not understand how the value of a person has been so dismissed in doing. More and more, there appears to be a effort to take the person out of the equation when it is only the person that makes the equation work.
"To become a champion requires a condition of readiness that causes the individual to approach with pleasure even the most tedious practice session. The more "ready" the person is to respond to a stimulus, the more satisfaction he finds in the response, and the more "unready" he is, the more annoying he finds it to be forced to act." Bruce Lee Tao of Jeet Kune Do
Jeff...LMAO! That is just too d*mn funny! :thumbup: I think it was on another forum, but there was a forum member (CCB) who went by the 'nom de plume' of Richard Head! He was a great guy, so naturally we all called him Dick! LOL
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
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Been reading the book and I will say this so far; If we would all read this book I firmly believe that we could be united. The fact is that the HAMB crowd is right as is the SYSTEMS crowd. Both things are required to excel. Not exclusive to each other but in tandem.
SYSTEMS require thought and research and trial to develop them. Once developed then they require sensual application to absorb them.
I have newfound appreciation for the subconscious now since reading this book because I can see the subconscious as that part of us that functions on autopilot because we built the fiber-optic lines to support the computing power needed to function automatically.
So I can NOW accept that systems get you close and repetition gets you perfect.
I consider Hal Houle to be a great coach. Someone who didn't accept the status quo and figured out a new way to approach one aspect of the game. His way challenges the student to throw away old conceptions and try out something new. The table is the same, the balls are the same, the holes don't move. Only the approach is different, uncomfortable, "out-there", disputed, controversial, and so by trying it you can't relax in the known, you have to just do it. It's not up for debate as to whether it works or how it works, just do it and see if it works. Does it force you to reach and adapt and form new ways of seeing and feeling the shot?
Halfway through the Talent Code my answer is yes.
Trust me, I mastered being a dickhead long ago. I have had lots of deep practice sessions getting to be world class.
Now I need to go the other way.
JB I think this is very much spot on.... I look at systems like a filing cabinet.. They keep information organized and readily accessible in my head.... They get me close but I have to have done the work to execute and apply them....
I just completed reading “The Talent Code” by Daniel Coyle.
The author describes the learning process on the neuroscience level, mental level, motivational level and physical level. It was written with language that is easy to understand with real life examples and scientific studies to back up his findings.
This book should be on the top of anyone’s reading list that wishes to learn how to “learn” more efficiently. If you have young kids, I would recommend this book to help you help them in their development. The formation of a proper learning process is essential for learning any skill.
Some of the posters in this thread have come close to the points the author is trying to make. He does make reference to the adage, “It takes 10,000 hours or ten years of practice to become highly proficient at a complex skill”. The info in this book should help reduce the time it takes to become proficient. But, it’s all up to you.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that many of the practice skills and techniques pushed by SPF and BCA certified instructors were highlighted in this book. Many famous coaches and instructors in various fields had incorporated these same techniques in their teaching to become successful. In fact, the techniques came from the coaches. He incorporated a chapter covering instruction on how implement these principles when teaching.
The information on the production of myelin in the brain as it pertains to the aging process was worth the price of the book. I found the scientific study data fascinating.
The author describes the learning process on the neuroscience level, mental level, motivational level and physical level. It was written with language that is easy to understand with real life examples and scientific studies to back up his findings.
This book should be on the top of anyone’s reading list that wishes to learn how to “learn” more efficiently. If you have young kids, I would recommend this book to help you help them in their development. The formation of a proper learning process is essential for learning any skill.
Some of the posters in this thread have come close to the points the author is trying to make. He does make reference to the adage, “It takes 10,000 hours or ten years of practice to become highly proficient at a complex skill”. The info in this book should help reduce the time it takes to become proficient. But, it’s all up to you.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that many of the practice skills and techniques pushed by SPF and BCA certified instructors were highlighted in this book. Many famous coaches and instructors in various fields had incorporated these same techniques in their teaching to become successful. In fact, the techniques came from the coaches. He incorporated a chapter covering instruction on how implement these principles when teaching.
The information on the production of myelin in the brain as it pertains to the aging process was worth the price of the book. I found the scientific study data fascinating.
Thanks for the good book report.
You get an A and can move up to the front of the class.
Jeff Livingston
Thanks for the good book report.
You get an A and can move up to the front of the class.
Jeff Livingston
Now I can get back to the four letter words.:grin:
Also an important part of the myelin information is that myelin production slows down as we age. So this perhaps is one of the reasons why it's tougher for older people to master skills that "seem" to come easily to younger people.
You know that middle aged guy who never seems to get "better"? Could partly be because he is not practicing the right way but also because his brain isn't making the connections strong and fast.
I think that this could be an explanation for the disconnect between KNOWING what to do and being able to actually do it. Intellectually we can certainly acquire knowledge but physically if we can't create the right pathways in the brain then we will struggle.
And also I believe that this is also something that can go the WRONG way for a person. I.e. when someone focuses on internet arguing for example then that builds the myelin wrappers around the neuron pathways and makes that person "stronger and faster" at jumping on talking points and driving their points home. And the better they get at it (or better that they THINK they are) the more they want to do it because success creates dopamine which makes you feel good.
So it's quite possible that nature provides all the drugs we need inside our little heads but we don't yet know how to train ourselves to produce the drugs to keep us happy and productive. Some people get lucky and everything comes together for them to be that way and others don't have the right combination of social and chemical environment to get there.
There have been a lot of studies that indicate that a lot of mental illness can be cured without drugs by using the right type of "training" to get people to reprogram their brains.
I think that the next 20-50 years will bring about a sea change in how we view ourselves from the inside. When we begin to really understand our own physiology and neuro-chemistry and how much control we have over it then it's possible that we will produce children where what we think of as "genius" level intelligence and "world-class talent" today will be average in the future.
Imagine a world where we are free from social oppression in all forms and thus free to really develop our mental and physical abilities. That's what I got out of the book.
Also I want to share something.
Several months ago I decided to really work on my stroke. I had always had an erratic stroke but it was passable enough for me to play at a decent level. But it had gotten progessively worse with infrequent play. To the point that when I did go to a tournament or out to gamble my toughest opponent was my physically inconsistent stroke. Luckily I have an aiming method that pulls me through a lot of the time, but then I also miss routine shots because of the bad stroke.
So I went to a coach. A VERY good one here.
He gave me some great lessons which were very simple but effective and then had me shoot until my arm was about to fall off. The point is that he didn't do any magic. He simply got me back to basics BUT with some insight of his own that's NOT found in most books I have read on the subject of stroking. This combined with the focused practice immediately improved my stroke tremendously. THEN while watching videos of great players I started to see what he was talking about with his insights on when to hold the cue a certain way. Something I never would have noticed on my own.
You know that middle aged guy who never seems to get "better"? Could partly be because he is not practicing the right way but also because his brain isn't making the connections strong and fast.
I think that this could be an explanation for the disconnect between KNOWING what to do and being able to actually do it. Intellectually we can certainly acquire knowledge but physically if we can't create the right pathways in the brain then we will struggle.
And also I believe that this is also something that can go the WRONG way for a person. I.e. when someone focuses on internet arguing for example then that builds the myelin wrappers around the neuron pathways and makes that person "stronger and faster" at jumping on talking points and driving their points home. And the better they get at it (or better that they THINK they are) the more they want to do it because success creates dopamine which makes you feel good.
So it's quite possible that nature provides all the drugs we need inside our little heads but we don't yet know how to train ourselves to produce the drugs to keep us happy and productive. Some people get lucky and everything comes together for them to be that way and others don't have the right combination of social and chemical environment to get there.
There have been a lot of studies that indicate that a lot of mental illness can be cured without drugs by using the right type of "training" to get people to reprogram their brains.
I think that the next 20-50 years will bring about a sea change in how we view ourselves from the inside. When we begin to really understand our own physiology and neuro-chemistry and how much control we have over it then it's possible that we will produce children where what we think of as "genius" level intelligence and "world-class talent" today will be average in the future.
Imagine a world where we are free from social oppression in all forms and thus free to really develop our mental and physical abilities. That's what I got out of the book.
Also I want to share something.
Several months ago I decided to really work on my stroke. I had always had an erratic stroke but it was passable enough for me to play at a decent level. But it had gotten progessively worse with infrequent play. To the point that when I did go to a tournament or out to gamble my toughest opponent was my physically inconsistent stroke. Luckily I have an aiming method that pulls me through a lot of the time, but then I also miss routine shots because of the bad stroke.
So I went to a coach. A VERY good one here.
He gave me some great lessons which were very simple but effective and then had me shoot until my arm was about to fall off. The point is that he didn't do any magic. He simply got me back to basics BUT with some insight of his own that's NOT found in most books I have read on the subject of stroking. This combined with the focused practice immediately improved my stroke tremendously. THEN while watching videos of great players I started to see what he was talking about with his insights on when to hold the cue a certain way. Something I never would have noticed on my own.
great post, interesting read and very appropriate to this forum. I can just imagine how my practice sessions will change if i follow this and how much better they might be.
Two other great books, relevant to The Talent Code, are Talent Is Overrated by Geoffrey Colvin, and How We Decide, by Johah Lehrer.
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
DRW...Just fyi, it can be found quite inexpensively as a used book on www.amazon.com.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...books&field-keywords=+the+talent+code&x=0&y=0
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...books&field-keywords=+the+talent+code&x=0&y=0
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
And what if what the instructor teaches you is bad for you as an individual player?
I mean: look at all the styles and setups of play out there. How do you know that what you are teaching any given player is the best route for them, personally? How do you know they are not a Cliff Joyner bent bridge arm; or Keither side arm; or Greenleaf side swarp; or Daulton side of the face; or Ortman spear stabber; or, Fischer snooker player ala cum pool player; or Steve Cook up right style; or Buddy Hall down low, kinda a guy?
You don't.
The player will still need to find their own path. Some will be blessed and bound up the mountain. Others will toil. That's just he way it is -- you will still need to hit a million balls, spend 10,00 hours -- Tiger, Mozart, Bobby Fischer all did it. Think they didn't have coaching?
Lou Figueroa
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