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Thought patterns ...
- By sparkle84
- Main Forum
- 196 Replies
Idk if this helps, but the only thinking I do when I approach the table is to observe the lay of the balls and decide on how to run them. Then I drop and fire. The only time this process gets interrupted is if I blow shape or some other bizzare thing happens to change the initial plan.
I'm not thinking about it while shooting. I let my 'experience' move the cue, for want of a better word.
All that being said, that type of hyper focus becomes more difficult as time passes. No problem when younger.
Now I get headaches.
Makes it harder to stay in flow. Take what you can use and leave the rest.
This is an excellent post. It's pretty much what all good, experienced players do. As it relates to Doug, the OP, it's way more difficult because of lesser experience. He'll take more time to analyze and decide a course of action. Nothing wrong with that. During the course of the run he may need to make more frequent and maybe larger adjustments than you. Again, no problem there.
He can't avoid that but one thing that happens is more time elapses and that allows more doubt and overthinking to creep in. I'm not sure how he gets past this but I suspect speeding up his play, even if uncomfortable, may help. In practice and in competition.
One thing I advise beginner/intermediate players to do involves drills. I completely disagree with doing drills where you just make the same shot over and over again. Always include a position component.
You want to do the mighty x thing or some other long straight ins, fine, but keep it to a minimum.
Another little gem for Doug to consider. Sometimes it's best just to say fk it and hit balls. Trust the subconscious. At first it may seem nothing's happening but that will change fairly quickly. What's the worst that can happen?
Have you ever known any players who played really good with the heavy (mud) cue ball, that you see on so many Valley coin op tables?
- By ShootingArts
- Main Forum
- 99 Replies
I've had friends chased down the free way. I was like, "This shit really happens?"
I was coming from New Orleans way on the expressway in Baton Rouge. A carload of men in hot pursuit as they say in the movies. I don't recall why they were so pissed but they were trying to run me off the road so we weren't playing at over seventy miles an hour.
I wanted some room in the curves and I didn't want them to see where I got off the sled so I put the pedal to the metal about government street. Another mile or so to the big S curves by the governor's mansion.
They were in a faster car than the family car with a 289 I was driving. A 64 or 65 Fairlane, all in and a bit more it topped out at 115MPH. They would have spun me at 115 if they could have caught me but when I got to the S curve I didn't lift. The car cocked sideways and took a bite, with a bit of drift! I usually restricted myself to a little over seventy through there.
I would have bet against the Fairlane making it through there at 115MPH but it did it with that bit of tire squeal that says you are on the ragged edge of adhesion but still good.
I don't know how interesting things are today but back then it was interesting enough that I hid my vehicle, backed it in facing the highway, or both!
Hu
