Don't you at some point realize the doubt is lying? I mean like obviously you have enough pool memorized to keep you occupied. At least you should or you'd never win.
The longest I have lived solely from pool is about six months maybe a few more and then it wasn't full time on the road. I would hit the road from a few days to a few weeks then come in, pay my bills, and go make another lap.
The only road partner I had that could play would forget he was married as soon as he left his front door. He had a 38 revolver and a 30-30 deer rifle at home and his wife could shoot both of them! I always remembered the innocent bystanders were the first ones killed so I got shy of taking him on the road.
A couple more friends were six-four or five and both toting a lot of muscle so while they couldn't play pool it made it a lot easier for me to bend over and play in amongst a bunch of strangers a few states away!
There were a few road players coming to me. Some got organized and were swapping paper on the local players so I had a double handful coming to me, better than chasing the road myself. I was a pretty solid shortstop and homefield advantage evened things up nicely, especially since I was a believer in homefield advantage.
I knew a few I played but after The Color of Money came out everybody thought they were a hustler and so many lied about names that I didn't pay them any mind. I bought several businesses including a 24hour wrecker service running emergency police calls along with personal calls in the late eighties. Had to have too much equipment on my wrecker to park it outside pool halls and I had to cut way back on pool. Too, married life came along and I never figured nightlife and marriage went together.
If the internet would have been active back then I would have probably tried to make a living at pool before becoming a horse owner and then a father came along!
I'm in the same boat. Chronic over thinker at the table. I can never shut it down and it frustrates the crap out of me. Almost always think negative thoughts, which I know is terrible. Not much helps.
You bring up an interesting point few seldom realize, that “voice” we all have in our head, the “inner critic”, is almost always negative. He never takes a day off. If you want to play this game to the best of your ability, you have to understand HOW to shut it up.
When you’re at the table, you don’t need to think. Many will argue that’s impossible as you have to make decisions about shot selection or safety from where the balls lay as you come to the table. It’s about coming to the understanding that you can do this without that voice.
Start “seeing” the various choices, then “see” what you want to do, in excruciating detail. The key is visualizing, not having a conversation in “words” with that voice about it. Your subconscious mind, the one that performs every physical action acts on images, pictures, video if you will, not on words. It takes some time and practice, you can do it away from the table as well in meditation. After a while you just learn to “see video clips” in your mind of your shot and safety options instead of a conversation.
Just show a clear picture to your subconscious without the conversation. It’s like a muscle that gets stronger when you utilize it. In time the voice recedes into the silence.
2012 model Predator Roadline with 314-3 shaft in unbelievable shape. Beautiful rengas wood in to maple with sharp veneered points.
Has a few small bumps in the butt, nothing through the finish and unnoticable to the naked eye.
Shaft is in great condition. A little wear in the clear coat on the collar which is typical of these shafts.
I'm just taking a shot in the dark here. Have you ever thought about the earbud/music option. I've never done it, never will, I need to hear the ball contact, etc. And I think the main reason people use it is to block out noise/distraction. Who knows, might help.
Sans that, I like WobblyStrokes thought. Or, if you have to think of something, think of the microdot on the CB you're trying to hit.
Or go with the girl in post 13 but that may lead to miscues.
IT would depend on your goals. I used to use the music thing to great effect, but too many tournaments don't allow them. I would try to find something that can work in any situation. If you're just trying to maintain proper focus during practice or playing occasional opponents, then earbuds and music should be fine and definitely work.
I don't know for sure what they're selling. The same Chinese companies that make parts for new Gold Crowns could also be making cheap knock offs. That's how they roll over there.
Cheap TV's and appliances that maybe last a year! I hear this all over. Only buy Japanese made (the best) or Korean!
I know better than to declare victory prematurely but this is promising.
I tweaked my footwork a tiny bit. Most misses were CB left, so I closed by stance a little. That worked well in some tester shots. It felt pretty comfortable. So I ….
I tried going back to a very consistent cadence, amounting to “trust the process.”
Stand behind the shot.
Place back foot just inside the shot line (toes near the line).
Step in with front foot slightly more straight than I had been doing.
Get down.
Here’s the cadence part:
1 Address the CB.
2 Eye pattern back and forth between CB and OB to confirm aim and alignment.
3 Two practice strokes with cue drawn back as far as the shot would need.
4 Two shorter feathers.
5 Pause at CB address. Eyes CB then OB.
6 Backstroke, ever so short natural pause at backstroke.
7 Fire.
I tried the Mighty X to see how many in a row I could get. I got to 22 with almost all shots landing the CB within a ball width of where the OB was. Many shots I got dead stop, no spin.
I had replaced thoughts of shot execution with thinking about this cadence and rhythm.
On the 23rd shot I missed, a thought of shot execution (“Where is my shoulder?”) crept in right at the backstroke. Because my thoughts wondered, I skipped step 4. And I missed. Shoulda stood up.
