one of the biggest things i've done for my game that has opened up an entirely new world has been reading some sports psychology books. By FAR the best one that i've read so far is
The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey. This book is a short and easy read, you won't put it down because it is very enjoyable. It is a pioneering book in sports psychology and it makes ALOT of sense. It is all those things that people have told you to do, explained in detail and put together. I really encourage you to read it to give yourself perspective on your game.
it is true that practice is by far the most important thing, hitting thousands and thousands of balls to get the muscle memory and learn the techniques... but you need to make sure you are focusing your mind when you practice, and this book tells you how to do that. It illustrates how important it really is. It teaches you how to be realistic with your game, yet still do better than what you thought you could do... it teaches you how to prepare your mind to learn and also how to prepare your mind for competition.. two vastly different things that take vastly different skills.
A quickie breakdown of the concepts behind the book:
There are 2 selves... Self 1 and Self 2 (the conscious and unconscious minds). Self one is literally the voice in your head.. try meditating without thinking a thought or having an inner voice thinking some type of words in your mind. It's nearly impossible to do. Self 2 is the unconscious mind that reacts and allows your body to do what it does. You couldn't possibly walk, type on your cellphone, stroke a cue, etc. if your self 1 was constantly thinking in language what to do in every instant, we couldn't deal with that as human beings. Self 1 should be perfectly quiet when you are shooting the ball and participating in a match. You can have self 1 deliberately think of strategy, but then it must quiet when it is time for action and trust that self 2 is going to get the job done. You can not make judgments on what happens after a shot.. both good and bad. Don't congratulate yourself and don't beat yourself up.
For instance, if you overcut a shot... you shouldn't be thinking "oh, that was bad! don't do that again, because that sucked"... you should be thinking instead "Hmmm, it seems that I overcut the ball and i should readjust my aiming point on those types of shots in the future..." Notice how the first statement did absolutely nothing to prepare you to perform better on the next shot, all it does is prepare you to think about how badly you hit your previous shot the next time you get up to the table. The 2nd statement has your mind visualizing and thinking about the proper way to get things done.
Focus is THE KEY to successful pool, tennis, golf, darts, life... learning how to quiet your conscious mind and act without thinking while staying calm is a difficult but essential thing to do. Many great pros will have just blank looks on their faces, and look as if they aren't thinking of anything at all... as if the pressure doesn't exist. Well, to them it doesn't exist because they have quieted self 1... all of those mental barriers exist within self 1 only. The only barrier that exists within self 2 is your physical barriers, if your body doesn't have the muscle memory and skills it needs to perform, then it's not going to happen. But once that happens, if self 2 is completely in control... you aren't going to miss. This is called being in the zone, everyone has been there.
Another very important point that is made in this book is that no one can force themselves into the zone. Why? Because that would require a conscious effort, which is an act of self 1. You have to tell yourself "Ok let's get in the zone"... well, that automatically precludes from being in the zone. Self 1 cannot force self 2 into doing anything. The great players have either learned techniques to or just naturally get in the zone at higher rates than other people and for longer periods of time. Tiger Woods isn't great because of his physical abilities... it's because he quiets self 1 and his focus is incredible. Same as Jordan, Bryant, Sampras... when they are on the bench you can always see that they aren't looking at a specific thing, just sort of looking off into space... they are simply there without being aware of their surroundings or what is going on.
So, a good way to start practicing this is to do some meditation... practice it and give yourself 10-20 minutes every day, that's all you need and I promise you that it will be very challenging and rewarding. Close your eyes and relax somehow.. sitting or laying down, whatever... and only focus on your breathing. Deep breaths, feel the breathing but don't think about breathing, just feel it. If you want, and while self 1 is involved in this part of meditation it is very insignificantly, you should count your breaths of air.. but if you have ANY other thought creep into your head at all, then you have to start your count over. This is TOUGH! You won't get past 1 or 2 the first session.. you will be thinking about not thinking... that's wrong, you lose! lol.
Here is a link to good meditation technique:
http://www.mro.org/zmm/teachings/meditation.php
And thanks for posting this... just writing this out is helpful for me to continue practicing mental toughness. Seriously, get that book and read it. The book is easy to read and enjoyable, it is like my players bible.. if my mental game seems to be going and I feel lost... i read a couple of chapters and it really helps me. The mental game is something that must be constantly reinforced and practiced.
