Most games that are interesting have so many variables you have to deal with. Pool is certainly this way. It's like a puzzle that you have to sort out. I can see how anybody could get stuck in a rut with this game simply because they didn't sort out the pieces. I suppose some would say that they weren't given all the pieces to the puzzle to begin with. I actually felt this way for a while and even gave up on the game for quite some time. Oh what I wouldn't give to get those lost years back.
I've come around now. At this point, I'm absolutely convinced the only thing that held me back from playing top flight pool was unfortunate timing and me. I got a bit of a late start compared to most truly great players and once improvement stopped happening overnight I quickly got discouraged and believed I just didn't have the natural talent for the game. I’ve now concluded that I was wrong about the natural talent, although those that have seen me play may disagree. Anyway, I finally feel like a decent player. Not great. Just decent.
So what changed my mindset?
One thing about this game that I think is true is it's very easy to get caught up in wanting to become a great player, or even wanting to run out your first rack or multiple ones; Or how about running a certain number of balls in 14.1, or more simply -- how about mastering a particular shot. All of these things are great and I certainly have these sorts of goals myself. But what I've found over the course of the past 5 or so years is all of those things are secondary goals. My ultimate goal centers around me and taking total control over my body and what it's doing. When you get down on the ball and you can feel that you are perfectly aligned from the tip of your big toe on your plant foot all the way up to your shoulder and down to your grip hand and then through the cue stick over to your bridge hand and all the way back up and down the other side of your body -- when you feel this sensation -- this being perfectly aligned and then you get down and thump a ball into the back of the pocket – this is a euphoria that you can’t hardly explain. You just have to experience it. Once you taste this that's what the game becomes about.
Up on the top of the pool playing mountain I get a sense that this is what the game is all about. I’m not to the top of the mountain yet but the closer I get the less this game becomes about the balls and the more it becomes about me and my body. The balls have no choice but to obey my commands when I have my body under total control.
As a kid I can remember everyone always quoting the “Be the ball” line from Caddyshack and at times in pool I think I would actually try to do this. You can think of the mindset I’m describing as exactly the opposite of “Being the ball”. Instead don’t worry so much about the balls and just focus on you.
For those of you that consider yourself to be a great player have you experienced this shift in focus from the balls to the body?
For those of you that have been stuck in a rut have you tried focusing solely on what you are doing at the table and not worrying so much about the balls?
I've come around now. At this point, I'm absolutely convinced the only thing that held me back from playing top flight pool was unfortunate timing and me. I got a bit of a late start compared to most truly great players and once improvement stopped happening overnight I quickly got discouraged and believed I just didn't have the natural talent for the game. I’ve now concluded that I was wrong about the natural talent, although those that have seen me play may disagree. Anyway, I finally feel like a decent player. Not great. Just decent.
So what changed my mindset?
One thing about this game that I think is true is it's very easy to get caught up in wanting to become a great player, or even wanting to run out your first rack or multiple ones; Or how about running a certain number of balls in 14.1, or more simply -- how about mastering a particular shot. All of these things are great and I certainly have these sorts of goals myself. But what I've found over the course of the past 5 or so years is all of those things are secondary goals. My ultimate goal centers around me and taking total control over my body and what it's doing. When you get down on the ball and you can feel that you are perfectly aligned from the tip of your big toe on your plant foot all the way up to your shoulder and down to your grip hand and then through the cue stick over to your bridge hand and all the way back up and down the other side of your body -- when you feel this sensation -- this being perfectly aligned and then you get down and thump a ball into the back of the pocket – this is a euphoria that you can’t hardly explain. You just have to experience it. Once you taste this that's what the game becomes about.
Up on the top of the pool playing mountain I get a sense that this is what the game is all about. I’m not to the top of the mountain yet but the closer I get the less this game becomes about the balls and the more it becomes about me and my body. The balls have no choice but to obey my commands when I have my body under total control.
As a kid I can remember everyone always quoting the “Be the ball” line from Caddyshack and at times in pool I think I would actually try to do this. You can think of the mindset I’m describing as exactly the opposite of “Being the ball”. Instead don’t worry so much about the balls and just focus on you.
For those of you that consider yourself to be a great player have you experienced this shift in focus from the balls to the body?
For those of you that have been stuck in a rut have you tried focusing solely on what you are doing at the table and not worrying so much about the balls?