Another observation: PSR

[Patrick Johnson]

The focus should be on the visualization of the shot, not on micromanaging the mechanics or performance of your machine.

There is a time and place for micromanaging, just not during a match. It can be an essential part of learning and practice.

pj
chgo

 

[BC21]

There is a time and place for micromanaging, just not during a match. It can be an essential part of learning and practice.

pj
chgo

Exactly, deliberate conscious effort is 100% needed for learning and developing skills. But eventually those skills get paved into the subconscious.

The quality of our performance then becomes less about deliberate concious effort and more about the dance between conscious awareness and subconscious action.

 

[WobblyStroke]

The PSR does not have to be "robotic". In fact, it should be free-flowing, fluid and consistent. Simply treat every shot the same. Too much rigid focus on body mechanics can definitely take your mind off the shot itself.

Think of it like this: Your body is a machine that performs a cueing function (the stroke). The mechanics of that performance should be automatic, more subconscious than conscious. All you have to do for each shot is visualize what needs to happen, then place your body in the correct position so that it can perform. The focus should be on the visualization of the shot, not on micromanaging the mechanics or performance of your machine.

Brilliant. And what so many get so wrong. Ima elaborate on the 3 bolded points below....bc, u know, slow work day lol.

1. Think of a golfer, even on putts, moving all over the place with tiny steps and weight shifts, and of course, the waggle of the club on bigger swings. This fine tuning of their stance gets them into the same correct position but also allows them to remain in motion rather than become static. Being static and tight is no way to prepare for fluid movement....even a simple one like a pool stroke. My PSR, as an example, is based on movements that achieve certain relationships between body parts, these relationships then make the positions/feels I prefer in my stroke more likely to occur as I try to make my shot. But the shot is the focus, not how I will stand, grip, and swing, to make it.

3. In the field of Motor Learning and Motor Control, there have been many studies on what produces the best results for learners, and hands down winner is external focus (on target or what you want to happen). Focusing on your intended result hands over the reigns to your subconscious mind which can compute so much more than we are consciously able to. Remember, the prefrontal cortex, where thought in language happens, developed in animals millions of years after the deep parts of the brain that govern movement. So the body will actually perform movement better with the conscious mind out of the way.

2. The hands down loser for learners in these studies was internal focus on what their body parts need to do in order to produce a desired result. By focusing on telling your body parts what to do, you make that the intention and the goal will be to make this specific body move rather than the body move required to get the result you intended. Back to the brain, while the prefrontal cortex doesn't ever need to be involved in governing movement, it does have CEO-esque veto power and your conscious thinking will override what the body would have done without your meddling. So, if you want to hit a certain shot and your arm already knows how to hit it, by focusing on the shot, the body does what it needs to in order to make the shot. BUT if you now make sure to tell your arm to behave in a certain consciously chosen sequence, it will perform that sequence regardless of whether it will produce the shot you want.

 

[FranCrimi]

Brilliant. And what so many get so wrong. Ima elaborate on the 3 bolded points below....bc, u know, slow work day lol.

1. Think of a golfer, even on putts, moving all over the place with tiny steps and weight shifts, and of course, the waggle of the club on bigger swings. This fine tuning of their stance gets them into the same correct position but also allows them to remain in motion rather than become static. Being static and tight is no way to prepare for fluid movement....even a simple one like a pool stroke. My PSR, as an example, is based on movements that achieve certain relationships between body parts, these relationships then make the positions/feels I prefer in my stroke more likely to occur as I try to make my shot. But the shot is the focus, not how I will stand, grip, and swing, to make it.

3. In the field of Motor Learning and Motor Control, there have been many studies on what produces the best results for learners, and hands down winner is external focus (on target or what you want to happen). Focusing on your intended result hands over the reigns to your subconscious mind which can compute so much more than we are consciously able to. Remember, the prefrontal cortex, where thought in language happens, developed in animals millions of years after the deep parts of the brain that govern movement. So the body will actually perform movement better with the conscious mind out of the way.

2. The hands down loser for learners in these studies was internal focus on what their body parts need to do in order to produce a desired result. By focusing on telling your body parts what to do, you make that the intention and the goal will be to make this specific body move rather than the body move required to get the result you intended. Back to the brain, while the prefrontal cortex doesn't ever need to be involved in governing movement, it does have CEO-esque veto power and your conscious thinking will override what the body would have done without your meddling. So, if you want to hit a certain shot and your arm already knows how to hit it, by focusing on the shot, the body does what it needs to in order to make the shot. BUT if you now make sure to tell your arm to behave in a certain consciously chosen sequence, it will perform that sequence regardless of whether it will produce the shot you want.

Great post --- And I have found in my teaching experience that the reason why some players tend to focus more internally than externally comes down to one particular personality trait --- Confidence.

Confidence is too often mistakenly equated with skill level, with beginners having less confidence than advanced players, but that's not true at all. It's a personality trait that determines how a person will proceed to learn something. The more confident the personality, the more likely the person is to focus externally, regardless of skill level. This is something I discovered in decades of working with players.

Players who have a less confident personality type can also reach advanced levels of proficiency, but in their journey along the way, they will have to face certain things and overcome them, like the need to control every little movement or aspect of their game.

As instructors, we must not just assess a person's game and address the physicality of it. We must also determine their personality type and level of confidence in order for us to be able to help them to improve.

 

[poolnut7879]

How about working on different rhythms when in a slump? Especially at the practice table. Maybe speed up your play just to change things up a bit. In all sports some adjustment needs to be made to get that feeling of comfortability back. No change equals same results. If you can get the same result without making a change fundamentally then clearly it is a mental issue. At that point maybe your just having a bad day. Attitude goes a long way just not easy to overcome.

 

[Coos Cues]

We simply don't perform our best every single time we play. But the good news is we don't perform our worst every time either. And the more consistent we become, the less extreme our ups and downs become.

This reminded me of Mike Page's observations using his data on this

 

[dquarasr]

Brilliant. And what so many get so wrong. Ima elaborate on the 3 bolded points below....bc, u know, slow work day lol.

2. The hands down loser for learners in these studies was internal focus on what their body parts need to do in order to produce a desired result. By focusing on telling your body parts what to do, you make that the intention and the goal will be to make this specific body move rather than the body move required to get the result you intended. Back to the brain, while the prefrontal cortex doesn't ever need to be involved in governing movement, it does have CEO-esque veto power and your conscious thinking will override what the body would have done without your meddling. So, if you want to hit a certain shot and your arm already knows how to hit it, by focusing on the shot, the body does what it needs to in order to make the shot. BUT if you now make sure to tell your arm to behave in a certain consciously chosen sequence, it will perform that sequence regardless of whether it will produce the shot you want.

I just received my copy of "Pleasures of Small Motions" (revised second edition) by Bob Fancher, PhD. I hope to resolve this dilemma:

How can I remove conscious, deliberate thoughts on mechanics, while still avoiding the problems in my stroke delivery?

Examples:
- If I don't consciously place my feet, I tend to step too far right and too far back.
- If I don't very deliberately remind myself to keep my elbow up and my shoulder quiet, I invariably drop my elbow, which usually causes me to miss right.
- If I don't consciously think about my grip, keeping my thumb pointed down, and feel the weight of the cue on my pinkie, I tend to pull my wrist toward my body, which causes my stroke to move in an arcing path.
- If I don't consciously ensure my face is square to the shot and look at the CB and the OB in the center of the parallax views, I tend to have my face pointed to the right, and then my alignment and stroke is off.

Do I need to think about these things for now, until they are embedded in muscle memory? If not, how do I make these things automatic so I may stop thinking about them? When I've tried NOT thinking about these things, these problems creep back in after 15-20 minutes of play.

I'm only on chapter 2 of the book. Feel free to comment. Thanks.

 

[bbb]

i am not an instructor
you (Dqasar) are at stage 3
given more time and proper practice you will move to stage 4
interested on feedback to this theory of learning

 

[FranCrimi]

I just received my copy of "Pleasures of Small Motions" (revised second edition) by Bob Fancher, PhD. I hope to resolve this dilemma:

How can I remove conscious, deliberate thoughts on mechanics, while still avoiding the problems in my stroke delivery?

Examples:
- If I don't consciously place my feet, I tend to step too far right and too far back.
- If I don't very deliberately remind myself to keep my elbow up and my shoulder quiet, I invariably drop my elbow, which usually causes me to miss right.
- If I don't consciously think about my grip, keeping my thumb pointed down, and feel the weight of the cue on my pinkie, I tend to pull my wrist toward my body, which causes my stroke to move in an arcing path.
- If I don't consciously ensure my face is square to the shot and look at the CB and the OB in the center of the parallax views, I tend to have my face pointed to the right, and then my alignment and stroke is off.

Do I need to think about these things for now, until they are embedded in muscle memory? If not, how do I make these things automatic so I may stop thinking about them? When I've tried NOT thinking about these things, these problems creep back in after 15-20 minutes of play.

I'm only on chapter 2 of the book. Feel free to comment. Thanks.

This is very good work. You've done your homework and have found your issues. Most players give up before getting this far. So now what's next? The thought of fixing them all at once must feel overwhelming.

If you were coming to me for lessons and you brought me this list, the first thing I would do is to look for the common thread. They're not individual problems. They're connected. Somewhere along the line, they started out as compensations and then became errors.

So what's the common thread? Why the compensations? It's your stance, or various stances you've used over the years. So now, this should become your priority. Get this right before everything else. The position of your body relative to the line of the shot is key to correcting your other issues. Things like the angle of your body in relation to the line of the shot --- your weight distribution --- how much of your body covers the line --- how far you stand from the table --- etc.

Think of your stance as your baseline, and everything else revolves around it. Get it right and suddenly it'll feel better to not twist your grip. It will be easier to train yourself to do it naturally. You'll be able to place your head more consistently with less effort. And so-on...

If you treat them as individual issues, or try to fix them all at once, your subconscious mind isn't going to get with the program and you'll keep reverting back. But do it in the right order by setting up a consistent baseline by prioritizing your stance, and BAM! Everything will start to fall into place. Training your subconscious mind will be so much easier. I went through it myself as a player, and this is how I teach, and it works.

I know Bob Fancher. He's a very nice guy, and smart, and he will tell you how your mind works. But we also have to understand how the game of pool works.

 

[bbb]

Brilliant. And what so many get so wrong. Ima elaborate on the 3 bolded points below....bc, u know, slow work day lol.

1. Think of a golfer, even on putts, moving all over the place with tiny steps and weight shifts, and of course, the waggle of the club on bigger swings. This fine tuning of their stance gets them into the same correct position but also allows them to remain in motion rather than become static. Being static and tight is no way to prepare for fluid movement....even a simple one like a pool stroke. My PSR, as an example, is based on movements that achieve certain relationships between body parts, these relationships then make the positions/feels I prefer in my stroke more likely to occur as I try to make my shot. But the shot is the focus, not how I will stand, grip, and swing, to make it.

3. In the field of Motor Learning and Motor Control, there have been many studies on what produces the best results for learners, and hands down winner is external focus (on target or what you want to happen). Focusing on your intended result hands over the reigns to your subconscious mind which can compute so much more than we are consciously able to. Remember, the prefrontal cortex, where thought in language happens, developed in animals millions of years after the deep parts of the brain that govern movement. So the body will actually perform movement better with the conscious mind out of the way.

2. The hands down loser for learners in these studies was internal focus on what their body parts need to do in order to produce a desired result. By focusing on telling your body parts what to do, you make that the intention and the goal will be to make this specific body move rather than the body move required to get the result you intended. Back to the brain, while the prefrontal cortex doesn't ever need to be involved in governing movement, it does have CEO-esque veto power and your conscious thinking will override what the body would have done without your meddling. So, if you want to hit a certain shot and your arm already knows how to hit it, by focusing on the shot, the body does what it needs to in order to make the shot. BUT if you now make sure to tell your arm to behave in a certain consciously chosen sequence, it will perform that sequence regardless of whether it will produce the shot you want.

bounce -hit approach to learning tennis the tim galloway way

 

[BC21]

I just received my copy of "Pleasures of Small Motions" (revised second edition) by Bob Fancher, PhD. I hope to resolve this dilemma:

How can I remove conscious, deliberate thoughts on mechanics, while still avoiding the problems in my stroke delivery?

Examples:
- If I don't consciously place my feet, I tend to step too far right and too far back.
- If I don't very deliberately remind myself to keep my elbow up and my shoulder quiet, I invariably drop my elbow, which usually causes me to miss right.
- If I don't consciously think about my grip, keeping my thumb pointed down, and feel the weight of the cue on my pinkie, I tend to pull my wrist toward my body, which causes my stroke to move in an arcing path.
- If I don't consciously ensure my face is square to the shot and look at the CB and the OB in the center of the parallax views, I tend to have my face pointed to the right, and then my alignment and stroke is off.

Do I need to think about these things for now, until they are embedded in muscle memory? If not, how do I make these things automatic so I may stop thinking about them? When I've tried NOT thinking about these things, these problems creep back in after 15-20 minutes of play.

I'm only on chapter 2 of the book. Feel free to comment. Thanks.

That's a great book choice to improve your mental game. However, to get the most out of it, you need to have good physical skills, solid and consistent fundamentals.

When you read or hear someone say that we perform best when minimal conscious effort is used, the underlying assumption is that our primary trouble is with the mental element of the game, not the physical elements (stance, alignment, grip, stroke, etc...)

Conscious effort is 100% required for skill development. It's absolutely necessary to use as much conscious effort as possible when developing or working on the physical fundamentals of the game.

Once the physical part of the game is learned, and a certain degree of consistent body mechanics is developed, the conscious mind automatically hands this stuff over to the subconscious. This frees up the conscious mind, allowing it to manage our performance, rather than control it. And that's the key to performing our best as often as possible.

 

[boogieman]

I just received my copy of "Pleasures of Small Motions" (revised second edition) by Bob Fancher, PhD. I hope to resolve this dilemma:

How can I remove conscious, deliberate thoughts on mechanics, while still avoiding the problems in my stroke delivery?

Examples:
- If I don't consciously place my feet, I tend to step too far right and too far back.
- If I don't very deliberately remind myself to keep my elbow up and my shoulder quiet, I invariably drop my elbow, which usually causes me to miss right.
- If I don't consciously think about my grip, keeping my thumb pointed down, and feel the weight of the cue on my pinkie, I tend to pull my wrist toward my body, which causes my stroke to move in an arcing path.
- If I don't consciously ensure my face is square to the shot and look at the CB and the OB in the center of the parallax views, I tend to have my face pointed to the right, and then my alignment and stroke is off.

Do I need to think about these things for now, until they are embedded in muscle memory? If not, how do I make these things automatic so I may stop thinking about them? When I've tried NOT thinking about these things, these problems creep back in after 15-20 minutes of play.

I'm only on chapter 2 of the book. Feel free to comment. Thanks.

I am not an instructor. I've went through similar. I think for a while you have to consciously do the above until muscle memory is built up. It will vary for everyone but at some point it will require less conscious thought.

IMO conscious thought must become feel. The last time you were in dead stroke, were you thinking about anything, of did it feel like you were in a dream? When the conscious mind is quiet your subconscious already knows how to play. This is such a strange game!

At some point I think consciously doing the things will become a hindrance, thought I have an inkling it varies for each individual. For me I have to just do the setup with no conscious thought if I want to play at my top "gear." Only you know your personal makeup. You know your physical and mental limitations and you must figure out how you play best. Work at sharpening your strengths and work on turning your liabilities into assets. An instructor who knows many player types may be able to help tune you in to your personal game.

Basically I'll plan out the "run" or "puzzle" before shooting. To be honest this annoys me as I just want to run balls. It's an oxymoron though because to run balls you have to do some planning. Some players plan instantly, others take 30 seconds or more. It's your turn at the table, there is no rush, take your turn and don't worry about rushing. It feels good to survey your table, and on your turn, it's yours. Enjoy it. I might have to plan once or twice on some racks, others 3 or 4 times a rack. I see the shot then get down on it without really changing the shot picture.

In the last couple weeks I've discovered something. It might just be a distraction but it shuts my head up real nice. I basically want to feel the shot. I want to feel the cue ball begin to take a natural roll before it touches the OB. This can be not just a follow shot, draw or whatever. I want the CB to take a really natural path after touching the OB.

I'm not talking aiming either. Aiming is done, the stroke is grooved and I just want to feel that CB take a pretty natural vector. That CB can look beautiful and I want that on every shot. The balls pocket easier when the CB feels perfect. Think the feeling when the scissors start to glide through wrapping paper. That feeling. That shiver running through your spine. Call me a weirdo but I crave that feeling and want to feel it on each shot. That perfect stroke and that pretty CB is where it's at.

My practice strokes tune out any waver on my stroke. If the stroke doesn't feel good, something is off. Might be my bridge hand, grip hand, or alignment. Generally it's good but if it feels off you have to get back up, look at the shot and get back down again. Your practice strokes should feel perfect. The stick should feel natural and good in your hand. Well balanced, reliable. Stroking straight. Flop that sucker around in your grip hand if it doesn't. Get it to balance like how you see those old timey dousing rod guys float a stick. The stick should almost feel like it's floating, a guided missile. With the stick feeling that good there's no way you can miss. Doubt is eliminated from your mind through feeling. You can trust feel, you can't trust thought.

Air strokes work. You're calibrating. Let those who don't understand them mock, but they calibrate your moving parts while aiming and thinking. They also can keep your conscious mind somewhat restrained. Your cue is tuned to your body while standing, you trust the balance. Less thinking more feeling. Feel the pretty CB.

 

[Tennesseejoe]

i am not an instructor
you (Dqasar) are at stage 3
given more time and proper practice you will move to stage 4
interested on feedback to this theory of learning
View attachment 669689

The difficulty is staying in the UC mode when in a pressure situation. We overthink and revert back to the CC mode. Think of walking on a 2 x 4 board...it's easy on the ground but put it 50 feet in the air.

 

[dquarasr]

This is very good work. You've done your homework and have found your issues. Most players give up before getting this far. So now what's next? The thought of fixing them all at once must feel overwhelming.

If you were coming to me for lessons and you brought me this list, the first thing I would do is to look for the common thread. They're not individual problems. They're connected. Somewhere along the line, they started out as compensations and then became errors.

So what's the common thread? Why the compensations? It's your stance, or various stances you've used over the years. So now, this should become your priority. Get this right before everything else. The position of your body relative to the line of the shot is key to correcting your other issues. Things like the angle of your body in relation to the line of the shot --- your weight distribution --- how much of your body covers the line --- how far you stand from the table --- etc.

Think of your stance as your baseline, and everything else revolves around it. Get it right and suddenly it'll feel better to not twist your grip. It will be easier to train yourself to do it naturally. You'll be able to place your head more consistently with less effort. And so-on...

If you treat them as individual issues, or try to fix them all at once, your subconscious mind isn't going to get with the program and you'll keep reverting back. But do it in the right order by setting up a consistent baseline by prioritizing your stance, and BAM! Everything will start to fall into place. Training your subconscious mind will be so much easier. I went through it myself as a player, and this is how I teach, and it works.

I know Bob Fancher. He's a very nice guy, and smart, and he will tell you how your mind works. But we also have to understand how the game of pool works.

Thank you for the compliment. Yes, sometimes it does feel overwhelming.

You are onto something, Fran.

The common thread is indeed the stance. I've noticed that I can improve performance if I start a session with rolling the diagonal long shot in, focusing on stance. When I get it right, it simply "feels right". I know it. I can feel it. I roll the shots until I am comfortable I can follow the CB into the pocket after the OB. Then I try stop shots. When I am comfortable hitting a little harder and can make the CB stop with little to no spin, I know I'm warmed up and dialed in.

I've also noticed that my challenge is transferring this feeling to other shots on the table. I am learning to get this "good alignment" feeling on all shots. With cut shots where I have few obstacles to get down on the shot (no balls in the way of my bridge, not jacked up, not stretched out to reach a shot), I sometimes have trouble feeling comfortable getting on the shot line. I suppose this is a trust issue. I need to trust that my aim is correct and I'm aligned along the shot line as if it is a straight-in shot.

I also have a larger challenge when I need to shoot over a ball, or if I have to jack up, or have to stretch. I am learning to have that same confident feeling on all shots, not just those that are ideal for stance, foot placement, and bridge placement.

That's a great book choice to improve your mental game. However, to get the most out of it, you need to have good physical skills, solid and consistent fundamentals.

When you read or hear someone say that we perform best when minimal conscious effort is used, the underlying assumption is that our primary trouble is with the mental element of the game, not the physical elements (stance, alignment, grip, stroke, etc...)

Conscious effort is 100% required for skill development. It's absolutely necessary to use as much conscious effort as possible when developing or working on the physical fundamentals of the game.

Once the physical part of the game is learned, and a certain degree of consistent body mechanics is developed, the conscious mind automatically hands this stuff over to the subconscious. This frees up the conscious mind, allowing it to manage our performance, rather than control it. And that's the key to performing our best as often as possible.

I am not an instructor. I've went through similar. I think for a while you have to consciously do the above until muscle memory is built up. It will vary for everyone but at some point it will require less conscious thought.

IMO conscious thought must become feel. The last time you were in dead stroke, were you thinking about anything, of did it feel like you were in a dream? When the conscious mind is quiet your subconscious already knows how to play. This is such a strange game!

At some point I think consciously doing the things will become a hindrance, thought I have an inkling it varies for each individual. For me I have to just do the setup with no conscious thought if I want to play at my top "gear." Only you know your personal makeup. You know your physical and mental limitations and you must figure out how you play best. Work at sharpening your strengths and work on turning your liabilities into assets. An instructor who knows many player types may be able to help tune you in to your personal game.

Basically I'll plan out the "run" or "puzzle" before shooting. To be honest this annoys me as I just want to run balls. It's an oxymoron though because to run balls you have to do some planning. Some players plan instantly, others take 30 seconds or more. It's your turn at the table, there is no rush, take your turn and don't worry about rushing. It feels good to survey your table, and on your turn, it's yours. Enjoy it. I might have to plan once or twice on some racks, others 3 or 4 times a rack. I see the shot then get down on it without really changing the shot picture.

In the last couple weeks I've discovered something. It might just be a distraction but it shuts my head up real nice. I basically want to feel the shot. I want to feel the cue ball begin to take a natural roll before it touches the OB. This can be not just a follow shot, draw or whatever. I want the CB to take a really natural path after touching the OB.

I'm not talking aiming either. Aiming is done, the stroke is grooved and I just want to feel that CB take a pretty natural vector. That CB can look beautiful and I want that on every shot. The balls pocket easier when the CB feels perfect. Think the feeling when the scissors start to glide through wrapping paper. That feeling. That shiver running through your spine. Call me a weirdo but I crave that feeling and want to feel it on each shot. That perfect stroke and that pretty CB is where it's at.

My practice strokes tune out any waver on my stroke. If the stroke doesn't feel good, something is off. Might be my bridge hand, grip hand, or alignment. Generally it's good but if it feels off you have to get back up, look at the shot and get back down again. Your practice strokes should feel perfect. The stick should feel natural and good in your hand. Well balanced, reliable. Stroking straight. Flop that sucker around in your grip hand if it doesn't. Get it to balance like how you see those old timey dousing rod guys float a stick. The stick should almost feel like it's floating, a guided missile. With the stick feeling that good there's no way you can miss. Doubt is eliminated from your mind through feeling. You can trust feel, you can't trust thought.

Air strokes work. You're calibrating. Let those who don't understand them mock, but they calibrate your moving parts while aiming and thinking. They also can keep your conscious mind somewhat restrained. Your cue is tuned to your body while standing, you trust the balance. Less thinking more feeling. Feel the pretty CB.

I used to bowl. I had one afternoon, in a county tournament, no less, where I was "in the zone". I had been "in the zone" for portions of games before, and after, but never for an entire afternoon. I shot 245-259-300 for a 3-game 804 series. Eight hundred series were pretty hard to come by in the early 90s, before science and technology made bowling balls do most of the work (reactive resin, weight blocks to overcome any oil pattern). I did this series with a urethane ball, not a reactive resin ball. This one afternoon, all I consciously thought about was ensuring my follow through was strong. Everything else, pushaway, backswing, wrist position and release, foot timing, simply happened. After the first two games, I KNEW and predicted to my doubles partner that I was going to roll the third game as a 300. And that's what I did.

So I know what that feeling is. I've only come close to that feeling during pool. I'd love to be able to be at unconscious competence, but so far, not quite there.

I continue to work on it. I've experienced a few nights and sessions where I've come pretty close. I sorta know how to get that feeling but I cannot summon it at will. That's when I have to go back to thinking about my stroke flaws, and avoiding them. Many times this conscious thought grooves my stroke, and I can stop thinking about it, but more often it never comes and I play merely OK. Other times it comes back and I play above pay grade.

 

[boogieman]

So I know what that feeling is. I've only come close to that feeling during pool. I'd love to be able to be at unconscious competence, but so far, not quite there.

I continue to work on it. I've experienced a few nights and sessions where I've come pretty close. I sorta know how to get that feeling but I cannot summon it at will. That's when I have to go back to thinking about my stroke flaws, and avoiding them. Many times this conscious thought grooves my stroke, and I can stop thinking about it, but more often it never comes and I play merely OK. Other times it comes back and I play above pay grade.

The funny thing about flow/dead stroke/the zone is that it isn't always predicable when or if it will come. As we improve and play more pool it starts to happen more often. Basically "the more I practice the luckier I get" type of situation. Some nights we catch a gear, others we don't. Pool is kind of like fishing, even a bad day fishing beats being at work.

As we go up levels we still have good and bad nights, but the average will be better than our previous average. It's such a strange game. I find when I start to figure things out and think I'm starting to understand the game there's whole new layers that I didn't even know existed before. I have quite a lot of pool knowledge but on the journey to improve I often realize that I really don't know S###.

You're on the right path though, grooving in good fundamentals sounds like just what you need now. It may change in the future, it's a journey and even the pros still focus on refining fundamentals. "Mastering" the game comes with ebbs and flows and they are much more enjoyable if you're having fun with the process.

 

[Dan White]

As we go up levels we still have good and bad nights, but the average will be better than our previous average. It's such a strange game. I find when I start to figure things out and think I'm starting to understand the game there's whole new layers that I didn't even know existed before. I have quite a lot of pool knowledge but on the journey to improve I often realize that I really don't know S###.

I learned awhile back that table conditions are far more important than I had realized. When the balls are new and clean, and especially when the cloth is new or in great shape, everything is easier. I think playing on slightly worn-in conditions is good training that forces you to sharpen your skills.

 

[FranCrimi]

The old saying goes pool is 90% mental. The thing is, when your "mental" isn't correct it can make your stroke go to crap. Thinking too much can destroy your game and stroke.

Generally in league I start my first game very tentative and usually lose it. Worrying about perfection and not losing. Second game can go either way. If I lose, I basically say "F it" and just go into animal mode. I'll shoot the hardest most low percentage stuff. This should be bad, but it's when I win. Shape almost becomes automatic, 2 way shots always somehow appear if I miss the OB. I don't know how or why it happens, but when I finally get to the point of "F it" I usually start winning and keep winning until I lose focus and start over analyzing everything.

I cant remember who it was but someone recommended imagining losing and getting to the "F it" point before even starting the match. I believe it.

When I say "F it" and just go for the guts I usually win. Now when I ever finally get my damn fool self to remember this and stop mentally sabotaging myself I know I could give my current self a spot and still beat him.

This game is so strange!

Great post! Yes! This is absolutely true. When we determine that something is very important, then we can become too cautious. I recall one match in particular --- I was playing Monica Webb in a pro event in Las Vegas, and I used the wrong strategy. I was playing way too cautious, trying not to make mistakes, and she was firing in shots from everywhere. She had me 8-1 in a race to 9 and spectators were leaving, figuring the match was over.

I finally woke up from my nap and said, "F-it. I blew it for 8 games and I'm going down swinging from here-on." I let my stroke out and went-full-on aggressive and let go of most of my conscious control that was restricting me. I did have a little luck on my side, as a couple of long jump shots actually did go in the pocket, and I started fighting my way back to hill-hill. PSR? I put it out of my head. Gone.

That feeling of wanting to go cautious again started to creep in at hill-hill, but I fought it off and went for a bank-combo on the 9 to win the match. Monica was not smiling --- I don't blame her --- it was like she played two different people. I was extremely lucky that match. After my 8-game blunder I should have lost for sure.

The thing about players like Monica, Karen, and Allison is that they are consistent. They don't suddenly become tough or suddenly become cautious. They're brutally tough, right from the first ball they hit in every match. If you want to beat these players, you have to be just as brutally tough and fearless as them, right out of the gate. Jean Balukas was especially that way. You can't play cautious pool against them. If you're concerned about your PSR at that point, then you will lose. There's no warm-up period in a match against these players. You have to come out swinging.

 

[BC21]

Great post! Yes! This is absolutely true. When we determine that something is very important, then we can become too cautious. I recall one match in particular --- I was playing Monica Webb in a pro event in Las Vegas, and I used the wrong strategy. I was playing way too cautious, trying not to make mistakes, and she was firing in shots from everywhere. She had me 8-1 in a race to 9 and spectators were leaving, figuring the match was over.

I finally woke up from my nap and said, "F-it. I blew it for 8 games and I'm going down swinging from here-on." I let my stroke out and went-full-on aggressive and let go of most of my conscious control that was restricting me. I did have a little luck on my side, as a couple of long jump shots actually did go in the pocket, and I started fighting my way back to hill-hill. PSR? I put it out of my head. Gone.

That feeling of wanting to go cautious again started to creep in at hill-hill, but I fought it off and went for a bank-combo on the 9 to win the match. Monica was not smiling --- I don't blame her --- it was like she played two different people. I was extremely lucky that match. After my 8-game blunder I should have lost for sure.

The thing about players like Monica, Karen, and Allison is that they are consistent. They don't suddenly become tough or suddenly become cautious. They're brutally tough, right from the first ball they hit in every match. If you want to beat these players, you have to be just as brutally tough and fearless as them, right out of the gate. Jean Balukas was especially that way. You can't play cautious pool against them. If you're concerned about your PSR at that point, then you will lose. There's no warm-up period in a match against these players. You have to come out swinging.

I'd say your psr was still intact and still being used, but you just decided to let it happen (subconscious flow) instead of trying to make it happen (conscious control). And I'm sure you already know that's the secret doorway into "the zone" - letting go of consciously controlling every little body movement.

The conscious mind is in charge of gathering and analyzing visual data. We consciously evaluate what needs to happen (shot selection, planning, strategy). And this data automatically triggers a call for subconscious action (the physical skill of aligning the body and stroking the cue, the actual "performance" of the shot).

Unfortunately, the conscious mind can become too cluttered with inputs that have nothing to do with the shot we're facing. And the slightest distraction becomes a wrench thrown into the gears that link conscious thoughts to subconscious actions. And the result is usually no good, or intermittent at best.

 

[FranCrimi]

I'd say your psr was still intact and still being used, but you just decided to let it happen (subconscious flow) instead of trying to make it happen (conscious control). And I'm sure you already know that's the secret doorway into "the zone" - letting go of consciously controlling every little body movement.

The conscious mind is in charge of gathering and analyzing visual data. We consciously evaluate what needs to happen (shot selection, planning, strategy). And this data automatically triggers a call for subconscious action (the physical skill of aligning the body and stroking the cue, the actual "performance" of the shot).

Unfortunately, the conscious mind can become too cluttered with inputs that have nothing to do with the shot we're facing. And the slightest distraction becomes a wrench thrown into the gears that link conscious thoughts to subconscious actions. And the result is usually no good, or intermittent at best.

Right. My PSR didn't go away. I just stopped consciously micromanaging it. When you're performing, it's time to trust in what you trained yourself to do, even if your training is incomplete. So be it.

Zone playing is another level above what I experienced that match. I was already way too conscious during those first 9 games to relax enough to slip into the zone, so I did the next best thing I could do for myself at that time --- visualization. I transported myself in my head to my home room, and grabbed on to the feel of playing relaxed, and letting my stroke out. I had to do this a lot throughout the rest of the match to prevent myself from tightening up, especially near the end of the match.

 

[3kushn]

I transported myself in my head to my home room, , and letting my stroke out and grabbed on to the feel of playing relaxed. I had to do this a lot throughout the rest of the match to prevent myself from tightening up, especially near the end of the match.

Have a song that I run through my head that not only makes me smile and forget my problem/anxiety ... but helps me get into a good rhythm
Not fool proof for sure, but never hurts.