Thought patterns ...

[WobblyStroke]

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. Go with Black Balls suggestion.

State champ full of negtive thoughts, eh? That's somehow more impressive

 

[gregcantrall]

My psychology training told me that the subconscious doesnt register the negator in, "Don't Miss." Therefore a miss is produced. Whenever that sort of Don't thought enters the mind I need to get up off the shot and start over. The "Don't Scratch " thought is deadly.
I replace it with an exact resting point for whitey.

 

[DeeDeeCues]

Thinking only gets in the way. Read and understand 'the inner game of tennis'.

 

[DeeDeeCues]

My psychology training told me that the subconscious doesnt register the negator in, "Don't Miss." Therefore a miss is produced. Whenever that sort of Don't thought enters the mind I need to get up off the shot and start over. The "Don't Scratch " thought is deadly.
I replace it with an exact resting point for whitey.

This. Say, 'after I make this shot, the cue ball will stop there.'

 

[Mensabum]

Well there's the random wait time as stuff drifts through.

Seems like days to me.

 

[straightline]

Seems like days to me.

That's chronic. Timothy Leary much?

 

[Mensabum]

That's chronic. Timothy Leary much?

Far to much too often my friend. Cantcha tell??
Should explain volumes.

 

[straightline]

Far to much too often my friend. Cantcha tell??
Should explain volumes.

Bet ayahuasca cure it.

Ayahuascing for a friend.

 

[dquarasr]

Follow up:

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.

Something to build on.

 

[straightline]

Stick that pretty good. The top left pocket was a little iffy. Sunlight?

 

[VarmintKong]

Follow up:

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.

Something to build on.

Hey man, I didn’t watch all your video.You are all that is man!

So… if you are making 22 shots in a row of one thing and still searching for answers, what might you be forgetting to do?

Might be something simple. Might be something big. Most likely it is something that isn’t too complicated.

Keep getting after it, I’m sure you’ll figure it out.

 

[Mensabum]

Bet ayahuasca cure it.

Ayahuascing for a friend.

No no no. That's shit ain't nothin nice.

 

[straightline]

No no no. That's shit ain't nothin nice.

I wouldn't go bungle through the jungle but other than it can be scary and demoralizing, no bad press - not that I was looking.

 

[Jaden]

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.

 

[Frosty]

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 with the conversation. It’s like a muscle that gets stronger when you utilize it. In time the voice recedes into the silence.

 

[straightline]

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.

 

[George the Greek]

No mantras. Don't think in words at all. Think in pictures.
Picture the entire shot. You don't get to see it on the table, unless u see it in ur mind first.

Once down, target target target

The conscious/ subconscious is a powerful tool to have in the bag. Once you know it'll become second nature and nice to be in the zone and have the CB on a string.

 

[gregcantrall]

Execution with conscious thought....
Focus melded with peripheral vision requirements

 

[LowRight]

So, my questions, in particular directed to the more highly accomplished AZBers here:
1a. From the time you get down on your shot and perform pre-strokes, until you address the cue ball the final time, what do YOU think about?
1b. Same question, but what would you recommend *I* (or any player to whom you are giving advice) think about?

2a. When you at final cue ball address, and you are starting your backstroke, then through your forward stroke, what do YOU think about?
2b. What would you recommend *I* think about?

My answer to all: NOTHING!

Turn off your internal dialogue and FEEL the shot you planned using your internal dialogue before you got down on the shot.

I found this very difficult at first. Try practicing away from the pool table. See how long you can turn off that dialogue. Over time, you'll get better and better and it will become much easier at the table.

 

[SSP]

I hope I can explain this properly. Advise whether this should go in the Ask The Instructor forum. But I thought I'd solicit more generally, both what people do, and what I should do.

I struggle mightily controlling my thought patterns. I fully understand that mindless execution is best. Let me give you some examples of what happens to me.

Drills: after I am warmed up and I'm confident I am aligning properly and no anomalies have crept in, I tend to do very well at the start of a drill. For instance, the Mighty-X stop shot. I can't tell you how many times I will make the first few shots, then miss the fourth, fifth, or sixth shot. Then I regroup, and can sink maybe five to 10 in a row, then, a miss. And nearly always, I notice my thought pattern has shifted. Suddenly, I feel the cue in my hand. I feel where my shoulder is. I feel where my feet are. I feel where my elbow is. I am suddenly consciously aware of these things. and invariably, as soon as I notice these thoughts in my head, the misses follow. I can even get down on a shot and tell myself NOT to think about such things, which then forces me to think about them.

So, my questions, in particular directed to the more highly accomplished AZBers here:
1a. From the time you get down on your shot and perform pre-strokes, until you address the cue ball the final time, what do YOU think about?
1b. Same question, but what would you recommend *I* (or any player to whom you are giving advice) think about?

2a. When you at final cue ball address, and you are starting your backstroke, then through your forward stroke, what do YOU think about?
2b. What would you recommend *I* think about?

I am really trying to exorcise my conscious thoughts because the more mindlessly I perform my execution, the better I shoot. (I understand that planning the shot while standing is where thinking and visualizing the shot should occur.)

Competition and game play: similarly and relatedly, I struggle with focus. If it's not the problem stated above, where the shot parameters are fairly simple, it's more nuanced shots, such as the really easy shot where I "lose" focus on exactly where to deliver the cue ball, or a tougher shot where I'll focus so much on potting the ball that my speed/spin plan is forgotten. I have a problem with the mental discipline to focus exactly the same way on every shot. (I bet that's not too uncommon.)

My goal is to move from "Don't be thinking about (x, y, z)", because trying NOT to think about something brings it front of mind. My goals are to have some sort of mantra, some thing I can have my brain occupied with, so anything about shot execution can't enter my thought pattern.

I know, really esoteric, but hopefully I get some good ideas here. I hope this isn't too weird a topic.

P.S. Yes I've read Pleasures of Small Motions. No, I haven't read Inner Game of Tennis.

Do ALL your thinking and aiming before you get into your stance, once you are in your stance make no adjustments, if you're not comfortable with your aim ect., stand back up do all your thinking( English, ect.) When you get back into your stance don't think, concentrate on making your cue go perfectly straight through the cueball, that is the only thing you can control, if your aim is correct and you stroke through the cueball in your intended line you will make your shot, watch where the OB went in the pocket, if you were aiming dead center of the pocket is that where the OB went? If not even though you made the ball you did not achieve your goal, why? Was your tip a little off center, was your stroke a little off of perfectly straight? These are what drills are for, once you are in competition keep the same routine do ALL your thinking before you get in your stance, NEVER adjust your aim while in your stance, once you're in your stance your ONLY thought is a straight stroke, by the way the inner game of tennis is a great read and helped me tremendously, the book is about how the conscious and the subconscious mind work together or fight each other.