Empty Mind....

duckie

GregH
Silver Member
Being aware of what you are doing while executing a shot is not discussed a lot. To be aware requires a empty mind. With a empty mind, you can be aware of what your body is doing, how it feels while doing. There are no thoughts to block what you are feeling while doing.

With a empty mind, there is no how to do, there’s just do. Just do what is required for the shot, no thought about how to do the shot. There is only seeing the shot.

To achieve a empty mind requires forgeting everything learned. You can not have a empty mind remembering how to do something. With a empty mind, you just do.

Thinking OB in corner pocket with the CB stopping at a certain position is not the same as thinking of how to do this shot. There is no thought about where the CB needs to be on the table to put the OB in the pocket and no thought about how to stroke the CB to achieve the desired position.

There is only doing. .......OB corner pocket, CB over there. Nothing more.

There’s a point when improving is all mental. This is the when improving is the slowest. This is when you have the skills, but do not always execute those skills to the level you are capable of because of what is going on between you ears.

This is when the tough work begins. This is when the real players are separated from the wanna be’s. Wanna be’s are still looking for that magic pill. That system that cures all problems. That perfect cue. Right tip for the cue, the right chalk.

It takes time to get to the mental level. It takes time because of what must go first ....developing skills to a level that requires no thought.......a empty mind.

With a empty mind, your actions at the table become natural, flowing, even graceful. There is a sense of freedom in your actions. There is the sense you are in control of the table. You get lost in the present because with a empty mind, you are nowhere else.

At some point, you must say to yourself........”There is no reason for me to miss.” This is the beginning of the mental level and where developing a empty mind begins.
 
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BC21

https://www.playpoolbetter.com
Gold Member
Silver Member
Being aware of what you are doing while executing a shot is not discussed a lot. To be aware requires a empty mind. With a empty mind, you can be aware of what your body is doing, how it feels while doing. There are no thoughts to block what you are feeling while doing.

With a empty mind, there is no how to do, there’s just do. Just do what is required for the shot, no thought about how to do the shot. There is only seeing the shot.

To achieve a empty mind requires forgeting everything learned. You can not have a empty mind remembering how to do something. With a empty mind, you just do.

Thinking OB in corner pocket with the CB stopping at a certain position is not the same as thinking of how to do this shot. There is no thought about where the CB needs to be on the table to put the OB in the pocket and no thought about how to stroke the CB to achieve the desired position.

There is only doing. .......OB corner pocket, CB over there. Nothing more.

There’s a point when improving is all mental. This is the when improving is the slowest. This is when you have the skills, but do not always execute those skills to the level you are capable of because of what is going on between you ears.

This is when the tough work begins. This is when the real players are separated from the wanna be’s. Wanna be’s are still looking for that magic pill. That system that cures all problems. That perfect cue. Right tip for the cue, the right chalk.

It takes time to get to the mental level. It takes time because of what must go first ....developing skills to a level that requires no thought.......a empty mind.

With a empty mind, your actions at the table become natural, flowing, even graceful. There is a sense of freedom in your actions. There is the sense you are in control of the table. You get lost in the present because with a empty mind, you are nowhere else.

At some point, you must say to yourself........”There is no reason for me to miss.” This is the beginning of the mental level and where developing a empty mind begins.

Good post. I have to agree with a lot of this. But, to me, aiming systems are tools that can be used to help program your mind so that you can play more freely, more automatic....just see it and do it without overthinking it.
 

Straightpool_99

I see dead balls
Silver Member
Being aware of what you are doing while executing a shot is not discussed a lot. To be aware requires a empty mind. With a empty mind, you can be aware of what your body is doing, how it feels while doing. There are no thoughts to block what you are feeling while doing.

With a empty mind, there is no how to do, there’s just do. Just do what is required for the shot, no thought about how to do the shot. There is only seeing the shot.

To achieve a empty mind requires forgeting everything learned. You can not have a empty mind remembering how to do something. With a empty mind, you just do.

Thinking OB in corner pocket with the CB stopping at a certain position is not the same as thinking of how to do this shot. There is no thought about where the CB needs to be on the table to put the OB in the pocket and no thought about how to stroke the CB to achieve the desired position.

There is only doing. .......OB corner pocket, CB over there. Nothing more.

There’s a point when improving is all mental. This is the when improving is the slowest. This is when you have the skills, but do not always execute those skills to the level you are capable of because of what is going on between you ears.

This is when the tough work begins. This is when the real players are separated from the wanna be’s. Wanna be’s are still looking for that magic pill. That system that cures all problems. That perfect cue. Right tip for the cue, the right chalk.

It takes time to get to the mental level. It takes time because of what must go first ....developing skills to a level that requires no thought.......a empty mind.

With a empty mind, your actions at the table become natural, flowing, even graceful. There is a sense of freedom in your actions. There is the sense you are in control of the table. You get lost in the present because with a empty mind, you are nowhere else.

At some point, you must say to yourself........”There is no reason for me to miss.” This is the beginning of the mental level and where developing a empty mind begins.

Who is this for? I'm only asking because the People who exist at this higher, mystical Level allready are aware of this, and those who don't can't benefit from it.

In my estimation 99% of the HARD CORE pool hall players have 2 or more CRITICAL errors in their physical game that stops them from improvement. These players could be excellent players in spite of this. The fact that they don't fix those problems stem from their inability to admit to being wrong about anything pool related. They may still be deemed ok players, even by their peers, but be held significantly back. Almost all pool players plateau in Direct shot potting ability between 6months and 2 years into playing, some even sooner.

If you fix a persons grip and teach them to step into the shot correctly and With enough accuracy, you could improve their game by a huge margin, even players that have played for years or decades. The grip and wrist are the KILLERS of pool accuracy, along With alignment, which is related to both feet and the wrist. Only rarely will an instructor embark on such a quest, because it is very, very tough to get anyone to take the first step, and impossible to get them to follow through without sliding right back. Once a player runs his first couple of racks, it may be too late to make any impression on his mind. He, like a naive teenager, thinks he knows it all.

Also a number of changes must be made at the same time, which is daunting. Note that almost all the instructor success stories are With releatively New players at most a few years into their life of pool. Think about why that is. Complacency, wrong headedness, belief in fairy tales.

I'm obviously not on this higher level of existence of which you speak. When you see a wise man, freed from wordly concerns, I see a snake With a garage full of Rolls Royces he fleeced off his naive victims. What you see as profound wisdom I see as empty nonsense with a sheen of profundity. I've had it With New age nonsense and eastern mysticism. It's all baloney to me. Yes the mind is important, maybe even all important in pool development. But it must be directed in the correct way, which involves questioning and refining every thing one does. Even at the highest Levels, pros have changed their swings and strokes in various games, including pool. They certainly didn't do this while in a trance like state of personal self worship.
 
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BC21

https://www.playpoolbetter.com
Gold Member
Silver Member
I believe what Duckie is describing is actually dead stroke. And I agree that there isn't much going on in the mind (consciously anyway) when we're in dead stroke. The brain is running on images and patterns we've seen thousands of times -- shot recognition. The brain automatically puts our bodies into appropriate action according to the input/images it receives. Unfortunately, this isn't a longterm state of mind, and it's not the state of mind we have while practicing, learning, or developing skills.

For those who've experienced dead stroke, you know it doesn't last forever. Eventually we are forced to analyze a situation that our brain doesn't immediately recognize. So we have to make a conscious effort to actually think about shot options and various possible outcomes, weighing the good and bad, and hopefully choosing the shot that provides the best probability of winning, or at least of gaining or keeping an advantage. And sometimes we go right back into that beautiful zone of dead stroke pool, but most of the time it's gone and we'll catch it another time.

I played almost flawless for an entire set a couple of weeks ago racing to 7 in 9ball. I won the flip and ran 4 racks before hooking myself. If you would've asked about a certain shot within those 4 racks I don't believe I could've remembered it. I was in a zone, automatic mode, where it feels like very little conscious effort is being applied. It ended when I hooked myself and had to purposely analyze my options. I went on to win the set 7-2, and though I got out when I was supposed to, I never felt like I was free wheeling like those first 4 racks.

So there are times when it feels like the mind is empty, but that's only because our subconscious is working its ass off. Occasionally it'll send data back that needs to be analyzed by our thinking mind, and with that data comes the taste of reality. Only champion level players, from a non-champion player's seat anyway, look to be in dead stroke all the time. But looks are deceiving. I'd say even the champion players recognize/know when they're truly in dead stroke and when they're not.
 
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Boxcar

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
"That thrilling free feeling of feeling free wheeling." -Anon

Also known as "The Bozone," in honor of Bozo The Clown.
 

duckie

GregH
Silver Member
I wrote this for whoever needs it or it finds it useful. If you don’t find it useful, then it wasn’t meant for ya.....or your just not ready to understand this concept.

If you never really had a zen moment, seldom experienced being in the “Zone”, it easy to believe thinking about doing a shot is the way to go, instead of not thinking about the shot, but just doing the shot. You don’t get to this point until thousands and thousands of hours have been spent at the table.

I raced motorcycles for many years and still ride on the street........at some really fast paces at times. You can’t think when riding at the high speeds. You can’t think about when to brake, only brake now. You mind must be clear of all distractions. There can not be any thoughts not related to riding the motorcycle.

You can’t have thoughts about what happened at work, what is on the honey do list at home, and so on. It is only what you are experiencing while hauling ass on the motorcycle that matters, you can not be anywhere else in your mind, or you die.

You don’t think about how much brake lever pressure to use when hauling your speed down from over 100mph into a 30 mph turn, you just know how much to use and just do it.

I have no idea what others life experiences have been, just what mine have been and these past experiences influence a lot on how I view life. So, it’s not surprising some don’t get what I write cause I write from my life experiences and nothing else.

This is why many don’t understand when I make statements like balls have no edges or there is no such thing as a 1/2 ball hit. In my life experiences, they can’t exist because of my engineering background......so I don’t try to even to use those two concepts in my life. I use what makes sense to me based on my past life expernices.

At least this thread is something different then what’s been going on in the past.
 

duckie

GregH
Silver Member
BTW, there is not one grip, but many types of grips used in playing pool. Same with shooting positions, stroke, and bridge.

The grip I use when shooting jacked up over a ball is not the same grip I use when there is no obstructing ball.

The grip I use shooting one handed is not the same grip as using two hands.

The grip I use shooting off a rail is not the same grip using when not shooting off the rail.

Same with shooting positions.

The shooting position I use when shooting jacked up over a ball is not the same shooting position as shooting off the rail.

The shooting position I use for behind the back shots is not the same as shooting positions as for a break shot.

Same with stroke.

The stroke I use shooting jacked over a ball is not the same stroke as not having to shoot over a ball.

The stroke I use shooting off a rail is not the same stroke as not having to shoot off a rail.

Same with the bridge......

The point is that because pool is a dynamic game, your shot may not always be such that the “ideal stance, grip, stroke, bridge” can be used.
 
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Boxcar

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm an old guy with my own set of experiences. I ran with an interesting and shall we say, eclectic bunch of hombres. We did everything we could to keep life on the light side. Thus, our zone was known as the "Bozone." Being too serious about anything was just a good way to get killed. I was cutting school to shoot pool in the ninth grade, but only on rainy days. When the sun was out, I was playing golf. As "touch/feel" athletes, it seems natural for us to flow toward that place where we are most at peace. My mind works best when it is uncluttered with stuff that isn't related to the moment. I shot 64 on one of the toughest courses in Virginia when I was 31. I don't remember anything except that we were having a relaxed conversation about some of the more intriguing parts of the female anatomy.

The road to my "zone" wasn't short or easy. Before accidentally stumbling into it, I worked as hard or harder than anybody who has ever worked hard at anything just to achieve what I wanted to achieve. I wanted the pill to go plucka-plucka in the bottom of that white hole in fewer strokes than anybody else. I wanted it really bad, like worth fighting for.

Some folks can shoot pool, some can't. Some can hit a crisp 8-iron to three feet, but a lot can't. In other words, socialists will never understand true personal achievement. Now, I 'm not saying "systems" don't have a place in the human experience, but I don't believe they represent an answer. Some times it feels like all they represent is the clutter.

"The score card doesn't ask how, just how many." -Anon

Respectfully,
Boxcar
 
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garczar

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Being aware of what you are doing while executing a shot is not discussed a lot. To be aware requires a empty mind. With a empty mind, you can be aware of what your body is doing, how it feels while doing. There are no thoughts to block what you are feeling while doing.

With a empty mind, there is no how to do, there’s just do. Just do what is required for the shot, no thought about how to do the shot. There is only seeing the shot.

To achieve a empty mind requires forgeting everything learned. You can not have a empty mind remembering how to do something. With a empty mind, you just do.

Thinking OB in corner pocket with the CB stopping at a certain position is not the same as thinking of how to do this shot. There is no thought about where the CB needs to be on the table to put the OB in the pocket and no thought about how to stroke the CB to achieve the desired position.

There is only doing. .......OB corner pocket, CB over there. Nothing more.

There’s a point when improving is all mental. This is the when improving is the slowest. This is when you have the skills, but do not always execute those skills to the level you are capable of because of what is going on between you ears.

This is when the tough work begins. This is when the real players are separated from the wanna be’s. Wanna be’s are still looking for that magic pill. That system that cures all problems. That perfect cue. Right tip for the cue, the right chalk.

It takes time to get to the mental level. It takes time because of what must go first ....developing skills to a level that requires no thought.......a empty mind.

With a empty mind, your actions at the table become natural, flowing, even graceful. There is a sense of freedom in your actions. There is the sense you are in control of the table. You get lost in the present because with a empty mind, you are nowhere else.

At some point, you must say to yourself........”There is no reason for me to miss.” This is the beginning of the mental level and where developing a empty mind begins.
My mind is empty 'cause i just blew my brains out after trying to wade thru this mystical mystery tour. Seriously???????
 

jokrswylde

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm an old guy with my own set of experiences. I ran with an interesting and shall we say, eclectic bunch of hombres. We did everything we could to keep life on the light side. Thus, our zone was known as the "Bozone." Being too serious about anything was just a good way to get killed. I was cutting school to shoot pool in the ninth grade, but only on rainy days. When the sun was out, I was playing golf. As "touch/feel" athletes, it seems natural for us to flow toward that place where we are most at peace. My mind works best when it is uncluttered with stuff that isn't related to the moment. I shot 64 on one of the toughest courses in Virginia when I was 31. I don't remember anything except that we were having a relaxed conversation about some of the more intriguing parts of the female anatomy.

The road to my "zone" wasn't short or easy. Before accidentally stumbling into it, I worked as hard or harder than anybody who has ever worked hard at anything just to achieve what I wanted to achieve. I wanted the pill to go plucka-plucka in the bottom of that white hole in fewer strokes than anybody else. I wanted it really bad, like worth fighting for.

Some folks can shoot pool, some can't. Some can hit a crisp 8-iron to three feet, but a lot can't. In other words, socialists will never understand true personal achievement. Now, I 'm not saying "systems" don't have a place in the human experience, but I don't believe they represent an answer. Some times it feels like all they represent is the clutter.

"The score card doesn't ask how, just how many." -Anon

Respectfully,
Boxcar


^^^^
Welcome to the forum. I like your style...
 

Boxcar

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
socialism - everybody should be able to play like Tiger.

socialism - everybody should be able to play like Efren.

reality - socialists will never understand true human achievement.

reality - connecting disparate concepts is difficult for socialists.

reality - life itself is a non-sequitur for socialists.
 

Patrick Johnson

Fish of the Day
Silver Member
socialism - everybody should be able to play like Tiger.

socialism - everybody should be able to play like Efren.
lol

I think you're looking for the NPR forum - they have an understanding of "socialism" about as deep as yours.

pj
chgo
 

BC21

https://www.playpoolbetter.com
Gold Member
Silver Member
socialism - everybody should be able to play like Tiger.

socialism - everybody should be able to play like Efren.

reality - socialists will never understand true human achievement.

reality - connecting disparate concepts is difficult for socialists.

reality - life itself is a non-sequitur for socialists.

I like this, all of it. People are not equal, and certainly not born equal. Some are born with a greater intelligence, the ability to learn more than others and to learn more easily than others. Physical, emotional, and mental attributes vary so much from one person to another that it's laughable to believe every person is equally entitled to the same opportunities or achievements. Life is about doing the best you can with what you've got, living up to your potential, and becoming whatever it is that you believe will make you happy. This is success.

With pool, some players become champions, some become better than average, most remain average, and others never rise out of the below average lot. Just as in careers, some people become very wealthy while the great majority live somewhere in-between wealthy and poor. And where you fall on this scale, be it pool or career, is almost always based on what you're willing to invest as an individuall, not as a member of some group where it's all for one and one for all.
 
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Boxcar

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
“True Wit is Nature to advantage dress'd
What oft was thought, but ne'er so well express'd;
Something whose truth convinced at sight we find,
That gives us back the image of our mind." - A. Pope

An excellent, well constructed piece. Thank you Brian.

Best regards,
Boxcar
 
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