Is it possible to over-think?
- Thread starter 80P
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Sure it is possible to overthink as it is possible to not think enough about it. Its all about balance. There is an appropriate time for you and you just have to find it. Some people think very quickly and 1 stroke everything. I know a lot of ppl that say if they think they miss. More table time helped me quicken my time spent thinking so now its just automatic. Takes time. I like to watch Tom D'alfonso shoot...insanely quick.
Think long, think wrong. What helps is a good pre-shot routine (PSR). Then, you just approach the line of the shot, drop down/step in, measure and pull the trigger. While you're down on the shot, a lot of thinking can lead you astray...a lot can be done wrong (steering, snatching, putting too much English without the adjustment) that can cost you the shot. Just visualize and pull the trigger. Your PSR and muscle memory from having shot the shot thousands of times will take care of it. Then you can focus on things like leave, post collision CB path, clusters, patterns, etc.
I believe that if you are overthinking, you need more practise.
Things that you are overthinking are supposed to be second nature, so when you approach a shot, it's pretty much unconscious. Lining up for the shot, finding the right stance, practise stroke, follow through, etc.
I am like you since I am a beginner, I play best when I don't think too much, cause when I do it just throws me off at the last second. Your mind and body is supposed to know exactly what to do when you are skilled.
Things that you are overthinking are supposed to be second nature, so when you approach a shot, it's pretty much unconscious. Lining up for the shot, finding the right stance, practise stroke, follow through, etc.
I am like you since I am a beginner, I play best when I don't think too much, cause when I do it just throws me off at the last second. Your mind and body is supposed to know exactly what to do when you are skilled.
My take on it is that your aiming, mechanics, stroke, etc. should become automatic and unconscious, and if you’re thinking about what you’re doing you’ll interfere with your own shot. To make your stroke automatic and effective, you need to do two things:
1. You have to practice the proper technique until it becomes automatic. A beginner won't be able to play on auto-pilot because they don't have it down yet. And if you practice poor technique, it will become automatic too, so practice proper technique.
2. Once you are well-practiced, you still have to get the information from the table into your unconscious. So it’s important to survey the table and take in all the information, but you don’t have to consciously think about the shot. Take in the information, and then let your well-practiced unconscious mind do the work.
1. You have to practice the proper technique until it becomes automatic. A beginner won't be able to play on auto-pilot because they don't have it down yet. And if you practice poor technique, it will become automatic too, so practice proper technique.
2. Once you are well-practiced, you still have to get the information from the table into your unconscious. So it’s important to survey the table and take in all the information, but you don’t have to consciously think about the shot. Take in the information, and then let your well-practiced unconscious mind do the work.
It's actually quite interesting how many times when I have two position shots I can do and I am not totally set which way to go, I end up almost exactly between the two positions. Often hooked behind a ball LOL
Bert Kinister likes to say "you can analyze till your paralyzed".
Best way I find to not mess up a shot is to figure out what you want to do before you get down over the shot, pick an exact spot on the rail or table you want the cueball to go, about what speed/english you need to get there, then just get down, aim and shoot. Not thinking about the speed/english/position while in the shot helps me just about automatically shoot with the right cueball control to get to where I need to be.
If you change your mind, get up and re-start again. Adjusting things, even in your head for a simple shot, while about to shoot, often leads to bad things. I've missed more shots inches from the pocket doing that than I want to think about, including ball in hand shots.
Many shots in pool can be defensive in nature requiring additional thought. Sometimes you are caught between two choices and they seem equal in promise. It doesn't matter how much time you take. Walk around the table during this time and "play the movie out" in your head. That is, visualize yourself taking the shot and it executing exactly as you planned it. The right version or choice will play out better. It will just feel right in your gut because your body agrees that this plan is in my skill set of automatic.
Many players cannot think of a perfect response to a situation and hurry themselves because of "think long, think wrong." Thinking is not executing the shot and you have to train yourself not to think when you shoot. You think before you shoot. Before you get down to the table. In pool there are are conscious and unconscious controls we have at our disposal. Conscious controls happen during the planning phase when we blue print what we wish to accomplish. We all have skills and are better at some than others. Our body knows this and give us feedback It will not let us play out a movie of what we are not capable of or it lets us known when the probability of success is low. Unconscious controls are the execution of the shot itself. That is when we use our preshot routine.
I think the saying of "think long think wrong" comes from the fact that many people do miss after thinking long because they are uncomfortable with having to execute a shot in a specific way that is a low percentage play for them. Also if your still thinking when you are in your preshot routine chances are you have just doubled the difficulty factor for executing it successfully...
Many players cannot think of a perfect response to a situation and hurry themselves because of "think long, think wrong." Thinking is not executing the shot and you have to train yourself not to think when you shoot. You think before you shoot. Before you get down to the table. In pool there are are conscious and unconscious controls we have at our disposal. Conscious controls happen during the planning phase when we blue print what we wish to accomplish. We all have skills and are better at some than others. Our body knows this and give us feedback It will not let us play out a movie of what we are not capable of or it lets us known when the probability of success is low. Unconscious controls are the execution of the shot itself. That is when we use our preshot routine.
I think the saying of "think long think wrong" comes from the fact that many people do miss after thinking long because they are uncomfortable with having to execute a shot in a specific way that is a low percentage play for them. Also if your still thinking when you are in your preshot routine chances are you have just doubled the difficulty factor for executing it successfully...
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It's definitely possible to overthink - and that's what used to **** me over in my matches.
I was so conscious about what my opponent could do if I missed (and started to overthink each shot) and that's when I started to miss more and more because my focus was so horribly off.
What I do now is just play the table from match to match - I no longer see it as a me. my opponent type of deal, but rather a me vs. table type of deal, or even a me vs. ghost kind of deal.
I was so conscious about what my opponent could do if I missed (and started to overthink each shot) and that's when I started to miss more and more because my focus was so horribly off.
What I do now is just play the table from match to match - I no longer see it as a me. my opponent type of deal, but rather a me vs. table type of deal, or even a me vs. ghost kind of deal.
You should evaluate and decide what you plan to do before you ever get down on a shot, and not think when down on a shot. It is rare when I ever think while down on a shot, most of the time on a difficult long shot off the rail that is pretty straight in, and I just think to deliver a true straight stroke to the shot. I also think a little on jacked up shots on delivery of my stroke. Other than that, I am shooting by past knowledge and feel.
No it is NOT possible to overthink...
What is EASILY possible to do is to think about the wrong things. So yes I guess it is possible to overthink, but don't replace overthinking with not thinking at all.
I think it is a mistake to try and find "the zone" as is often referred to.
The Zone exists. There's no doubt about it. The problem is that finding it and maintaining it is esoteric. No one knows how they get there or how to maintain it or what they're doing wrong once they've lost it.
There's lots of theories, but I've never seen one that is duplicable for everyone.
The trick is finding the right things to focus on for you that gets you playing consistently.
Before that even comes into play though, lots of knowledge needs to be attained and that requires THINKING and analyzing.
It really depends on what your ultimate goal in pool is.
Jaden
What is EASILY possible to do is to think about the wrong things. So yes I guess it is possible to overthink, but don't replace overthinking with not thinking at all.
I think it is a mistake to try and find "the zone" as is often referred to.
The Zone exists. There's no doubt about it. The problem is that finding it and maintaining it is esoteric. No one knows how they get there or how to maintain it or what they're doing wrong once they've lost it.
There's lots of theories, but I've never seen one that is duplicable for everyone.
The trick is finding the right things to focus on for you that gets you playing consistently.
Before that even comes into play though, lots of knowledge needs to be attained and that requires THINKING and analyzing.
It really depends on what your ultimate goal in pool is.
Jaden
I agree with you Jaden and I would like to add that Confidence is a big factor here as well. If your playing well it makes the decision making is so much easier. Thus not much time thinking about it.