Self management keys
While Jeremy and Jimmy will often give you a glimpse into the demands of a particular shot at the table other commentators will take you into another aspect than table management keys, personal management keys.
Things like taking a deep breath and relaxing. Focus keys like seeing the ball into the hole or staying down on the shot. Many of the comments in this topic thread have offered us examples. The people who mention that analysis or internal dialogue are just distractions are telling us indirectly to keep it simple and focus on the shot essentials, like "put it in the hole."
While the "shot keys" of JJ and Jimmy focus on the physical challenges in the shot, the personal challenges are there too. A simple straight forward shot has its own challenge. Ask Alex P., missing a virtual sitter, for him, at a World QF. It’s said that 90+% of aiming is from back and above the shot. A simple shot comes along and suddenly the player forgets to aim, just dropping down on the table, no alignment or aiming. The challenge in the shot, for him, is self management, picking an exact target for both balls. The challenge is in keeping it simple by not losing focus.
These shot keys vary from person to person. They dog the individual player. They include the warnings in paralysis by analysis, thinking too much, not getting out of our own way. The keys those players need are the ones that trigger their focus onto the relevant shot elements. Finding the details that make a difference, the keys to the shot, a precision mindset channeling excellence, not eventual excuses.
These are the things under your control, appropriate places to focus.
Distractions, the past, like errors, and other things that are outside our control, can control us if we let them. We can’t change them we can only control our reaction to them.
So if all our attentional resources aren’t taken up by routines or the complexity of using advanced knowledge and techniques what is its role? In life in order to simplify, we categorize and generalize. We often label situations, that makes them easier to classify and work with. The immense memory and cognitive processing that would be needed to treat each unique situation as separate and discreet would be impossible. We need the organization to function. That said each shot on the table is ultimately unique. When we start to make finer and finer distinctions we are bringing the unique details back into awareness. Within that context we find an idea, "shot keys".
Jeremy Jones is a pool commentator. He and Jim Wych are two of the best and collaborated on much of the 2019 World 10 Ball Championship. These are two accomplished pool experts. Wych was once a top ranked snooker players and top veteran commentator while Jones adds commentary expertise to his pool knowledge, to make him arguably the best in the business. His ability to sift through the elements that make each situation unique and focus on the shot keys in each position gives us a glimpse into what the player needs to be thinking about once good habits and knowledge development give them the essential tools.
Application of knowledge is wisdom. Without ongoing wise decision making, gifted, knowledgeable players will never achieve their potential. Finding the shot keys in each situation by bringing it back to its uniqueness let’s us see the true challenges in even the simplest shots.
Tempo, timing, rhythm and consequences all play a part as well, including the larger sandbox of individual games, full matches and more; player lifestyles, habits, routines and professional planning/behavior. Players are more than a single shot, game or profession. Putting things in perspective from the smallest details in a shot to the panorama of our place in the universe or the entirety of time offer different contexts each with its own hierarchy of what is important. Shot keys are just that. At the table, bringing all of your skills and knowledge to bear, what are the key things to focus on while executing this particular shot?
With that in mind here is a link to a 10 ball match with Jeremy Jones commenting. Imagine how to take your mind at the table into the level of awareness, considering each of the unique situational factors and listen as Jeremy gives you a glimpse into the world of "shot keys".
https://youtu.be/G2UiE11iZ3U
While Jeremy and Jimmy will often give you a glimpse into the demands of a particular shot at the table other commentators will take you into another aspect than table management keys, personal management keys.
Things like taking a deep breath and relaxing. Focus keys like seeing the ball into the hole or staying down on the shot. Many of the comments in this topic thread have offered us examples. The people who mention that analysis or internal dialogue are just distractions are telling us indirectly to keep it simple and focus on the shot essentials, like "put it in the hole."
While the "shot keys" of JJ and Jimmy focus on the physical challenges in the shot, the personal challenges are there too. A simple straight forward shot has its own challenge. Ask Alex P., missing a virtual sitter, for him, at a World QF. It’s said that 90+% of aiming is from back and above the shot. A simple shot comes along and suddenly the player forgets to aim, just dropping down on the table, no alignment or aiming. The challenge in the shot, for him, is self management, picking an exact target for both balls. The challenge is in keeping it simple by not losing focus.
These shot keys vary from person to person. They dog the individual player. They include the warnings in paralysis by analysis, thinking too much, not getting out of our own way. The keys those players need are the ones that trigger their focus onto the relevant shot elements. Finding the details that make a difference, the keys to the shot, a precision mindset channeling excellence, not eventual excuses.
These are the things under your control, appropriate places to focus.
Distractions, the past, like errors, and other things that are outside our control, can control us if we let them. We can’t change them we can only control our reaction to them.
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