A tip for overthinkers.

[Mensabum]

I remember when I first started to play - when a ball was hit good, it felt good, your cue had a certain feel to it and the ball made that sound when hitting the pocket.
Undeniable. Heads turned.
All players know that sound.

Just for shits and giggles, try playing with earplugs and tell me if you dont have a situational awareness not found during normal play.
Not earbuds, actual ear plugs. Noise cancelling earplugs.
That sound you normally hear when in stroke becomes something completely different . When you hit one bad, its like fingernails down a chalkboard. The feedback you receive from hindering your hearing can be enlightening.
If you can interpret that data, it adds a whole new level of subtle feedback you may not be aware of.
Try it.

 

[wilkamania]

Funny enough, I actually thought about trying this a while back. I remember hearing that SVB just turns off his hearing aids during matches, and it made me wonder how that would work for me. I haven’t been playing as consistently lately, but I’m starting to get back into it. When a pool hall is packed and loud, though, I lose focus and my mind starts to wander.

 

[philly]

I remember when I first started to play - when a ball was hit good, it felt good, your cue had a certain feel to it and the ball made that sound when hitting the pocket.
Undeniable. Heads turned.
All players know that sound.

Just for shits and giggles, try playing with earplugs and tell me if you dont have a situational awareness not found during normal play.
Not earbuds, actual ear plugs. Noise cancelling earplugs.
That sound you normally hear when in stroke becomes something completely different . When you hit one bad, its like fingernails down a chalkboard. The feedback you receive from hindering your hearing can be enlightening.
If you can interpret that data, it adds a whole new level of subtle feedback you may not be aware of.
Try it.

That sound you hear is the thwack sound of a ball hitting the back of the pocket on a Brunswick Gold Crown.
Gold Crowns are going away and Diamonds have moved in.
Diamonds don't make that sound.

 

[jay helfert]

Now try it blindfolded! That puts a whole new twist on things.

 

[bbb]

I remember when I first started to play - when a ball was hit good, it felt good, your cue had a certain feel to it and the ball made that sound when hitting the pocket.
Undeniable. Heads turned.
All players know that sound.

Just for shits and giggles, try playing with earplugs and tell me if you dont have a situational awareness not found during normal play.
Not earbuds, actual ear plugs. Noise cancelling earplugs.
That sound you normally hear when in stroke becomes something completely different . When you hit one bad, its like fingernails down a chalkboard. The feedback you receive from hindering your hearing can be enlightening.
If you can interpret that data, it adds a whole new level of subtle feedback you may not be aware of.
Try it.

Now try it blindfolded! That puts a whole new twist on things.

eliminating sense causes other sense to be enhanced as you pay more attention to them
jay i dont know if you were being facetious or not but
stroking "blind " helps one feel what is going on in their arm and hand

 

[mikemosconi]

eliminating sense causes other sense to be enhanced as you pay more attention to them
jay i dont know if you were being facetious or not but
stroking "blind " helps one feel what is going on in their arm and hand

Well, we don't have to stroke " blind" anymore- just use the video tape- as simple as an I Phone and a $20 Tripod- I think better to actually view your stroke than to guess blind. However, the " blind" stroke relates better to " feeling" what one is doing during the actual stroke- for sure!

 

[gregcantrall]

Now try it blindfolded! That puts a whole new twist on things.

Oh and it comes into my Bluetooth hearing aids in Stereo. Real E getting into my head now.
My mother had only one hearing aid for one good ear. As a child she would flip the battery holder to indicate deaf to my complaint. But But she just pretended and when I mumbled, "Bitch" with my back turned.....I got a healthy clip to the back of my head.......Lessons of life.

 

[garczar]

Back in the day i've played behind killer ganja so good i couldn't hear or see. How i made a ball is anybody's guess.

 

[ShootingArts]

I remember when I first started to play - when a ball was hit good, it felt good, your cue had a certain feel to it and the ball made that sound when hitting the pocket.
Undeniable. Heads turned.
All players know that sound.

Just for shits and giggles, try playing with earplugs and tell me if you dont have a situational awareness not found during normal play.
Not earbuds, actual ear plugs. Noise cancelling earplugs.
That sound you normally hear when in stroke becomes something completely different . When you hit one bad, its like fingernails down a chalkboard. The feedback you receive from hindering your hearing can be enlightening.
If you can interpret that data, it adds a whole new level of subtle feedback you may not be aware of.
Try it.

Funny as it sounds, changing sound often changes performance! Going around in circles in a car or on a motorcycle, ear plugs will make you go faster. Heard this, tested it to be true. However, twisting a 327 at eight grand with individual pipes and no collectors then putting in ear plugs seemed unAmerican at the least! Got some bad information as to rear gears for a track and didn't have lighter gears. By the time I got to the flagstand it felt like somebody stuck an icepick in my ears. Even with a helmet on I was seriously worried about damage to my ears. Not worried enough to park the car of course! Some consolation, people in the crowd noticed that I was throwing roostertails of dirt on the flagman in his low stand over the track! As bad as it hurt my ears I might have been lifting a tad early or just not had my foot getting that tiny extra bit of floorboard flex from trying to jam my throttle foot through the floor. Drivers in long races said earplugs definitely made them faster, I wasn't giving up the noise as a teenager!

Some of the five by tens I cut my teeth on had heavy leather pockets at the top with a basket cut out of the bottom. Then they had another very thick leather "burner" inside the pocket. When you put a ball dead center of the back of the pocket it made a very satisfying thunk. I liked it enough to play for the thunk. My first play for the center pocket when I didn't really need it was just to hear the sound of a ball hitting close to a half inch of leather when considering the double layers up high.

Would you play better with ear plugs? Under some conditions I would say definitely! Remember when Rocking Robin or Achy Breaky Heart were popular? Enough to justify ear plugs! One night I was gambling and somebody found the song "Give Me Another Bowl of Them Good Ol' Butter Beans." Not a bad song once in awhile but five or six times an hour it starts losing it's appeal in a hurry! I finally said if you can't beat them, join them. I started singing along and I have been tone deaf since birth! Anybody that thinks earplugs can't help hasn't heard me sing!

Hu

 

[Mensabum]

Funny as it sounds, changing sound often changes performance! Going around in circles in a car or on a motorcycle, ear plugs will make you go faster. Heard this, tested it to be true. However, twisting a 327 at eight grand with individual pipes and no collectors then putting in ear plugs seemed unAmerican at the least! Got some bad information as to rear gears for a track and didn't have lighter gears. By the time I got to the flagstand it felt like somebody stuck an icepick in my ears. Even with a helmet on I was seriously worried about damage to my ears. Not worried enough to park the car of course! Some consolation, people in the crowd noticed that I was throwing roostertails of dirt on the flagman in his low stand over the track! As bad as it hurt my ears I might have been lifting a tad early or just not had my foot getting that tiny extra bit of floorboard flex from trying to jam my throttle foot through the floor. Drivers in long races said earplugs definitely made them faster, I wasn't giving up the noise as a teenager!

Some of the five by tens I cut my teeth on had heavy leather pockets at the top with a basket cut out of the bottom. Then they had another very thick leather "burner" inside the pocket. When you put a ball dead center of the back of the pocket it made a very satisfying thunk. I liked it enough to play for the thunk. My first play for the center pocket when I didn't really need it was just to hear the sound of a ball hitting close to a half inch of leather when considering the double layers up high.

Would you play better with ear plugs? Under some conditions I would say definitely! Remember when Rocking Robin or Achy Breaky Heart were popular? Enough to justify ear plugs! One night I was gambling and somebody found the song "Give Me Another Bowl of Them Good Ol' Butter Beans." Not a bad song once in awhile but five or six times an hour it starts losing it's appeal in a hurry! I finally said if you can't beat them, join them. I started singing along and I have been tone deaf since birth! Anybody that thinks earplugs can't help hasn't heard me sing!

Hu

Youre too funny Hu!!
But... You gave away all the goodies bro!!
Now all these guys are going to check this out to see what's up. I only wanted those overthinkers who get it to try this and find the hidden gems in the mix.
Or the usual you're full of crap trolls. Those are always fun.

 

[straightline]

Back in the day i've played behind killer ganja so good i couldn't hear or see. How i made a ball is anybody's guess.

For those who are over thinking.

 

[Mensabum]

That sound you hear is the thwack sound of a ball hitting the back of the pocket on a Brunswick Gold Crown.
Gold Crowns are going away and Diamonds have moved in.
Diamonds don't make that sound.

You're right for the most part, but they do make a sound. Its different and more subtle, but there nonetheless.
Thanks for the comment on GC. Been a minute since I've played on one. Time to head back and play on old reliables again. I miss being able to bank in my sleep and cheat the pocket 2 diamonds up!!

 

[Mensabum]

Now try it blindfolded! That puts a whole new twist on things.

My wife used to do that. Never understood why.

 

[Mensabum]

eliminating sense causes other sense to be enhanced as you pay more attention to them
jay i dont know if you were being facetious or not but
stroking "blind " helps one feel what is going on in their arm and hand

You got it. A little if both, I guess. There are some real goodies in this if you have the ears to hear. Pardon the pun. You can pick up all sorts of little discrepancies in your stroke you never would otherwise.

 

[Mensabum]

Well, we don't have to stroke " blind" anymore- just use the video tape- as simple as an I Phone and a $20 Tripod- I think better to actually view your stroke than to guess blind. However, the " blind" stroke relates better to " feeling" what one is doing during the actual stroke- for sure!

Exactly. Thanks mike.

 

[Mensabum]

Back in the day i've played behind killer ganja so good i couldn't hear or see. How i made a ball is anybody's guess.

I've been waiting for this!!

 

[gregcantrall]

Back in the day i've played behind killer ganja so good i couldn't hear or see. How i made a ball is anybody's guess.

Back in the day, a friend had a little brass pipe with a cover over the bowl that he kept in his pocket. He could slyly flip the cover with his thumb and hit it at the table and slip it back into pocket undetected. We were in a dollar ring game and Bob uncharacteristically couldn't make a ball. I thought I was being funny when I asked Bob, "what are you on and why are you Not sharing?" He didn't answer, just reached in his pocket and handed me the pipe. Well I was just brave enough to hit it. Sure enough, I couldn't make a ball either. Be careful what you ask for.

 

[ShootingArts]

My wife used to do that. Never understood why.

Um, Ah, Naah. too easy of a target!

Reminded me of this tale though. An old man totters into a cat house on his cane. Nothing on the wall over twenty-five and none were in a hurry to accommodate this old fellow but finally he came to terms with one. Reaches in his pocket and carefully pulls out some nose plugs. Then he reached in and pulled out a pair of ear plugs.

The gal is a little uneasy now. "What is all of that for?"

"If there are two things I can't stand it is the smell of burning rubber and the sound of a young girl screaming!"

Hu

 

[Mensabum]

Um, Ah, Naah. too easy of a target!

Reminded me of this tale though. An old man totters into a cat house on his cane. Nothing on the wall over twenty-five and none were in a hurry to accommodate this old fellow but finally he came to terms with one. Reaches in his pocket and carefully pulls out some nose plugs. Then he reached in and pulled out a pair of ear plugs.

The gal is a little uneasy now. "What is all of that for?"

"If there are two things I can't stand it is the smell of burning rubber and the sound of a young girl screaming!"

Hu

Low hanging fruit, eh??

 

[Mensabum]

Back in the day, a friend had a little brass pipe with a cover over the bowl that he kept in his pocket. He could slyly flip the cover with his thumb and hit it at the table and slip it back into pocket undetected. We were in a dollar ring game and Bob uncharacteristically couldn't make a ball. I thought I was being funny when I asked Bob, "what are you on and why are you Not sharing?" He didn't answer, just reached in his pocket and handed me the pipe. Well I was just brave enough to hit it. Sure enough, I couldn't make a ball either. Be careful what you ask for.

I cant play for shit while stoned.