GoldenFlash
Banned
I saw Pagulayan in a tournament last year with cue ball in hand on the 8 hanging 4 inches from a pocket, The 9 was 2 feet from another pocket and he didn't get out.
Happens to everybody.
Are there Really "Hard and Easy Shots" in Pocket Billiards?
- Thread starter CJ Wiley
- Start date
Happens to everybody.
GoldenFlash
Banned
CJ..?It's not a fleeting "thought," it's an attitude.
We can't totally control feelings and emotions, we can control our overall attitude......and the "attitude of gratitude" is the greatest of them all. :thumbup:
I'm grateful to be able to play, enjoy and teach others to appreciate the deeper levels of pool......what more could a person ask for?
Why do you think I start playing better and better the moment I feel like I am beat, have no chance, feel humiliated, and fill my head with 'negative' thoughts? (instead of all that 'positive' stuff)
When I start thinking "oh well, here goes me the loser throwing away money again"...or stuff like "I know that I'm a dog and will miss everything"....my playing suddenly improves, I feel no pressure, and I win most of the time.
Other than me being a complete screwball, why does this seem to work...what's the psychological reality behind it? Do you know??
Regards,
Flash
Yep,,it happens to everybody....but I got so damnd pissed,,that I ran out from so many places..that there was a whole gallery around the table before it was over,,don't ever underestimate what anger can do,,even when it's pointed at yourself. It can be a motivator . YEP !
....infomercial removed in the interest of responsible journalism...
Ignoring the metaphysical nonsense.
Of course some shots are more difficult than others.
Determining which are, and why, is a straightforward, tho apparently not much
understood process.
Dale
***Disclaimer*** I did not read any of this thread, just posted to the title* CJ, from our recent dialogue I ask you is one shot really harder than the next if you are mechanically sound or is it your perception of the shot that makes it impossible. When in reality it is only your mind saying no when your mechanics and stroke say yes? Not quite a koan but food for thought.
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I think what CJ is saying is that once you have selected your shot, he BELIEVES that it is better not to label them. Then the "hard" shots are not feared and the "easy" shots still get your respect.
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Please enlighten me. What is a pook?
Working overtime
Had two different dialogues going in my head. Let me recompose and answer.
Had two different dialogues going in my head. Let me recompose and answer.
David Howard would always say the same thing "I suffered from overconfidence"
The most dangerous opponent I ever face is the one that doesn't care, or thinks they have no chance against me.
One of my keys to gambling for big money is to accept losing before I play. This does the same thing, it releases me from the fear of losing, and takes the inner pressure off.
Pressure is not exactly real, although it sure feels that way. Most of it is self generated, so when we expect to win, or are overconfident it can actually work against us.
David Howard is a good friend and a great player. Anytime he would lose a match, I would ask him "what happened," he would always say the same thing "I suffered from overconfidence".......it turned into a joke, and was funnier because it contained quite a bit of truth.
The most dangerous opponent I ever face is the one that doesn't care, or thinks they have no chance against me.
One of my keys to gambling for big money is to accept losing before I play. This does the same thing, it releases me from the fear of losing, and takes the inner pressure off.
Pressure is not exactly real, although it sure feels that way. Most of it is self generated, so when we expect to win, or are overconfident it can actually work against us.
David Howard is a good friend and a great player. Anytime he would lose a match, I would ask him "what happened," he would always say the same thing "I suffered from overconfidence".......it turned into a joke, and was funnier because it contained quite a bit of truth.
Pool has many levels of development, first there's the surface level, then...........
The fact is all the shots are basically the same.
All we're doing is hitting the cue ball straight with a cue. Once you know how to create the angles, and get your body into the same position realitve to the shot line, they are all very similar. This is all true to a point, however to reach the championship level requires something extra. We must develop and maximize deeper aspects of the game.
For example I don't alter my game for spin, or deflection using the TOI system. Using the inside of the cue ball instead of the center does many things that connects me more to the game. I have written thousands of posts about TOI, made YouTube videos, a 90 minute DVD and still haven't disclosed some of the most advance aspects of 'The Touch of inside'.
Pool has many levels of development, first there's the surface level that everyone can see, then there's the deeper level that requires a lot of table time and experience. Then, the most advance level is the subconscious level, or "the zone," and that's where the TOI is the strongest, it allows a player to connect to the perfection on the game.
When I put myself into the zone, or "dead stoke" we sometime call it, I feel like the game is playing through me, rather than me trying to play the game.
Personally I can't do this without assessing the TOI, some players do it with TOO (Touch of Outside), either way, we aren't just hitting the cue ball straight with a stick, we are creating zones, thus increasing our overall margin of error.
In this state of mind I know there's no shot or situation I can't handle and the longer I play the more absorbed I become into the game. Efren is a master at this, we played for 14 hours in Seattle for large amounts of money and missed less than 15 balls between the two of us. This is a level that he or I could not do if we tried, we must let go and allow the game to perform, we are just along for the ride.
'The Game is our Teacher'
The fact is all the shots are basically the same.
All we're doing is hitting the cue ball straight with a cue. Once you know how to create the angles, and get your body into the same position realitve to the shot line, they are all very similar. This is all true to a point, however to reach the championship level requires something extra. We must develop and maximize deeper aspects of the game.
For example I don't alter my game for spin, or deflection using the TOI system. Using the inside of the cue ball instead of the center does many things that connects me more to the game. I have written thousands of posts about TOI, made YouTube videos, a 90 minute DVD and still haven't disclosed some of the most advance aspects of 'The Touch of inside'.
Pool has many levels of development, first there's the surface level that everyone can see, then there's the deeper level that requires a lot of table time and experience. Then, the most advance level is the subconscious level, or "the zone," and that's where the TOI is the strongest, it allows a player to connect to the perfection on the game.
When I put myself into the zone, or "dead stoke" we sometime call it, I feel like the game is playing through me, rather than me trying to play the game.
Personally I can't do this without assessing the TOI, some players do it with TOO (Touch of Outside), either way, we aren't just hitting the cue ball straight with a stick, we are creating zones, thus increasing our overall margin of error.
In this state of mind I know there's no shot or situation I can't handle and the longer I play the more absorbed I become into the game. Efren is a master at this, we played for 14 hours in Seattle for large amounts of money and missed less than 15 balls between the two of us. This is a level that he or I could not do if we tried, we must let go and allow the game to perform, we are just along for the ride.
'The Game is our Teacher'
Satori
State of Zen, Satori. "The Game is our Teacher" if you let go of your passive mind.
State of Zen, Satori. "The Game is our Teacher" if you let go of your passive mind.
How about the shooter that passes what may be the correct shot because they are not comfortable with it. Re-training your mind to think that all shots are equal may improve your game slightly???? Who knows??
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CJ, I get your point, and can argue that any direct shot into a pocket is not "hard" or "easy"
Anything beyond that, requires the application of plenty of knowledge and execution and would clearly venture into "hard" territory.
A 2 rail kick to cut a ball in, for instance. A multi rail bank, in another. These require more than a proper state of mine.
Anything beyond that, requires the application of plenty of knowledge and execution and would clearly venture into "hard" territory.
A 2 rail kick to cut a ball in, for instance. A multi rail bank, in another. These require more than a proper state of mine.
Yep. How many different contact points can you hit at once on a ball during a shot? Same contact spot-different angles of approach... Same results.
I really enjoy CJs Posts as this brings up something I have been working on for a few months. I have come to the conclusion all shots are the same it is just my perception or reality that assigns the label difficult or easy to the shot. I know this when I get in the zone and escape the reality I have created all shots are the same. It has always been that way with me. So champions have a different reality and the game is easier for them and it all comes from perception. If the game were difficult for them and sometimes it is they play in a different reality they don't play well. I watched Shane play the Bigfoot Challenge on the stream and the game was a joke for him, I just saw him play in Sacramento and he missed shots he would make 99% of the time and did not do well. What changed?
Seems to me the point of the golf instructor's video is that we can improve scoring more by improving relatively easy common shots than we can by training and focusing on the less occasional super tricky shots.
But as usual, CJ turns a simple point into hundreds of confusing but self-promoting words.
But wait, there's more... according to him!
I'll remain in my chair salivating until the next morsel is dangled.
CJ, if you ever come to Australia, I'll play you some 2 Rail 10 ball rotation on a 12 foot snooker table for some fun for a few K. I want to see how that TOI goes at splitting the snooker table pockets. When you get me, about 10 other guys are lined up to donate to the master potter positioner who specializes in a game that has little to do with potting skill.
For Clarification: 2 Rail Pool is 1 point per ball pocketed, visit continues if 2 rails (not jaws) are hit with any balls on the shot. Ball in Hand to the opponent when visit is finished.
But as usual, CJ turns a simple point into hundreds of confusing but self-promoting words.
But wait, there's more... according to him!
I'll remain in my chair salivating until the next morsel is dangled.
CJ, if you ever come to Australia, I'll play you some 2 Rail 10 ball rotation on a 12 foot snooker table for some fun for a few K. I want to see how that TOI goes at splitting the snooker table pockets. When you get me, about 10 other guys are lined up to donate to the master potter positioner who specializes in a game that has little to do with potting skill.
For Clarification: 2 Rail Pool is 1 point per ball pocketed, visit continues if 2 rails (not jaws) are hit with any balls on the shot. Ball in Hand to the opponent when visit is finished.
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The difficulty of a shot is a sliding scale and highly depends on the player's abilities. There are obviously shots that will be made more frequently than others, and thus they are considered to be easier.
Sometimes even relatively easy shots can be missed, mostly due to lack of concentration. If you assess a shot as easy, then you are probably more likely to get lazy and rush your routine. I don't know how many times I've seen really great players make incredible shots, then dog something well within their abilities.
Sometimes even relatively easy shots can be missed, mostly due to lack of concentration. If you assess a shot as easy, then you are probably more likely to get lazy and rush your routine. I don't know how many times I've seen really great players make incredible shots, then dog something well within their abilities.