Breathing: While down on the shot.

[Island Drive]

While practicing and experimenting tonight I changed my process some. Rather than beginning to hold my breath from the time of the pause at the cue ball I continue to breathe slowing inhaling during the back swing and then begin to hold the breath when I begin the pause prior to stroking forward.

It seems natural to inhale while drawing the cue back. It seems natural to hold my breath while stroking and then I can exhale at the end of the follow through.

I like this and I think this will be the method I'll begin to work on and try to program into my shooting process.

Any reason this process is not good?

I appreciate all the comments/help. Thanks, Jim

Holding your breath, sounds like you took a breath and stopped to hold it, or exhaled and stopped to hold it, think about when your at this keyboard typing, you periodically stop breathing in or out, but you are NOT intentionally holding your breath, its a pause in breathing to accomodate another matter.

 

[mnorwood]

Breathing while down on a shot??

Try smoking a cigarette while down on a shot. I have personally drained a long shot using alot of draw while dragging on a lung rocket.

 

[av84fun]

While practicing and experimenting tonight I changed my process some. Rather than beginning to hold my breath from the time of the pause at the cue ball I continue to breathe slowing inhaling during the back swing and then begin to hold the breath when I begin the pause prior to stroking forward.

It seems natural to inhale while drawing the cue back. It seems natural to hold my breath while stroking and then I can exhale at the end of the follow through.

I like this and I think this will be the method I'll begin to work on and try to program into my shooting process.

Any reason this process is not good?

I appreciate all the comments/help. Thanks, Jim

Jim, my take is that there are a LOT of mechanics to make part of your "dafault" almost subconscious routine than breathing.

I am a skilled firearms shooter and yes, breathing is a key mechanic. But MUCH more so than in pool IMHO.

In pistol shooting, you have a heavy weight out at the end of a lever as long as your arm...because your arm IS the lever. (-:

So even tiny body movements have an exaggerated effect on that weight you are trying to hold motionless out at the end of your arm***

But in a pool shot, the cue has a "tripod" to rest on in the form of your grip, bridge and stance...and often the rail is a stabilizer as well.

Normal, shallow breathing is not going to disturb a pool shot and IMHO you are "over-thinking" on this one. I'm not saying that a breathing pattern would have ZERO benefit but I am quite sure that NUMEROUS other facets of mechanics would have a significantly greater impact on your game than standardizing breathing will.

***In freehand shooting, since it is virtually impossible to hold the gun precisely steady, many shooters raise the sight up to the target from below and squeeze off the shot just as the target appears to sit on top of the gunsight.

Regards,
Jim

 

[Scottster]

I am always exhaling at a slow steady pace when I deliver the the cue to the cue ball.

 

[berlowmj]

breathing

Possible shark move: Get down on the shot, then ask your opponent if he breathes in or out before he pulls the trigger.

The sharking works better if you are wearing a shoulder holster.

Seriously speaking, I really appreciate this discussion of breathing & will try to apply the patterns used in bullseye pistol shooting.

 

[ShootingArts]

should be fine

Jim,

I think that should work fine. I think any consistent pattern other than holding your breathe for too long will work but some work better than others.

I should have used the word "tempo" rather than speed I guess in an earlier post. Not to the point of hesitation and second guessing but I naturally slow down the rhythm of my stroke on harder shots and increase it slightly on easier shots. When you peg your breathing to different points in your stroke it will automatically compensate for this.

Most of us breath too much with our chest and not enough with our diaphragm. This makes more significant the muscles used in the transition from breathing in to breathing out. It can't be a good thing to be in that transition phase when stroking to and through the cue ball.

Hu

While practicing and experimenting tonight I changed my process some. Rather than beginning to hold my breath from the time of the pause at the cue ball I continue to breathe slowing inhaling during the back swing and then begin to hold the breath when I begin the pause prior to stroking forward.

It seems natural to inhale while drawing the cue back. It seems natural to hold my breath while stroking and then I can exhale at the end of the follow through.

I like this and I think this will be the method I'll begin to work on and try to program into my shooting process.

Any reason this process is not good?

I appreciate all the comments/help. Thanks, Jim

 

[Ralph Kramden]

I usually breath easier AFTER I make the shot.

 

[Bamacues]

Seems like an awful lot of thinking about something other than pocketing the ball, to me. Like another poster said, take a few deep breaths before you get down, then relax and focus on the job at hand. You should not be down so long that you are going to take many breaths, but just your relaxed breathing pattern with a natural stroke and you should be fine without really thinking about it. I think your body will tell you to let the shot go when it is most natural.
Joe

 

[JimS]

Seems like an awful lot of thinking about something other than pocketing the ball, to me. Like another poster said, take a few deep breaths before you get down, then relax and focus on the job at hand. You should not be down so long that you are going to take many breaths, but just your relaxed breathing pattern with a natural stroke and you should be fine without really thinking about it. I think your body will tell you to let the shot go when it is most natural.
Joe

Since I started being willing to learn proper techniques and willing to practice/work on them I've learned that there are a ton of pieces to the puzzle and that all of them have to be recognized and put into place if I want the picture to be one that I can be happy with.

I've learned that I had to place my feet properly, use the proper length bridge, place my rear hand in the proper place.. at the proper angle and use the proper tension in the fingers. I've learned that aiming should be done while standing, that my head needs to be placed properly over the ball and a certain eye movement is better than another, that SPF can be helpful to making shots.... and on and on.

Each of these things are parts of the puzzle, or components of the machine and each needs to be set properly in place if I want to have the outcome I really DO want. I've worked on each and every one of these components as well as many others and I still work on some of them every day and others on another day.

Doing that has made them part of my game... part of my stroke... part of me. Repetition has made the proper techniques my default techniques. IF I practice breathing techniques that will make my shooting more accurate I will benefit down the road AS those beneficial breathing techniques become my default breathing techniques while I'm playing. Recognizing and practicing beneficial breathing techinques will INSURE that I DON'T have to think about it when I'm playing.

That's what this thread is about.

When you minimize the importance of learning breathing techniques that just might improve my/your game it just tells me that it's something you don't want to have to bother with and that's fine. But it seems like your post is intended to discourage me and/or others from bothering with this part of the puzzle and I'd like to ask that you please don't try to discourage me or others from doing something that might make a difference in our game.

 

[ugotda8]

I take a deep breath just as I stroke the cue ball.

Makes it easier for me to yell all the cuss words that come to mind when I miss!!!

Seriously, this is good stuff. I hunted for years and one of the first things I was taught when shooting was to slow the breathing pattern and exhale paritally just before squeezing trigger.


Don't know why I have never applied this to my shooting routine. But, you can bet I am going to try it.

May not help my game, but I bet it cuts back on the cussing!! LOL