I think it's just an unconscious habit, like sticking your tongue out when you concentrate.
pj
chgo
Dealing with Pressure Once and for All!
- Thread starter CJ Wiley
- Start date
pj
chgo
It is almost certainly an unconscious habit, the question is why the subconscious feels that it is beneficial, or is there some other reason for it besides a perceived subconscious benefit, but it isn't happening for no reason. And also, is it actually beneficial in some small way, or is your subconscious just mistaken when it thinks it is (if it thinks it is)? In short, there has to be a purpose for it, or your brain must feel there is even if it is wrong.
Or maybe it's just a tic. I don't see why there has to be a reason, but I'd be interested to learn there is one.
pj
chgo
Last edited:
I probably ref'd a hundred matches that Sigel played in and I never had a problem with him in any of them. His "talking" was always self deprecating, often humorous and he never tried to shark his opponent that I saw or remember. He never talked while his opponent was at the table, other than possibly to compliment him on a good shot.
His "good strategy" was to not miss a ball for the entire match and run out at every opportunity. It is no accident that he won so many tournaments against stacked fields of the best players of his era. Mike had to go through a murderer's row of Earl, Efren, Parica, Hall, Varner, Davenport, Howard, Hopkins, Mizerak, Rempe, West and on and on to compile his HOF credentials. He had one streak where he won eleven times in a row when he reached the finals! He's about as good an example of a winner as I can think of.
Last edited:
Tics have a reason too.
For me the finger tapping is like a pressure relief valve. I want a solid foundation but with no tension. Sometimes tension creeps in. The finger reminds me to relax the muscles.
No one in sports starts out winning.
A true statement but I am unable to attach it to the discussion at hand?
The matter here is not for beginners.
Tongue protrusion when concentrating may well be a latent Darwinian instinct -- hard-wired into our nervous systems.
Scientists suggest that sticking out the tongue may be a way of reducing unneeded sensory input to the brain (e.g. taste, texture) that might interfere with our ability to concentrate on the task at hand. And importantly, it temporarily & subconsciously stems the tongue from the unneeded signals involved in formation and emission of spoken words.
They interestingly also cite the likelihood that when we are trying to complete an important job, the hard-wiring also may trigger tongue protrusion to send conscious and unconscious signals to others that we want to be left alone . . . again reinforcing the link between concentration and the tongue -- which is a very complex organ powerfully linked (for evolutionary/survival reasons) to the brain.
Arnaldo
SSDiver2112
2b || !2b t^ ?
Having just started playing just a few years ago, I vividly remember the pressure of trying to play among people with a lifetime of experience. I've noted recently I've improved enough to hold my own with most players and have an occasional chance with the great players. Now I am less intimidated and can win or lose with less anxiety. I can simply enjoy playing with them (and learn from them). Still pressure to not fail can creep back in when playing teams that are usually not beatable, normal I guess. I try to rationalize it in my head. "Are you gonna win? Probably not so just play and see what happens." Every once in a while, you can win. If I get to the eight or close and don't leave a bunch of skittles on the table I can feel positive about it.
Overthinking has always been my problem. It is a work in progress. More than once in a tough situation, a teammate has said "What are you thinking?" and when I explain my crazy plan they say "Why not just simply hit this here?" Duh!
I have to do it more still, but walking the table is a great stress reliever. It gives time to think without just standing there being stared at. It gives a better big picture of the table and shot, and maybe shows a different shot that might be better.
Overthinking has always been my problem. It is a work in progress. More than once in a tough situation, a teammate has said "What are you thinking?" and when I explain my crazy plan they say "Why not just simply hit this here?" Duh!
I have to do it more still, but walking the table is a great stress reliever. It gives time to think without just standing there being stared at. It gives a better big picture of the table and shot, and maybe shows a different shot that might be better.
Yes, it's spiritually true and now, considering what we are facing it's physically true - "Those that try to save their life will lose it and those that do not will save it" - this is very deep and at the surface level doesn't make sense and it's not supposed to. There are 3 levels of teaching and learning, the physical, the mental and the Spiritual or Deep Level......I'm trained to study at the deepest levels, the others are often misleading at best, you always have to dig to find the Truth.....which sets us free from the lies, deception and propaganda of this earth age we are currently in.
According to Johnny Archer, and I agree, it's best to exhale before critical shots. It's the opposite of weightlifting, but I understand the point. We are more relaxed after releasing the carbon dioxide is my experience, but to each their own.
It's always a good idea to exhale after taking a deep breath.
Yes, most of what I teach can be applied to many different aspects or components of life. That's what I say "The Game is the Teacher' because when we master one skill set we can build a bridge to many other subjects and interesting topics. I learned how to do this when I went through my masters training in Neuro Linguistic Programming......I use it on a daily basis and it's led me to some remarkable discoveries!
You will discover you have no choice.....and what we exhale isn't oxygen, it's quite the contrary.It's always a good idea to exhale after taking a deep breath.
Thank you Dr. Wiley!You will discover you have no choice.....and what we exhale isn't oxygen, it's quite the contrary.
This begs the question, why did you not just start the match that way? Lots of books on the subject. Many years ago I read The Inner Game of Tennis, which talks about the mental aspects of competing.
I do start the match that way, that's the point.
The Inner Game of Tennis is a great book, I read it when I was 16 and competing at tennis tournaments. He mentions my favorite pool book, 'Zen in the Art of Archery' which I've read 7 times and will probably read again, it's about archery and can be easily bridged to pool.
"The Hitter and Target must become one, the release is like snow falling off a bamboo leaf, without plan or preparation" - That's my spin on it anyway. lol