Dealing with uncomfortable changes...

[woody_968]

With all of the recent threads about lessons and changes that make us uncomfortable I thought I would bring up a way to look at these changes that might help some of us.

When changing someones stance/grip/stroke/bridge one of the first comments made is "that is uncomfortable". May I suggest instead of saying its uncomfortable we learn to say "that feels different"? On the surface it looks like just a change of words, but in reality it can change your total mental outlook of the change.

Uncomfortable is negative. None of us like to feel uncomfortable and we will do everything in our power to stay away from this feeling.

Different can be positive, it tells you you are in a new position or using a new technique. That is EXACTLY what we should be looking for!!! If it feels the same as it always did we probably didnt change anything, but if it feels different (and we are doing as a qualified instructor suggested) then we are most likely on the right track to improve our game.

It doesnt take long for the new feeling to replace the old, so enjoy it while it lasts. If we really want to improve in this great game we have to get to where we LOVE it when something new feels different! Its these new and different feelings that, when incorportated into our game, will yeild the improvement we are all looking for.

Any other oppinions on how to deal with change?

Woody

 

[DrCue'sProtege]

well, my thoughts on change might differ with most people. change for change sakes isnt necessarily good, and often times something doesnt need overhauled, it just needs tweaked a little. this is why i have decided, so far, to not follow Mark Wilson's advice 100%. i dont think i needed a complete overhaul, but rather some tweaking.

its similar to a golf swing. for an instructor to say "swing my way" - that isnt good. for a pool instructor to say "stroke my way" isnt always the best way to go either.

Mark Wilson did tell me that the main things are a repeating stroke that delivers the cue tip right at the aim point in a straight manner. yes, if i do things (mechanics) his way, that is uncomfortable. if i use a middle of the road approach to his ideas with my stance/stroke it feels better but yet now i am concentrating on the things he has said were the most important areas, the ones i just mentioned at the start of this paragraph.

similar to this is the age old argument of "do i look at the object ball or cue ball when i shoot?" as Tom Rossman said to me, it doesnt really matter as long as you are aligned properly, stroke straight and follow through, and have "Burning Focus" for the shot it will come off the same way no matter if you are looking at the blonde in the 3rd row.

so i am going to continue to work on the changes Mark made in my game, but within my comfort zone. somebody said once: "If you always do what you've always done, you will always get what you always got." well, i've changed enough to not be doing what i always did, so hopefully my game will improve. and alot of it is in the way i approach a shot as well as the execution of the shot.

just my $.02.
DCP

 

[Williebetmore]

well, i've changed enough to not be doing what i always did, so hopefully my game will improve. and alot of it is in the way i approach a shot as well as the execution of the shot.

just my $.02.
DCP

DCP,
Well said, and good luck. You can always check yourself. If you make every shot, and the cueball goes exactly where you want it, then you have a good stroke. As my local instructor says, "Whitey never lies." He makes me shoot a rack of 9-ball, before each shot I must place a business card where I want the cue ball to end up; a successful rack run is only accomplished by pocketing all the balls, and successfully getting whitey to stop on the business card after EVERY shot. It's tough.

 

[DrCue'sProtege]

a business card?
hmmmmm?
a novel idea at that.
might give it a try myself.
i've practiced before with a circular bulls-eye type thing i made. it had Jeanette's name on the outer circle (not bad cue ball control), Karen's name on the middle circle (good cue ball control), and Allison's name on the small center circle (excellent cue ball control).

needless to say, i was always trying to "get on top" of Allison.

DCP

 

[vapoolplayer]

DCP,
Well said, and good luck. You can always check yourself. If you make every shot, and the cueball goes exactly where you want it, then you have a good stroke. As my local instructor says, "Whitey never lies." He makes me shoot a rack of 9-ball, before each shot I must place a business card where I want the cue ball to end up; a successful rack run is only accomplished by pocketing all the balls, and successfully getting whitey to stop on the business card after EVERY shot. It's tough.

thats a great exercise. try this one as well, throw 3 or 4 balls on the table, take ball in hand, then take a piece of chalk and randomly toss it on the table. that is where you want to get position after the shot. after you do that, take ball in hand for another shot and toss the chalk. this helps you to learn how to get anywhere on the table with any shot. of course there are some exceptions as there is positon that isn't attainable on some shots.

thanks

 

[Williebetmore]

thats a great exercise. try this one as well, throw 3 or 4 balls on the table, take ball in hand, then take a piece of chalk and randomly toss it on the table. that is where you want to get position after the shot. after you do that, take ball in hand for another shot and toss the chalk. this helps you to learn how to get anywhere on the table with any shot. of course there are some exceptions as there is positon that isn't attainable on some shots.

thanks

VAP,
This sounds good. As an aside, I have an aquaintance (who has been a top ranked pro) who will set up a 45 degree cut in the side pocket, then bet you even money that they can place the cue ball anywhere on the table after pocketing the ball - you place the card anywhere you want, and they hit it WAY more than 50% of the time - it's spooky, and makes me want to keep the day job.