With everyone its something
We've actually had many discussions on this topic.
The general consensus from the better players is, use your "active mind" to determine your plan during the stand up portion of your preshot routine, then "turn your thinking mind off" when preparing to execute the shot.
Anything "technical" you think about while down in your stance is generally counter productive. There may be room for positive thinking.. Perhaps a little mental vision of a successful execution..
I've personally found that extreme mental focus on the environment of the pool table itself, ignoring pretty much everything else outside of the rails, is the quickest route to drop in to dead stroke.
Short Bus Russ - C player
Last year about this time, I was working on something visual Id been toying with and it had been a long time since I was able to get out to a tournament. It was done by losses and they gave me 4. I beat everyone I was supposed to and almost everyone I wasn't then I hit 3 losses and something hit me. I was scared to miss and I didn't, blew through to 2nd place from there, most of my opponents didn't shoot but once it was race to 2 and that's the way I was beat for 1st.
I had kicked into automatic. When I did I just let it flow. The next week came back and started doing the same thing, then I realized I had no idea how I was doing the things I was doing and I faltered, starting missing and got beat out. So I took this to the practice table. This little thing I had been working with was so close to being spot on that I had gone into automatic from it and left it behind, the first week and didn't think about it the second week.
When I practiced and first considered it and then let my feel take over I did way better than either time and now I was able to control my "feel." I still have days that the feel works just a tiny tad better than some because we feel different on different days but my consistency has gone way, way up. When Im feeling good I rarely rattle a ball and the only thing that stops me from getting out is when balls are together I cant break out or some crazy lay out you rarely see.
So my opinion is that you have to have something that keeps you "on." Then you base your feel around that but it is the "feel" that is king and lets you figure in your allowances for spin and speed. Nothing will ever replaced the allowances for spin and speed in the making of a better player having that thing that keeps you on means a lot before you start applying the feel.
As evidenced in the 2nd week. I had not had a chance to hit a ball that week between tournaments so if you find it and you don't understand how you are doing what you are doing, you really have to continue hitting balls to keep up with it and if something knocks you off your game, you sometimes have a hard time reconnecting with it.
That one little thing you develop should keep you on track. Seek it and develop it. I did and its become my game.
I work a job, I play twice a week and my speed is still going up since last year at this time and I was no slouch then. I feel like I have finally learned how to play and for once see the real game in pool. I love the game now so much more that I understand how I do what I do before I let the feel kick in. There is plenty of room left to make mistakes, I just found a little something that gets me just that much closer.
