Eye Pattern Break Down Under Pressure

BRKNRUN

BRKNRUN

Showin some A$$
Silver Member
So....The last week I have had a ton of extra time on my hands and have been playing quite a bit of free pool (at my house)

I have been trying to find a reason for random missed shots...

I know I can run racks...I know I can make pretty much all the shots (except for a few extreme stroke shots or gaff type shots that rarely come up in a match that you would normally play safe on anyway)

I have been told that when I get comfortable against someone that I am playing I find a whole new gear, but when I get in a match that I am unfomfortable with I tend to let the pressure blow up my ability to pocket key balls in a rack...and sometimes even routine shots.

I have been spending time trying to figure out what is happening when I miss these balls....normally I can set the same shot back up and fire it in with no problem at all.

I think I finally may have realized that my problem is not a mechanical problem (or even visual) I belive my eye focus (eye pattern) changes on crucial shots and I am focused in-between the CB and OB....in essence I am closing my eyes on the shot....so to speak.....I am actually losing the visualization of the shot right at the stroke....I now also believe this may be what causes the dreaded jump up

I have worked on eye pattern methods to get myself focused correctly and it works up until that "key" shot in a rack and I dog the ball...

I can of course work on drills that help the focus...I acually have one where right at the pause of the final practice stroke I close my eyes and maintain the visualization of the last thing I saw (which should be the contact point and image of the OB path into the pocket) ...this works for a while...but then after time and under pressure my eyes seem to revert back to a "natural" pattern of doing something else and I end up in-between on that crucial shot...It may not even be a difficult shot, it may be a routine easy shot but the shape may need to be precise in order to be able to run the rest of the rack.

I am a believer that whatever you are doing during crunch time needs to be natural and not something you need to think about....

My question after all this, is there some trick that will make you naturally keep the focus locked in on the OB and path to the pocket?

Drills work, but after time they tend to wear off since it is not what your mind naturally wants to do.
 
Hi Ken;

I think we all have that problem at times. I certainly do. I believe it is a breakdown of your(my) routine. We get comfortable and/or lazy and shortcut our preshot. Pressure, important games just makes it more noticeable. This may be the most common mistake among players. I believe the only thing you/I can do is to regroup mentally to stay focused and on the preshot routine.
 
I think you hit the nail on the head with the post, and that you answered your own questions with your own responses. Experience in "those exact" situations will elevate your own confidence to be able to "know" you are going to make the shot... instead of thinking its clutch time... because if the mind and eyes don't "see" the shot and are focused on ANYTHING , you will be separated from instinct... which in turn will cause sudden eye/muscle jerks/spasms and otherwise unorthodox or unnatural play. I highly doubt you do this on all shots... which in turn means you are under some sort of "pressure" from yourself to perform a certain way on these certain shots, not just key shots, it just seems that way.
 
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IMHO, from what I know about you, its in your head. I have seen you play that high gear. If you can do it once, you can do it again. Just relax and have fun with it. "Just play pool Eddy"
 
Have a two-second rule.
Two seconds before starting the stroke, look at the line.
Pause for two seconds before the final stroke.
 
I started doing this before this last set of tournaments and it seems to be working very well for me: When lining up on the ball and getting down on the shot, don't take your eyes off of the contact point on the OB till you have stroked at least twice. That way you have a good look at where you need to hit the ball and have it ingrained before you release the shot, I usually get very nervous when playing so I needed to change something and this brought great results under pressure.

It works for me and I hope it works for you.
 
Crazy timing--I was just thinking of my own personal eye patterns yesterday.

I think just overall awareness and being present in the shot is essential to perfect play. Visualizing the shot, seeing the lines/finding my rail (if necessary), contact point and shot choice, cueball, contact point, stroke....well, you get the idea. And everytime. Every shot.

Without it, I guess I could compare it to, say, reading assignments in school. An hour or so later at the end of the chapter, it's like, "What did I just read?" You don't or can't learn anything without being "there"

I really have a problem with this when I practice by myself. I may run out, I may miss 5 shots in a 9b rack. And oddly enough, that shit wears me out. Missing and not focusing is just walking around the table...really.

Thanks for the important thread!
 
Serious question, are you have problems see the edges of the 7, and 8 Ball. If so welcome to the club, as it is a sign of failing vision. Good News is Glass will help.
 
Ken...If the drills are ineffective (or 'wear off', as you said), then you are not practicing them correctly. The eyes MUST be focused on the OB, BEFORE the cue moves forward, through the CB. The idea is for the "process" to take center stage, in your conscious and unconscious mind. The answer to your question is: Yes...it's called SPF, and Mother Drill 3.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com


BRKNRUN said:
My question after all this, is there some trick that will make you naturally keep the focus locked in on the OB and path to the pocket?

Drills work, but after time they tend to wear off since it is not what your mind naturally wants to do.
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If only I knew what MD3 was....:)

I will try some of the suggestions. I am sure they all will help.

The comment about reading book and not knowing what you just read is right up my alley...I actually don't like reading all that much just for that reason. I will be reading a book and after reading an entire page I will not have any clue what I just read and have to re-read the page......that is probably more of a lack of interest than lack of focus....but it is very similar what I am finding happens when I miss shots...I will have no clue what I was actually looking at...

Last night I actually caught myself coming off the OB with my eyes during the stroke.....

I realize that pressure or just anxiety of a shot may cause that to happen, but I highly doubt I will ever be able to remove either of those variables....(the game would be not fun without the pressure or anxiety)

I guess what I am really looking for as a method that as the pressure or anxiety mounts it naturally causes my to lock in my focus even stronger....I have seen it in some players that the higher the pressure the more focused they become.

Doing a drill will help, but even if I do it a millions times I am not sure it will make it what I would do "instintivly" (under pressure)

I know mechanically you can modify your grip, and or your stance and it will cause you to have a different ideally better natural stroke......but what can I modify in my set up that will make me naturally lock in on focus during the shot....I think that is the "key" that I am after....I am not sure that there is one.
 
Not that I know much.......

but I think that people naturally can focus for a set period of time visually. Some of the fast shooters can zoom in on the spot and may need to shoot quickly to avoid losing that focus. I personally think that is why speed of play can make such a huge difference. It may be that on that key ball you are altering your routine to get the perfect shape and it has changed the amount of time you are trying to focus. Maybe that extra time is more than your eyes can tollerate and they unfocus.

Just a thought. I, as I'm sure many others have the same shortfall.......guess that's why I'm still in the "B" league after all these years. :wink:

td
 
BRKNRUN said:
If only I knew what MD3 was....:)

I will try some of the suggestions. I am sure they all will help.

The comment about reading book and not knowing what you just read is right up my alley...I actually don't like reading all that much just for that reason. I will be reading a book and after reading an entire page I will not have any clue what I just read and have to re-read the page......that is probably more of a lack of interest than lack of focus....but it is very similar what I am finding happens when I miss shots...I will have no clue what I was actually looking at...

Last night I actually caught myself coming off the OB with my eyes during the stroke.....

I realize that pressure or just anxiety of a shot may cause that to happen, but I highly doubt I will ever be able to remove either of those variables....(the game would be not fun without the pressure or anxiety)

I guess what I am really looking for as a method that as the pressure or anxiety mounts it naturally causes my to lock in my focus even stronger....I have seen it in some players that the higher the pressure the more focused they become.

Doing a drill will help, but even if I do it a millions times I am not sure it will make it what I would do "instintivly" (under pressure)

I know mechanically you can modify your grip, and or your stance and it will cause you to have a different ideally better natural stroke......but what can I modify in my set up that will make me naturally lock in on focus during the shot....I think that is the "key" that I am after....I am not sure that there is one.
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Hi Ken. Basically all MD3 is, is an exercise to help build your personal eye pattern into your routine. All you do is setup a relatively easy shot on one of the short rails so that you can quickly set it up over and over. Each time you do it make sure you focus on each ball for two seconds and always focus on the OB before you shoot. Talking to yourself through each phase of the stroke is also important. Remember this is training, so everything must be done slow and deliberately focusing on the process and not the end result. Put a little pressure on yourself by shooting 9 in a row in rotation so that the 9 ball is the last ball. Easy shots, deliberate pauses, focus, focus, focus.
 
BRKNRUN said:
I know mechanically you can modify your grip, and or your stance and it will cause you to have a different ideally better natural stroke......but what can I modify in my set up that will make me naturally lock in on focus during the shot....I think that is the "key" that I am after....I am not sure that there is one.
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I know your game reasonably well and I agree with Jack. Your issue is not mechanics, it's all mental. And when I say all mental, I mean ALL mental. :)

Playing pool at a very high level is being able to play your ordinary game under extraordinary circumstances. When you are faced with a difficult shot in a rack, a tough opponent with whom you are not comfortable playing, or any situation that causes you to feel those nerves, your stroke and execution is breaking down.

I also had/have this issue. And I found a way to get around it in a way that worked best for me. I'm not sure it will work for you but I will tell you anyways. Repitition. It's sounds easy, but it is not. Sometimes the simplest answers are the best.

When you are playing and you get to that key ball or stroke shot, your mind stops executing as it did before on the previous balls. As soon as that stops happening, you are out of the focus zone. What I do to stay in the focus zone (or at least attempt to do) is make sure I follow my pre-shot routine down to the last tee. And I mean on EVERY shot. I don't care how hard the key shot is... I will approach it with the same attitude and feeling as I did on the six inch straight in shot. For me, I have about 5 or 6 key things that I do during my pre-shot routine and no matter what the situation is, I always execute it. I believe, for me, it allows my mind to not drift and stay focused on the shot in front of me.

Concentrating and executing my pre-shot routine on EVERY single shot also does not allow my mind to start thinking about how critical a certain key ball is. Example - how many times have you run out a rack and at the end forgot that you just won the match until you start racking again and realize that you did? Do you know why that happens? Because you are not thinking about outcome, the importance of whether you made or missed the key ball, got perfect shape, your opponent, or anyting else. You were only thinking about the ball in front of you that you were trying to make until you got to the very end. You forget about the match, you don't hear any music on the jukebox, you don't hear anybody else around you... you just hear the ball drop in the pocket.

This is what I do on every shot. Repitition. It keeps me focused on making the ball in front of me, not on what will happen if I miss the ball in front of me.

There is no key ball in a rack. They are all key. If you get out of position, play a lock-tight safe.

Hope that helps.

Ray <-- pseudo-monk :wink:
 
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I've been reading the threads on AZ for quite a while now. I think this is the best thread I've read. Just wanted to say thank you to all that posted as I think much of what was said will help my game. I've been trying to break out of the B's for quite a while. I've beaten a bunch of A's and Open players in Tournaments only when I've had that feeling of not remembering anything but the last ball and have been trying to figure out how to stay in that moment all of the time.

Thanks again
Jason
 
Hello,

What I don't understand is how a few ( very good ) instructors have said that with proper visualization, alignment and fundamentals it's totally possible to close your eyes on the final stroke. This would also be like looking at the cueball last I would think. So with that being said, why is an exact and sometimes complicated eye pattern so important? I have these instructional DVD's and one of the eye patters is so complicated, my pre shot routine and warm up strokes would take forever.
 
BigCat said:
Concentrating and executing my pre-shot routine on EVERY single shot also does not allow my mind to start thinking about how critical a certain key ball is.

This is what I do on every shot. Repetition. It keeps me focused on making the ball in front of me, not on what will happen if I miss the ball in front of me.

There is no key ball in a rack. They are all key. If you get out of position, play a lock-tight safe.

Hope that helps.

Ray <-- pseudo-monk :wink:
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This is an excellent reply, Ray!! I like the whole post/advice, left in what I think are the best parts and then highlighted the part that works best for me (when I execute it, lol).

Ken, my additional thoughts would be: think about what Ray is saying above in bold. If you really have your preshot routine down, then think (right now) what your eyes do at the pause. They shift to the OB. If your preshot routine is conducted every time, your eyes will shift to the OB every time.

Taken from another post in another thread, and from a friend of mine who gave me the same suggestion: when you practice, exaggerate every move so that when you play competitively, it becomes ingrained in your pre shot routine.

So for some, they jump up easily or forget to look at the OB last out of habit. If you take a few racks every time you practice, and simply pause longer, stay down til the cueball stops, follow thru further, etc, it helps conform that preshot routine. It's helped me from jumping up as much.

Further, as Pleasures of Small Motions describes, this is a good time to really be aware of the way your body FEELs when you shoot each shot. SENSE how your legs, feet, chest, (the whole body) feels when you execute each shot with a great pre shot routine. What happens is, when you feel that exact sense when you execute a shot beautifully, it also helps ingrain in your mind that wonderful feeling of a great shot.

Lewdo26 describes these things so much better than I!
 
JAW725 said:
Hello,

What I don't understand is how a few ( very good ) instructors have said that with proper visualization, alignment and fundamentals it's totally possible to close your eyes on the final stroke. This would also be like looking at the cueball last I would think. So with that being said, why is an exact and sometimes complicated eye pattern so important? I have these instructional DVD's and one of the eye patters is so complicated, my pre shot routine and warm up strokes would take forever.
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One of the things I teach to advanced students is to "feel" the ball fully, which includes being able to shoot with your eyes closed when pulling the trigger. Your eyes can distract you and I feel that you should create an image in your head about how a shot sounds, looks and feels like before anything physically happens, it's also known as "watching the movie".

To me I know I am hitting the balls very purely when I can close my eyes and execute a shot, hearing that the OB hit the pocket and that the CB is where it is even before I open my eyes to see the result.
 
Isn't it funny when you are in dead stroke, full of confidence, you're just able to accept the table fully and the shot is just the task at hand?

I'm not the strongest player, but if anything about myself I would advertise is my overall physical awareness and heart. I say this again, (oh crap, especially after tonight...started strong, ended fighting and not getting there) because when "I just know," much of the time spent approaching the shot is just seeing, looking at the entire table. There's so much, IMO, to taking a step back and just taking a look at the land. Taking mental pictures, for lack of better words.

Now when I'm out, and when I'm fighting paralysis through analysis, my eyes are racing to find the contact point...or something about my grip doesn't feel right...this ball's gonna swerve/deflect...or just the overall lack of trust. Lack of trust.

Anyway, yeah, tonight I was bested. And for nothing more than my pride.

I think when you make that your stake, particularly when cash is involved, you're destined to lose. Just play your game. Trust. And have a f-load of heart if you're in a tough game.

...wow, so much to muddle on after playing like sh-t tonight...lol.

edit: Reading over this thread...clutch shots? hahahha...own them. Love them. Slap the ball and drain it. I dunno, for me if the shot is so ridiculously tough, thin, long throw, calculated without selling out, or a jam up safe--making it can fuel me through the set, easily. And something about the attempt, and even missing it, does not detour my confidence at all. I mean, c'mon, it was a tough-ass shot? But the repercussion of making it, heh, is just totally worth it. You move on, and your opponent knows what he's in for. Heh heh.
 
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