I don't know if you can/will believe this or not but I had the most amazing experience yesterday. I have been struggling as of lately (all my life) with my stroke. I actually get fairly mental over this when I'm playing. Anyway, to make a long story short I have not been trusting my stroke. I tried lots of different methods to gain some confidence but nothing worked for an extended amount of time. And then BAM!! It dawned on me to shoot with my eyes closed and rely on my mind's eye to help with my stroke. After taking ball in hand in a 9ball game I ran a flawless complete rack. Speed was perfect as was shape. I also (with only 1 miss in each game) ran 5 more racks!! I lined up the shot, took my normal practice strokes, closed my eyes and fired with phenomenal results. I was dumbfounded to say the least especially after I went thru the same routine with my eyes open. 'Cause I did not have the same result. I found myself back in the same routine. Can you explain?
Eyes closed??!!! Believe it or not!!!
- Thread starter Ky Boy
- Start date
Max Eberle advocates doing exactly that in one of his articles for Inside Pool. Shooting with your eyes closed ensures that you are getting down in the proper alignment and letting your stroke naturally go forward; there is no way for you to steer your stroke towards the shot with your eyes closed.
It worked for that guy in Dodgeball as well. Blindfolded. 
I think sometimes it's important to try and mix things up a bit when practicing.
Another thing to try and do is to try and shoot with your non dominate arm, and see how far you get. Sometimes it may reveal some flaws or weaknesses in your regular stroke as well.
I think sometimes it's important to try and mix things up a bit when practicing.
Another thing to try and do is to try and shoot with your non dominate arm, and see how far you get. Sometimes it may reveal some flaws or weaknesses in your regular stroke as well.
Solartje said:
Exactly! There is your answer Luke(use the forrrce). Your setup for the shot is fine. Something visual and mental is happening when you actually do the stroke. Find out what that is grasshopper and you will be on your way to being a master! Great call Solly.
Terry< not a master but knows old tv + movies.
No look shots
Eyes closed, looking away, paper screen...they all prove that IF you aim/line up properly to begin with then you just need to shoot, not adjust after you get down. "Trust your eyes" is my mantra for this, meaning, you lined up the shot before you bent over it, trust what you did & don't re-adjust when you're down.
My guess is that you've got an ingrained habit of re-adjusting the aim after you're bent over the shot (since the results get bad again once you shoot with you eyes open). Resist it. Shoot.
Eyes closed, looking away, paper screen...they all prove that IF you aim/line up properly to begin with then you just need to shoot, not adjust after you get down. "Trust your eyes" is my mantra for this, meaning, you lined up the shot before you bent over it, trust what you did & don't re-adjust when you're down.
My guess is that you've got an ingrained habit of re-adjusting the aim after you're bent over the shot (since the results get bad again once you shoot with you eyes open). Resist it. Shoot.
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There was a thread not too long ago that debated if it is better to look at the OB or the CB last when shooting. I've always said that the mantra that it is always better to look at the OB last when shooting is a myth. Your results with your eyes closed is evidence that one particular way of shooting shouldn't be THE ONLY way. It's all about personal preference.KY BOY said:
If you were looking at the OB last, maybe you should try looking at the CB last. If that doesn't work, then may you should just close your eyes all the time.
What happens is that you are not getting any more input regarding your aim on the shot... You can create the same effect while your eyes are open by clearing your mind (after you are finished aiming) and looking at the shot in a detached, completely passive manner... Not caring if you miss or make the ball... Try that and see what you get.
One of the biggest reasons for missing.
I've been touting of late that one of the biggest reasons people miss, especially with bnanks and kicks is that they have a conflict between knowledge or what their conscious mind tells them should happen and their experience, or what feel from experience tells them WILL happen.
Your current experience of blind shooting illustrates this. You were missing because you were aiming correctly but when you got down to stroke as you were looking at the shot it looked wrong because your mind is telling you that you're lined up wrong, this conflict between knowledge and experience can cause any number of problems, all of which woll make you inconsistent.
You'll either pull your wrist so you don't stroke straight, minutely adjust your aim cause it doesn't look quite right etc etc....
Therre are several ways you can deal with this.
Try this one. when you get down at the shot, do two practice strokes only looking at the OB, then do two practice strokes only looking at the CB and look up at the OB after those two practice strokes and then do two practice strokes only looking at the CB but on the second practice stroke stroke straight through the CB.
Any time when you look up from the second set of practice strokes that it doesn't feel right, stand up and start over again. This will eliminate second guessing and miss stroking subconsciously. It won't help if it's your form r poor aim causing the miss stroke and not your mind though, so get the fundamentals of stroke down first.
I've been touting of late that one of the biggest reasons people miss, especially with bnanks and kicks is that they have a conflict between knowledge or what their conscious mind tells them should happen and their experience, or what feel from experience tells them WILL happen.
Your current experience of blind shooting illustrates this. You were missing because you were aiming correctly but when you got down to stroke as you were looking at the shot it looked wrong because your mind is telling you that you're lined up wrong, this conflict between knowledge and experience can cause any number of problems, all of which woll make you inconsistent.
You'll either pull your wrist so you don't stroke straight, minutely adjust your aim cause it doesn't look quite right etc etc....
Therre are several ways you can deal with this.
Try this one. when you get down at the shot, do two practice strokes only looking at the OB, then do two practice strokes only looking at the CB and look up at the OB after those two practice strokes and then do two practice strokes only looking at the CB but on the second practice stroke stroke straight through the CB.
Any time when you look up from the second set of practice strokes that it doesn't feel right, stand up and start over again. This will eliminate second guessing and miss stroking subconsciously. It won't help if it's your form r poor aim causing the miss stroke and not your mind though, so get the fundamentals of stroke down first.
KY BOY said:
There is a golf exercise that has you swing the club with your eyes closed. The purpose is to ensure that you have proper balance. I imagine this would also work quite well for pool as balance and stability are key fundamentals. In pool this would help promote staying down on a shot and not staying down causes the tip to move in unwanted directions resulting in missed shots.
I wouldn't start playing players with your eyes closed though.
"Old timers bit"
I remember being told by a bunch of "old timers"(senior players if you must) that back in the depression days, they would make each other choose their shot, set their bridge hand, then close their eyes, raise the cue out of the bridge hand and wave it around in the air behind them, replace the cue in the bridge hand and then shoot the shot, all while the eyes were closed. They told me it was to prove who had better mechanics. I guess it got a little boring back in the depression era days in the pool rooms!
I remember being told by a bunch of "old timers"(senior players if you must) that back in the depression days, they would make each other choose their shot, set their bridge hand, then close their eyes, raise the cue out of the bridge hand and wave it around in the air behind them, replace the cue in the bridge hand and then shoot the shot, all while the eyes were closed. They told me it was to prove who had better mechanics. I guess it got a little boring back in the depression era days in the pool rooms!
I appreciate the feedback. I am still boggled by the effect it had on me. I did not realize that my mind played my game down. I almost feel ashamed to say I play better with my eyes closed as opposed to open. I just may have found though a practice technique that really engulfs me and will have dramatically positive effect on my ability.
that sounds like some star wars stuff... you got yoda as a pool coach? use the force