For those of you who have read the inner game of tennis

[3andstop]

In the book it talks about occupying the conscious mind but focusing on the seems of the ball.. i have trying different things to accomplish that same thing. once i saw the angle, i got down and focused on one of the red dots of the measle ball... This worked for about 2 days (like every other new thing) and i shot lights out, then all of sudden it didnt have the same effect. I then started to concentrate on seeing the ferrule clearly before i shot... SAME thing--- it worked well for a few days but my mind got used to it... almost every new technique works for a short period of time but it would wear off... really weird..


Other than singing or humming, what can we as pool players do to quiet that conscious mind and keep it occupied...????

First step .... if you're not married, don't get married.

Second step ... if you are married, there's always bowling.

 

[Ghosst]

Other than singing or humming, what can we as pool players do to quiet that conscious mind and keep it occupied...????

This is what I had written in an earlier thread about doubts and keeping your mind quiet. With practice you can teach yourself to stay calm and detached while still maintaining a focused state. It is what many people seek from the teachings of Zen.

We were around long before we had language to speak to one another, and your brain is organized around that; we think in pictures, not words. That's why visualization works so well for athletes. Self-doubt is very powerful because you know how it feels, recognize what it looks like and your mind does the best it can to give you what you're asking for.

When you don't have time to learn to relax through your own means or meditation you can just listen to a slow drum beat. It will calm you down very quickly. It's a form of bio-hacking.

As far as eliminating doubts, it's hard to keep that positive or detached view. One trick to quickly letting go is to pay attention to your body feels right then and there in the shot. What does the cue feel like in your hand, the touch of the wood. Are your shoes tight or loose? What does the table cloth feel like under your bridge hand? Pay attention to that and shoot your shot. If you can play pool, your body will make the shot as long as you keep your conscious mind out of it. So, give it something to do.

My favorite method is using actual feelings because what you perceive will vary from day to day. It keeps things fresh enough so you don't dismiss them. Setting and using an anchor while you're calm will help you get back to that state much more easily (something that JoeW or Edd can explain in more detail).

If I find I need to be reminded, I will watch one of the narratives from, "The Last Samurai". There is an sequence which describes discipline and in it a woman using a loom. Even though she has completed her pull (not sure of the correct terminology) she tugs it a second time after it bounces once. The sequence then changes to a tea ceremony, and finally archery. In these arts the form is always the same, it does not change. Watching it reminds me of, "Zen in the Art of Archery", (another great resource).

I watch that because it reminds me that my body (governed by the subconscious) is completely capable of making my shot. It knows how to do exactly what I need done. Through practice of my fundamentals I can repeat these actions and make the shots I need to make. But if I'm keeping a running commentary or worrying about if the pretty girl is going to watch or not (or whatever it is that distracts you) I will probably miss. The loom, tea ceremony, and archery remind me to stick to my fundamentals, and the feeling of my shoes keeps my mind busy with something else.

Here is the scene, beginning at 1:42

 

[arnaldo]

Often if you know *why* something works or that there’s an easily explained mechanism behind its positive results, it’s far easier to accept its validity and put it so repeatedly into practice that it becomes an automatic element of performing the activity.

This thread and the various books about the mental aspects of tennis, golf, and pool essentially relate to the complementary but distinctly different function of each the brain’s dual hemispheres.

Left brain/right brain is the mechanism that enables purposeful "distraction" to perform its magic.

One of the prime functions of the left brain is the processing of language -- doesn’t matter much whether the words are formed internally by the sport participant or are being received from an external source.

The relevant factor is that when the left brain is relatively well occupied with processing/forming language (a mantra, for one example), the right brain is free to do what it’s specialized to do: perception of shapes and patterns, creative activity in general -- and equally important for golf, tennis, and especially for pool -- it’s the hemisphere more closely linked to deliberately accessing subconscious thought, and non-verbal information (as in the huge fund of subconsciously-stored learning relating to all prior experience with all the subtle amounts of delivery speed and aiming results, optimal pre-shot routine, and optimal CB positioning).

Keeping the left brain moderately occupied allows the right brain complete and productive access to that experience-based subconscious accumulation of your personally ideal performance factors. It’s the key to “getting out of your own way” while playing.

Arnaldo

 

[jburkm002]

Probably also good when your sitting down watching your opponent. Know a player that gets pretty upset when he feels his opponent is getting rolls. I told him to think of something positive to say to his opponent or something to say in his head before he reached the table. Seems it can work in many ways.

 

[naji]

Last night I put some of the theories of the book to the test during my league match.

Here was my issue; My conscious mind was apparently getting in the way causing a variety of issues, so I decided to take the books advice and give it something to do.

I decided to hum a song while I was shooting to give my conscious mind something to occupy itself with while I was shooting. I chose a repetitive song that didn't require me to try and think of the lyrics, it was row row row your boat. I know, it sounds stupid but I was amazed by the effect it had. I was able to apply conscious thought to plan my run out but when it cam time to start shooting I was able to turn it off and allow my unconscious mind to take over. I won 6-0 with 3 table runs, and it all seemed very easy. I didn't get upset at myself when I missed, my emotions were very even keeled and best of all I was able to just have fun again playing pool. It no longer felt difficult.

Is anyone else doing the things suggested in this book? What are your techniques? Does it help you?

Pool is about consistency, if you repeat this performance five times in a row at different days you have something to hang on. Best of luck.

 

[JohnPT]

One trick pony. I was practicing and decided to give this a try. Right off the bat, put a 5 pack against the 9 ball ghost. Then the wheels fell off and played dismal. My brain got tired playing a tune over and over and over and then I was worse off than my regular shooting.

I have to mention though that I am competitive against the ghost so I am not thoroughly convinced that the 5 games were solely because of the music in my head. However, it was very effective as far as quieting the negative talk in my head.

 

[daniel]

also by same author is inner game of golf

 

[JoeW]

A similar "trick" is to visualize the object ball moving down the line to the pocket, then back up to the contact point and fire.

It takes some training to actually see the object ball move but it can be done. Later you can learn to "see" the cue ball move to the object ball and then see the object ball roll to its target.

Requires lots of training but it does shut down the conscious mind and I see no reason to waste all that mind power on other things.

Humming to yourself is a quick fix that will clearly demonstrate that occupying the mind with other things allows the subconscious to do its thing. This is why hypnosis works so well. It lets us access other parts of the mind