Harnessing the brain

muskyed

muskyed

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Just watched a " Black Files Declassified" show, Season 1 E5, that had a segment in it where they took the show person, a retired CIA opp, and had him shoot 3 shots a target with a m16. While doing this, he had a band strapped to his head with electrodes recording three functions, pulse, alpha something, and something else. They had already tested some of the best rifle shots to see what their brain waves were. They then compared this past CIA persons brain waves to the best rifle shots brain waves.
They then had him go through 2 hrs of computer simulations that taught him how to control his brain waves at the time of the shot, to be more like the best shooters.
The result of this was that after two hrs of simulation, they tested him again. His shooting was over 50% better and his recorded brain waves were more in line with the best shooters. It was really interesting where in two hrs time, you were able to focus your brain so much better. When a player says they are in the zone, were they just lucky, or did the stars align that day to where the real reason was they were just so much more focused.
 
muskyed said:
The result of this was that after two hrs of simulation, they tested him again. His shooting was over 50% better
Click to expand...

Was this 50% better a decrease from 3 minutes of arc down to 1.5 MoA
or was it from 0.5 MoA to 0.25 MoA ??

It makes a BIG difference to the meaning of his training.
 
Actually was closer to 100% improvement but I didn't want to sensationalize and focus the intent on the size of the group as it really doesn't matter as far as I am concerned. It was a vast improvement after a 2 hr thought training process.
Just so you know, in the service I was the best shot in my basic training company and also shot with the FT Rucker rifle team for a month after I got out of my ATC school. I was actually offered a position on that rifle team where I would have been shooting with them for the rest of my tour. My company commander pulled me out as they didn't want me not using my Air Traffic Controll training.
So, what this means is not only do I know shooting, know gunsmithing, I also still shoot and am very proficient at it.
The only concerning factor was they were 3 shot groups, but what really mattered was the actual point of what I posted about, and why I posted about it in a pool forum, and that was after two hrs, you could train your brain to be much more focused. The group was almost meaningless as the recorded brain functions were the real important point.
Sorry I didn't explain it well enough for you to understand the intent of what I posted.
 
Reminds me of these type of drills. Doing them for 5 minutes before you practice is fun.

Obviously far less advanced vs. what you posted but in the same thread.

 
I grew up at the gun clubs my dad shot at. Got to be a good shot really early. The biggest factor in shooting well is breathing control. A lot of the same technique can/does apply to playing pool. Not real sure about all this brain wave stuff but breathing control is huge.
 
garczar said:
I grew up at the gun clubs my dad shot at. Got to be a good shot really early. The biggest factor in shooting well is breathing control. A lot of the same technique can/does apply to playing pool. Not real sure about all this brain wave stuff but breathing control is huge.
Click to expand...
Yep. Benchrest rifle or long range target shooting, you learn to coordinate your pulse beat with the trigger squeeze. Along with that, you learn to breathe so that your heartrate is steady.
 
bbb said:
Click to expand...
@muskyed
i did not mean my post in any way to undermine your post
it was my warped way to look at the world
As their study that if you could train brainwaves you could improve -performance
If you let your conscious mind get out of the way
you can improve performance

They found a way to control your mind
 
couldnthinkof01 said:
Reminds me of these type of drills. Doing them for 5 minutes before you practice is fun.

Obviously far less advanced vs. what you posted but in the same thread.

Click to expand...
I've long been of the opinion that the only way to get to another level in pool (assuming you've already practiced your brain out for 5 or so years at some point in your life), is to increase eye-hand coordination. To this end, I bought one of these classes about 15 years ago. I think it was called hammer brain, or something like that. It was basically to increase the connections between the two brain halves by doing exercises with both hands, such as bouncing a golf ball off of a hammer, brushing your teeth with the opposite hand, writing with the opposite hand, etc. The delivered product was a printed workbook binder about 3" thick.

Anyway, after I got the binder, I started getting a bunch of spam email with ridiculous crap such as "do xyz to add 6" to your height" (for a fully grown person). I realized it was the brain guy's other companies, confirmed after emailing him and asking. I then I threw all his books in the trash so I never was reminded I got taken for the $100. ha ha ha.

Thanks for the reminder;)
 
Not quite on the exact same topic but i was told once why sailors don't spill their coffee on a rolling deck. How you ask? The secret is not to look at the cup. If you just walk normally your eye/hand/body/brain system will auto compensate but if you look at the cup and try to stabilize it you will spill it every time. There is a ton of shit we are capable of if we allow it to happen and not try to make it happen.
 
bbb said:
@muskyed
i did not mean my post in any way to undermine your post
it was my warped way to look at the world
As their study that if you could train brainwaves you could improve -performance
If you let your conscious mind get out of the way
you can improve performance

They found a way to control your mind
Click to expand...
Never thought you did. No problems here. Just trying to post something new up that was interesting to me.
 
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garczar said:
Not quite on the exact same topic but i was told once why sailors don't spill their coffee on a rolling deck. How you ask? The secret is not to look at the cup. If you just walk normally your eye/hand/body/brain system will auto compensate but if you look at the cup and try to stabilize it you will spill it every time. There is a ton of shit we are capable of if we allow it to happen and not try to make it happen.
Click to expand...
The brain is an awesome thing. Playing halfway decent pool is almost supernatural, made possible by that background supercomputer.

Feed it the best quality information and fuel possible and get the hell out of its way. At least that what I try to do.

I’m a lefty but do many things right handed or both. I’ll practice whole days off handed, the mental fatigue is real on those days but it’s good information and more connections being made in the brain.

An odd little thing I remember reading about was tossing a ball from hand to hand in a big arc, then closing your eyes and keeping it going. You can start to feel when you need to move over an inch here or there based on how the ball left your other hand
 
lfigueroa said:
I think pool is ripe for all kinds of sports computer analysis -- it just hasn't been done yet.

Lou Figueroa
Click to expand...
This was a Government research thing, probably some experiment on how to get better shooting accuracy out of recruits. Wouldn't be supprized if it wasn't being used in Olympic shooting. It could be used in pool, or so many other sports. Not sure how much it would help the best, but those working their way up, might shorten the learning curve. I don't know, it was interesting to me and something different to discuss than tips and tournaments.
 
muskyed said:
Actually was closer to 100% improvement but I didn't want to sensationalize and focus the intent on the size of the group as it really doesn't matter as far as I am concerned. It was a vast improvement after a 2 hr thought training process.
Just so you know, in the service I was the best shot in my basic training company and also shot with the FT Rucker rifle team for a month after I got out of my ATC school. I was actually offered a position on that rifle team where I would have been shooting with them for the rest of my tour. My company commander pulled me out as they didn't want me not using my Air Traffic Controll training.
So, what this means is not only do I know shooting, know gunsmithing, I also still shoot and am very proficient at it.
The only concerning factor was they were 3 shot groups, but what really mattered was the actual point of what I posted about, and why I posted about it in a pool forum, and that was after two hrs, you could train your brain to be much more focused. The group was almost meaningless as the recorded brain functions were the real important point.
Sorry I didn't explain it well enough for you to understand the intent of what I posted.
Click to expand...
I'm inclined to believe a lot of the improvement (by the test subject) was not the calibration so much as the focus on the act of shooting.
 
muskyed said:
This was a Government research thing, probably some experiment on how to get better shooting accuracy out of recruits. Wouldn't be supprized if it wasn't being used in Olympic shooting. It could be used in pool, or so many other sports. Not sure how much it would help the best, but those working their way up, might shorten the learning curve. I don't know, it was interesting to me and something different to discuss than tips and tournaments.
Click to expand...

Many moons ago I had the opportunity to visit a USA Olympic training facility in CO.

For the swimmers one of the things they did was harness them up and pull them through the water so they could feel what a world pace/record winning form feels like so they could modify accordingly.

Lou Figueroa
 
muskyed said:
Just watched a " Black Files Declassified" show, Season 1 E5, that had a segment in it where they took the show person, a retired CIA opp, and had him shoot 3 shots a target with a m16. While doing this, he had a band strapped to his head with electrodes recording three functions, pulse, alpha something, and something else. They had already tested some of the best rifle shots to see what their brain waves were. They then compared this past CIA persons brain waves to the best rifle shots brain waves.
They then had him go through 2 hrs of computer simulations that taught him how to control his brain waves at the time of the shot, to be more like the best shooters.
The result of this was that after two hrs of simulation, they tested him again. His shooting was over 50% better and his recorded brain waves were more in line with the best shooters. It was really interesting where in two hrs time, you were able to focus your brain so much better. When a player says they are in the zone, were they just lucky, or did the stars align that day to where the real reason was they were just so much more focused.
Click to expand...
Awhile back I read a book called GYRA golf. I think it was $2 on amazon kindle. It talks about the different brain waves and how they relate to golf. Interesting stuff for sure. Quieting my mind while playing pool is a struggle. Play great when it is quiet and then miss even a simple shot when my attention goes to something else.
 
iusedtoberich said:
I've long been of the opinion that the only way to get to another level in pool (assuming you've already practiced your brain out for 5 or so years at some point in your life), is to increase eye-hand coordination. To this end, I bought one of these classes about 15 years ago. I think it was called hammer brain, or something like that. It was basically to increase the connections between the two brain halves by doing exercises with both hands, such as bouncing a golf ball off of a hammer, brushing your teeth with the opposite hand, writing with the opposite hand, etc. The delivered product was a printed workbook binder about 3" thick.

Anyway, after I got the binder, I started getting a bunch of spam email with ridiculous crap such as "do xyz to add 6" to your height" (for a fully grown person). I realized it was the brain guy's other companies, confirmed after emailing him and asking. I then I threw all his books in the trash so I never was reminded I got taken for the $100. ha ha ha.

Thanks for the reminder;)
Click to expand...
I think most people have enough hand eye coordination to play pool well. The thing is that they dont realize how precise they actually need to be in set up and picking the spot to strike on the cue ball. Pros take so much more time finding that spot than amateurs. Then they hit that spot whereas someone like me tends to get lazy and think that looks good enough. sometimes it is and sometimes it isn't. Mark wilson talks about hitting the microdot which is the size of a period. I have been working more on trying to be that precise lately.
 
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