man you're the biggest, toughest, smartest most talented dude ever. You should be a superhero!! or president!
Heightened Awareness
- Thread starter ShootingArts
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man you're the biggest, toughest, smartest most talented dude ever. You should be a superhero!! or president!
Dosen't get any better than Hu bud.
Sheesh!!
All that and modest besides. Guess there is only one appropriate link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-07_2DWfEmQ
All that and modest besides. Guess there is only one appropriate link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-07_2DWfEmQ
Because this is a public forum I opologize for the opinion on such a controversial issue.
Whatever gets you through anything you need to get through....is a good thing if you wouldn't have gotten there yourself.
Trust me. If you were to be in an environment that breathes negativity, day in and day out, and you can't escape it....I won't judge you if you take a dose of anything to numb your mind. Time is your enemy sometimes.
The truth is...no matter how big a dose of any drug...it will only be able to supply you with a boost of energy. Sometimes these boost last for awhile. These drugs, ranging from energy drinks (caffeine) to street drugs, do not supply you with the mental and physical capacity to execute properly.
True that the exchange for the quick burst of energy is the demise of your body, however, we come in different shapes and sizes making us more or less tolerant of one thing or the next.
I would go further but I don't want anyone reading this thinking anything is ok when it isn't.
Drugs and sports are as old as life is. Throughout history people have ingested all manner of things for every conceivable reason.
So I don't judge it. I don't care if the drugs are legal or not. They exist and people use them. I prefer not to use them to get me into a certain performance space. But if I have to get something done and the choice is to take a pain pill or stay in bed then I take the pill.
Playing pool for money is not something I like to take a pain pill for. But if I have to then I do.
But some drugs like cocaine heighten the senses tremendously. I once played after doing a couple lines and for 30 minutes I could not miss anything. I told my friend I didn't want any more. Too easy to get used to.
So I can see both sides. I certainly understand why they are banned in most organized sports and why poolplayers call it chemical warfare when two known users do battle.
In my life though the most memorable victories have come when reaching the zone without any drugs. In fact I don't have many stories about notable victories while on drugs but I don't tell the few I do have because it wasn't all "me" that won.
But I am not going to tell other people how to live. If you think you need something then do what you have to but going down that road can end up really bad.
Better to find it on the natural as most players come to realize.
www.jbcases.com
Mantras are a Buddhist technique to calm the mind and focus. Some studies have shown that people who meditate can actually raise or suppress the chemical levels in their brain to mimic the way certain drugs act on the body.
Also deep training produces myelin which has been compared to the shielding fo fiber optic wires. The more myelin someone has the faster the data travels through their brain. Which is to say in essence that the more prepared a person is for the task the easier it is for them. Duh, who doesn't know that right? But actually the science does show that the zone in performance comes more often to those who have practiced deeply and less often to those who have not.
And the first time it happens it can be overwhelming as all such experiences can be. But it's chasing this experience that is the essence of life as I see it. Otherwise all there is is drudgery and that is a crappy existence.
Also deep training produces myelin which has been compared to the shielding fo fiber optic wires. The more myelin someone has the faster the data travels through their brain. Which is to say in essence that the more prepared a person is for the task the easier it is for them. Duh, who doesn't know that right? But actually the science does show that the zone in performance comes more often to those who have practiced deeply and less often to those who have not.
And the first time it happens it can be overwhelming as all such experiences can be. But it's chasing this experience that is the essence of life as I see it. Otherwise all there is is drudgery and that is a crappy existence.
Great post, Hu!
Roger
Roger
I used to play on that heightened awareness you're talking about here, John, so I believe you. But I'm sure you already know that your open honesty on this subject is going to bring you some flak.
Roger
Another nice posting Sir
If i am correct Myelin was *deteced* in the end of the 90 s- or better said *noticed* what it does at least. Seems to be really a key how this funny brain works more efficient
Well I hope people don't think I was running around taking drugs all the time because that's not how it was or is. I didn't take any "Illicit" drugs ever until I was 32. My wife got me high on marijuana and that just made me silly. Sometime after that I tried some cocaine and that made me super aware and made me realize that it is something to stay away from.
The pain pills came after my back got so bad that getting through some days was really tough. But even at that I didn't play on them unless I absolutely couldn't stand it.
But I played against guys that were jacked up on coke, on meth, on pills, on booze, and it's tough to fade them when they are not missing a ball and everything you so seems futile. I had one guy be so brazen as to come to my shop and do his meth hits in front of me while we were playing. I told him to do his "meds" in the bathroom because I didn't want to see it. He was a good score if you could fade the bursts of drug-fueled runout pool he played.
That night though I was lucky to escape even because he apparently brought enough to last him more than eight hours.
The only addiction I have ever had is to this place. I can't shake it man. Even when having sex I need to check AZB.......it's brutal.
Maybe when I get into a long battle it's like being in the zone on the table. Except here there is no end to the set, no way to declare a winner, so there is no real payoff, just baggy eyes and another two days gone.
Great post Hu!
I thought that your experience of zone and handling pressure (the shooting record) was particularly interesting. I have found that one of the main problems caused by elevated anxiety or stress levels is a reduced ability to focus narrowly. I had put it down to a natural defence mechanism - from an evolutionary biology perspective, the last thing you want is to be maintaining an intense, child-like, concentration on something when you are stressed something somewhere is eyeing you up for lunch. This would suggest that pressure should make it more difficult to get into, or keep in, the Zone. So I found your experience of using the Zone to cope successfully with pressure intriguing.
And loved the water idea! Will certainly be trying that one out!
cool thread...i am trying to find my heightened 'zone' more often in pool.
regarding shooting pistols: i'm a non-competitive for-fun amateur shooter. Older Sig P229 .40. for practice, i can pick and hit those little 1/2" Shoot-N-C circles at 7 yards...usually takes one or two tries. what other ways are there to practice to improve your aiming at a typical indoor range? my next goal is to work on super tight groups. eventually i'd like to attend some tactiCOOL events around town.
regarding shooting pistols: i'm a non-competitive for-fun amateur shooter. Older Sig P229 .40. for practice, i can pick and hit those little 1/2" Shoot-N-C circles at 7 yards...usually takes one or two tries. what other ways are there to practice to improve your aiming at a typical indoor range? my next goal is to work on super tight groups. eventually i'd like to attend some tactiCOOL events around town.
stress management
A trick to control our emotional temperature is as simple as breathing. Slower deep breathes calm us. I can lower both my heart rate and blood pressure just by focusing on deep relaxed breathing for a few minutes. Positive statements running through your head or thinking about that gently flowing stream can help.
Often I have the opposite problem, I am tired or too mellow when I need to be a little tighter, a little more keyed up to perform my best. The solution is quick shallow breathing, if thinking at all still stay with the positive messages. Never focus on what you shouldn't do or how tough the competition is.
With a little practice using breathing to control our stress level is easy to learn. Like seeking the zone it gets easier with practice. Breath in quick shallow breathes a few minutes just sitting in front of the computer. Feel that fight or flight reflex building? Calm down with deep but not so exaggerated of breathes that it is uncomfortable. One of the things I used to practice when I had a desk job.
Hu
A trick to control our emotional temperature is as simple as breathing. Slower deep breathes calm us. I can lower both my heart rate and blood pressure just by focusing on deep relaxed breathing for a few minutes. Positive statements running through your head or thinking about that gently flowing stream can help.
Often I have the opposite problem, I am tired or too mellow when I need to be a little tighter, a little more keyed up to perform my best. The solution is quick shallow breathing, if thinking at all still stay with the positive messages. Never focus on what you shouldn't do or how tough the competition is.
With a little practice using breathing to control our stress level is easy to learn. Like seeking the zone it gets easier with practice. Breath in quick shallow breathes a few minutes just sitting in front of the computer. Feel that fight or flight reflex building? Calm down with deep but not so exaggerated of breathes that it is uncomfortable. One of the things I used to practice when I had a desk job.
Hu
Hu, you know I respect your posts so please know that my earlier post was just trying to be funny and was not laughing at you or anyone else in this thread.
I'm going to try your breathing technique. I've got to try something. I love the pressure and have to not only accept it but also crave it. I want that pressure some other time than league but it's hard to duplicate a meaningful match played in front of ther people. I really need to control it though. Yesterday at league my hands wouldn't stop sweating, I've slightly got the shakes and I feel like when I'm down on a shot everyone else can hear my heart beat. Like I said I love the pressure but I've got to try and control it better.
I'm going to try your breathing technique. I've got to try something. I love the pressure and have to not only accept it but also crave it. I want that pressure some other time than league but it's hard to duplicate a meaningful match played in front of ther people. I really need to control it though. Yesterday at league my hands wouldn't stop sweating, I've slightly got the shakes and I feel like when I'm down on a shot everyone else can hear my heart beat. Like I said I love the pressure but I've got to try and control it better.
rules?
Indoor ranges often have many rules. Sometimes you can only shoot at a very slow pace and reactive targets are often illegal. If they aren't illegal setting up a spinner can be more entertaining than cutting paper. I used to shoot eight inch falling plates and bowling pins indoors. Reactive targets in general are more fun than paper.
Practicing moderately rapid fire can be fun. Shoot some looking over the sights and see how your pistol moves up and down. There may be a little torque from the rifling but does the pistol track smoothly up and down and naturally return to the target? Does the pistol float gently down and settle back on where you want to shoot without going below your target and then back and forth above and below in smaller and smaller motions? The secret to speedy follow-up shots with a pistol isn't trying to overpower recoil but just gently controlling the gun and keeping things smooth. Like pool with the proper stance and alignment for you everything is much easier. With the proper stance and alignment you should be ready to break a shot every time the muzzle comes down from recoil if you choose.
Hu
Indoor ranges often have many rules. Sometimes you can only shoot at a very slow pace and reactive targets are often illegal. If they aren't illegal setting up a spinner can be more entertaining than cutting paper. I used to shoot eight inch falling plates and bowling pins indoors. Reactive targets in general are more fun than paper.
Practicing moderately rapid fire can be fun. Shoot some looking over the sights and see how your pistol moves up and down. There may be a little torque from the rifling but does the pistol track smoothly up and down and naturally return to the target? Does the pistol float gently down and settle back on where you want to shoot without going below your target and then back and forth above and below in smaller and smaller motions? The secret to speedy follow-up shots with a pistol isn't trying to overpower recoil but just gently controlling the gun and keeping things smooth. Like pool with the proper stance and alignment for you everything is much easier. With the proper stance and alignment you should be ready to break a shot every time the muzzle comes down from recoil if you choose.
Hu
chemical and on the natch, level two vs level three
Comparatively speaking pool isn't too demanding. We aren't having to react with perfect timing like a baseball player or race driver. As a result a person can play quite well at level two, narrow focus. However level two is so much less than level three that settling for that when three is out there seems unsatisfactory.
Since chemicals have became a part of this thread I'll say I have never hit a true level two or level three on chemicals. I smoked pot when I was young and for awhile I had some speed pills that gave me a bit of an edge when both I and the other player had been up 24 hours or so. None of this is a magic shortcut to what a person can do with a clear head. I have never competed in a car, with a gun, or any form of competition other than pool while drinking or doing any other drugs.
Anybody that competes on chemicals cheats themselves out of much of the real pleasure of competing. Beta blockers are popular in some circles. The doctor had me on them for years for my blood pressure. I absolutely hated them since they left me dull and not ready to compete.
Deliberately hitting the zone is a mental exercise. When I realized that I was just over halfway through the pistol match with nothing between me and a perfect score but myself I quietly found a chair and went down to the dark end of the firing line away from anyone else between relays. In the fifteen or twenty minutes between each stage I shot it dozens of times in my mind, seeing my sights on the target, hearing the shots, feeling the recoil in my hands and arms, smelling the burnt powder, visualizing not just the images but the entire experience. When I was called to the firing line and the buzzer sounded it was like the final pool stroke after many practice strokes had already grooved a simple shot for all the marbles into your mind and body. At the sound of the buzzer I was just performing, no thought, no doubt, nothing but a conscious mind at rest and out of the way.
We were shooting outdoors at night with the firing line under a small shed and the targets out in a heavy rain that was falling much of the time along with wind that was blowing target stands over or causing targets to fall off the backers. The real difficulty was that in poor lighting it was very hard to tell the difference between wet natural colored paper and wet black paint. The final two shots of the final stage were into a diagonal strip of "A" zone protected by black no shoot areas. Not a particularly tough target at ten yards in normal times but tough to see that night. My first six shots were totally without thought as was my reload and next four then my conscious mind stepped in. I was well ahead of the clock with plenty of time to make sure those final two shots went where they belonged. I paused for a long few seconds that seemed like an eternity to a friend watching behind me and made absolutely sure where the black paint was. When I fired the next shot the final shot went into the echo of the first far less than half a second behind and the deal was done.
That is something to realize shooting pool. In the level three zone our conscious mind is still there. While it is silent it is aware and will step in if needed in level three. In level two the conscious is nonstop ratchet jawing and while it may be blocking out other distractions it is like riding our first bike with training wheels compared to riding a high performance motorcycle. Level two is certainly better than no mental control at all and when we are far from at peace with ourselves sometimes level three can escape us. Then it is nice to have level two to fall back on. However in level two we are tying up the conscious mind and it might not step in when needed like it will in level three. This is the main reason to seek level three playing pool.
Embracing level three will let everyone perform very near their best. Often either player could win on a given day. Being able to deliver closer to our absolute best places the pressure on the other player to perform at their highest level. While they almost certainly have some decent level of mental game if we are operating at a higher level in our mental game we have an edge. In competition chasing every small edge makes winners.
I'll take a moment to offer a very sincere thanks to those who have posted kind words and sent positive private notes about this thread. I was well aware it was almost certain to attract a few lighhearted jokers and scoffers also. That doesn't disturb me. The primary reason this thread was started is so that those who first experience level three will hopefully realize that all the new information is a good thing.
Hu
Comparatively speaking pool isn't too demanding. We aren't having to react with perfect timing like a baseball player or race driver. As a result a person can play quite well at level two, narrow focus. However level two is so much less than level three that settling for that when three is out there seems unsatisfactory.
Since chemicals have became a part of this thread I'll say I have never hit a true level two or level three on chemicals. I smoked pot when I was young and for awhile I had some speed pills that gave me a bit of an edge when both I and the other player had been up 24 hours or so. None of this is a magic shortcut to what a person can do with a clear head. I have never competed in a car, with a gun, or any form of competition other than pool while drinking or doing any other drugs.
Anybody that competes on chemicals cheats themselves out of much of the real pleasure of competing. Beta blockers are popular in some circles. The doctor had me on them for years for my blood pressure. I absolutely hated them since they left me dull and not ready to compete.
Deliberately hitting the zone is a mental exercise. When I realized that I was just over halfway through the pistol match with nothing between me and a perfect score but myself I quietly found a chair and went down to the dark end of the firing line away from anyone else between relays. In the fifteen or twenty minutes between each stage I shot it dozens of times in my mind, seeing my sights on the target, hearing the shots, feeling the recoil in my hands and arms, smelling the burnt powder, visualizing not just the images but the entire experience. When I was called to the firing line and the buzzer sounded it was like the final pool stroke after many practice strokes had already grooved a simple shot for all the marbles into your mind and body. At the sound of the buzzer I was just performing, no thought, no doubt, nothing but a conscious mind at rest and out of the way.
We were shooting outdoors at night with the firing line under a small shed and the targets out in a heavy rain that was falling much of the time along with wind that was blowing target stands over or causing targets to fall off the backers. The real difficulty was that in poor lighting it was very hard to tell the difference between wet natural colored paper and wet black paint. The final two shots of the final stage were into a diagonal strip of "A" zone protected by black no shoot areas. Not a particularly tough target at ten yards in normal times but tough to see that night. My first six shots were totally without thought as was my reload and next four then my conscious mind stepped in. I was well ahead of the clock with plenty of time to make sure those final two shots went where they belonged. I paused for a long few seconds that seemed like an eternity to a friend watching behind me and made absolutely sure where the black paint was. When I fired the next shot the final shot went into the echo of the first far less than half a second behind and the deal was done.
That is something to realize shooting pool. In the level three zone our conscious mind is still there. While it is silent it is aware and will step in if needed in level three. In level two the conscious is nonstop ratchet jawing and while it may be blocking out other distractions it is like riding our first bike with training wheels compared to riding a high performance motorcycle. Level two is certainly better than no mental control at all and when we are far from at peace with ourselves sometimes level three can escape us. Then it is nice to have level two to fall back on. However in level two we are tying up the conscious mind and it might not step in when needed like it will in level three. This is the main reason to seek level three playing pool.
Embracing level three will let everyone perform very near their best. Often either player could win on a given day. Being able to deliver closer to our absolute best places the pressure on the other player to perform at their highest level. While they almost certainly have some decent level of mental game if we are operating at a higher level in our mental game we have an edge. In competition chasing every small edge makes winners.
I'll take a moment to offer a very sincere thanks to those who have posted kind words and sent positive private notes about this thread. I was well aware it was almost certain to attract a few lighhearted jokers and scoffers also. That doesn't disturb me. The primary reason this thread was started is so that those who first experience level three will hopefully realize that all the new information is a good thing.
Hu
Heightened awareness can be a beautiful thing...and a lifesaver, too.
How do you get to levels 4 and 5?
When the tragic tsunami came crashing into Thailand a few years ago, what happened to the poor animals? Not much.
While so many people perished after being caught by surprise, the animals overwhelmingly survived by instinctively heading to high ground. They knew something wasn't right and acted on it.
We may never be able to achieve it at the level many animals possess but we can pay attention and learn a good deal. Watch secret service agents working on a presidential detail, they've learned a little something about heightened awareness.
Some great info in this thread.
Thanks Hu!
Best,
Brian kc
How do you get to levels 4 and 5?
When the tragic tsunami came crashing into Thailand a few years ago, what happened to the poor animals? Not much.
While so many people perished after being caught by surprise, the animals overwhelmingly survived by instinctively heading to high ground. They knew something wasn't right and acted on it.
We may never be able to achieve it at the level many animals possess but we can pay attention and learn a good deal. Watch secret service agents working on a presidential detail, they've learned a little something about heightened awareness.
Some great info in this thread.
Thanks Hu!
Best,
Brian kc
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something I have wondered about
Brian,
I have long wondered if there are more levels above the third one. Sometimes I have sensed trouble ahead or great evil without knowing how or why. I don't know if it was information from my five senses that was being processed at something other than a conscious level or some sort of sixth sense everyone has. There were a couple of times that it saved me from dying or severe injury. Another three or four times since then when I felt that way I simply accepted it and changed my plans. No way to know if something would have happened or not had I not changed plans but I absolutely trust those warnings now after seeing the seeming impossible a few times.
Speaking of animals I've told the story of my chow-chow dog a few times. Mom was divorced and teaching school when I was in my late teens-early twenties. She asked me to live in her home since she was uncomfortable living alone. My dog was of course part of the deal since he was with me whenever possible. I didn't keep regular hours between racing cars, pool, and partying but I noticed that mom started having a plate of hot food ready whenever I got home. I asked her how she knew when I was coming home when I didn't know myself. She told me that my dog would go to the door and wait about fifteen minutes before I got home.
I'd noticed him doing that before mom came home and I started having fresh coffee made the same way. When she was out of town for weeks at a time running a department store he would go to the door about fifteen minutes before she was coming in even when I had no idea she was coming. I verified several times that she hadn't stopped and visited a neighbor or something. The dog knew she was coming while she was still 12-15 miles away, the same when I was coming home. How???
There is still a lot for man to learn. In particular I think there is probably still huge potential in the mind that we aren't tapping or aren't tapping on demand. While I am skeptical about a lot of things I hesitate to say almost anything is impossible. Whether we believe in God or the power of positive thoughts I have seen the seeming impossible and near impossible happen many times when prayer was involved, particularly group prayer. Whatever is happening is beyond known science.
These posts are getting pretty far from the original focus of the thread but particularly the level three zone seems to be tapping an area of the mind we seldom use, or perhaps I should say seldom knowingly use.
Hu
Brian,
I have long wondered if there are more levels above the third one. Sometimes I have sensed trouble ahead or great evil without knowing how or why. I don't know if it was information from my five senses that was being processed at something other than a conscious level or some sort of sixth sense everyone has. There were a couple of times that it saved me from dying or severe injury. Another three or four times since then when I felt that way I simply accepted it and changed my plans. No way to know if something would have happened or not had I not changed plans but I absolutely trust those warnings now after seeing the seeming impossible a few times.
Speaking of animals I've told the story of my chow-chow dog a few times. Mom was divorced and teaching school when I was in my late teens-early twenties. She asked me to live in her home since she was uncomfortable living alone. My dog was of course part of the deal since he was with me whenever possible. I didn't keep regular hours between racing cars, pool, and partying but I noticed that mom started having a plate of hot food ready whenever I got home. I asked her how she knew when I was coming home when I didn't know myself. She told me that my dog would go to the door and wait about fifteen minutes before I got home.
I'd noticed him doing that before mom came home and I started having fresh coffee made the same way. When she was out of town for weeks at a time running a department store he would go to the door about fifteen minutes before she was coming in even when I had no idea she was coming. I verified several times that she hadn't stopped and visited a neighbor or something. The dog knew she was coming while she was still 12-15 miles away, the same when I was coming home. How???
There is still a lot for man to learn. In particular I think there is probably still huge potential in the mind that we aren't tapping or aren't tapping on demand. While I am skeptical about a lot of things I hesitate to say almost anything is impossible. Whether we believe in God or the power of positive thoughts I have seen the seeming impossible and near impossible happen many times when prayer was involved, particularly group prayer. Whatever is happening is beyond known science.
These posts are getting pretty far from the original focus of the thread but particularly the level three zone seems to be tapping an area of the mind we seldom use, or perhaps I should say seldom knowingly use.
Hu