How do you practice playing???

[woody_968]

The thread on what makes a good teacher brought up the point of not thinking about mechanics when playing. I ask the players here that have spent hours on stroke mechanics, how do you practice just playing the game?

I know it should be simple and say "just dont think about it" but the mind doesnt work that way in many cases. I know in golf many players use ONE swing thought so they dont get mental overlaod when swinging. When you play do you just think about pocketing the ball, cueball control, or do you have a swing thought that works for you?

Any and all oppinions are appreciated, I am trying to gain as many different points of views on this subject as I can.

Thanks.

Woody

 

[sjm]

Nice post, Woody. Being able to have a single guiding thought gves you a big edge. The analogy with golf is perfect. In both games, the best possible thought as you attempt a shot is to carry out the plan for the shot.

In golf, this means that while you're over the golf ball, it's too late to be thinking about whether you want to swing hard, swing soft, change clubs, slice it, hook it, hit it low, hit it high, etc. All decisions must be made before you get over the ball. If all your decisions are made before you get over the ball, you can maintain a swing thought in which executing your plan is your focus. If you have failed to plan any aspect of your shot properly, it will be far more difficult to focus on executing your plan, because you'll still be planning the shot while you're over the ball.

And so it is with pool. Once you're over the cue ball, it's too late to be thinking about the angle, stroke and speed required for the shot. All decisions must be made before you get over the cue ball. If all your decisions are made before you get over the cue ball, you can maintain a stroke thought in which executing your plan by delivering the intended stroke is your focus. If you have failed to plan any aspect of your shot properly, it will be far more difficult to focus on executing your plan, because you'll still be planning the shot while you're over the ball.

Sounds like I wrote the same paragraph twice, right? Look again.

To sum, the thought you want to have is on executing the plan. Few pool players are able to do this, however, because most are still planning certain aspects of their shots when they are already over the cue ball.

In the end, it all boils down to something all of us on the forum seem to agree on. You must have a repeatable pre-shot routine that ensures that you are physically and mentally prepared for every shot before you get over the cue ball.

Perfect your pre-shot routine, Woody, and you'll be absolutely amazed at how good you get at maintaining the right thoughts as you attempt to execute your shots over the glorious green felt.

 

[vapoolplayer]

i'll be basically just saying the same thing sjm said. you make your decisions before you address the cue. where you are aiming, where you are going to strike the cue, your speed, and where you are going to leave the cue afterwards. you then address the cue, swing down on your shot, do how ever many practice strokes you normally do, some shots require more practice strokes until you are comfortable. during that time you should be double checking your aim. make sure you take a pause before you deliver your final stroke whether it be with the cue back i.e. allison fisher or whether its only a quarter inch from the cue ball. then focus on the object ball. you have already put into your subconcious how hard you are going to hit the shot and where you want to leave the cue so now you just let it do the work. deliver a smooth stroke accelerating the whole time and very important STAY DOWN. in practice it always helps to stay down until the cue ball stops moving. just about every player and teacher seems to agree on this just like sjm said.

thanks

 

[candyman]

The thread on what makes a good teacher brought up the point of not thinking about mechanics when playing. I ask the players here that have spent hours on stroke mechanics, how do you practice just playing the game?

I know it should be simple and say "just dont think about it" but the mind doesnt work that way in many cases. I know in golf many players use ONE swing thought so they dont get mental overlaod when swinging. When you play do you just think about pocketing the ball, cueball control, or do you have a swing thought that works for you?

Any and all oppinions are appreciated, I am trying to gain as many different points of views on this subject as I can.

Thanks.

Woody

You know woody this is a very good question.... I don't know if i have the answer but i can relate a different analogy. I am an Auctioneer i had to learn basically how to count.. It seems easy but it isn't i had to practice going by 1's, 2 1/2's, 5's, 10's, 100's etc etc. My point is i practiced them for many months until i could count up and backwards like second nature i don't even have to think about it. example 5,10,15 12 1/2 help you now 15. I do that without thought just second nature through repetition. I practice pool that way getting into a good pre shot routine which was taught to me by Denny Stewart. Line up the shot, step into the shot, take a couple of practice strokes and the infamous set, pause, fininish and freeze. When i paractice this way my game always steps up when i don't have the time to practice that way i stay at a plateau. I really see the importance of a good pre shot routine. TJMO

Regards,
C-Man

 

[woody_968]

Great answers so far. I think we all agree pre-shot routines are a must. After periods of time working on your stroke (hitting balls while thinking about your stroke) do you ever have trouble when your playing that when your hitting a shot you were thinking about stroke mechanics? Or do you feel your preshot routine keeps this out of your mind?

Thanks for all the replys.

Woody

 

[sjm]

...After periods of time working on your stroke (hitting balls while thinking about your stroke) do you ever have trouble when your playing that when your hitting a shot you were thinking about stroke mechanics? Or do you feel your preshot routine keeps this out of your mind?
Woody

Another superb point, Woody. When you are having a practice in which you are focusing primarily on your fundamentals, possibly working on refinements and adjustments in your grip, bridge, stance or setup, your pre-shot routine and thoughts over the cue ball will be different to those with which you'll compete. If you're suggesting that doubting your own stroke fundamentals and mechanics because your fundamentals are in transition gets in the way of a good pre-shot routine, you're absolutely right, and maintaining the right pre-shot routine when you compete will be more difficult.

Still, Woody, usually you'll be reinforcing, not changing your mechanics, and when that's the case, you should practice with the same pre-shot routine you expect to use in competition.

Woody, you have, perhaps unintentionally, made one of the soundest arguments I've ever heard for the criticality of sharpening both your fundamentals and your pre-shot routine to prepare for serious competition.

To sum, the right pre-shot routine will only keep your mechanics out of your mind once you believe in your mechanics.

 

[candyman]

Another superb point, Woody. When you are having a practice in which you are focusing primarily on your fundamentals, possibly working on refinements and adjustments in your grip, bridge, stance or setup, your pre-shot routine and thoughts over the cue ball will be different to those with which you'll compete. If you're suggesting that doubting your own stroke fundamentals and mechanics because your fundamentals are in transition gets in the way of a good pre-shot routine, you're absolutely right, and maintaining the right pre-shot routine when you compete will be more difficult.

Still, Woody, usually you'll be reinforcing, not changing your mechanics, and when that's the case, you should practice with the same pre-shot routine you expect to use in competition.

Woody, you have, perhaps unintentionally, made one of the soundest arguments I've ever heard for the criticality of sharpening both your fundamentals and your pre-shot routine to prepare for serious competition.

To sum, the right pre-shot routine will only keep your mechanics out of your mind once you believe in your mechanics.

SJM i could not of said it better so i won't. You did sum it up especially in the last 2 sentences. Bravo..

C-Man

 

[Rod]

The thread on what makes a good teacher brought up the point of not thinking about mechanics when playing. I ask the players here that have spent hours on stroke mechanics, how do you practice just playing the game?

I know it should be simple and say "just dont think about it" but the mind doesnt work that way in many cases. I know in golf many players use ONE swing thought so they dont get mental overlaod when swinging. When you play do you just think about pocketing the ball, cueball control, or do you have a swing thought that works for you?

Any and all oppinions are appreciated, I am trying to gain as many different points of views on this subject as I can.

Thanks.

Woody

Well sometimes you need to think about mechanics and that goes double for those that haven't aquired a repeating stroke. In general, most good players have good mechanics. I wouldn't think it is something one would dwell on however.

You need a plan so you know what mechanics are to be used. To me this is realted to timing and type of swing. I really employ visualization during preshot. For me that gives everything a direction and the mechanics will become second nature. I think seeing the shot before hand makes it easier to execute. It awakens your senses to be even more precise.

No books here but I have one swing thought. It absolutely does not get in the way. I will say it is primarily used on the break and will carry over to my regular game. If I am playing real well it's not really a factor. If I'm not playing well it gets me there, then once again it's not a real factor.

Rod

 

[DaveK]

The thread on what makes a good teacher brought up the point of not thinking about mechanics when playing. I ask the players here that have spent hours on stroke mechanics, how do you practice just playing the game?

I know it should be simple and say "just dont think about it" but the mind doesnt work that way in many cases. I know in golf many players use ONE swing thought so they dont get mental overlaod when swinging. When you play do you just think about pocketing the ball, cueball control, or do you have a swing thought that works for you?

Any and all oppinions are appreciated, I am trying to gain as many different points of views on this subject as I can.

Thanks.

Woody

I'm no great player, nor an instructor, but I do read a lot and try everything in an effort to find things that work for me, and here's one : I imagine the sounds of the shot. Just before I stoke the ball I imagine the sound of the cuetip-cueball impact, then the cueball-objectball impact, THEN THE OBJECTBALL DROPPING INTO THE POCKET (the most important sound). The shot itself then becomes the echo. I find it relaxing, takes my mind off everything but a successful shot, and it also helps with the pace of the shot.
That's my stoke-thought.

Dave

 

[maximillion]

Just one little drill

If your having trouble tensing up and dogging the 9

Grab about 10 9balls we the pool hall is dead, throw them all on the table and just slam em in for an hour or two.

Next time your on the nine you will remember slaming in all those during practice. Give a mental image

 

[drivermaker]

do you ever have trouble when your playing that when your hitting a shot you were thinking about stroke mechanics?
Woody

I think that happens for everyone when you slip into a little slump or happen to be shooting like crap. Pre-shot routine or not, the brain starts working overtime and you end up groping for something...anything to get back on track again.

I noticed in the instructor thread where you mentioned that your goal is to be an instructor. I wish you the best in that endeavor, however, if you want to be a GREAT instructor you'll need to learn how to teach WITHOUT polluting a students mind with an excess of mechanics and it's all going to start with YOU. That should be YOUR goal and mission to be the best.

My latest edition of Golf Digest just arrived and there's something in there by Ernie Els (top 3 player in the world) He stated: "David Leadbetter (his coach) has a tricky job with me. He's helped me quite a bit, but he has to do it WITHOUT putting a lot of MECHANICAL THOUGHTS in my head. When I'm swinging the club at my best, it's because I'm NOT THINKING about mechanics at all. I feel like my body is loose. My arms are soft in front of me when I'm setting up, and my chest and shoulders feel as if they can move and turn easily. Then, the swing is a matter of tempo and rhythm. I don't feel like I'm trying to do anything or force anything. It's just happening--a chain reaction sequence". (notice how many times he used the word feel)

Leadbetter then said: "As technically sound as Ernie's swing is, he's not really a technical person. He's very kinesthetic: He "feels" things in his swing, and he's very good at describing his swing feelings. So we're constantly trying to find FEEL thoughts for him to work on".

An example of something that they're working on right now is explained as follows: "If Ernie has a flaw, it's that at times his left hand bows too much through impact, which can close the clubface. To fix this, his feeling is that his right hand works under the left, and that his left wrist is cupped at impact. That isn't the case, but feeling this negates the excessive bowing and helps square the clubface". (This is where the instuctor has to take an incorrect position and NOT turn it into mechanical images, but into feel images for improvement).

YOU as the instructor have to turn positions, angles, motions, hinges, levers, etc., etc. into "feel sensations" because that's what works best under pressure when the nerves are out of control, not mechanics. Oh sure...you can spout off everything you know verbatim fresh out of BCA instruction school trying to impress your student as well as yourself with all of this voluminous knowledge, but it doesn't mean jack shit until YOU can take it to the simplest form which is transformed into "FEEL THOUGHTS". That's why these PhD. whacko scientist pool instructors drive me up a f*#king wall (they don't have to be PhD.'s either), they're just spouting off everything that's ever been captured about the game from an intellectual standpoint to a student, but really have no clue how to simpify it into what really matters to play the game effectively under tough real life conditions.

It's kinda like the idealist student that just graduated from college in business and thinks that all the theories etched in stone that he's memorized over the years taught by nerdie professors that couldn't even run a single McDonald's has now prepared him to run a major mult-million dollar corporation. It just doen't all work according to a book and NOTHING is ever etched in stone.
Simple solutions have to be found for complex problems when teaching sports activity and it MUST be done through feel type sensations. An instructor that doesn't do it that way or doesn't think that it needs to be done still has a very lonnnnnggg way to go in their own development as an instructor.

 

[woody_968]

I noticed in the instructor thread where you mentioned that your goal is to be an instructor. I wish you the best in that endeavor, however, if you want to be a GREAT instructor you'll need to learn how to teach WITHOUT polluting a students mind with an excess of mechanics and it's all going to start with YOU. That should be YOUR goal and mission to be the best.

This was the main reason I started this post. Not only do I think I need to be able to teach without excess of mechanical thoughts, I want to be able to help players that have always played with mechanical thoughts.

Thanks for everyones suggestions, you all are helping me more than you know.

Woody

 

[mjantti]

My ideology in a nutshell

I think during practice session you try to get your mechanics to your spine, to make them work subconsciously without any conscious mental effort. With this, I'm talking about mechanics and executing the shot, not shot selection. At the practice table, you should observe or have someone knowledgeable to observe your mechanics and try to learn a better and straighter stroke.

When you are playing in a tournament, your brain is working differently. Actually, all thoughts about your mechanics actually prevent your subconscious working and executing those perfect shots just like at the practice table. What you should do is to let the subconscious take over during the warm-up strokes, you know you have the ability to shoot the cueball as you want, so you shouldn't be thinking about the mechanics. You just execute the shot you have visualized in your mind during the shot selection and preparation phase before the actual shot, the execution phase. If you are shooting blanks, shooting like crap, don't try to make too much of a conscious effort to correct your mechanics flaws. The "stroke" is in there in your body, but you can't get it out by thinking "OMG, what's wrong now ? I'm shooting badly !". Instead, you need to think "Oh boy, I'm not shooting well right now, but if I just keep my own rhythm, my subconscious will eventually start working and I'll end up playing well like at the practice table". Anxiety and conscious worrying over bad mechanics will just make matters worse. You can't control your delicate body movements with both conscious and subconscious effort. They don't mix at all. Building up the confidence and relying on your subconscious level of mind in a tight situation is a totally different thing. And usually there just isn't anything wrong with your mechanics, it's all in your mind. Concentrating on your rhythm and relaxing a bit makes things usually better and you "forget" that you just have been shooting badly. Also, allow your subconscious level to make mistakes, it just indicates that you haven't spent enough time at the practice table and you lack some of the finer mechanics. Making errors is just human...

I don't know if this helps anyone, but realizing this has helped my game a lot !

 

[vapoolplayer]

I think you said it best. I would like to add one thing to go along with the pre-shot routine (and this was in the August Billiards Digest). It is very important to develop a rhythm, like dancing. Especially when you get down on the ball. One, two, three, pause, shoot and freeze, with the same cadence being used every single time, except for those real odd shots. Rhythm will allow your right side of your brain to take over. It will squelch the left side which yaps too much and gives one doubt.

i can't really take credit for the my post, i just beat it in my brain. my teacher gave me his fundamentals on paper. i read them everyday, most of the time 3-5 times a day, and they really help. like you said your brain has two sides. but i don't call them the left and right, i call them the concious and subconcious. you conciously tell your subconcious (if that makes sense) what you want to do with the cue after the shot, then you let your consious double check your aim and fundamentals. if you did it right all you do is check your aim, take your warm up strokes till you're comfortable and the rest will take care of itself. of course you have to put in time at the practice table for this to work. i just have a couple things to say about rhythm though. BE CAREFUL. rythm is good, just don't go get caught in a rut as i like to call it. some shots don't take the same amount of time. some take longer some take shorter. don't let rythm become another excuse to play bad. you start missing, then next thing you know you're blaming your "rythm" or "timing" is off. when all that happened is that you beat into your brain that you HAVE to take a certain amount of time on each shot. a good local player once told me "If you want to play this game, you've got to get so good, that when you play bad, you still win." in essence you've got to put in the time and quality practice that you get so good that when you're "out of rythm" you're still in rythm. if that makes sence, if not, just ignore all that nonsense i just said..........LOL

 

[poolplayingtips]

When asked, I usually tell people to practice "practicing" and they usually end up looking at me with a raised eyebrow wondering w.t.f.?

"It's simple really." I say... All you have to do when practicing is be aware of *everything* your are doing.

After many hours of practicing with *awareness* on your mind, you'll come to recongnize it. You'll be able to walk to the table with confidence knowing that your awareness will be present. If it's missing, you'll know.

It's a matter of getting enough time at the table to develop that awareness instinct, so that everytime you face a shot. You're aware of your total mechanical package and the *feel* of it is right.

I'm not saying be aware of your bridge, your stroke, your stance, the position on the cue ball, where you need to shoot or all that jazz.

Just become aware. Know the feeling. Let the feeling of awareness take you over.

There's alot to this game. The mind is a powerful thing. But without awareness, the mind tends to wander. Don't be a wanderer. Become...

...a soldier with the mental discipline of the great warriors of the past.

Become aware. Become consistent. Your concentration level will soar to new heights.