Your Dad was right and without that belief someone will never reach the level of mastery. That's what I've been quoted as saying about the day I knew I was a Champion was the day I "real eyesed" "there's always a shot, and always a way to accomplish that shot".
Some people will argue and want to know why the things I speak of physically happen, I would be more interested in HOW these things mentally happen. Knowing too much of the "physics" of pool is the best thing you can do for your pool game....to stay the same, and even get worse. "A single conscious thought will keep the cue ball from it's path".
Naturally, I concur. Some of us here, I do not know how many, have been in that subconscious state sometimes referred to as 'dead stroke' or 'the zone'. There has even been a thread about how to return to that state.
It certainly can be elusive. A brief story from Friday. I was playing at a 'pool' bar that I frequent because of the nice people there. I was playing okay & enjoying myself, winning mostly, losing a couple. Then this young shooter walks in & an older gentleman says to me, 'You better tighten up'. I told him,
'I don't know if I can today'.
I beat the shooter a game of 8-ball leaving him with 4 balls but he missed a shot. I broke & ran out.
The point of this story IMO is FOCUS. Subconscious & uninterupted FOCUS. I did NOT think of any physics at all.
I'm going to say something that I know will cause a stir. My 'zone' button is fear. Fear of losing. Fear of messing up & embarrassing myself. It used to be fear of letting my team mates down in sports & in league play.
Confidence is a great thing to have. But I have seen over-confidence make a goat of many a cocky ball player. Re-read my Fryday story & note what I told the older gentlelman. Was I confident? No, but that
fear button got pushed & I went
'into the zone'.
Bottom line? To each his own.
RJ aka Rick