Left Brain/Right Brian

[robleyf7]

first off i.m not an Instructer i.m just a very knowledgeable pool player lol hope this helps

Some of the most fascinating scientific discoveries of the past two decades have involved the understanding of the two hemi-spheres of the human brain, the left an the right. i will offer a brief explanation as it applies to billiards.

science has found that the left brain is largely responsible for analytical matters, while the right brain handles creative processes and spatial relationships.

now i can hear u saying, "I got it! Pool is analytical. therefor it is handled by the left brain." Not really. While you must rely on ur left brain to make certain calculations, it is the right brain that is responsible for your best play.

you may have heard the terms "Dead Stroke" or "Being In The Zone".

These describe a player who is essentially on autopilot. He simply looks at the shot that needs tobe made, looks at the position tobe played, and the brain does all the calculations and tells his body how to execute the shot.


most Experts now agree that when a player is in deadstroke he is most likely playing under the direct and total influence of his right brain.

the right brain has seen all the shots hundreds of times before and simply responds by telling the body how to carry them out.

Similarly, your right brain is responsible for position play. infact, one professional who is noted for his precise position play has recently confided that he does no more then look where he wants the cueball to land an then forgets about it and makes the shot. in essence what he is saying is, "Okay right brain here's what i want. so when i get ready to shoot, take care of things."

hope this helps some of this comes from a book i have but i tested this for quiet sometime now an it works have any questions pm me

thats why u see alot of pro,s such as Earl The Pearl Strickland just shoots with out Aiming or lookin for positions play cuz his brain knows what todo allready he trained it for 40+years

Robley

 

[Black-Balled]

Lyrics to Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres :
I. PRELUDE
-------------------------------------------------------------

When our weary world was young
The struggle of the ancients first began.
The gods of Love and Reason
Sought alone to rule the fate of Man.

They battled through the ages,
But still neither force would yield.
The people were divided,
Every soul a battlefield.

II. APOLLO: BRINGER OF WISDOM
-------------------------------------------------------------

"I bring truth and understanding,
I bring wit and wisdom fair,
Precious gifts beyond compare.
We can build a world of wonder,
I can make you all aware.

I will find you food and shelter,
Show you fire to keep you warm
Through the endless winter storm.
You can live in grace and comfort
In the world that you transform."

The people were delighted
Coming forth to claim their prize
They ran to build their cities
And converse among the wise.

But one day the streets fell silent,
Yet they knew not what was wrong.
The urge to build these fine things
Seemed not to be so strong.

The wise men were consulted,
And the Bridge of Death was crossed
In quest of Dionysus,
To find out what they had lost.

III. DIONYSUS: BRINGER OF LOVE
-------------------------------------------------------------

"I bring love to give you solace,
In the darkness of the night,
In the Heart's eternal light.
You need only trust your feelings;
Only love can steer you right.

I bring laughter, I bring music,
I bring joy and I bring tears.
I will soothe your primal fears.
Throw off those chains of reason
And your prison disappears."

The cities were abandoned,
And the forests echoed song.
They danced and lived as brothers;
They knew love could not be wrong.

Food and wine they had aplenty
And they slept beneath the stars.
The people were contented
And the Gods watched from afar.

But the winter fell upon them
And it caught them unprepared,
Bringing wolves and cold starvation,
And the hearts of men despaired.

IV. ARMAGEDDON: THE BATTLE OF HEART AND MIND
-------------------------------------------------------------

The Universe divided
As the Heart and Mind collided,
With the people left unguided
For so many troubled years.
In a cloud of doubts and fears,
Their world was torn asunder into hollow Hemispheres.

Some fought themselves, some fought each other.
Most just followed one another,
Lost and aimless like their brothers,
For their hearts were so unclear,
And the truth could not appear.
Their spirits were divided into blinded Hemispheres.

Some who did not fight
Brought tales of old to light.
My Rocinante' sailed by night
On her final flight.

To the heart of Cygnus' fearsome force
We set our course.
Spiralled through that timeless space
To this immortal place.

V. CYGNUS: BRINGER OF BALANCE
-------------------------------------------------------------

I have memory and awareness,
But I have no shape or form.
As a disembodied spirit,
I am dead and yet unborn.

I have passed into Olympus
As was told in tales of old,
To the city of Immortals,
Marble white and purest gold.

I see the gods in battle rage on high,
Thunderbolts across the sky.
I cannot move, I cannot hide,
I feel a silent scream begin inside.

Then all at once the chaos ceased.
A stillness fell, a sudden peace.
The warriors felt my silent cry
And stayed their struggle, mystified.

Apollo was atonished;
Dionysus thought me mad.
But they heard my story further,
And they wondered, and were sad.

Looking down from Olympus
On a world of doubt and fear,
Its surface splintered
Into sorry Hemispheres.

They sat a while in silence,
Then they turned at last to me.
"We will call you Cygnus,
The god of Balance you shall be."

VI. THE SPHERE: A KIND OF DREAM
-------------------------------------------------------------

We can walk our road together
If our goals are all the same.
We can run alone and free
If we pursue a different aim.

Let the truth of love be lighted,
Let the love of truth shine clear.
Sensibility, armed with sense and liberty,
With the Heart and Mind united in a single perfect Sphere.

 

[zy112]

Thats good information, but is there more to it, like how to apply it to your game. From what you stated, you would have to have many years of experience to even begin thinking about this.

 

[pooltchr]

first off i.m not an Instructer i.m just a very knowledgeable pool player lol hope this helps

Some of the most fascinating scientific discoveries of the past two decades have involved the understanding of the two hemi-spheres of the human brain, the left an the right. i will offer a brief explanation as it applies to billiards.

science has found that the left brain is largely responsible for analytical matters, while the right brain handles creative processes and spatial relationships.

now i can hear u saying, "I got it! Pool is analytical. therefor it is handled by the left brain." Not really. While you must rely on ur left brain to make certain calculations, it is the right brain that is responsible for your best play.

you may have heard the terms "Dead Stroke" or "Being In The Zone".

These describe a player who is essentially on autopilot. He simply looks at the shot that needs tobe made, looks at the position tobe played, and the brain does all the calculations and tells his body how to execute the shot.


most Experts now agree that when a player is in deadstroke he is most likely playing under the direct and total influence of his right brain.

the right brain has seen all the shots hundreds of times before and simply responds by telling the body how to carry them out.

Similarly, your right brain is responsible for position play. infact, one professional who is noted for his precise position play has recently confided that he does no more then look where he wants the cueball to land an then forgets about it and makes the shot. in essence what he is saying is, "Okay right brain here's what i want. so when i get ready to shoot, take care of things."

hope this helps some of this comes from a book i have but i tested this for quiet sometime now an it works have any questions pm me

thats why u see alot of pro,s such as Earl The Pearl Strickland just shoots with out Aiming or lookin for positions play cuz his brain knows what todo allready he trained it for 40+years

Robley

Very good post. We discuss this topic in depth in pool school. Essentially, we want to be able to switch from left brain, when we are studying the table and making decisions about how we want to shoot the shot, to the right brain when we actually begin our shooting process.

Think (left brain) before shooting, then shoot (right brain) without thinking!

Good job!

Steve

 

[pooltchr]

Thats good information, but is there more to it, like how to apply it to your game. From what you stated, you would have to have many years of experience to even begin thinking about this.

I must disagree. We teach the left/right brain concepts and how to apply it to the pool game in every class. I have seen brand new players take the information taught and quickly incorporate it into their game.
Experience has very little to do with how much and how quickly someone can learn something new.

Steve

 

[robleyf7]

Thats good information, but is there more to it, like how to apply it to your game. From what you stated, you would have to have many years of experience to even begin thinking about this.

no theres nothing more to it

u can be a beginner an learn this its easy u just need to practice it think tell ur self then shoot

like i have posted up on first post practice that way an put it in ur practice routine an let me know ur resultz have fun

 

[JoeW]

There is a lot of hype about this topic especially by people who have little knowledge in the area. Here are some places to start. While the concepts of left right brain are ways to think about brain functioning they are merely concepts and leave much to be desired with how the brain actually functions.

"One explanation for why research on lateralization is so prone to exaggeration and false application is that the left-right brain dichotomy is an easy-to-understand notion, which can be oversimplified and misused for promotion in the guise of science.[16] The research on lateralization of brain functioning is ongoing, and its implications are always tightly delineated, whereas the pseudoscientific applications are exaggerated, and applied to an extremely wide range of situations."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateralization_of_brain_function

See also
split brain research.
brain lateralization.
The work of Roger Sperry and those who have come after him.

It may be more useful to think about these concepts in terms of verbal versus non-verbal processes.

 

[greyghost]

no theres nothing more to it

u can be a beginner an learn this its easy u just need to practice it think tell ur self then shoot

like i have posted up on first post practice that way an put it in ur practice routine an let me know ur resultz have fun

good topic brother....Been doing this for years, i don't tell myself anything...i look at the table and my brain makes me a youtube video to watch and mimic as I shoot, when I'm done I usually don't even remember much, just played copy cat. Remember steve I spoke about this awhile back.

Use visuals, not words....words can trick you, just press play on your inhead accustats vid. Pool is a completely feel game, we just learn all the sports science and techniques to heighten it and add to our natural feel, like checks and balances.


G.G.

 

[robleyf7]

good topic brother....Been doing this for years, i don't tell myself anything...i look at the table and my brain makes me a youtube video to watch and mimic as I shoot, when I'm done I usually don't even remember much, just played copy cat. Remember steve I spoke about this awhile back.

Use visuals, not words....words can trick you, just press play on your inhead accustats vid. Pool is a completely feel game, we just learn all the sports science and techniques to heighten it and add to our natural feel, like checks and balances.


G.G.

thanks an very well said

 

[Scott Lee]

Keeb...I like this post. It is, however, important to understand that we use words to create the pictures/visuals. It is a well known fact that there are 3 steps to replacing old behavior with new behavior. Step 1 is training yourself for the new behavior (training is verbal, and this is where the words come into play). Step 2 is practicing what you trained yourself to do (practicing is mental, but still utilizes the same process you created, to change the behavior). Step 3 is to test your new behavior in competition. If the new behavior has truly been ingrained, it should show up in your process, in competition. If it's not ingrained, you will likely revert to your default process...which may or may not be something positive or beneficial. See you Nov. 25th!:grin:

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

good topic brother....Been doing this for years, i don't tell myself anything...i look at the table and my brain makes me a youtube video to watch and mimic as I shoot, when I'm done I usually don't even remember much, just played copy cat. Remember steve I spoke about this awhile back.

Use visuals, not words....words can trick you, just press play on your inhead accustats vid. Pool is a completely feel game, we just learn all the sports science and techniques to heighten it and add to our natural feel, like checks and balances.


G.G.

 

[Majic]

Very good post. We discuss this topic in depth in pool school. Essentially, we want to be able to switch from left brain, when we are studying the table and making decisions about how we want to shoot the shot, to the right brain when we actually begin our shooting process.

Think (left brain) before shooting, then shoot (right brain) without thinking!

Good job!

Steve

So, would you call the right brain the subconscious?

 

[JoeW]

The subconscious contains those things that you can readily and easily bring into your awareness. For instance, you probably are not thinking about you socks and how they feel but you can easily bring the feeling into your awareness from your subconscious. If there is a problem with your socks you subconscious will alert you that something needs attention.

The unconscious contains things that are more difficult to bring into awareness. For instance you may find yourself attracted to feisty women and you don’t know why. You just know that you prefer women with a spirit. They are more sexually appealing for some reason. If we dug deeply it may turn out that your mother and your aunt are both feisty women though you would not admit it if someone brought it up because we have a difficult time associating Mom with sex. The unconscious contains characteristics, attitudes, and preferences that were usually learned out side of our normal awareness. At times these things become associated in ways that were not intended by the person.

Part of the subconscious interacts with motor reflexes in ways the consciousness cannot do. For instance most people cannot make their heart speed up. But with the appropriate training, usually biofeedback, you can gain control over this and many other physical processes that are usually are under subconscious and motror reflex control.

When learning to play pool we uses conscious processes and logical thought to plant learned subroutines into the subconscious so these routines can be called up without emotional overrides. The subconscious is much better at coordinating all of the muscles needed for the job at hand and so we come to think of it as being on autopilot or under subconscious control.

Emotions have strong effects on our behavior. They can and do interrupt our thought processes and our physical activity. To the extent that we can stay calm and turn over the routine to the subconscious we can be a better player. We do not like sharking because the emotions they stimulate override the directions we have sent to the subconscious processes.

Subconscious, unconscious and related terms are not related to lateralization of brain function (left right brain) These are terms from popular culture that actually create more fog then usefulness when attempting to understand how the brain mind functions.

BTW I am a psychologist by training and provide explanations with which most of us trained in the science of psychology would agree.

 

[pooltchr]

I'm not a psychology major, so I don't know, but I suppose one could look at it that way. For me personally, I think of the right brain as my performance side, and the left as the analytical side. And whether it is actually left or right or center isn't the important part. What we need to get out of it all is the fact that we need to think, analyze, evaluate our options and make our decisions before we ever let our bridge hand touch the table. And after our bridge hand is down, we can NOT be making decisions about how to shoot the shot, or what our stroke looks like. For those 12 seconds, we need to stop thinking, and just execute the shot.

I believe it was Yogi Barra who asked the question "How can you think and hit at the same time?"

Steve

 

[Majic]

I'm not a psychology major, so I don't know, but I suppose one could look at it that way. For me personally, I think of the right brain as my performance side, and the left as the analytical side. And whether it is actually left or right or center isn't the important part. What we need to get out of it all is the fact that we need to think, analyze, evaluate our options and make our decisions before we ever let our bridge hand touch the table. And after our bridge hand is down, we can NOT be making decisions about how to shoot the shot, or what our stroke looks like. For those 12 seconds, we need to stop thinking, and just execute the shot.

I believe it was Yogi Barra who asked the question "How can you think and hit at the same time?"

Steve

Just going to add my .02 worth.

Its conscious mind that you use in practice and its the subconscious mind that takes over when you are playing in the zone. Your left brain is the analytical side and your right brain is the creative side.

Take driving a car for instance. You once learned how to judge using the gas pedal and brakes. Now, when you drive your subconscious remembers this and takes over. Thats one reason you can get to a destination and sometimes wonder how you got there.

Pool is much the same way. You learn through repitition using your conscious mind and your subconscious stores that info. And when you get in the zone, its your subconcious that is in control.

 

[pooltchr]

I understand that, but in pool, you have to switch back and forth. After the break, you need to be in the analytical mode to develop a run-out plan. In between shots, you need to be constantly evaluating the layout, and determining what you need to do to accomplish your goals.
When you are actually shooting, that is the time to put it on auto pilot. But you have to be able to go back and forth between thinking and performing.
Steve

 

[greyghost]

Keeb...I like this post. It is, however, important to understand that we use words to create the pictures/visuals. It is a well known fact that there are 3 steps to replacing old behavior with new behavior. Step 1 is training yourself for the new behavior (training is verbal, and this is where the words come into play). Step 2 is practicing what you trained yourself to do (practicing is mental, but still utilizes the same process you created, to change the behavior). Step 3 is to test your new behavior in competition. If the new behavior has truly been ingrained, it should show up in your process, in competition. If it's not ingrained, you will likely revert to your default process...which may or may not be something positive or beneficial. See you Nov. 25th!:grin:

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

excellent point Scott, In pool just as in life we are slaves to our habits, so if we are to be slaves to our habits, then let us be slaves to good habits.

Looking forward to it,
Keeb-

 

[JoeW]

I very much agree with Pooltchr and would suggest that one of the better ways to do this is to create a trigger that allows you to switch from one mode to the other. I use "step into the shot." That is, I always begin from one step behind the shot for thinking and analysis. When I am ready, I step forward into the shot and this is the trigger to stop thinking and let the subconscious have the whole brain for execution.

I like the "step into the shot" trigger because the subconscious is given control a moment before I bend over and thus has an overview of the table, the lines and a unique view of the line through the contact point of the object ball. In addition, the subconscious is in control of all elements of the shot from foot placement to bridge placement. And of course he is better at it than my conscious mind.

Triggers are used in many areas of our lives for different purposes. Some we create most are created by circumstances that lead to some automated response. However, it is worth recognizing that we can intentionally create a trigger through repetitive practice. It will then become automatic or as Greyghost points out, a good habit.

Incidently, if you watch some of the pro players you will see that they use a similar way of stepping into a difficult shot with what appears to be great intensity.

 

[pooltchr]

My trigger is as simple as a piece of chalk. If the chalk is in my hand, I can't shoot, so all I can do is think about the shot. When the chalk goes down, it's time to stop thinking and just shoot!

Steve

 

[JoeW]

I think that picking up and putting down a piece of chalk is a dual trigger: Something like a light switch. I have seen several pros who use this type of trigger so it does work for some people. I would suggest that a light switch trigger can become confusing and may not at times turn on/off as needed for some people.

We have all seen good players made some stupid shot and then say that they simply forgot to stop and think. I think that at times some of these people may have been stuck in the subconscious mode after a shot and only came halfway back to the analytical phase, so to speak. The subconscious has a great deal of respect for the analytical engine and usually defers for logical thought if it knows that it is time to back off.

It is not always obvious to the subconscious when it should back off and so a trigger here is also a good idea. Much is discussed about turning the shot over to autopilot but little emphasis is made about getting back into conscious (analytical) control. We see these “brain farts” as anomalies but I suspect they may occur more often than some would think. At times we have planned three or four shots ahead and think / allow ourselves to try and stay under subconscious control for the duration of the run. When exact position is not obtained and we do not come out of the subconscious state a mistake is likely.

For some people two separate triggers might be better. The subconscious and the unconscious parts of our minds are quite literal and usually need very clear instructions. For instance telling your subconscious that you want the six ball in the corner is not the same thing as saying you want the six ball in the corner pocket.

I think that one of the more difficult things to communicate to the subconscious is the idea that we want two things to be accomplished: Place the six in the corner pocket and leave the cue ball three inches off the first diamond. It is usually best to say "6 here cue ball here," and look at the places that we want. These are clear instructions. By the way, it is not good to say six in the pocket and cue ball six inches off the second diamond: Too many words and too much use of the same number. The subconscious does not "like" numbers and verbalizations. It "prefers" clear projects to be accomplished.

Ever notice that you usually can make an excellent shot or get great position but it is difficult to get both. Part (not all) of the problem here is confusing communication. We have to emphasize that both things are important and this is a difficult thing to learn to balance. Being aware of the problem is part of the solution. The subconscious usually prioritizes behaviors and places more emphasis on one over the other unless it is all seen as one action. It is for this reason that it is good to practice pocketing and position until it is well learned that you are not satisfied until both goals are accomplished.

I think that picking up the chalk is a good trigger for “stop and think.” Physically stopping in your tracks after picking up the chalk would be an excellent redundancy that reinforced the “ stop -- think about it phase.” Slapping the chalk down or setting it down firmly (as some players do) could be a good way to initiate the subconscious process. However, I would recommend clearly indicating the dual use of the chalk and practice stepping into and out of subconscious control. The intent here would be clarity in specification of what the brain/ mind is to do.

One of the reasons I use the "step into the shot" as a trigger has to do with the idea that I am stepping into the other way of thinking. This is neither good or bad but simply imagery that I like. Now that I have written about it I think that I may include a physical "stop moving when I pick up the chalk" as a way to trigger the analytical mode. This too is a graphic, physical direction that would be readily accepted as a trigger by the subconscious.

These are simply more ramblings from your local psychologist -- your milage may vary

 

[Fatboy]

Use the Force Luke........Let go......



Star Wars was a great movie(poolwars is a great book),


Here is my take on the topic, I cant tell right from left(not jokeing), I cant spell, my brain is wired differntly than most peoples, I excell in other areas. A Dr friend of mine says I have mild autistic tendancys-what ever that means, I never wear shoes, well 98% of the time, he named some others I dont recall.

With that in mind about me(just for a compairson to another person) When I get down on a ball to shoot, If I think about what the shot is going to require of my body I will miss it most of the time. If I get down on a shot and "Use the Force" Just let go I will pocket the ball and most likely get shape. So I have to have everything out of my head and a grip on the shot before I bend down if I'm going to play at a reasonable good standard.

So when I get down and let go the magic happens, having confidence in the magic is a hard thing for me, I'm over comming that, very late in life. I'm 42 and most things I have done good at in life came late for me, I was 14 when I learned to ride a bike, 18 or 19 too get a drivers licence and learn to drive a stick. Pool is the same for me, I'm playing better than ever and improving faster than ever before and usually guys at 42 drop off a bit.

I believe like Joe said-the left/right side of the brain topic is greatly exaggerated, I dont know where it comes from up there and its not important, how to manage it is what matters. I have alot to learn. managing my brain and thoughts. Thats the biggest enimy of my game, kinda like Earl. I dont get upset like he does, but when i'm focused I can play good, i just have to stay in that place.....


thanks for listining,