Mental process

o.g. (old guy)

o.g. (old guy)

mark
Silver Member
I was wondering the other day if anyone has ever written a flow chart showing the mental process
of a high level pool player? What he looks at and
decides on any given shot. I'm not an expert on
flow charts but I'm sure some of you out there
have some proficiency in that area, I'm sure there
are programs that give you the correct symbols
and so forth to use, rather than scribbling on a
piece of paper.

Although I've been playing for longer than I care to
mention, I still sometimes rush through shots
without thinking it out all the way out. I think this
would be very helpful for beginners but also for
someone that needs help with their preshot routine.

A particular game should be selected, such as a rotation game because there are some subtle differences. If somebody has done this already
just point me in the right direction.

Anybody game?

I would also like to ask if someone does this
please don't dog him out if you don't agree with
his process, constructive suggestions are always
appreciated.
 
flowchart.png
 
I haven't done it in a flow chart, but I've written it out several years ago in a series I wrote for Pool and Billiards Mag called, "The difference between Pros and Amateurs." Included in the series, I explain how a pro thinks when it's his or her turn in a rotation game.

I like the idea of putting it into a flow chart. I would have to re-educate myself on what the symbols mean and find a program to do it. If anyone knows of a program, maybe they can post that info. I'd like to try it.
 
Hopefully someone will step up and help out on this. Is there a link to your article or is it not accessible on the web?
 
o.g. (old guy) said:
Hopefully someone will step up and help out on this. Is there a link to your article or is it not accessible on the web?
Click to expand...

I don't know if it's accessible online. I have it in a file somewhere. I'll let you know when I find it and you can PM me an email address ---- and I'll scan it and send you a copy.
 
Microsoft Visio does flow charting. If you pm me the flow I'll input it into some kind of flow chart.
 
I see at least that many questions:

- What speed should I shot this
- What spin should I put into it
- Depending on spin / speed, how much do I need to adjust for throw?
- What position I want on my next shot (that include not shooting from the rails, on top of another ball, being on the right side of the next ball)
- Should I go rail first for easier position (but harder shot)
- Where should I hit the rail after contact on OB to stay on projected path
- If i'm breaking a cluster, do what way should I do it (do I have an insurance ball?)
- Should I do a harder shot right now to get rid of a problem or do I try to better position myself to get rid of it later? (%)
- Should I do this as a 2 way shot?
- Is there a good safe shot to make?
- Banking: what speed/spin should I use to increase my chances, depending on my cut angle
- Banking: I'm I on a bar box or a 9ft (rails dont act the same)


I'm sure I'm missing tons of questions here! :)
 
I don't think I would get into exactly what kind of english
I would use maybe just the question can I get position
on my next ball. There are too many variables to break down each and every shot.

If you have no shot or no way to get position then you
would go to safety options, can I hide the cb? No? can I hide the ob? No? create distance.

Thanks for the input, I would add more but have to
go to work. I'll check back sometime after 10pm pst.
 
Some players are cerebral and have a more complicated process over the shot than others, but most have a similar analysis at the beginning of their turn. 8-ball or 9-ball here. 1-pocket is completely different and I don't know straight pool well enough to say.

First question is can I run out? They look for problem balls or tight positions and clusters. Then give it a status:
Green light - no trouble, just do it.
Yellow light - some trouble, should be manageable but make sure to do xyz.
Red Light - find the best time to play safe.

Green light - Where do you want the CB for the next shot? Fire it in.

Yellow light - I have a tight window on the 4 ball in order to get there I have to get here on the three ball so I need to make sure I'm right here on the 2 and so I have to shoot the 1 like this. Then fire it in.

Red light - Not going to be able to run out:
Can I run out with ball in hand? If so, lock up as much as you can and try to get ball in hand.
If not - is there a way I can play safe and move something/break something up to run out with ball in hand? If so do it. If not, consider 3 fouls and longer move games. For example, I can play safe here and free up the 5, then if I get ball in hand I can play safe again and free up the 8. Then I can run out even without ball in hand so long as I get a shot.

In 8-ball, you also need to look at how you can tie your opponents balls up while breaking yours out.
Most players won't bother to do this unless they are at least in a tough Yellow situation. If the odds of running out are pretty good they don't mess around with this. The greater chance they won't run out, the more sense it makes to make your opponents run more difficult in case you get in a jam.

For the actual shot an intuitive player just looks at where they want the CB to go and the path to get there and then trust their muscle memory to make the ball with the right English and get the right position.

A more cerebral player will use a language with themselves to get the results they want. For example: To get the CB to travel two rails to here and miss that cluster, I need to make the ball with a little running English, say 10 o'clock half a tip and hit it 1.5 table lengths. To adjust for throw/english/squirt I want to aim the CB at the left edge of the pocket. Or some just think 'a little thicker.'

A lot of players will be somewhere in the middle. So maybe they rely on feel until they have a tight window to run the CB through and then they might rely on a more precise way of thinking about exactly how much English to use.

If you use an aiming system, then the process of making the shot is a little different because aiming systems that are proxies for actually aiming can introduce other effects on the CB that are different than just aiming and shooting using a ghost ball or Contact Point method for example.

One thing I've noticed is that while pocketing balls is of paramount importance - and more important the better you get - the better you get the less of your thought process around shooting involves making the ball. In other words, pro and really good players almost take for granted that they will make the shot needed with the English to get the position so that frees them up to analyze the table and plan their strategy for the game.

Pool is like Chess in strategy a little, but the main difference is that in Chess, moving the pieces is automatic. In pool, it's moving the pieces that takes the most skill. The better you get at that skill, the more you can focus on strategy and trust that the pieces will move where you want them to.
 
That was a good response Sixpack, a lot of good
information there. For flow chart purposes I think it
would be best to keep it as basic as possible, by basic
I don't mean what a beginner would do but what a skilled player would do, just broken down in a into a
few yes or no answers.

For instance in 9 ball, you come to the table, do you have a makable shot? If yes: can you get desired positron for next shot? ifyes: are there any clusters or problem balls? If yes: do you have a pattern to resolve them. If yes: shoot the shot.

If the answer to the first question was no: safety options: can you hide the c.b.? if yes: shoot the shot, if no: can you hide the object ball? yes: shoot the shot, if no: do you have a pushout option? yes: shoot the shot, if no: play as tough a safety as possible (create distance, leave difficult bank etc. ). A no answer to any of the first questions should take you to the safety options.

This is just a quick example of the top of my head, I'm sure I probably missed a few things.

I appreciate any suggestions or input
 
What I do

Here is what I have evolved my pre-shot routine into thus far. This doesn't go into shot selection. This is what I can remember off hand. Obviously I don't think of all these things. My 3 keys are: In general i focus on breathing, while planning I think about playing smart, while shooting I think of shooting smooth.
Breath, smart, smooth

---In general---
Focus on slow breathing
Relaxing your body and muscles
These may help some in zoning in
---While standing----
Potential patterns to get out
Determine offense/defense/combo of the two based on layout
Determine a pattern
First shot direction, speed/force, English
(Look down the line of the object ball from a plane of sight even with the table, -- On tough cuts, etc)
Line up the shot standing, visualize the cue ball impacting the object ball like a video
Bend over and look at the shot from a plane of sight even with the balls, confirm everything is as what you previously thought
---Bending over == Switching from Mental to the Physical feel side of it ==
Lay my cue into the line
Position my body around the cue, weight perfectly distributed across my feet which requires you to be very balanced and relaxed
If line doesn't look right, stand up and reset
---Shooting---(If any of these thoughts than stand up and start over: winning the game, leaves, patterns, other balls on the table, nothing from the environment around the table, no saying words in your head)
Only visualizing the cue ball down the line to the object ball and making the shot, (english and force already determined)
If I have to keep my mind on something I focus on "smooth" as in smooth stroke
 
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