i recently read a book (the inner game of tennis) he talks about self 1 and self 2 ....the subconscious mind.... through the years i sometimes 'FORGET' how to aim...im always trying something new...i asked a good player" how do you aim" he said "i dont know i just do"
well i want that..
i just want to just do.......
so i was thinking...i dont want to TRY to aim anymore... i just want to let my mind figure out what it already knows...
have any of you tried the NOT AIMING aiming system? if there is such a thing...and what were your results...
what should i focus on?
jcpoolgod:
I wrote on article on how to do *just that*, for the type of crowd that, the high-runners of which, demonstrate it the best (i.e. really good 14.1 players):
"Leveraging your subconscious (read: don't let your conscious get in the way!)"
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=216564
Short-rack rotation players (i.e. 9-ballers) are the worst at letting their conscious mind get in their subconscious mind's way. This probably due to the fact that in short-rack rotation games, it's quite possible to have your conscious mind "in control" of all the shots -- every single shot -- with your mind "resetting" after the money ball of each short-rack is pocketed. The thinking process "begins anew" after each break.
In longer games/races, however, the short-rack rotation players are at a distinct disadvantage, because there's only so long you can keep your conscious mind "in control." And therein lies the problem, too -- a lot of short-rack rotation players have "control" issues -- they think their conscious mind has to "be in control" 100% of the time. While there is a definite "thinking" part of our sport, our sport is mainly an
execution-based sport, not a thinking one. Chess, on the other hand, is a thinking sport -- the execution part of which is merely lifting a piece to move it to another position on the board. In pool, you have to select your shot (the
only thinking part of the game), line-up, get into your stance, and stroke the shot -- all three of which are execution-based. (Notice cue ball control is not mentioned here -- that is part of the "stroking the shot" thing, which, again, is execution-based.) The subconscious mind is the key part of the brain used for this action, because it's the one that is the massive storehouse of all this muscle-memory knowledge. You already know how to shoot that shot. You already know where the cue ball is going. You already own it -- everything. So, stop thinking, just get down, and
DO IT.
One of the most rewarding times in our pool-playing days is when we sink into that zone. That zone where no shot on the pool playing surface is too difficult. In fact, "difficulty" doesn't even enter into the equation. You just get down and shoot it as if it were a hanger. On January 2011, in a 14.1 match, I ran a 112-ball run, and by gosh, I don't remember doing it, except that when I finally missed (and it was a stupidly simple shot that ended the run, to boot), I had to ask, "how many was that?" The folks standing around and watching were dumbfounded that I didn't know. It "felt" to me like it was just two racks, but it was actually eight straight racks. I'd lost track of time and space. I was just in the satisfying rhythm of pocketing balls with near-perfect cue ball control, in a sort of cadence, with not a worry in the world bothering me. The timing of which was rewarding all in itself, and I was sealed-off from the world.
It is this world that every pool player hopes they can tap into any time they want, at any place. I hope the above article helps you HOW.
Here's to helping you lose the "must be in control at all times" issues,
-Sean
