The Mental Game

Mental Game

Joe,

Thanks for this essay. I always find your posts thoughtful and thought provoking.

In addition to providing a fresh point of view, there is the suggestion to DO something! Somewhere Milton must be smiling.

I'll try humming OM at my resonant freq tomorrow at league and report back.

I have tried the theme from "Pictures at an Exhibition" to disappointing results.

pete
 
excellent read!

Joe,

Seeing the conscious, unconscious, and subconscious as three different entities is interesting, I tend to lump unconscious and subconscious together. I knew they had slightly different meanings but it seems that many of the people writing aren't too sure which is which or what each controls so they have reinforced my blurring of the lines by one saying something is the realm of the subconscious and another saying it is the realm of the unconscious. I think considering the three as a trinity rather than as a pairing will be of benefit to me.

A minor quibble, when it comes to performing actions it would seem that the conscious mind helps the subconscious rather than vice-versa. Our conscious mind cannot make a muscle twitch, all it can do is relay the information that it would like this to happen. We could say the subconscious is the tool of the conscious but this leaves things like the quick catch of the glass we knock off the table without verbal thought unexplained.

I do very much like your emphasis on verbal thought ceasing when the shooter is down on a shot. Verbal thought should be a key to get up off of a shot. Actually giving readers some idea of how to achieve the quiet conscious is very good too as is teaching them one way to increase concentration.

This is definitely one of the better articles I have read concerning the mental game. I have read whole books that didn't get into these very important areas. One reason many competitors have a weak mental game is that they have no idea what they are seeking to begin with. The only way they find what they need is if they stumble on it blindly.

Hu
 
I'm getting out of the shower and then reading this whole thing...

Your article about avoiding choke shots has helped me beyond words.

Mucho gracias senor.
 
Thanks for sharing Joe!

Joe,
I'm impressed with the material you just shared with us. It never ceases to amaze me that so many members here at AZB have so many varied talents & gifts. That you shared some of your talent and insights with us is much appreciated! Thank you!

I also found myself nodding my head in agreement with my brother Hu's post that offers his "review" of your material. Like him, I also have a little better insight now on what goes on in our thinking, whether we realize it or not. Interesting read for sure.
 
wow thanks JoeyW for this thread it helped me figure out why sometimes i shoot Awsome 1 match an shoot bad the next i will keep this in mind an use it an remember it thanks

an i allways wondered what people was thinking while at the table an shooting an now i realize what to think about at the table an don.t think of nothing while down on a shot shooting thanks alot ur the best

Robley
 
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Thanks for this, Joe! Printing now and will probably read Wednesday. Oops, it's Wednesday already:grin:
 
Thanks for all the nice comments. I am glad it is helpful. I have been thinking about these realtionships for several years and a few comments on the board here in the "Ask the instructor section" finally brought them all together.

I see where you are coming from Hu. There is a synergy between the subconscious and the unconscious. I did not include a discussion of motor reflexes and such things as catching that falling glass.

One way to think about it is in the idea that the conscious is the executive. We all know that when you go in some one's office you can ask for the boss or get the real information from his secretary. Who is in charge here?

On a more serious note, I have presented the traditional view but that does not mean it is correct and I think there is much truth in your perspective. My personal belief is that the real boss is the unconscious and that it intentionally stays hidden because the real power is behind the throne.
 
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I read part of it, don't have the time right now to read it thoroghly enough to absorb it all.
I see that someone said that you posted an article about choke shots, where would I go to find it?
Thanks for the information.
 
Great artical you wrote there Joe. I think most every pool player should print it(I did) and re read it from time to time when their mental game has problems. Johnnyt
 
JE54 said:
I read part of it, don't have the time right now to read it thoroghly enough to absorb it all.
I see that someone said that you posted an article about choke shots, where would I go to find it?
Thanks for the information.
Click to expand...

The article about avoiding choke shots was incorporated into the article about competitive anxiety and is located here

http://www.sunburstselect.com/PBReview/Competitive_Anxiety.htm

My signature has a link to my home page. Select the "Articles" tab and there are several papers by several different authors I have come to respect.
 
Joe,

Excellent article! Your comments and contributions about the mental side of the game are always appreciated. I have quotes from many of your past posts, and links to many of your articles, in my mental aspects FAQ page.

Now, if I can only stop thinking about those "feisty women" when I'm down on the shot. :cool:

Near the end of the article, you imply that getting mad at yourself for missing shots is a bad thing. For me it seems to help. When I miss a shot, I get mad at myself and brood over why I missed the shot. I think this helps me not repeat the same mistakes in the future, because I don't like being mad at myself, and I don't like missing shots. Can't a little anger at oneself help in this regard?

Thanks again for a great article,
Dave


JoeW said:
I just published a new article on the mental game that includes concentration, subconscious controls and a little about the unconscious for pool players.

The article is too long to publish here so here is the link.

http://www.sunburstselect.com/PBReview/LearningMentalControl.htm


Comments would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
 
dr_dave said:
Joe,

Can't a little anger at oneself help in this regard?

Dave
Click to expand...

The issues here are subtle. First it depends upon how one perceives anger towards the self. If it is corrective, as you indicate, it can be helpful in generating better (more) attention to detail.

If it is evaluative and this is often based on early experience when anger was used by others to tell us we were "bad" "worthless" people because of our unintentional behavior then it is detrimental.

In general, anger towards self is not good. I would put it up there with cocaine use. Effective but the side effects are far too destructive.

There are other ways to stimulate one's self to perform better and try harder that usually have to do with finding what is good about what you did and being "happy" or satisfied with your efforts.

We all respond better and more effectively to praise than to fault finding. When others (or our self) finds fault our first reaction is usually to defend ourselves.

If we respect the person who is angry we tend to cringe or be sorry that we hurt them and caused them pain. Neither of these reactions make us better players. They may make us put forth more effort but the effort is directed towards pleasing someone else. The effort should be to please our conscious self because this is what leads to long term progress.

Don't get me wrong here I am not a touchy feely kinda guy. I seriously think that your dog is more intelligent than the average two year old child. Children learn through fear and strong guidance which is later reorganized as respect.

In psychology the usual statement is that punishment stops ongoing behavior, it does not teach anything. So if anger is punishment it is not useful. If anger is used to make one pay attention it may be useful -- but there are better ways.

Oh and feisty women make my life better. Hell I was married to a redhead for 27 years and her daughters are not much different.

PS. an addendum to hu's comment is that the conscious is often seen as the mediator between the subconscious, the unconscious and other parts of the psyche. Which is in service to the other is more like three brothers trying to get along. Some times one is dominent somtimes the other. The analogy breaks down if we think of these processes as individual entitites, they are not. They are all processes that overlap and interact within the same person.
 
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Hey Joe,

I would like to thank you personally too for this read. Just like quiet eye technique, this post is in my eyes just as important as technique once you get passed a certain level...

I don't regulary use triggers, and if i sometimes i do , its only a single trigger. The idea of 2 triggers looks interesting.

rep to you sir


personal note:
My biggest problem is = to switch often and quick in between conscious and subconsious. I can stay in either one for a long time, but as soon as i have to switch in beteen them often its hard. Thats why i have been trying to plan my runouts from start to finish, and if my positional play is correct i run out, but as soon as i miss a positional shot and i need to go back to conscious to rethink the runout, i can't seem to go back to inconscious mode for the rest of the run. Same thing when i have to sit down/have to wait till oponent racks te ball./ get a drink / clean my shaft / clean my hands / etc... Once i get out of concentration, its hard to get back in in less then 30seconds. You are constantly switching back and forward between both modes, and im having problems with that.

Do you have any suggestions? (i will try the dual trigger for sure, as it might already help me out, but i wonder if you have other thoughts about this?
 
A far more effective practice is to begin with the realization that you are doing the best you can under the current circumstances. That feisty woman comes into play here.

You need to know that you are your own best friend and realize that when you miss it is because of ignorance or stupidity. OK -- I can be pretty stupid sometimes. That is part of being me.

Then I think about what it is I should have done and how I would have gone about doing it. Then I try it and note the problems I am having and this leads to further suggestions for how to correct the problem. Round and round conscious – subconscious and eventually some sort of gleeful reaction -- Eureka

When success is had I get really pleased and have been known to do the happy dance from the Peanuts cartoons. In fact one of the toys I have in my pool room is a birthday card from a relative that has the happy dance in some battery operated device. I often play it when the other guy (sometimes me) wins a game.

All in all I have a hell of a lot of fun --- and so should you.

In case you forgot what it sounds like here is a link.

http://www.nhlcyberfamily.org/special/happydance.htm
 
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Solartje said:
Hey Joe,

I would like to thank you personally too for this read. Just like quiet eye technique, this post is in my eyes just as important as technique once you get passed a certain level...

I don't regulary use triggers, and if i sometimes i do , its only a single trigger. The idea of 2 triggers looks interesting.

rep to you sir


personal note:
My biggest problem is = to switch often and quick in between conscious and subconsious. I can stay in either one for a long time, but as soon as i have to switch in beteen them often its hard. Thats why i have been trying to plan my runouts from start to finish, and if my positional play is correct i run out, but as soon as i miss a positional shot and i need to go back to conscious to rethink the runout, i can't seem to go back to inconscious mode for the rest of the run. Same thing when i have to sit down/have to wait till oponent racks te ball./ get a drink / clean my shaft / clean my hands / etc... Once i get out of concentration, its hard to get back in in less then 30seconds. You are constantly switching back and forward between both modes, and im having problems with that.

Do you have any suggestions? (i will try the dual trigger for sure, as it might already help me out, but i wonder if you have other thoughts about this?
Click to expand...

I think the triggers ae the solution to your problem. They must be practiced for a week or two to make them automatic and then I think that you will find it is quite easy to switch modes. The examples I gave are the best I could think of. There are many others that could be used.

The key here is to have something that is graphic (to you) and something that is physical. That is why I like "stepping into" another way of thinking. I also like the "stop in your tracks" when you pick up the chalk and think. Two triggers are very clear for the mental processes involved. Create your own but make them clear and with a physical component. Eventually you will find that they are automatic and can be used at will.

The chalk trigger could be modified to stay in the subconscious phase by not physically stopping when you are in a run. I would have to think about this a little more as it could become confusing for the mind but something along those lines could be developed.

BTW note that the triggers are not verbal -- they are physical and graphic. Keeps words out of the trigger and it works better.
 
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Joe,

Thank you for the thorough and insightful answer. I will try to be more "supportive" of myself and continually remind myself how wonderful I am when I pocket balls. :grin:

I need to recondition my mean, angry-bastard subconscious "who" doesn't like it when I miss shots. From now on I will visualize an angel dancing on my right shoulder singing praise for the good things, and an evil devil dancing on my left (wrong) shoulder being mean and angry. I think from now on I will refer to the angel as Joe (because you seem like a really nice and supportive man), and I'll refer to the little devil as "Spidey." :cool: I hope this amusing image will help me recondition my psyche.

Respectfully,
Dave

JoeW said:
The issues here are subtle. First it depends upon how one perceives anger towards the self. If it is corrective, as you indicate, it can be helpful in generating better (more) attention to detail.

If it is evaluative and this is often based on early experience when anger was used by others to tell us we were "bad" "worthless" people because of our unintentional behavior then it is detrimental.

In general, anger towards self is not good. I would put it up there with cocaine use. Effective but the side effects are far too destructive.

There are other ways to stimulate one's self to perform better and try harder that usually have to do with finding what is good about what you did and being "happy" or satisfied with your efforts.

We all respond better and more effectively to praise than to fault finding. When others (or our self) finds fault our first reaction is usually to defend ourselves.

If we respect the person who is angry we tend to cringe or be sorry that we hurt them and caused them pain. Neither of these reactions make us better players. They may make us put forth more effort but the effort is directed towards pleasing someone else. The effort should be to please our conscious self because this is what leads to long term progress.

Don't get me wrong here I am not a touchy feely kinda guy. I seriously think that your dog is more intelligent than the average two year old child. Children learn through fear and strong guidance which is later reorganized as respect.

In psychology the usual statement is that punishment stops ongoing behavior, it does not teach anything. So if anger is punishment it is not useful. If anger is used to make one pay attention it may be useful -- but there are better ways.

Oh and feisty women make my life better. Hell I was married to a redhead for 27 years and her daughters are not much different.

PS. an addendum to hu's comment is that the conscious is often seen as the mediator between the subconscious, the unconscious and other parts of the psyche. Which is in service to the other is more like three brothers trying to get along. Some times one is dominent somtimes the other. The analogy breaks down if we think of these processes as individual entitites, they are not. They are all processes that overlap and interact within the same person.
Click to expand...
 
dr_dave said:
Joe,

Thank you for the thorough and insightful answer. I will try to be more "supportive" of myself and continually remind myself how wonderful I am when I pocket balls. :grin:

I need to recondition my mean, angry-bastard subconscious "who" doesn't like it when I miss shots. From now on I will visualize an angel dancing on my right shoulder singing praise for the good things, and an evil devil dancing on my left (wrong) shoulder being mean and angry. I think from now on I will refer to the angel as Joe (because you seem like a really nice and supportive man), and I'll refer to the little devil as "Spidey." :cool: I hope this amusing image will help me recondition my psyche.

Respectfully,
Dave
Click to expand...

Hey Dave, see the last post at the end of page one and play the happy dance. Bet it makes your day better :grin:
 
JoeW said:
Hey Dave, see the last post at the end of page one and play the happy dance. Bet it makes your day better :grin:
Click to expand...
Thanks. I can actually play that tune on the piano. I love it. From now on, that's the tune I will hear in my head as I'm visualizing "angel Joe" dancing on my right shoulder with praise.

Regards,
Dave
 
JoeW said:
I think the triggers ae the solution to your problem. They must be practiced for a week or two to make them automatic and then I think that you will find it is quite easy to switch modes. The examples I gave are the best I could think of. There are many others that could be used.

The key here is to have something that is graphic (to you) and something that is physical. That is why I like "stepping into" another way of thinking. I also like the "stop in your tracks" when you pick up the chalk and think. Two triggers are very clear for the mental processes involved. Create your own but make them clear and with a physical component. Eventually you will find that they are automatic and can be used at will.

The chalk trigger could be modified to stay in the subconscious phase by not physically stopping when you are in a run. I would have to think about this a little more as it could become confusing for the mind but something along those lines could be developed.

BTW note that the triggers are not verbal -- they are physical and graphic. Keeps words out of the trigger and it works better.
Click to expand...

thanks joe for your thoughts on my personal peroblem. i will be using the double trigger for a month (dont practise as much as i would), play in a tournament and report back if it helped me switching modes.

Your post just made it into my top10 most usefull posts.
 
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