The right attitude...

R

rope_one

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Here is a list of what I think a strong player believes when they are in the zone so to speak....

I am going to trust my practice and past knowledge
I am going to take the best shot every time
I am going to value every shot no matter how easy
I am going to use the same routine every shot
I am going to play the same consistent pace every shot
I am going to focus stictly on the table
I am going to make every ball I shoot
I am going to make every safety I shoot
I am going to know my next position before I bend over
I am going to look 3 balls ahead
I am going to win every rack
I am going to let every shot go after I shoot it as it was my best effort every time
I am going to know I can only control my performance and my opponent can only control theirs

Does it seem like I am missing anything?
 
I think when a player is in the zone they don't think about any of that stuff. They thought about it during their practice sessions and that is why they are now in the zone. There is nothing that they are thinking about except playing the game. All of those things are now just falling into place by "instinct" from focused practice sessions.
 
The Zone...

If you are referencing when a player is in the zone. I will assume that you are talking about someone who is currently running out...maybe multiple racks. Let's say they just put together a 3-4-5 or more string of runouts and all the opponent has done is rack the balls....( many times referred to as "he just put a 6 pack on him!"...

This is definately Dean Punch, Dead Stroke, In the Zone, In Stroke...

In my opinion all this player is and has thought about is SPEED AND ONLY SPEED...

All other parts of the game are on automatic...

Mr. J.
 
Maybe in the zone is confusing the question, I guess it was is this more of the right mental check list to become a strong player, i.e. should these thoughts become automatic. Sorry for the confusion.
 
Watch a basketball player at the foul line. One of the things they do is shake off the tension and get loose before the shot. I think that players in other sports do the same thing though it may not be as obvious. I have been using this technique for the last few weeks and find that it works very well. Perhaps body loose - mind is alert, should be added to the list. There is a way (that is difficult to explain because we simply do not have the words) to let the body go completely limp while standing. This can lead to a loose walk and or a loose feeling while the mind is alert. I find that when I use this technique it in some strange way improves my confidence and my ability.

I was a springboard diver as a teenager and used something very similar before difficult dives from a three meter board. I found that getting my body very loose helped me to precisely execute all of the necessary contortions needed for a difficult dive. The same phenomena works when playing pool, once the fundamentals have been mastered.

The Zone is a mysterious place and I suspect that a loose body / alert mind is part of it.
 
rope_one said:
Here is a list of what I think a strong player believes when they are in the zone so to speak....

I am going to trust my practice and past knowledge
I am going to take the best shot every time
I am going to value every shot no matter how easy
I am going to use the same routine every shot
I am going to play the same consistent pace every shot
I am going to focus stictly on the table
I am going to make every ball I shoot
I am going to make every safety I shoot
I am going to know my next position before I bend over
I am going to look 3 balls ahead
I am going to win every rack
I am going to let every shot go after I shoot it as it was my best effort every time
I am going to know I can only control my performance and my opponent can only control theirs

Does it seem like I am missing anything?
Click to expand...

rope_one,

I think your list is a very good one. I don't believe you have missed anything at all. And speaking of "believe," that is the key word you used in your post. You didn't use the word think. When players are in "the zone" they are not really thinking about anything at all. But that does not mean that they do not have an instilled belief in their abilities. That's the payoff that years of practice can bring. And practice time is the time when the thinking occurs. And as far as developing the right attitude goes; your list is a great place to start. Good work! :thumbup:

I just finished writing an article on this same subject that will be published on AZB very soon, so please don't think or believe I am trying to steal your thunder. :smile:

Roger
 
rope_one said:
Here is a list of what I think a strong player believes when they are in the zone so to speak....

I am going to trust my practice and past knowledge
I am going to take the best shot every time
I am going to value every shot no matter how easy
I am going to use the same routine every shot
I am going to play the same consistent pace every shot
I am going to focus stictly on the table
I am going to make every ball I shoot
I am going to make every safety I shoot
I am going to know my next position before I bend over
I am going to look 3 balls ahead
I am going to win every rack
I am going to let every shot go after I shoot it as it was my best effort every time
I am going to know I can only control my performance and my opponent can only control theirs

Does it seem like I am missing anything?
Click to expand...


For the most part, these affirmations are very good. You just have to be careful about affirmations that you do not have complete control over as you can create turmoil for yourself. I would eliminate "Iam going to win every rack" and replace it with. "Each rack that I shoot in, I will give my best effort".

I might consider adding in "I will trust my stroke for each shot".
And you might say something about patterns.

Good thread.

JoeyA
 
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i Would ADD......

I would add to treat every player like they're Efren, SVB, Johnny Archer, Alex, insert whatever top player here... in other words take NO player for granted.

Jaden
 
JoeyA said:
For the most part, these affirmations are very good. You just have to be careful about affirmations that you do not have complete control over as you can create turmoil for yourself. I would eliminate "Iam going to win every rack" and replace it with. "Each rack that I shoot in, I will give my best effort".

I might consider adding in "I will trust my stroke for each shot".
And you might say something about patterns.

Good thread.

JoeyA
Click to expand...

Good point on the rack line Joey, I was trying to get across that playing at 100% no matter how far up or down you may find yourself in a match. As far as the pattern idea, my attempt at that was the play three shots ahead on every shot idea.

Lately I have been finding myself playing quicker as well as some other bad habits that came back after a layoff. Those habits inevitablely lead to not doing these things and not playing as well as I should, so this is the first step to trying to correct that.

Putting together a measurable set of goals so that I can get back to what I enjoyed about the game. The Pleasure of Small Motions ideas.

Thanks for the input though.
 
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Roger Long said:
I just finished writing an article on this same subject that will be published on AZB very soon, so please don't think or believe I am trying to steal your thunder. :smile:

Roger
Click to expand...

No problem, I know this is not new ground or anything earth shaking, I defintely look forward to seeing your article.

:thumbup:
 
rope_one said:
No problem, I know this is not new ground or anything earth shaking, I defintely look forward to seeing your article.

:thumbup:
Click to expand...

And partaking of an idea or two with credits to Roger of course. :wink:
JoeyA
 
I very much like that list. I especially liked the stress on letting go (don't get mad about a past shot if you know you gave it your best shot) and trusting your own experience.
I also like the general "sweat the small stuff" attitude like playing carefully even on 'routine' shots.

If I would change anything, it'd be:
I am going to use the same routine every shot
I am going to play the same consistent pace every shot

I think these might be more of an unintended side effect of being a good, consistent shooter rather than being something to actively focus on. You cannot "cause" good shooting by doing these things, rather they are a noticeable pattern that comes up when a player is in line and hitting balls well.

Heck, I'll go out on a limb and recommend people DON'T try to stick to a specific routine, or at least not a specific pace. The whole pace thing is way overrated. Your pace will alter based on the difficulty of the layout and/or the difficulty of the shot in front of you. You will slow down if you're facing a tough shot or you're out of line, and as a result won't be quite in line on the next shot, which makes position a little harder for the third shot, and so on. Recovering from a bad situation can take several shots and your pace will naturally slow as you have to work a little harder on each shot to get back in line. The instant you 'try' to stick to certain pace or preshot routine (only 3 practice strokes or whatever)... you are forcing something rather than doing what feels natural and right. Never swing at the ball until you feel like it. If that happens to be 100% slower or 20% faster than the last time you 'felt like it' then so be it.

...
I might add something like "I am going to keep my composure and accept the things that are out of my control". In the past I would get upset because I played for a nice breakout, but due to a slightly imperfect hit, the balls just got tied up again or I got hooked on my 'insurance' ball. Or I'll break and run out 3 racks in a row and get excited because I've never done a 4-pack, but I come up dry on my 4th break. Sometimes you can do your best and still come up short, and when that happens you have to keep a good attitude and continue doing your best even if you don't always get rewarded.
 
yep, thats a good list, and I'm sure great players use some or all of those at some point. Most likely they use the positive thoughts they have been working on lately.

The thoughts that have helped me most while in the seat...

> I will win this match, how may not obvious yet, but in the end I will win.

> Cool, calm, collected.....stone faced....there is no room for whining.

> visualize everything clearly.....making the ball, where the CB will land, putting your score up, shaking the other guys hand after winning!.....everything!


While playing, I mostly try to just feel the next shot, and visualize it happening....thats about it. I really just blank out and let myself play.
 
Gerry said:
yep, thats a good list, and I'm sure great players use some or all of those at some point. Most likely they use the positive thoughts they have been working on lately.

The thoughts that have helped me most while in the seat...

> I will win this match, how may not obvious yet, but in the end I will win.

> Cool, calm, collected.....stone faced....there is no room for whining.

> visualize everything clearly.....making the ball, where the CB will land, putting your score up, shaking the other guys hand after winning!.....everything!


While playing, I mostly try to just feel the next shot, and visualize it happening....thats about it. I really just blank out and let myself play.
Click to expand...

Shirly,
I have a feeling you play REALLY well. I like your visualizations!
JoeyA
 
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