Thinking in pictures vs words while playing
- Thread starter Bluewolf
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tim
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nice.........
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Hogman
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So jjinfla, when you "think in pictures", do you "just do it"?
I think it would more correct to say that we think in 'images'. Yes I do that, but I plus it with words, like "low right english to get the cue on the 5 ball" or 'upper left english so the cue will thread those 2 balls'. Something to that effect, although
the image of the shot is the very first thing I see. Like every other great sport, It raises the question of whether it is Art vs. Science. If you master all the details of the Science, does that make you an artist. If so, why is it that some people never master the details, but still can paint great pictures? In Pool, this equates down to a 'natural' player vs. a logic player. I was more of a natural player when I was younger, but have become more of a logic player as I get older. Something to do with instincts vs. the brain, I think. Anyway, anyone that makes something look very easy and logical always looks like a great artist.
They say that 68% of the time, your first thought or instinct about a shot is right. I have found this to be true. I have found that my instincts toward a shot are right more times than my logic thoughts, and so if I am somewhat divided on a shot, I use logic, but I back it up with my true instinct about the shot. In other words, If my brain tells me one thing, but I have a strong feeling about the shot, I go with the feeling, but I do go through the logic process too. And it is all second nature to me now. You could say my instincts are fine tuned with wisdom and experience now.
the image of the shot is the very first thing I see. Like every other great sport, It raises the question of whether it is Art vs. Science. If you master all the details of the Science, does that make you an artist. If so, why is it that some people never master the details, but still can paint great pictures? In Pool, this equates down to a 'natural' player vs. a logic player. I was more of a natural player when I was younger, but have become more of a logic player as I get older. Something to do with instincts vs. the brain, I think. Anyway, anyone that makes something look very easy and logical always looks like a great artist.
They say that 68% of the time, your first thought or instinct about a shot is right. I have found this to be true. I have found that my instincts toward a shot are right more times than my logic thoughts, and so if I am somewhat divided on a shot, I use logic, but I back it up with my true instinct about the shot. In other words, If my brain tells me one thing, but I have a strong feeling about the shot, I go with the feeling, but I do go through the logic process too. And it is all second nature to me now. You could say my instincts are fine tuned with wisdom and experience now.
You could say the same about any sport.
They are all visual. But it has been proven through scientific studies that when a person actually thinks about what they are doing at the time they are doing it, they perform 30-35% better than they would than just 'going through the motions'. To make my point, let's use making love as an example. Have you ever made love with someone that just went through the motions. How good was it? Also, have you ever made love with someone that was totally focused on you, every little thing about you, cherishing your time together, responsive to you in every way. How good was that? It is a matter of focus and concentration. Take basketball, you think the pros can perform like they do without focusing and thinking about what they are doing. Just one reason why the Nets beat the Mavs in game 1. When you are shooting a shot, and have to go 2 rails to come around and break out balls, you have to think about what english, how much english to put on the cue ball to make it go in the line that you have visualized it doing, also how hard to hit the ball. I see so many guys try to break out balls, and they are off a bit, or they hit them too softly, and don't end up with a good shot afterwards. I have always been a break'em up good and take your rolls type guy, but think about where and how they are going to roll. Good players are not usually worried about the shot so much, as where the cue ball needs to go after the shot to get on the next ball. To do that, you have to think about it, about how to do that, how, how much, what rails I need to take the cue ball to, etc..
Jimmy Caras, 3 time world champion, told me, when I was 14, that cue ball control was 70% of the game, and that is a true statement, because anyone that can not control the cue ball will not be that consistent because they will end up with harder shots to shoot.
Any player that makes it look easy has good cue ball control. That is one way players evaluate another player's skills is by cue ball control, and how good he sets up for shots, breakouts, keeping the cue ball off the rail when it stops, etc.. To do all of that, you have to think about those things when you play. Very good players focus, think about their game, and take care of all the little details as they play the game.
People that just shoot, and don't think about their game while doing it make mistakes, cue ball on the rail, roll it too far, put the cue ball on the wrong side of the next object ball to get shape on the ball after that, leave themselves a really hard cut shot when it could have been real easy, have to bank instead of shooting it straight in, hook themselves because they did not pay attention to a little detail of some balls in the way, used wrong english to get on the next ball, etc.. Making a jump shot looks good, but if you have to do them very often because you failed to get shape, something's wrong. I have seen a lot of natural players that play good for a year or two, and then seem to flame out. That is because they discover they have to think about the game while playing it. They run into competition that is just as skilled, but smarter because they are thinking about the game and how to win it. How to maintain an advantage in winning the game after each shot. Safeties can help you maintain the advantage in a game even after it might look hopeless to you. Getting a ball in hand can be a tremendous advantage, one that wins games because you can place it anywhere on the table, making it easier to get that breakout, or get on that difficult ball, or to break your ball out, and leave your opponent hooked afterwards. Knowing how to play and knowing how to win are not necessarily the same thing. You have to think about what you are doing to win, you don't to just play.
They are all visual. But it has been proven through scientific studies that when a person actually thinks about what they are doing at the time they are doing it, they perform 30-35% better than they would than just 'going through the motions'. To make my point, let's use making love as an example. Have you ever made love with someone that just went through the motions. How good was it? Also, have you ever made love with someone that was totally focused on you, every little thing about you, cherishing your time together, responsive to you in every way. How good was that? It is a matter of focus and concentration. Take basketball, you think the pros can perform like they do without focusing and thinking about what they are doing. Just one reason why the Nets beat the Mavs in game 1. When you are shooting a shot, and have to go 2 rails to come around and break out balls, you have to think about what english, how much english to put on the cue ball to make it go in the line that you have visualized it doing, also how hard to hit the ball. I see so many guys try to break out balls, and they are off a bit, or they hit them too softly, and don't end up with a good shot afterwards. I have always been a break'em up good and take your rolls type guy, but think about where and how they are going to roll. Good players are not usually worried about the shot so much, as where the cue ball needs to go after the shot to get on the next ball. To do that, you have to think about it, about how to do that, how, how much, what rails I need to take the cue ball to, etc..
Jimmy Caras, 3 time world champion, told me, when I was 14, that cue ball control was 70% of the game, and that is a true statement, because anyone that can not control the cue ball will not be that consistent because they will end up with harder shots to shoot.
Any player that makes it look easy has good cue ball control. That is one way players evaluate another player's skills is by cue ball control, and how good he sets up for shots, breakouts, keeping the cue ball off the rail when it stops, etc.. To do all of that, you have to think about those things when you play. Very good players focus, think about their game, and take care of all the little details as they play the game.
People that just shoot, and don't think about their game while doing it make mistakes, cue ball on the rail, roll it too far, put the cue ball on the wrong side of the next object ball to get shape on the ball after that, leave themselves a really hard cut shot when it could have been real easy, have to bank instead of shooting it straight in, hook themselves because they did not pay attention to a little detail of some balls in the way, used wrong english to get on the next ball, etc.. Making a jump shot looks good, but if you have to do them very often because you failed to get shape, something's wrong. I have seen a lot of natural players that play good for a year or two, and then seem to flame out. That is because they discover they have to think about the game while playing it. They run into competition that is just as skilled, but smarter because they are thinking about the game and how to win it. How to maintain an advantage in winning the game after each shot. Safeties can help you maintain the advantage in a game even after it might look hopeless to you. Getting a ball in hand can be a tremendous advantage, one that wins games because you can place it anywhere on the table, making it easier to get that breakout, or get on that difficult ball, or to break your ball out, and leave your opponent hooked afterwards. Knowing how to play and knowing how to win are not necessarily the same thing. You have to think about what you are doing to win, you don't to just play.
Bluewolf,
The visual line that you refer to is the nut and the better your vision the better you will play. If you had a laser in the tip of your cue that indicated where you cueball would arrive and contact the object ball (2 times to the outside of the distance from the center of the object ball to the necessary contact point that sends th object ball to the pocket) you could make most of your shots as long as you hit center of the cueball (center ball). But when you need to make shape/position on your next shot you may need to impart english and then you must contend with the variable of squirt or throw. Master making all shots with center ball hits on the cueball and then practice english/throw/squirt/speed to get the cueball where you want to arrive and then ....
The visual line that you refer to is the nut and the better your vision the better you will play. If you had a laser in the tip of your cue that indicated where you cueball would arrive and contact the object ball (2 times to the outside of the distance from the center of the object ball to the necessary contact point that sends th object ball to the pocket) you could make most of your shots as long as you hit center of the cueball (center ball). But when you need to make shape/position on your next shot you may need to impart english and then you must contend with the variable of squirt or throw. Master making all shots with center ball hits on the cueball and then practice english/throw/squirt/speed to get the cueball where you want to arrive and then ....
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Read a book about this, called something like "Pleasures of Small Motions. Reminded me of how Jack Nicklas used to play a movie in his head of how his golf shot should look, feel, and sound, and then he would try to replicate that feeling with his swing. I think all players do that in dead stroke, even if words might be needed to analyze strategy and shot selection.
When i am practicing I am thinking. I am practicing ball speed, angles, spin and practice easy shots, the shots that are hard for me, straight ins, lag, etc. I am setting up positional drills so that I can learn what happens to the cb and learn to put it where I want it to go.
When I play in a match, it seems I see pictures. While standing, I see the angle line and where I want the cb to go, based on what is the next ball to shoot. i do not think about english or ball speed at all. I just turn it over to my brain.
Then I get down on the shot, making sure I am lined up correctly. Here is the weird part. The way it used to be is this: I thought I was going to use centerball. When I got down, the cuestick went to the low, left english position, for instance. If I shot the ball based on what I was thinking (centerball) I missed the shot almost every time. If I shot it based on where my brain put the tip(left low) it went in a large percentage of the time. Same thing with ball speed,if I thought what speed i wanted to hit verses just stroke the ball and turn it over to the stroke.
So now I do not think about english and ball speed. I practiced those. I just get down on the shot and let my cpu shoot the ball speed and english, top, bottom center or whatever.
In a match, there are two major times that I do think. After the break, looking at the table and deciding the preferred order to shoot the balls (the ideal
),identifying my and opponents problem balls, if choice looking to see which would be an easier run, easy pots to set up that easy 3-4 ball run at the end, since I am not good enough at position to run a rack.
The other time is on safety play. If I play this one, can they see their balls, if they can do they have the skill to pot it, seeing what is their next hit or bih, what position will that leave me in to shoot in the next ball I want to shoot.
So the shooting part is pictures, the safety and looking at the whole table at the first and periodically, I have to think. Bummer isnt it
Laura
When I play in a match, it seems I see pictures. While standing, I see the angle line and where I want the cb to go, based on what is the next ball to shoot. i do not think about english or ball speed at all. I just turn it over to my brain.
Then I get down on the shot, making sure I am lined up correctly. Here is the weird part. The way it used to be is this: I thought I was going to use centerball. When I got down, the cuestick went to the low, left english position, for instance. If I shot the ball based on what I was thinking (centerball) I missed the shot almost every time. If I shot it based on where my brain put the tip(left low) it went in a large percentage of the time. Same thing with ball speed,if I thought what speed i wanted to hit verses just stroke the ball and turn it over to the stroke.
So now I do not think about english and ball speed. I practiced those. I just get down on the shot and let my cpu shoot the ball speed and english, top, bottom center or whatever.
In a match, there are two major times that I do think. After the break, looking at the table and deciding the preferred order to shoot the balls (the ideal
),identifying my and opponents problem balls, if choice looking to see which would be an easier run, easy pots to set up that easy 3-4 ball run at the end, since I am not good enough at position to run a rack.The other time is on safety play. If I play this one, can they see their balls, if they can do they have the skill to pot it, seeing what is their next hit or bih, what position will that leave me in to shoot in the next ball I want to shoot.
So the shooting part is pictures, the safety and looking at the whole table at the first and periodically, I have to think. Bummer isnt it
Laura
Snapshot9 said:
Wow! I never visualized that while I was playing pool! I'll never want to leave the pool hall now!!
Seriously, you make some good points. Thanks for sharing! I just couldn't resist the temptation!
To me, one of the most difficult things to do is to focus on visualizing when the pressure is great. Seems like there's an inner voice that just won't shut up when there's a lot of pressure. Sometimes I can hear my heart beating too. That's when I know the pressure is really starting to build!
Sorry Larry, but I disagree with you.
Feel is a big part, granted, but that feel becomes instinctual and second nature only after using your brain to overcome your weak spots in pool and in strategy of the game giving you mental toughness and making you a better competitor. In case you are wondering, I have played for 41 years, and I am an accomplished player, currently a Kansas state BCA Champion, and I have played the game for several thousand dollars a set.
BlueWolf ... Advice I would give to you is to look at your stance (there is a proper form you know) and especially your bridge you use. Most women fall short in the bridge department. Accomplished women players master bridging correctly and comfortably. Imagine trying to shoot a rifle with only your trigger arm and no support.
You wouldn't be very accurate, would you? It is the same in pool. Having a proper, well displaced, firm bridge that provides a smooth accurate stroke is highly important. Your bridge should be distributed where it gives you a tripod of weight distribution, firmly on the surface, does not impede sighting,
where you can look down the barrel of the shaft straight and true. My chin is always about 1" above my shaft giving me the true view of the shot.
As a personal note, I took up Pool a little before my 15th birthday. For 6 months I watched and studied all the best players in the city before I ever picked up a cue. Each player had 1,2,3 shots that they shot extremely well, even though they might npt have been the best player in town. I studied that closely and tried to mimic it once I started playing. I also read 3 good Pool books, learning about the proper form, the proper approach to playing, english, shots, etc.. Within 2 years after starting, I became the best in my city. Granted, Dodge City was only 20,000 people, but we had many college students going to St. Marys of the Plains from back East, New York, Jersey, and other eastern states that were very good Pool players. Yes, I did have natural talent for the game, but what I have accomplished in Pool has been because of my brain, my drive, and the fact that I am highly competitive in any sport I have done.
Yes, I get beaten, but I have never liked it, and I still refuse to accept it, and yes I analyze my playing reviewing where I could have played smarter or better, so that I will not make the same mistake again. I play quite often so I do not practice now unless I am coming up a real tough competitor or I just want to work on a couple things, and usually that is just to keep my bank shots in tune.
And Larry, even when you are just visualizing, your are thinking, you just don't think about what you are thinking .... <smile>
Feel is a big part, granted, but that feel becomes instinctual and second nature only after using your brain to overcome your weak spots in pool and in strategy of the game giving you mental toughness and making you a better competitor. In case you are wondering, I have played for 41 years, and I am an accomplished player, currently a Kansas state BCA Champion, and I have played the game for several thousand dollars a set.
BlueWolf ... Advice I would give to you is to look at your stance (there is a proper form you know) and especially your bridge you use. Most women fall short in the bridge department. Accomplished women players master bridging correctly and comfortably. Imagine trying to shoot a rifle with only your trigger arm and no support.
You wouldn't be very accurate, would you? It is the same in pool. Having a proper, well displaced, firm bridge that provides a smooth accurate stroke is highly important. Your bridge should be distributed where it gives you a tripod of weight distribution, firmly on the surface, does not impede sighting,
where you can look down the barrel of the shaft straight and true. My chin is always about 1" above my shaft giving me the true view of the shot.
As a personal note, I took up Pool a little before my 15th birthday. For 6 months I watched and studied all the best players in the city before I ever picked up a cue. Each player had 1,2,3 shots that they shot extremely well, even though they might npt have been the best player in town. I studied that closely and tried to mimic it once I started playing. I also read 3 good Pool books, learning about the proper form, the proper approach to playing, english, shots, etc.. Within 2 years after starting, I became the best in my city. Granted, Dodge City was only 20,000 people, but we had many college students going to St. Marys of the Plains from back East, New York, Jersey, and other eastern states that were very good Pool players. Yes, I did have natural talent for the game, but what I have accomplished in Pool has been because of my brain, my drive, and the fact that I am highly competitive in any sport I have done.
Yes, I get beaten, but I have never liked it, and I still refuse to accept it, and yes I analyze my playing reviewing where I could have played smarter or better, so that I will not make the same mistake again. I play quite often so I do not practice now unless I am coming up a real tough competitor or I just want to work on a couple things, and usually that is just to keep my bank shots in tune.
And Larry, even when you are just visualizing, your are thinking, you just don't think about what you are thinking .... <smile>
Snapshot9 said:
I have two basic bridges, open and closed. All instructors say my bridge, stance and stroke are good. There are slight modifications in those depending on the shot. I am very low. My bridge is 7 inches unless I have to reach. I learned power shooting from Larry so now have a powerful break. It is funny to have a break that is so much more powerful than most women, when I need a lot more expereince to be good at shooting.
What you say to Larry about visualizing, it could be thinking or not thinking. If the person is visualizing in a sequential way, they are using words in their mind to create the image.
If the person just sees the image without sequencing it or without using words in their brain to see their image, they are not 'thinking'. This person sees like an artist does. The artist does not say, this is the line from the pocket to the ball etc, they just see it. The artist who is painting a person does not think, this is the mouth, etc., they see angles and shadows and draw or paint what they see, without having words in their brain.
So the question is--to visualize, do you need words in your brain to do this or do you just see it, see the angle, just like the artist sees the angles and the shadows without words in their mind.
In the end, the person who does by feel, just sees, without words in their brain, will be able to adapt better to different situations. I am not very expereinced in pool but know about this from art and karate. I also know that when I see pictures I play better than when I have words in my mind.
Laura
When you visualize, your eyes are relaying to your brain what you are seeing is in fact, the true and accurate image. This is a thought process. Our brain and thought process is what seperates us from other animals. Our feelings are invariably linked to our brain for verification of those feelings. I feel cold, how do I know that? Because my skin feels cold ... how do you know your skin is cold ... It feels cold ... how, because my brain told me so ....
via my nerve endings in the skin.....
I am convinced that part of our brain that we do not conciously use is used for our inborn instincts we have, but even most instincts have to been learned except basic ones like hunger, sense of well being or not, feeling of truth, etc ... I could mention Hugh Maslow's 7 levels, but I won't go into all that .. too lengthy.
How many times have you looked at a ball , and thought that it would not make it past another ball, only to find upon closer observation that it will in fact make it by the other ball. Recognition or verification, either one, utilizes the thought processes.
I took martial arts when I was younger in 2 different martial arts, and I understand what you are saying about artists, but even most artists have to be trained to learn to be a great artist, and that takes thought.
Ask any great athlete, artist, entertainer why they have become great and they will start naming off reason after reason, detail after detail, or they will just say, "I love it".
Our power of reasoning though the thought process is our single most powerful blessing that God bestowed upon us.
Name me a great artist who never had any formal training or classes to help her or him become a great artist.
Naturals, as we like to refer to them, come from the sense of well being, or what is right and what is not. They are able to perceive faster than most of what works and what doesn't.
It doesn't mean they are any better than someone doing the same thing for 20 years, it just means they get better quicker than most do. They are more open minded, have a greater willingness to learn, assimilate information more rapidily, and have better direction for conclusions than other people. And I still say they do it with their brains.
I am only 5'7" tall, and I was short as a kid, and I overcame adversity in my life by using my brain, both in sports, business, and my personal life emotions.
You can feel that you love someone, as we all do at sometime or other, but when you ask yourself why, you have reasons that surface. Just too bad that many people do not ask themselves why soon enough. If you don't ask yourself why in pool, you will be limited in how good you can become. You can not become good at anything without paying attention to the details involved. Human beings are a great invention, but I seriously doubt we would be if God hadn't taken care of all the 'little' details in our creation.
Plus, I majored in Behavioral Management Science in college, and I will be a hard argument ... <smile>
but I will still respect your opinion ...
You absolutely can not develop a sense of ball patterns in Pool without giving it a lot of serious thought. I see many players that would be so much better if they just had a good sense of ball patterns.
As Larry said, Mike Sigel, whom I have a great deal of respect for, named consistency as the main difference for pros vs. amateurs. How exactly do you think that consistency is achieved?
By much thought, a lot of thought, about every single detail about Pool, from breaking, to ball patterns, to banks, to combos, to cue ball placement, english, how to chalk your cue, how to maintain your cue, focusing, having confidence while shooting, opponents, and more.
You should print off of this board, the pyramid to beoming an invincible player, it contains all the ingredients needed to become good.
I wish well with your game. Your express a genuine interest for the sport...
via my nerve endings in the skin.....
I am convinced that part of our brain that we do not conciously use is used for our inborn instincts we have, but even most instincts have to been learned except basic ones like hunger, sense of well being or not, feeling of truth, etc ... I could mention Hugh Maslow's 7 levels, but I won't go into all that .. too lengthy.
How many times have you looked at a ball , and thought that it would not make it past another ball, only to find upon closer observation that it will in fact make it by the other ball. Recognition or verification, either one, utilizes the thought processes.
I took martial arts when I was younger in 2 different martial arts, and I understand what you are saying about artists, but even most artists have to be trained to learn to be a great artist, and that takes thought.
Ask any great athlete, artist, entertainer why they have become great and they will start naming off reason after reason, detail after detail, or they will just say, "I love it".
Our power of reasoning though the thought process is our single most powerful blessing that God bestowed upon us.
Name me a great artist who never had any formal training or classes to help her or him become a great artist.
Naturals, as we like to refer to them, come from the sense of well being, or what is right and what is not. They are able to perceive faster than most of what works and what doesn't.
It doesn't mean they are any better than someone doing the same thing for 20 years, it just means they get better quicker than most do. They are more open minded, have a greater willingness to learn, assimilate information more rapidily, and have better direction for conclusions than other people. And I still say they do it with their brains.
I am only 5'7" tall, and I was short as a kid, and I overcame adversity in my life by using my brain, both in sports, business, and my personal life emotions.
You can feel that you love someone, as we all do at sometime or other, but when you ask yourself why, you have reasons that surface. Just too bad that many people do not ask themselves why soon enough. If you don't ask yourself why in pool, you will be limited in how good you can become. You can not become good at anything without paying attention to the details involved. Human beings are a great invention, but I seriously doubt we would be if God hadn't taken care of all the 'little' details in our creation.
Plus, I majored in Behavioral Management Science in college, and I will be a hard argument ... <smile>
but I will still respect your opinion ...
You absolutely can not develop a sense of ball patterns in Pool without giving it a lot of serious thought. I see many players that would be so much better if they just had a good sense of ball patterns.
As Larry said, Mike Sigel, whom I have a great deal of respect for, named consistency as the main difference for pros vs. amateurs. How exactly do you think that consistency is achieved?
By much thought, a lot of thought, about every single detail about Pool, from breaking, to ball patterns, to banks, to combos, to cue ball placement, english, how to chalk your cue, how to maintain your cue, focusing, having confidence while shooting, opponents, and more.
You should print off of this board, the pyramid to beoming an invincible player, it contains all the ingredients needed to become good.
I wish well with your game. Your express a genuine interest for the sport...
snapshot and fast larry are really talking about two different phases of the game.
snapshot is talking about the preparation/learning/practise part of the game. one learns this until it becomes second nature.
then,,,you "forget" what you learned and just go out and play. this is what larry refers to. in a real situation, you try to zone, think of only the task at hand. not the past, not the future. when you are in a zone, there is only the moment at present.
people who think too much have bad rhythm. this is my problem. i think too much and am an inhibited shooter, as a result. but larry,,,this is because i am a mediocre pocketeer. and pocketing takes practise and preparation before you "lay it out on the table".
snapshot is talking about the preparation/learning/practise part of the game. one learns this until it becomes second nature.
then,,,you "forget" what you learned and just go out and play. this is what larry refers to. in a real situation, you try to zone, think of only the task at hand. not the past, not the future. when you are in a zone, there is only the moment at present.
people who think too much have bad rhythm. this is my problem. i think too much and am an inhibited shooter, as a result. but larry,,,this is because i am a mediocre pocketeer. and pocketing takes practise and preparation before you "lay it out on the table".
Snapshot9 said:
you are right in some things, but i think there are grey areas that overlap. firstly, i think you are trying to quantify the natural gift.
natural artists are born,,,then nurtured. but always, they are born with the gift first. and INDEED, the gifted artist IS better than one who has been doing the same thing for 20 years. a lesser talent will NEVER see what the naturally gifted can see, and will never be as spontaneously creative as the natural talent.
formal training in art,,,,,is a formality, and may even have NO consequence on the student's future output. apprenticeship is simple the way things were done. i believe a TRUELY gifted, alert art student can be given a fast one day course in art materials, told by an aware artist to look at certain artists/buy certain art books every now and again, and turn out better than other lesser art students with years of formal training. formal training might make it faster and easier for a gifted talent to access info that would take longer on his own, but it is not the reason he becomes better.
you are right. naturals DO percieve faster, but you are implying that the lesser talent will also percieve the same, just not quite so quickly. not so. the lesser talented might never see what the better talent sees.
also, in processing all this info, the speedier, gifted talent has another advantage...the advantage of rhythm,,,of flow,,,of sure-handedness. the end product of this is a better game(artwork or product,if you like). it is a clearly discernable quality that seperates the great from the good. the talented person "zens" better than the others. if there is thought to what he does, it is effortless and instinctive. there are different levels and qualities of effort.
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Snapshot9 said:
The visual images to the brain involve neurons, not thinking as we know it. My dog gets visual images sent to his brain, does that mean my dog can think?
I have a high IQ too and it was a hindrance in Karate. When I thought words I lost matches. Once I began to not think but flow, i had concentration and believe I was in what people now call the zone. This was a type of moving meditation, no thought, the past did not exist, nor the future, not the technique i was going to use. Only the flow existed. Only the moment, pure, unhindered by thought or feeling.
I have gotten to this point. That does not mean I will win. When I am in the flow, nothing like winning or losing, being on the hill, past games won or lost, how many balls my opponent has, how to execute the next shot, none of that matters. There is no distraction or thinking. There is just flow.
This is taught by zen masters. I started studing this 20 years ago, which is a short time considering how long the masters have been doing this.
When I paint this is what is happening. Everything else dissapears. There is not even any thought of what I am going to put on the canvas.When I pick up the brush, all goes away. All that exists is the brush, the canvas and the paint. It is also flow.
That is why I said what I did: when I think words I play bad. When i see pictures and do not think words I play better. But, really, it does not matter how well I play when in the flow. The only thing that exists is the flow.
Yes it is taught. Our brains constantly pound us with thoughts 'that is the alarm, I need to pee,do I have time to sleep for 5 minutes, what things i am going to do today, I am hungry, there goes that dang alarm again,'. On an on it goes like a triphammer, our brains barrage us and never shut up.
I do not know about Larry's tapes. I do know that when I learned to meditate 20 years ago, it took training to shut down my brain so that i could meditate. Once, learning that, a person can meditate anytime or anyplace.I did not need to sit in a certain position anymore or say certain words, I just went into that state at will. I had a EEg. I went into meditation. My EEG was abnormal and they said that I have seizures. Considering the state, I was in, and they were only able to bring me out of it when flashing bright light, I am not so sure of that anymore
I think when I practice. When I play, that is another story.
In my opinion, thinking while competing in pool or any other sport is bad. Thinking and pool do not mix.
Laura
There seems to be naturals who don't communicate with the dialogue shown here in these posts and I am in awe of them.
I am an engineer and think of pool in angles, points of aim, speed, english, squirt and leaves but none of that comes without thought. Fortunately as a teen I was never good enough to run with the big dogs so I did what came natural which was to design products and that without as much thought as I devote to Pool.
Until recently, there wasn't enough money in shooting pool in tournaments or hustling to make a decent living, get married, have childeren and provide for a comfortable retirement. I understand that Efren takes care of several families back home and that is noble.
I used to travel across Los Angeles from East Los Angeles to watch Richey Florence play at the Tropicana Bowl in South West LA back in the sixties. He had a stroke (the brain kind) in the eighties and couldn't shoot anymore but he visited the local tournaments until he died recently - it's in the blood I guess.
Pity the fool that gets bit by the pool bug because he is good enough and drops out of society to persue the windmills of his mind when otherwise he could make could make a six figure income and have a family - if so talented.
I am an engineer and think of pool in angles, points of aim, speed, english, squirt and leaves but none of that comes without thought. Fortunately as a teen I was never good enough to run with the big dogs so I did what came natural which was to design products and that without as much thought as I devote to Pool.
Until recently, there wasn't enough money in shooting pool in tournaments or hustling to make a decent living, get married, have childeren and provide for a comfortable retirement. I understand that Efren takes care of several families back home and that is noble.
I used to travel across Los Angeles from East Los Angeles to watch Richey Florence play at the Tropicana Bowl in South West LA back in the sixties. He had a stroke (the brain kind) in the eighties and couldn't shoot anymore but he visited the local tournaments until he died recently - it's in the blood I guess.
Pity the fool that gets bit by the pool bug because he is good enough and drops out of society to persue the windmills of his mind when otherwise he could make could make a six figure income and have a family - if so talented.