I don't know how many of you are familiar with Aikido, or other martial arts. I don't have much training outside of Aikido, so also I do not know how much focus is placed on energy and the philosophical side in other arts. However, over the past month or so I've been using Aikido actively in pool, and not by throwing my opponents when I miss a shot either...
It has been quite awhile since I was active in Aikido training due to injuries. As the years go by, some of what I learned tended to drift away from my brain. I wasn't practicing actively, nor always applying what I had learned in day to day activities.
I came into pool a little under 3 years ago, and have been hooked since. It used to be something of a side thought, just out while drinking and being a banger. I quit drinking alcohol about the same time, so needed to replace something, and billiards happened to be that substitution. I found that great game of 14.1, and that game to this day continues to challenge my brain (and frustrate the hell out of me).
I'm not a great pool player, mostly due to my own inexperience and very late start into the game. I can make some phenomenal shots, but I'm by no means consistent. At a little weekly tournament, I jumped into a conversation with a few players before it started (thanks Demi/Beau), and it was focused on the mental aspect of the game and Eastern Philosophy. At that point I asked myself how Aikido had left my everyday thought. After 10+ years, that training just seemed to escape me somehow. How could I not have been using this!!??
Aikido is all about blending and your center. You blend with your opponent, and seem to come from his/her point of view. It's not about attack. You really use your Ki (energy) to focus everything. (similar to Chinese "Ch'i").
You can use Aikido in most every day activities, whether it is pool, conversations/debates, exercise, ect. When coming to the table now, I try to remember to center myself, and focus my own Ki. You can feel the floor and its support beneath you coming into your hara. By centering yourself, it gets you into stroke much more easily. By respecting the opponent, the table and the equipment, it keeps you more in tune with it.
Now if I can just keep doing this, I'll feel a bit more dangerous at the table. I've noticed my game go up a bit since I've been using focusing exercises, and pulling myself out of the downward plateau I've been stuck at, which has seemed to last forever. When I don't stay centered, I notice myself re-entering into bad habits.
Does anyone else use martial arts training or meditative exercises at the table? I venture to assume that it is quite common at the higher levels of pool, but any thoughts?
It has been quite awhile since I was active in Aikido training due to injuries. As the years go by, some of what I learned tended to drift away from my brain. I wasn't practicing actively, nor always applying what I had learned in day to day activities.
I came into pool a little under 3 years ago, and have been hooked since. It used to be something of a side thought, just out while drinking and being a banger. I quit drinking alcohol about the same time, so needed to replace something, and billiards happened to be that substitution. I found that great game of 14.1, and that game to this day continues to challenge my brain (and frustrate the hell out of me).
I'm not a great pool player, mostly due to my own inexperience and very late start into the game. I can make some phenomenal shots, but I'm by no means consistent. At a little weekly tournament, I jumped into a conversation with a few players before it started (thanks Demi/Beau), and it was focused on the mental aspect of the game and Eastern Philosophy. At that point I asked myself how Aikido had left my everyday thought. After 10+ years, that training just seemed to escape me somehow. How could I not have been using this!!??
Aikido is all about blending and your center. You blend with your opponent, and seem to come from his/her point of view. It's not about attack. You really use your Ki (energy) to focus everything. (similar to Chinese "Ch'i").
You can use Aikido in most every day activities, whether it is pool, conversations/debates, exercise, ect. When coming to the table now, I try to remember to center myself, and focus my own Ki. You can feel the floor and its support beneath you coming into your hara. By centering yourself, it gets you into stroke much more easily. By respecting the opponent, the table and the equipment, it keeps you more in tune with it.
Now if I can just keep doing this, I'll feel a bit more dangerous at the table. I've noticed my game go up a bit since I've been using focusing exercises, and pulling myself out of the downward plateau I've been stuck at, which has seemed to last forever. When I don't stay centered, I notice myself re-entering into bad habits.
Does anyone else use martial arts training or meditative exercises at the table? I venture to assume that it is quite common at the higher levels of pool, but any thoughts?
