Warning about mechanical obsession

Philthepockets

Philthepockets

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
It started with watching a video of my practice session and I noticed I was lifting my head an inch or so on some shots, it moved from there to my grip and trying to perfect the cradle and pressure, the timing of opening the grip to not squeezing on the follow through and before I knew it my timing was gone.
Gone gone gone, I had the yips :(
Whats worse is I was actually playing good at the time.

Now in the back of my mind I am thinking of my friend, a promising young pro that developed the yips and never recovered. I think the fact that i am slightly obsessive compulsive and these thoughts contributed to my problems. For the last three months I have been struggling to string a run together, panic was setting in.

Today i made some good progress and feel that the timing is coming back and i am starting to string balls together with some consistency.
The issue was that I was so focused and obsessing about the mechanics that it took my focus away from what I was trying to do, pot balls. I have worked really hard over the last few weeks to beat this slump and the key was getting my focus off my grip and head movement and just play.
I think that if you want to fix or change something mechanical fine but set it and forget it or it could get in the way.
 
If a player has an issue with mechanics, it can stand in tha way of becoming a better player. So you MUST fix it at all costs. You will go through a little slump but you will come out a little stronger player for sure.

You want to build the best foundation you possibly can. Watching your self on video can help you see if you are shooting the way you think you are shooting.

Once you get your mechanics all squared away then you can concentrate 100% on the MENTAL part of the game. Which I seem to need ..... need.... need....What were we talking about ? My mind must have wandered off somewhere, sorry.:rolleyes:
 
I've been back playing pool again for maybe two months. I took a couple years off which I do every three to five years I guess. When I am actively playing, I too have a sort of OCD about my mechanics. If I feel my shoulder drop, wrist turn, grip overtighten, or accidentally impart english on the cue ball, I end up spending hours in the basement trying to figure out how it happened. Different stance, arm position, grip, etc. Over the years I have literally spent hundreds of hours scrutinizing my grip.

This go around I'm not going through all that. No more lying in bed trying to get to sleep while thinking about whether or not my third finger should have any pressure on the stick. Should my front foot be 45* from my line? I'm now only thinking of the target and screw the rest. There is no magic stance/grip that I will find to make that jump to the elite. Golf is easy as sh!t compared to pool. Good luck. I suggest doing what I did and marry a counselor!
 
It's easy for bad habits to creep back in, you only notice it when you see the video. As I am now in my 50's it's much harder to correct, it takes longer and can get you off your game for some time.
I have always been pretty diligent about my mechanics as I think it's the key to precision play and consistency, but if you let it lead you to distraction you are in trouble. Fix it and move on, it's easy to say :p I wish I had no brain.
 
I tried to learn as much stuff about proper stance, grip, follow through, etc. when i was learning how to play, but i believe if you can consistently strike the cue ball in the intended spot then whatever you're doing is fine.

When the pressure is on i try to make sure my placement is good enough to make the next shot comfortable for me but i won't sacrafice my current shot trying to get better placement. I think alot of people push for better placement too often and moving the cue ball around too much can cause problems. Just because pros can go 3 rails and get perfect doesn't mean it's the best shot for you, play within your parameters.

Focus more on keeping the cue ball on a string rather than how your standing and griping the cue. When i'm playing my best i rarely stroke harder than i would hit the lag and even then it's because i got out of line.

Best of luck shooting, remember it's just a game so have fun with it. Everyone shoots better when they're having a good time.
 
I crave that buzz of playing in "the zone" subconcious, total focus, unaware of my surroundings but have not been "there" for a while been playing too much on a concious mechanical level.
 
I agree, my brain is constantly in my way when I'm near a pool table. I remember playing in a team tournament in Chicago years ago when I was in "the zone". Every time we won, we were immediately called to another table to play another match. There was no time to eat all day. I didn't know this was going to happen so I had popped a stacker or two to stay alert for the long day ahead of me. Without being able to eat, my heart rate was through the roof. I was honestly worried about my health the entire day. The only thing I focused on during every match, and every shot, was trying to slow my breathing in hopes of slowing my heart rate. I didn't think of mechanics one second that day. I think I went 16-2 in the single game match-ups that day. No brain = better pool for me.
 
JolietJames said:
I agree, my brain is constantly in my way when I'm near a pool table. I remember playing in a team tournament in Chicago years ago when I was in "the zone". Every time we won, we were immediately called to another table to play another match. There was no time to eat all day. I didn't know this was going to happen so I had popped a stacker or two to stay alert for the long day ahead of me. Without being able to eat, my heart rate was through the roof. I was honestly worried about my health the entire day. The only thing I focused on during every match, and every shot, was trying to slow my breathing in hopes of slowing my heart rate. I didn't think of mechanics one second that day. I think I went 16-2 in the single game match-ups that day. No brain = better pool for me.
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Tournement play can be tough, I recently lost a hill/hill first round and sat for 12 hours before my next match :speechless:
It's much nicer when you get on a back to back streak.
 
TWELVE HOURS?! Holy crap! The most I've waited was a little over three hours. I feel for you on that one. I'd be tired and angry by that time.
 
Kinda figured. Our long wait was to be expected. Our three man team had gone through the winner's side and was waiting for the back draw to catch up for the finals. Three hours isn't long at all in that circumstance.
 
Philthepockets said:
The issue was that I was so focused and obsessing about the mechanics that it took my focus away from what I was trying to do, pot balls. I have worked really hard over the last few weeks to beat this slump and the key was getting my focus off my grip and head movement and just play.
I think that if you want to fix or change something mechanical fine but set it and forget it or it could get in the way.
Click to expand...


Thats the issue right there buddy........the best way to practice is to break the whole routine down and work on one aspect at a time THEN putting it together after you have all your pieces in place.

You need to start at SQUARE ONE and get your FUNDAMENTALS IN LOCK and NATURAL SECOND NATURE TO YOU.......this can take from a month to 6 months maybe more depending on how you practice.

When I teach.... after the stance, alignment, grip and all that are out of the way THEN my students worry about pocketing.

A little drill from George Rood would give ya a hand...........

Start a game of straight pool and play as you would normally, just one exception. Have your preshot routine figured out so you can do that same thing everytime. After you get down on the shot, have completed your warmup and aiming strokes your set at the CB with the tip and eyes to the object ball contact. Pull back the cue stick in a controlled fashion and then pause...........

the eyes have never left the object ball contact spot your aiming for since before you pulled back the last time. At the end of the backswing simultaneous with the pause CLOSE YOUR EYES and DELIVER THE SHOT......making sure to finish to the finish spot on the chest (or where ever your finish spot happens to be) if your using a pendulum stroke.

Having the eyes closed strengthens the trust in your mechanics, and will better your ability to SEE what you really need to be SEEING.

I can and do run many balls shooting like that, so can you and it will very much help you to develop a natural stroke and stance that you can depend on and trust.

Have faith, trust me it works very well.

hope that helps,
-Grey Ghost-
 
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