What are you thinking?

Just feeling stroke. Maybe micro adjustments in aim.

99.9% aiming done before getting down.

Leave, speed/power, english, all figured out before down.

I breath in and let out, feel my body relax as I exhale and pull the trigger
 
It depends on the shot. It's important to understand yourself and your tendencies, especially if you're in the process of correcting a mechanical flaw on a particular type of shot. Sometimes you have to remind yourself when you're down over the ball. Not always, but sometimes.
 
FranCrimi said:
It depends on the shot. It's important to understand yourself and your tendencies, especially if you're in the process of correcting a mechanical flaw on a particular type of shot. Sometimes you have to remind yourself when you're down over the ball. Not always, but sometimes.
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I'd say if you find yourself correcting something, best to get up and reset.

Got a friend who sharks shamelessly. I'll get up and go through my whole routine again just to make him wait and for me to reset.
 
When I am in dead stroke i think about nothing. Everything including chalking is automatic. So much so that I miss things that are happening around me.

Now if I could get there more often I would be a dangerous player lol

Sent from my LG-H812 using Tapatalk
 
FranCrimi said:
It depends on the shot. It's important to understand yourself and your tendencies, especially if you're in the process of correcting a mechanical flaw on a particular type of shot. Sometimes you have to remind yourself when you're down over the ball. Not always, but sometimes.
Click to expand...

Fran; speaking for myself only, my " mechanics " would be considered by all as horrible. The see saw, spinning almost every shot, excessive power draws I got it all. However, once reaching " the zone " - none of that matters. WITHOUT one thought I get down on ball and fire it in dead center pocket and get pinpoint perfect position. I'm guessing it's from playing SO much pool over a lifetime you kinda just know what needs to be done and how to do it without thinking about it.

How to get in the zone and STAY in the zone is a complete mystery to me. If I could figure that out then......... Once more, I can't say that I know how to get in the zone but what I can say with certainty is what I do for my " pre zone routine " of which I do not care to discuss here. It isnt a garuntee I will reach the zone each and every time I do my pre zone routine? No. But it is fact that each and every time that I have hit the zone I have done my " pre zone routine " lol.

Now let's talk a little about what MY zone looks like : as mentiomed, Never looking at angles, no looking at paths, no looking at tied up balls , nothing like that ---- I JUST KNOW. There's no 20 strokes when addressing the cue ball, average about 3 strokes and POP! I strike the cue ball, object ball goes in the heart of the pocket and the cue ball goes 3 rails ( or whatever ) and then slowly rolls to literally the head of a pin where the perfect position should be. Let me add, sometimes this includes pumping balls in 100 MPH, sometimes just a smooth slip stroke spinning every shot regardless of the shot, but the result always looks super smooth and the OB goes in and position is perfect. In the past this included jumping balls with a full length stick that are 4 feet away and drawing the rock 7 feet back for shape. With out going thru every scenario when truly in the zone it comes out to where even Efren would be impressed. Not one thought throughout the entire process. Does this happen often, nope not really but I guess it's relative to how much you play and for me that's not much these days but I do have MANY fond memories spent in this glorious place in which I don't have the slightest clue where it is located lol.Some of the most amazing things have happened though while I was allowed to visit ☺. The question that I've always asked myself and others is, if we know these things can be done - with us doing it then logic would tell us that it can be done again. The only problem is figuring out how. This still eludes me, but oh, what a sweet sweet feeling!!!!
 
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If your thinking anything while your down on the shot you are going to have issues.
Inner game of tennis may help.

When practicing you develop routines.
1. Look at the table layout(clusters, balls that have a limited amount of pockets,etc)
2.find out which side of the next ball you want to be on.
3.stand behind the contact point line and visualize the shot (where ob and cb are going to go)
4.step in
5.warm up arm
6.set
7.fire

In a match you must rely on your ingrained practice routine without thinking.
Thinking about all these things will mess you up and wear you out.

If you have stroke problems address them during practice
If you have psr problems address them during practice

When you are competing you have to" run what you brung"
Blindly trusting what you have practiced

If you work hard in practice it will become ingrained over time.

Best to work very hard on the practice table for A LOT of hours, so once its game time you can execute.
 
couldnthinkof01 said:
If your thinking anything while your down on the shot you are going to have issues.
Inner game of tennis may help.

When practicing you develop routines.
1. Look at the table layout(clusters, balls that have a limited amount of pockets,etc)
2.find out which side of the next ball you want to be on.
3.stand behind the contact point line and visualize the shot (where ob and cb are going to go)
4.step in
5.warm up arm
6.set
7.fire

In a match you must rely on your ingrained practice routine without thinking.
Thinking about all these things will mess you up and wear you out.

If you have stroke problems address them during practice
If you have psr problems address them during practice

When you are competing you have to" run what you brung"
Blindly trusting what you have practiced

If you work hard in practice it will become ingrained over time.

Best to work very hard on the practice table for A LOT of hours, so once its game time you can execute.
Click to expand...


All of this sounds very reasonable. Only thing is for me I consider my match up or action my practice. Have never been able to actually try otherwise, admittedly to my detriment once or twice😊But I will stand by " when you start thinking you will get yourself in trouble!"
 
BmoreMoney said:
All of this sounds very reasonable. Only thing is for me I consider my match up or action my practice. Have never been able to actually try otherwise, admittedly to my detriment once or twice😊But I will stand by " when you start thinking you will get yourself in trouble!"
Click to expand...

Ok Allen, but we talkin 'bout practice here
 
Prince H said:
I want to know what some of you are/should be thinking in the moments when you are down on the shot and performing practice strokes. Should you try to have a completely clear mind where all decisions/visualizations have been resolved before getting down? Should you try and visualize what you are trying to do all the way up until you pull the trigger? Should you just focus on breathing? Should you do something else entirely? Hopefully this generates some valuable and meaningful discussion. Thanks!
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I am hoping for a clear mind. I don't want to be thinking the slightest bit about my decision for how to play the shot. I'd almost rather some random distraction than that. I don't think any words. I don't think about my breathing. I just look at my tip going exactly and perfectly straight to the spot on the ball I want to hit. I am most conscious of letting go of all tension in my arm. I want my entire consciousness to be only the feeling of looseness in my back forearm, and the sight of my tip going *exactly* to the spot I want to hit on the cue ball. Anything else is something I don't want there.

KMRUNOUT
 
FranCrimi said:
It depends on the shot. It's important to understand yourself and your tendencies, especially if you're in the process of correcting a mechanical flaw on a particular type of shot. Sometimes you have to remind yourself when you're down over the ball. Not always, but sometimes.
Click to expand...

I think I am at this stage as I have been working on my stroke. I try to limit myself to one stroke thought ) kind of the equivalent of a swing thought in golf). For example, I have a tendency to try to "help" the shot (twisting and swiping, which isn't really helpful at all in practice) when I have to play a fairly extreme draw shot. So once I have the shot lined up and planned, my stroke thought becomes "straight through" as that has had some effectiveness in NOT "helping" - and just letting the stroke do its work and trust that the ball will do what I want.
 
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