When Working on Your Fundamentals - Maximum Number of Key Thoughts You Can Work On at One Time

[BRKNRUN]

I think about bacon. That's it. That's my new key, just think about bacon. All else is secondary.

....Actually....Ya know what.....as goofy is this may sound......My my key swing thought (in only my head) is usually the word "Dollar Bills" when I play........It is a built in Metronome....Dollar on the backswing is a two syllable word....Bills on the forward swing is a one syllable....The two syllable backswing word has a slowing effect....Bills going forward has an accelerating effect....I feel it creates a good built in tempo on the shots.

 

[DeadStick]

....Actually....Ya know what.....as goofy is this may sound......My my key swing thought (in only my head) is usually the word "Dollar Bills" when I play........It is a built in Metronome....Dollar on the backswing is a two syllable word....Bills on the forward swing is a one syllable....The two syllable backswing word has a slowing effect....Bills going forward has an accelerating effect....I feel it creates a good built in tempo on the shots.

A commonly-taught variant of that in golf is to say (in your head) “Vijaaaaaaay SINGH”.

Even when I do that, my swing looks more like “KIRAdech AphiBARNrat”.

 

[Tennesseejoe]

One thing at a time unless they are interconnected like Fran mentions about stance and balance.

I think we have all heard the story about somebody only being allowed to have the cue ball for the first month of teaching. Few have the patience for that but spending fifteen minutes or so just hitting the cue ball at the beginning of the session has value.

Another trick, hit the cue ball without having a target. This will make you more aware of your stance and stroke while shooting and you may find flaws you never noticed in normal play. I stole this from shooting a magazine or two of bullets at the berm with no target. You notice things you never notice when focused on a target.

Hu

Absolutely. Many commenters here stated things like "concentrate on speed, follow thru, and straightness". Well 3 things are plenty but if you add an OBJECT BALL you are adding 3 or more things to think about, like spot on the ball, quiet eye, shot angle.

ShootingArts has it right.

 

[nataddrho]

This is a great thread and should be a sticky.

I agree with one at a time, and be kind enough to yourself to realize that your game is not going to be full speed while working on an issue.

One at a time will allow you to efficiently embed that change permanently into your muscle memory.

Write the others you want to work on in a notebook and revisit them later.

 

[Ghost of OBC]

One.

And, none when playing competitively.

Though after reading, The Inner Game of Tennis I came up with "back, thwack," basically noticing the back of your stroke and the impact of the cue ball on the object ball. I don't know if that is two or none ideas, but it helps if you aren't shooting well.

 

[hotelyorba]

I concur with the 'work on one thing at a time'-thought, but what I found over the years is: if you have more than one thing you need to change in your fundamentals, then be prepared to revisit things you thought you had drilled in previously because you tend to 'forget' them while working on something new. In my case, I had to change my whole shot approach because I used to not line up correctly. So all my attention went to that, and suddently I seemed to have forgotten about my eye movement.

Especially if the thing you thought you changed was in your 'old' fundamentals for a really long time. It just can be difficult to unlearn certain things. For instance, I found the dropping of the elbow can easily resurface, I suspect also because I seem to get away with that for some time until I suddenly see unwanted spin on the cueball.

Also, like Ghost said before: Get the fundamentals-thoughts out of your head while playing competitively or even just for fun against someone else. It shows how much of your fundamentals work stuck, so that's when you see how much work you still have to do.

 

[garczar]

....Actually....Ya know what.....as goofy is this may sound......My my key swing thought (in only my head) is usually the word "Dollar Bills" when I play........It is a built in Metronome....Dollar on the backswing is a two syllable word....Bills on the forward swing is a one syllable....The two syllable backswing word has a slowing effect....Bills going forward has an accelerating effect....I feel it creates a good built in tempo on the shots.

Got it. 'Baaay-con, Baaay-con'. 'Baaay' on the backswing, 'con' when you send it. My new mantra.

 

[ribdoner]

3...... backswing and grip

 

[pt109]

If you aren’t into multitasking, this game is not for you.

 

[The_JV]

1

 

[skm.sa100]

The way I try to do it is to go sequentially. A lot of the guidelines that are in place for an effective stroke can be sequenced in order. This makes a practice session very slow so I've slowed down to give it time to hit a stroke.
Even then I can't always remember all weaknesses that need to be improved but with consistent effort and patience it does get easier with time.
I'd say it might be better to think of a small set of "key" elements for the whole motion and give secondary importance to the other elements of the stroke.
Just one step at a time? You mean shoot a thousand balls and only concentrate on one element till it gets ingrained and then move onto the next element of the stroke? That's gonna take a while.
The counterintuitive part of the process is that we naturally tend to focus on making the shot. If we can manage to hold on to that part till we're actually ready to shoot, it does get easier to focus well on the pre-shot routine and post-shot feedback.
DrDave's pre-shot routine video is a good example of this.

 

[straightline]

If you aren’t into multitasking, this game is not for you.

Neither is chewing gum. I see articles popping up (maybe not in a trendy way) saying humans suck at multi tasking and that all but the virtuosi should give it up and stick to one thing. Be that as it may, the brain only does a mockup of simultaneous thinking. I have no studies to cite but I believe it's all sequential; multiplexed but one instruction at a time. People like air traffic controllers might just be real fast at juggling relevant data and the priorities. Pool players less so but likewise. The prep for pool is best tackled in small groups of simple tasks and certainly one at a time.

 

[dquarasr]

My first rack or two at the table are typically my best because my focus is at its highest point at the start. It is after, when I get comfortable, that I skip steps and take things for granted. This is when I invite mistakes into my game.

I have had this problem. It’s not necessarily a lack of focus; more of a shift in focus in competition, not skipping steps. It doesn’t take much: stepping into the shot a few inches more closed or more open; slowly starting to drop shoulder prematurely; being tentative with stroke delivery because of competition pressure leading to poor timing; etc.

For me these things creep in and I miss. Then I start trying to figure out why and go into robot mode and misses become even more frequent.

Working on this and lately I’ve been significantly better about staying “on”. But it still needs improvement.

 

[Zerksies]

Keep with one. When you change one thing something else changes. Either for the good or the bad.

 

[justnum]

Avoiding bone head moves in the poolroom was a main thought. In my 20s a lot of people look attractive.


Not being distracted was a huge one for me. Focus on the shot. There was a lot to notice back then but now the focus is clear.

The best shots on the table are the ones I know best. Then I find ways to be miss a little bit in each direction.

 

[gregcantrall]

I have avoided this topic, Mostly because I am not sure. How to express The Dance. In practice it can be by the numbers with emphasis on different check points . In Competition the dance needs to flow, uh not tick by the numbers.
So my swing thought would be to the absolute confidence.....that I have done my best. " That's the Spot" I aim to strike. With confidence in the shot selection. The computation output of the calculations. Then do it.
I know what I want to happen and the computer says "this", the body report must say OK. Sometimes It Works!

 

[garczar]

If you aren’t into multitasking, this game is not for you.

Playing for sure but not when trying to learn it. Need to break it into digestible chunks and not try to force feed too much at a time.

 

[garczar]

I have avoided this topic, Mostly because I am not sure. How to express The Dance. In practice it can be by the numbers with emphasis on different check points . In Competition the dance needs to flow, uh not tick by the numbers.
So my swing thought would be to the absolute confidence.....that I have done my best. " That's the Spot" I aim to strike. With confidence in the shot selection. The computation output of the calculations. Then do it.
I know what I want to happen and the computer says "this", the body report must say OK. Sometimes It Works!

Hogan used to say if you didn't bring it to the 1st tee you aren't gonna find it on course. IOW's you can't play and practice at same time. Whatever you bring to the table is pretty much what you have for that game/match.

 

[justnum]

A huge benefit of being in a poolroom for practice is it being level.

Ive spent years on a level pool table.

After a day of sitting on office chair on a surface that warps, chair that is unevenly balanced and locked in that position for hours in a structure that is not level, I can feel it in my bones.

Can workplaces be sued for back problems?
It got the worse during covid. Most of my work or living spaces are not level, it disrupts my internal systems.

I have visited the doctor for this and they are clueless. Why would sitting on a non level surface or sleeping in an uneven surface cause back problems?

Doctors are not intelligent enough to ask or make the scientific inquiry.

The main question is: how can I improve myself? Men usually start with exceeding a numeric standard.

Scientists are looking for minimum thresholds that everyone can achieve. A universal standard, like everyone should
know how to draw a shot. Cue sports should be on tables meeting a leveling requirement of xxx.

Practice can focus on what do I want to learn? As a former Harriman Cue Academy student I recommend meeting lots of players in competition. The locals are always stronger than the players representing the rooms.

 

[pt109]

Hogan used to say if you didn't bring it to the 1st tee you aren't gonna find it on course. IOW's you can't play and practice at same time. Whatever you bring to the table is pretty much what you have for that game/match.

I started working at a pro shop when I was 12…..my boss said to do my practising on the practise field….probably the
best advice I’ve ever gotten.
……and Hogan had one of the best minds in golf ….still relevant today.