Help
I think I'm in need of a top-up on my mental control.
Recently I've been finding that while shooting, my mind has been slightly distracted - at first by worrying about the success of the shot, and more recently by other thoughts too.
I know, rationally, that conscious thought while shooting is unnecessary and counter-productive.
But it's creeping in nonetheless.
Any advice for eliminating the problem and getting myself back on track?
Thanks, Pin
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Mental Flaws Creeping In
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#2
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Posted 05 October 2004 - 10:25 PM
Welcome to the club, distractions are every where, pool halls turned into loud bars and virtual dance halls with the juke boxes blaring away, its a damn wonder any of us now can run a rack any more.
I'll put the bang da boom on you. I'll bang em in and then drop the boom. :-D
#3
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Posted 07 October 2004 - 12:26 PM
Hey Pin~
My best advice is to get back to the basics. You need to get to the hall when the noise levels are not like being at a concert. You need to center yourself again and retake control over you mind. Don't worry about making the shot, don't worry about you leaves, your stroke, or if you scratch. You purpose here is to regain your mental edge. Find a calm corner of your favorite hall and don't accept any challengers. Take your time and reset your mind. I am not totally sure what happened in your head to intially get you on the right path. That is what you need to find. That is your kicking off point. You need to get back to that point and begin again. Start self hynotizing and telling yourself that you are in control of your mind. You are the best pool player. You are the best lover. You are the best at whatever you want... You must repeat all of these things to yourself several times a day and you must live you life to be the best. Every time your control starts slipping, tell your self that you are incontrol and no one else is. This is your kicking off point. This is your reset button. YOU MUST BELIEVE!
Craig
My best advice is to get back to the basics. You need to get to the hall when the noise levels are not like being at a concert. You need to center yourself again and retake control over you mind. Don't worry about making the shot, don't worry about you leaves, your stroke, or if you scratch. You purpose here is to regain your mental edge. Find a calm corner of your favorite hall and don't accept any challengers. Take your time and reset your mind. I am not totally sure what happened in your head to intially get you on the right path. That is what you need to find. That is your kicking off point. You need to get back to that point and begin again. Start self hynotizing and telling yourself that you are in control of your mind. You are the best pool player. You are the best lover. You are the best at whatever you want... You must repeat all of these things to yourself several times a day and you must live you life to be the best. Every time your control starts slipping, tell your self that you are incontrol and no one else is. This is your kicking off point. This is your reset button. YOU MUST BELIEVE!
Craig
#5
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Posted 11 October 2004 - 10:10 AM
Hey Pin~
Think about it this way... You don't drive a car to start it you. You have to start the car first. This is the same with your brain. If you don't have a mental trigger that tells your brain when to drop into the zone (you will have to brain wash yourself to set this) then you can't control it. Pool is about patterns. The patterns that your shots take on the table, the patterns that your opponent uses to move aournd the table, and the patterns that you use to shot the balls and set yourself up. You must either find or establish a "launching" point when you are shooting. If you don't create this mental trigger than all you will be doing is sitting in the driver's seat with the engine off. Start your mind and then go for a ride.
Good luck,
Craig
Think about it this way... You don't drive a car to start it you. You have to start the car first. This is the same with your brain. If you don't have a mental trigger that tells your brain when to drop into the zone (you will have to brain wash yourself to set this) then you can't control it. Pool is about patterns. The patterns that your shots take on the table, the patterns that your opponent uses to move aournd the table, and the patterns that you use to shot the balls and set yourself up. You must either find or establish a "launching" point when you are shooting. If you don't create this mental trigger than all you will be doing is sitting in the driver's seat with the engine off. Start your mind and then go for a ride.
Good luck,
Craig
#6
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Posted 11 October 2004 - 03:15 PM
Hmm, I did have a sort of trigger, but I hadn't looked at it in quite that way - using it to 'reset' myself when the wrong kinds of thoughts began to creep in...
Although to be honest, I think I'm finding that I'm losing a lot of the original ideas and things from my approach to mental control - it seems to have become more of a habit, whiere the understanding of how everythign fitted together has begun to slip a little.
In a way, perhaps it's not such a bad thing - it's certainly getting away from the overanalytical approach I used to have. But if it means I'm not actually implementing the mental techniques correctly.. maybe I need a middle way.
Although to be honest, I think I'm finding that I'm losing a lot of the original ideas and things from my approach to mental control - it seems to have become more of a habit, whiere the understanding of how everythign fitted together has begun to slip a little.
In a way, perhaps it's not such a bad thing - it's certainly getting away from the overanalytical approach I used to have. But if it means I'm not actually implementing the mental techniques correctly.. maybe I need a middle way.
#7
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Posted 12 October 2004 - 10:23 AM
It seems to me that you need some of the analytical side of the game to keep your mind at ease. It isn't a bad thing to understand why something works for you, but it is a bad thing to try to over analyze while at the table during a match. Absolutely you need to understand what your trigger is and where it takes you mentally. If you don't know this, you can't possibly control your own mind enough to control your opponent and ultimately the match. If being analytical is what works for you, that is fine. While you are practicing and training, it is good to be analytical. You will then be able to understand what you are doing and why. However, you must have faith in your ability to take control of the match and let your subconcious take control of your mind. You have trained, you have flipped the trigger for your mental control, you have the physical skills to pot the balls. Now go to the table and embarrass your opponent. Have that killer instinct and go for it.
Craig
Craig
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