Comments on: Driving to Excellence http://www.poolstudent.com/2008/10/10/driving-to-excellence-at-pool/ For Serious Students of all Pocket Billiards Games Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:49:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: John Biddle http://www.poolstudent.com/2008/10/10/driving-to-excellence-at-pool/comment-page-1/#comment-190 John Biddle Wed, 25 Mar 2009 02:54:45 +0000 http://www.poolstudent.com/blog/?p=21#comment-190 This is great stuff, Aditya. I read in a number of books that one should learn to shoot by feel. That at first you need to learn how to aim, and where to aim at, but once you have the rudiments down you should switch to a feel approach. Banks are also taught this way, even more so than regular cut shots. First the authors walk you through complicated diagrams and methodologies for determining the point of aim. but once you have an idea of about where to shoot, you should switch to a feel approach, just shooting hundreds or maybe thousands of these shots in practice until your subconscious mind knows where to shoot more than your conscious mind. Lastly this happens with deflection, I think, though I don't read of it much in books. Different cues have different deflection characteristics, and you get used to your cue's characteristics. If you change cues it takes a little while to adjust to the new one, but the adjustment seems to take place unconsciously, rather than analytically. I don't remember anyone ever saying how they had to adjust in a particular way to a different cue, it just happened. This is great stuff, Aditya. I read in a number of books that one should learn to shoot by feel. That at first you need to learn how to aim, and where to aim at, but once you have the rudiments down you should switch to a feel approach.

Banks are also taught this way, even more so than regular cut shots. First the authors walk you through complicated diagrams and methodologies for determining the point of aim. but once you have an idea of about where to shoot, you should switch to a feel approach, just shooting hundreds or maybe thousands of these shots in practice until your subconscious mind knows where to shoot more than your conscious mind.

Lastly this happens with deflection, I think, though I don’t read of it much in books. Different cues have different deflection characteristics, and you get used to your cue’s characteristics. If you change cues it takes a little while to adjust to the new one, but the adjustment seems to take place unconsciously, rather than analytically. I don’t remember anyone ever saying how they had to adjust in a particular way to a different cue, it just happened.

]]> By: Aditya http://www.poolstudent.com/2008/10/10/driving-to-excellence-at-pool/comment-page-1/#comment-189 Aditya Tue, 24 Mar 2009 19:18:00 +0000 http://www.poolstudent.com/blog/?p=21#comment-189 The biggest thing that you need to make the leap is to be willing to miss. The first few times it will seem incredibly counter-intuitive - to shoot without aiming and being willing to miss. I even wrote down in my journal - "I refuse to aim". I was amazed at how quickly my subconscious mind took over. Most of the books and resources I have read (meditation and enlightenment, inner game, success) talk about creating a goal and then letting go of the goal. Of letting the subconscious mind find its own way of achieving that goal. Because every time we take over the wheel and try to take control, we stop the subconscious mind from finding elegant ways of achieving the goal that we can never find consciously. I have spent a lot of time over the last year or so on being "in the now". Trying things like meditation, improv, taekwondo and sky diving to learn to quiet the inner mind and enjoy the moment. I had this amazing experience some time back. http://enlightenedgeek.blogspot.com/2008/08/awakening-learning-to-enjoy-journey.html Since then things have become a lot easier. Two books that I recommend that have helped me a lot are - The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle (NOT pool related) - Pleasures of Small Motions by Bob Fancher -Adi The biggest thing that you need to make the leap is to be willing to miss. The first few times it will seem incredibly counter-intuitive – to shoot without aiming and being willing to miss. I even wrote down in my journal – “I refuse to aim”. I was amazed at how quickly my subconscious mind took over.

Most of the books and resources I have read (meditation and enlightenment, inner game, success) talk about creating a goal and then letting go of the goal. Of letting the subconscious mind find its own way of achieving that goal.

Because every time we take over the wheel and try to take control, we stop the subconscious mind from finding elegant ways of achieving the goal that we can never find consciously.

I have spent a lot of time over the last year or so on being “in the now”. Trying things like meditation, improv, taekwondo and sky diving to learn to quiet the inner mind and enjoy the moment. I had this amazing experience some time back. http://enlightenedgeek.blogspot.com/2008/08/awakening-learning-to-enjoy-journey.html

Since then things have become a lot easier.

Two books that I recommend that have helped me a lot are
- The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle (NOT pool related)
- Pleasures of Small Motions by Bob Fancher

-Adi

]]> By: John Biddle http://www.poolstudent.com/2008/10/10/driving-to-excellence-at-pool/comment-page-1/#comment-188 John Biddle Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:59:49 +0000 http://www.poolstudent.com/blog/?p=21#comment-188 Aditya, welcome to Pool Student's Blog and thanks for commenting. I read your article, and agree completely. All my best performances seem to happen when I stop trying so hard and just let go. It's amazing. What's difficult for me has been actually letting go and achieving this state where the unconscious is in control. Playing in the zone is another name for it, and most players seem to have difficulty reaching it regularly, as I do. Do you have any tips on how to get to this state on demand? I read your other blog articles too, good stuff, I hope you'll publish more frequently. Aditya, welcome to Pool Student’s Blog and thanks for commenting. I read your article, and agree completely. All my best performances seem to happen when I stop trying so hard and just let go. It’s amazing.

What’s difficult for me has been actually letting go and achieving this state where the unconscious is in control. Playing in the zone is another name for it, and most players seem to have difficulty reaching it regularly, as I do. Do you have any tips on how to get to this state on demand?

I read your other blog articles too, good stuff, I hope you’ll publish more frequently.

]]> By: Aditya http://www.poolstudent.com/2008/10/10/driving-to-excellence-at-pool/comment-page-1/#comment-187 Aditya Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:05:13 +0000 http://www.poolstudent.com/blog/?p=21#comment-187 Very nice. I made the same discovery a few months back. Since then shooting has become effortless. I wrote an article describing my process of aiming without aiming. http://enlightenedgeek.blogspot.com/2008/08/aiming-without-aiming-how-to-shoot-pool.html Very nice.
I made the same discovery a few months back. Since then shooting has become effortless. I wrote an article describing my process of aiming without aiming.

http://enlightenedgeek.blogspot.com/2008/08/aiming-without-aiming-how-to-shoot-pool.html

]]>