The Adventures of FastMikie
in search of Truth and Beauty in the art of pocket billiards.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Play vs. Work
Dan stopped by yesterday, an unplanned visit, to shoot some pool. It has been several months since our last session on the table, and with his taking on a new job and me out of competition this year, we were both somewhat out of stroke. However, every time we get together, we both compete fiercely because we both want to win, so it's always a good match.
This time, however, I decided up front to just relax and have fun. Sure, I wanted to win, but since I had not practiced at all recently, there was no expectation of winning.
In fact, just two days before, a couple of friends stopped by for some 3 player cut-throat pool, and again, it was just pure fun, not at all serious, and I played very well, winning almost every game. So it was with this precedent that yesterday I just dropped the whole idea of competition in favor of pure play.
An interesting thing happened: I learned a few things that I almost certainly would not have learned if I was in serious competition! We played a game of straight pool to 100 points, and normally we both play very tight, with lots of safeties, but this time, with no requirement to win, I played a lot more loosely, and took several break shots that involved multi-ball carom/combinations buried in the rack. A couple of shots didn't score, but some produced spectacular results.
These sorts of shots appear often in straight pool, and you'll never know if they will go unless you take them. Some of these shots are marginal, or so outrageous that any smart competitor will choose to play safe rather than take a chance of opening the rack for the opponent.
So, in a way, serious competition can keep you from trying these shots, and learning more about what makes them work (or not). Sometimes, only pure play can teach us important lessons. Advice of the day: lighten up, go play, and learn something new!
Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do.
Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do.
Mark Twain
Man is most nearly himself
when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play.
No, not MY father (he was a car salesman, and one of the good ones). "What I Learned From My Father the Grifter" is the title of a story in Men's Journal about a gambler/grifter/pool hustler which continues the legend of pool players as the evil underbelly of society.
Notice how your body and your mind relax when you breathe out. This is good. A relaxed body is healthy. A relaxed mind is clear, unworried, free of stress.
Learning breath control is one of the most important things you can do to improve your pool game, and your life in general. I learned this when I was learning and practicing yoga every day over a period of years. In yoga, breath control is essential to build strength and flexibility. With this background in yoga, I started to learn pool, and it was surprising to me that there was virtually nothing written about how breath control is integrated into the sport. So I had to experiment on my own. Soon I discovered that it is best for me to start releasing my breath just prior to releasing my stroke, and in such a way as to still be releasing that same breath after the stroke is finished.
I also learned the importance of the pre-shot routine and I made breathing a definite part of the pre-shot routine, coupled closely with walking around the table as a way to relax, get into a rhythm, see more options, line up the shot more effectively, and add consistency to my game. This was one of the secrets that El Maestro Tony Sorto mentioned over and over: rhythm. Unfortunately, in the early days of my pool education, I had no idea what he was talking about when he mentioned rhythm... I just wanted to put the ball in the pocket. I was completely unconscious of the finer points of the game. Rhythm is created by our breathing, and our movements. It starts with breathing.
I discovered over time that rhythm is the visual music which is evident when a player's movements are consistent from one shot to the next. Rhythm is revealed in how quickly or slowly the player moves, how he carries his body, facial expressions, how he sits while waiting for a shot, etc.
For players with the best rhythm (in my humble opinion), I suggest you study Allison Fisher and Ralf Souquet. You will notice that they are in total control, starting with their breathing, their emotions, their moves, their strokes, their game. Carefully study their behavior when they are not shooting and you will see that they are in such total control that it is almost inconceivable that they would miss a shot.
These are the best examples I can think of to study the effectiveness of consistent control of breathing as a method for emotional and physical control through rhythm.
This article is the first of a series of posts written in coordination with other pool bloggers entitled "PoolSynergy" . This first month's theme is STRATEGY. To see others, go to:http://www.pooltipjar.com/2009/12/poolsynergy-volume-ii/
Assignment: Write an "interesting pool related story that either happened to you or that you heard of that inspired you in some way, e.g. a moral to the story".
Deadline: December 10, 2009, 10AM
I have already published hundreds of pool stories, many without any moral and/or interesting content, so to save the reader a lot of time, I then summarized the better stories into a book called "Invincible". It's free. Click the link. So I'm done. End of FastMikie stories.
Instead, let's talk about you and your pool story.
You have almost certainly heard that we are all the masters of our fate, that we can achieve whatever we passionately pursue. It's interesting to me that if this is true, then why do so many people do so little with their lives? The answer, in many cases, is that we have difficulty truly believing that we can do anything we commit to. It's an overwhelming thought. And even if we might be able to accomplish something extraordinary, how do we do it? Did you ever take a course titled "How to get whatever you want"? Me neither. But, over time, and with a lot of study and trial and error, I was able to figure it out. And that's when it really got interesting for me because I started to simplify my System for Success, and prove it in the pursuit of my goals, and now it is second nature to me.
You can do it too. Your story of pool, and the story of your life in general, when you look back on it from some future date, can be anything you imagine it to be, if you follow a simple procedure: Think - Plan - Do - Repeat. I have written about this and put the basics into a Quick Start Guide which you can download here.
In last month's Pool Synergy article, I promised to discuss Your Plan for Excellence in Pool. Without a Plan, your life will be ruled by Random Events, so your personal pool story has almost zero chance to turn out the way you want. A plan is essential. It is the road map for how you get where you want to be, starting where you are right now.
A plan is given enormous power if it is written down and reviewed frequently, and updated with what you have learned along the way. Even more power is generated if it is revealed to other people who can help you. There is an old saying that if you fail to plan, you are in essence planning to fail. So there is really no alternative if you truly want to achieve anything worth while. You must have a plan.
Start now. Pick up a pen and start to write your Plan for Excellence in Pool. What should it look like? Amazingly, it really doesn't matter what your plan looks like in the beginning because one of the secrets to success is that any plan is better than no plan. Part of the planning process is that you will continue to update your plan as you progress toward your goals. Your plan will continue to get better. The most important thing is to start. To get you started, consider these words, which are the most powerful I have ever read because they reveal how you can use the laws of the universe in your favor:
Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness.
Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans:
That the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too.
All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred.
A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.
If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. He will put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary; new, universal, and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within him; or old laws will be expanded and interpreted in his favor in a more liberal sense, and he will live with the license of a higher order of beings.
To me, these are beautiful thoughts, to "live with the license of a higher order of beings"? It is a promise made to us by some of the greatest minds our world has ever known. A promise to each of us, all equal in our abilities to imagine a future of our own desires. All we need to do is take that next step, and keep on taking one step at a time, until we have achieved our dreams. Planned steps, of course.
To get you started, check out my Plan for Excellence in Pool, 2008 and 2007. This will give you a framework you can use to customize your own plan.
Begin it Now!
This article is the first of a series of posts written in coordination with other pool bloggers entitled "PoolSynergy" . This first month's theme is STRATEGY. To see others, go to: http://www.pooltipjar.com/2009/12/poolsynergy-volume-ii/
Every day many people have their first experience with pool. Some of them become fascinated with the movements, the colors, the possibilities, the challenge. Soon they find ways to play more, to learn the fundamentals, and to improve rapidly. They find it very gratifying to become good at something new and to earn the acclaim and respect of their peers.
Many of these people dream of some day mastering the game at a very high level. Unfortunately, there are very few true masters of pool. Of the millions who are introduced to pool each year, the vast majority, probably 98% of them, will remain throughout their lives with only the most rudimentary skills. Of the 2% whose skills improve beyond mediocrity, the very great majority of them, probably 99% of them, will still fall far short of becoming an acknowledged Master.
The reason why there are so few players with skills at the highest levels is certainly not due to the lack of knowledge. Today, there is a dazzling array of resources for the passionate player to learn. There are teachers, books, videos, training devices, drills, and competitions so numerous that anyone will find their efforts at learning richly rewarded. And that, ladies and gentlemen, brings us to the heart of the matter -- effort.
It is easy to dream great thoughts. But it's doing the work that makes all the difference. And the secret ingredient in doing the work is perseverance. One must continue to do the work over a long period of time. Ten years is the generally accepted amount of time it takes for anyone to become a master at any chosen endeavor, anything from brain surgery to billiards. Ten years of full focus and dedicated work. For a pool player that means hitting about a million balls. Maybe you could do it in only half a million, but don't count on it.
The sad fact is that people are lazy to begin with, and over time their priorities change, they become discouraged, they lose interest, Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt intrude. Life Happens. This eliminates all but the most passionate and dedicated, and even then it takes some luck along the way. Luck is always lurking in the background, and you never really know which way it will take you. But luck aside, it's really all about doing the work.
And, of course, doing the work intelligently makes all the difference. For example: one aspiring player may work 12 hours a day hitting balls to improve skills and never advance to master level, while another player may work half that, but do it in a way that builds skills rapidly to master level, possibly taking as much as 2 or 3 years off the path to mastery.
In fact, there exists a generalized methodology for becoming successful at almost any endeavor. I have for many years studied and continuously developed a System for Success which I have applied to several "adventures" in my life, from business, to aviation, to billiards, yoga, and others. Now, fully retired, I give back by mentoring several business Protégés in this System. It is my intention to share this System, and how it can be applied to mastery of pool, in easy to read and understand articles in these blogs.
However, I must give fair warning. It is highly unlikely that you will ever ascend to the level of master of pool simply because you will not persevere. The odds against anyone reading this and applying the principles of the System for Success, and staying with it, are astronomical. And yet, I write these words, with the hope that, given enough time, someone may discover them, and apply the lessons, and persist until they succeed.
So my first bit of advice is to forget about it. Choose some endeavor that has a higher payoff, or don't even bother with trying to master anything. The odds are so against it. Instead, live life fully, get some sunshine on your face, breathe fresh air, find opportunities for random acts of kindness, allow your inner peace to blossom. Do this before you attempt to master pool and you will at least be happy and healthy. Which is the higher goal, to become successful at pool, or at Life?
However, if you are so driven, so obsessed, and so committed to mastering the fine art of billiards, then the best strategy you can have is to read everything you can, intently watch a zillion pool videos (lessons and competitions), take lessons from a master, practice until your fingers bleed, compete against better players every chance you get, and stay with it for years, and years, and years.
This morning I read about Mika's quote in the blog Pool Cue News and Review. And then I Googled the phrase and found that there was only one link to that exact phrase being used in that context, and it was in the London Evening Standard (today!) with a good story about Mika and how he doesn't get into much idle chit-chat.
I really appreciate a person who can get a major thought out in as few words as possible, something I always try to do, but seldom achieve. Click the two links above and read more on this winning mind-set.
Nice place, eh? Man, I wish I lived in Monterey, CA so I could hang out there all day long. Wouldn't it be great to own the place and make a few bucks, hopefully, and shoot pool on nice tables with mellow customers?
If you see yourself owning this place, call Michael Stansbury, owner, at 831-521-4442, and tell him Ricky Bryant told FastMikie about it.
Only $125,000 from what I understand, including tables, furniture, the works, free and clear.
I have been wanting to do a new door to the loo, and give it a billiards theme. It has taken a few years to get around to it, but here's the final product. They will be lined up around the block just to pee and peek at this wonderful work of art.
The stained glass work was designed and fabricated into an extraordinary work of art by Don Myers Stained Glass in Oceanside, CA. The door is solid cherry with brass hinges and handles, and was custom designed, built and installed by Roberto Mendez of MZ3D in San Diego, CA. I strongly recommend both of these excellent artists.
I think this completes the Fun House for now. I am quite satisfied that my work of the past 6 years is good enough to allow me to focus on my new project, and my new home away from home, the Airstream.
It has been several weeks during which I have not practiced at all. Haven't even picked up a cue for at least 10 days at a time, and when I did get around to hitting a few balls, it was really very good.
Tonight, for example. I started out stroking poorly, awkwardly, until soon enough the good feeling came back and I began stroking very nicely and doing things with the cue ball which were creative, and yet natural. And sometimes, outrageously precise.
Pure fun! I was not playing pool with the concept that I was working to get better, to improve my skill so that I would be able to compete and win. It wasn't even a thought in my head, except to notice that I was NOT thinking that way, and that was a major part of my thinking for the last 6 years. It was very liberating.
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