Pool, as in Life

The January PoolSynergy is a wrap. The general topic is something non-pool related that can help our games. Many of the best and most commited owner/operators of pool websites are contributors to PoolSynergy. You can find a complete list of all of the posts at this month's host, Mike Fieldhammer's site Billiard Coach. You can read PoolBum's contribution here

A few months back I got a question that inspired an article about my shot routine. It touched on relaxing and becoming more present as part of my strategy. You can’t think yourself into the present moment just as you can’t think yourself into “the zone.” When your attention is truly in the Now, there’s little room for thoughts at all. When your attention is divided into doing and thinking, the doing will always suffer and the results will be less creative. Pool is no exception.

Pool can be beautiful. Have you ever seen a pool shot executed so purely that you experienced a sense of awe and wonder. Your eyes opened a little wider and you may have even gasped a little. In that instant you were fully present and experiencing the beauty.

Then as usually happens, thoughts came in again: analysis, comparing, judging.

My recommendation for improving every aspect of one’s life, including your pool game is a simple one. Spend some time every day paying attention to the Now. Just be aware of what is at this moment. It can be helpful to be in nature but it's not essential. Be aware of your body and your sense perceptions. What do you smell? Listen to the world, really listen. People often look and don’t see. See your environment without placing any judgment on what you see. Just see. It may be helpful to feel your breath as it rises and falls.

By doing this on purpose every day you will be much more able to do it on cue (no pun intended, lol). When you need to be present with a clear head you will be used to doing it and it will come easier. It will be available to you when doing anything where having a clear head would be helpful. Which is just about everything we want to do well including playing pool.

If this has the ring of truth for you, I highly recommend the writings of Eckhart Tolle.