The Mental Game

[nadiaw00t]

did this guy do a tour of australian universities?

[SecularTalk]

This is essentially the opposite of buddhism... buddhism says fully embrace and acknowledge every negative thought and emotion and accept it as simply being the nature of the mind, lack of inner conflict.... This video basically says "dont be negative"....seemingly impossible and possibly detrimental in the sense that it causes MORE stress

[radesworld]

great video..im a golfer in the pursuit of greatness..their comes a point were ur skills are good enough to compete at the higher levels..its the control of a quiet mind that allows you to compete at that level...A.J.Sotelo

[lokallize]

nice

[Joyofcreativity2000]

A person who spends alot of time playing video games gets the ability to pick out "DETAILS" more than one who doesnt. Details are more important than you can ever imagine in our developing world. Next...you can not become a master without being pushed by someone. If you dont have anybody pushing you, then find one...not someone physically necessarily. B Creative.

[kuneckid05]

But i still think the guys which spend hours playing Call of Duty and other games each night/day are time wasters, (i mean hours, many hours)xx

[ironworker1983]

another GREAT video man , all i can say is keep em coming

[randomhero20022]

great. thanks for the video.

[BartjeOstend]

very good video Marcus. You can hear that you know what you're talking about. Respect.

[kenprash]

great vid, I have been playing for 8 years, and i know almost all of the stuff that you have posted on your video, but what you talked about in this video is the major problem that i have in taking my game to the next level. very informative and thanx for the post!!!!

[BigRigTom]

This is good stuff.

Learning to play pool well is a fantastic way to learn many of life's lessons without realizing that you are learning life's lessons.

Kids playing video games learn a lot of things about deductive reasoning, hand eye coordination, quick intuitive decision making and probably lots of other things and all without realizing that they are learning it as well.

The trick in all of this is to channel the learning into the correct stuff to achieve a positive impact in the end.

[forcefollow]

I am not saying video games are completely worthless. The way allot of kids approach gaming is worthless. They bounce from game to game using cheat codes and rarely view a game as a discipline that involves study and practice. Many do however and that is valuable.

[eatpool]

That's exactly how most pool players I've seen approach the game (worthless) They just play it - roll the balls in and after 5, 10, 20, 40 years they get pretty good at it -but no where near as good as they could have gotten if they approached the game differently - as a discipline that involves study and practice.

Maybe I just play at too many bars and that's suaded my view but I am shocked at how little some good bar players understand about even the basics of cue ball control or position :)

[xGZuZx]

maybe that why i play pool better when drunk or high lol... no joke, i have been so high i can barely walk and play pool really good lol cant explain it lol

[knightkid123]

an easy way to practice this is to play ffr

[ChemicalMikeUK]

useful info.

5 stars

[Tempestone]

It's funny how your comment on video gaming at the end of the video sparked a lot of comments.

That, including a teenage gamer like myself.

[dro2pass]

thnx 4 da vid !!! very inspiring !!!

[dro2pass]

how can i stop mental pressure from controlling my thoughts and physical actions ?

how can i eliminate mental pressure ?

and is there way that i can stop thoughts from clouding my mind ?

is it true that thinking nothing at all is the best way to complete activities ?

[forcefollow]

Read the work of the authors mentioned at the end of the video.

[frendleyone]

@forcefollow Since this is my first comment, I want to start off by thanking you for all the wonderful videos. My game grew stagnant after many years of bar play. Your videos as well as playing at quality pool halls are taking my game to the next level. As far as the mental game and clearing verbal thought, YOGA. One of the fundamental goals of yoga is controlling/clearing the mind.  I recently took a yoga teachers training and it helps me in everything: Basketball, Golf, Pool, Life.

[frendleyone]

@forcefollow Oh and in addition to helping my mental game the added flexibility from Yoga helps considerably with stretching to reach shots that are out of reach to many.

[frendleyone]

@dro2pass Since this is my first comment, I want to start off by thanking you for all the wonderful videos. My game grew stagnant after many years of bar play. Your videos as well as playing at quality pool halls are taking my game to the next level. As far as the mental game and clearing verbal thought, YOGA. One of the fundamental goals of yoga is controlling/clearing the mind. I recently took a yoga teachers training and it helps me in everything: Basketball, Golf, Pool, Life.

[digicyc]

I failed to read the other pages of comments before posting. Good thoughts on competitive video gaming as it's something that's finally getting recognized in the U.S. Our CSS team uses this same way of thinking when training.

[forcefollow]

No problems with video gaming. If they are actually training for competition. I was referring to mindless hours where no long term skill is learned.

[mongoose7001]

I assure you, there is a large competitive video game community, and games like counter-strike at a high level require just as much mental game as any sport I've ever played (yes, I have played some haha)

[digicyc]

"Sadly this is the amount of hours an American child spends playing videos games." Sadly? WTH what's wrong with playing video games? I guess it's best to get your child to practice at pole so he is prepared with something to do at a bar?

[forcefollow]

High level pool is not played in bars.

[wifeybeater135]

Pool even? But i agree, video games ARE THE FUTURE =O

[nukjnukj]

good games are pieces of art. well it is more interactive than colours on paper. and through technology we now can experience the world of artist. i played competitive warcraft =)

[Trifer420]

this was a great video, you've reiterated some of things that I've already known, then you filled some holes for me.

thx.

[degrayii]

I've read the Inner Game of Tennis and it has helped me at pool. Pocket billiards is certainly one of the most mentally challenging sports out there. I'm surprised Gallewey hasn't released an Inner Game of Pool book.

[lpezet]

hello

[nukjnukj]

erm hello

[equidnarojo]

So... would that same strategy work for story writing? Just curious...

I may try it for video gaming though ^_~ I been needing to get better at brawl to kick my coworkers butt! =D

[forcefollow]

Some authors report to have their greatest inspiration while they are thinking of nothing at all.

[equidnarojo]

Well, I should be a great writer then... I think of nothing all the time! ^_^ Though this clip has seriously inspired me to try again to learn to play the guitar. I will have to do more research on this topic ^_^

[forcefollow]

If this inspired you to take up the guitar again then making this video was worth it. Read the article that I have a link to in the sidebar.

[forcefollow]

You have to redefine what thinking of nothing means. Is your mind ever completely blank? I bet not. Meditation forces your mind out of its usual pattern.

[ZhangHe2369]

Any comment on competitive video games. There are already a few organizations that promote games being played at their highest potential. And some of the skills in games, take actual talent to pull off. So to say that "sadly" so many hours are spent on video games, is an unnecessarily negative way to look at it.

[forcefollow]

How many kids look at their gaming as a discipline? How many kids train on one game? The only one I know where that happens is starcraft and that is in korea. Most kids use cheat codes and never stick to one game.

[ZhangHe2369]

There's the Cyber-Athletics's League for many first person shooters, including counterstrike and the Quake series. There is also Major League gaming, World cyber games, and I'm personally apart of the evolution fighting game championships, which is the largest fighting game competition in America. But, to be honest, most kids don't understand how to play right, and most don't care. And once a game starts getting "hard" let alone competitive, most kids stop playing and pick up something easier.

[forcefollow]

I think we are in agreement. I think that competative video gaming is legit. Butmost kids don't approach it like that. That's why its a sad waste of time.

[ZhangHe2369]

Yep, we see eye to eye on this one. It suck around where I'm at because almost no one I know can play mvc2 decently.

[Rhyno012345]

Great video; I found it very interesting. I do have a question though. I play the Saxophone and I was wondering how exactly the principles in discussed in the video could apply to that. Any suggestions would be helpful.

[forcefollow]

Exactly what I suggested. Do not think verbally while you play. Practice a piece of music until it is instinctive.

[ftkmnm]

it worked!!!! you rock

[ftkmnm]

thx maybe now i can land a big heel flip

[ftkmnm]

you must have a lot of time on your hands

[forcefollow]

not really.

[MyPinkRainbow]

this is so true

[wingmaster14]

nice it made me think

[forcefollow]

That's why I made it. Thanks.

[Kramster815]

nice video, really relates to life practices outside of billiards.

[forcefollow]

If you read their books you will find yourself using this info with anything you do.

[boomgungun]

great video! it echoed and clarified me.

[forcefollow]

LOL. So you had a catharsis? Great.

[boomgungun]

it just reassured something.

[acebrawler73]

Great video. I find that when I "talk to myself" inside my head I tend to overthink a shot and I miss shots that should have easily gone in. When I just aim my shot and think of nothing else I will generally make my shot. A funny thing I have realized is that when I sing to myself it really helps keep that "self talk" out of my head and helps me concentrate on just the practical.

Again, great video. They've all helped a lot.

I've actually referred two of my friends to your videos.

[forcefollow]

Thank you.

[forcefollow]

Thank you.

[1buttercup14]

why did u make this

[forcefollow]

I felt like. Why do you ask? Your 13 do you do your homework?

[ftkmnm]

why did u reply