April 2025 Newsletter
Are you a "fast" or "slow" pool player?
Been reading some recent threads on some Facebook channels about how slow some pros play. Generally, folks are impressed by fast players and don't like slow players. I wonder how closely reality measures up to these perceptions. And there is a video idea brewing there that will take a bunch of research.
​
But I do think about speed concerning my own play. Many times I have mentioned during Straight Pool Livestreams how I need to "slow down". And what does that mean? Slow down between shots? Or slow down after down on the shot? Or what does "slow down" mean? Does it mean to take longer to perform an action? Or does it mean to take more time BETWEEN actions? Or both?
​
I've only played Straight Pool a handful of times over the past couple weeks with a few runs around 50-60. Then a few days ago I ran 110. I can say I feel more calm when that happens. When I watch the videos and compare it really doesn't look any different. I haven't actually measured time between shots on long runs vs short runs. (Put that on the to-do list). As a point of comparison I played some Straight Pool last night and couldn't replicate that "calm" feeling. I tried but after a few shots every time I would start playing more....frantic?...and faster. Leading to the inevitable unforced error and never getting into the third rack.
​
I know that good feeling is based in the idea I talked about in a recent Rack of the Week. That is, the attitude that you will run every rack you are "supposed" to, plus a few you aren't. That attitude fosters a more methodical approach, to avoid unforced errors, and doesn't allow rushing around the table. I have no answers today. Just a stream of consciousness to sort these ideas in my brain. Comments and opinions are welcome. This could easily become a topic in a future video on the Learning Spectrum and Mental Practice.
The Control Paradox
<speech-to-text version of Rack of the Week #210)
And I've talked in previous videos,Rack of the Week videos about fortitude. I've used the word fortitude and it relates to what I call the control paradox. Fortitude is the mental part of your game that allows you to keep approaching all of your shots with a positive attitude, a
can-do type of attitude.
Now, things don't always go right. So here's where a little bit of that fortitude comes in. One of the things that really came to mind that I was reminded of when I was playing through that loser's bracket in the tournament. You're going to make mistakes. Nobody's perfect.
Things aren't going to go the way you want. You need to find a way to
get out anyway.
And it reminded me of a lesson that I learned many, many years ago, a
real simple thing. And it's a really simple concept. You're trying,as amateurs, we're trying to figure out how to get better and maybe play like a pro sometime. What's the difference between amateurs and pros?
One way to characterize it is this.
“Pros run out every single rack that they're supposed to,
and some of the racks that they're not supposed to.”
That's what makes a pro, and that applies to straight pool, eight ball,
nine ball, 10 ball, all games. How do they do that? They do that by working on their fundamentals so that every shot that's makeable for them,they make, they don't miss. That's how you run out every rack that
you're supposed to.
But it's not just pocketing the ball, it's position as well. But control is an illusion. It's a paradox. We need to get there no matter what. Well, that's what I'm doing. That's what fortitude is. This is part of the control paradox decision. Choosing a more difficult shot rather than the easier shot. But accepting it and saying, yeah, it's a little bit more difficult, but it's within the realm of my skills. And so therefore I'm going to make it. Now I might miss,but I'm going to exercise my skill to the best of my abilities and accept all outcomes. Well, let's just bear down and make the ball.
But that's the, it's a control paradox that you've got to do. This is how shooting straight pool is gonna help your eight ball, nine ball, 10 games. because that's what you need to do to clear the rack every time that you should and some of the times that you shouldn't.
And so... Once again, rather than shooting the easiest shot, which would be the 15, I'm shooting a shot that's more strategically advantageous to clearing the rack and accepting all outcomes of position. But I've decided in my mind that whether I get through this rack or not is irrelevant. I'm going to apply my fortitude and my skills to the best of my ability on each shot and that's what's gonna give me the best chance of getting through this rack.
Regardless, anyway, and so that's what I'm doing right now. This is not the ideal shot. I've got a very slight angle and I need to stun the cue ball over here. I'm not allowing there to be a moment's trepidation of, oh me, am I gonna be able to do it? Am I gonna get the cue ball there?
I'm just saying, yeah, I'm gonna do it even though it's not optimal, let's get there. And I hit the shot perfectly. That's the control paradox. Top players make the really difficult shots look easy because they just accept it and they just make the picture in their mind and then
execute and make that picture happen. That's the control paradox.