Rhythm = Zone? Hit the Scales.

I appreciate its how much you know about being down on the shot & to be candid, its something we've all done, so we should all have an opinion on this. Direct us to the Zone.

Most Snooker Pro's find it difficult to answer & be able to Tell you what their rhythm is, but when your down on a shot, what you thinking? Pro Golfers do it & share, ish, Chess players discovered it & Musicians sing about it. I think about where I'm hitting them & potting them myself.

Sometimes, I think I'm gonna miss & sometimes, I do, when I forget where I am.

Hit the Scales. After You.....

Very tough question.

What goes through my head when I'm shooting and in the zone? The most honest answer I can give to that question is simply nothing.

When I'm shooting the things that a lot of people dwell on while shooting like position and the shot itself are not in my thought process if all is flowing well. By the time I'm down on a shot I've thought 2-3 shots ahead and how to go about the sequence (ie where I'm lining up, striking the cue ball, pace, angle to leave, etc.). Optimally when I'm down on the shot I'm just trying to smooth out my cue action and execute, nothing else.

If I'm nervous or something I might focus on one aspect of my setup to take my mind off whatever's got to me. I might start counting feathers or something as a distraction but I'm still not thinking of anything beyond sound execution of my stroke.

That's optimally. The rest of the time, playing outside the zone I might be thinking of everything but what I should be

If it helps or means anything sickpotter, you've Hit the Scales.

Yeah its a toughie, I know.
Personally, I like the word 'Fluent', I find it helps, it has a rhythmic sound about it when looking down a Cue....

Sometimes you know you're going to nail each shot before you get down on it and you feel so confident, the game is so easy and you think "Why don't I always play like this, this is my natural game".

Then next day you can't pot for toffee and the same shots look difficult. Generally if I'm missing, my mind is telling me the shot is difficult and telling me I'm going to miss but when I'm in the zone I don't think, I just get down and pot balls. That should explain why I've broken down so many times in the 80's and 90's when a century is on, because I'm playing well but because the century is a landmark I've been aiming for for so long, as soon as I get near I start to think more and then I'm more likely to miss.

I guess you could call it lack of bottle

Sometimes I play my best under pressure when I know I can't afford to miss and other times I can hardly point my cue straight. It's a strange beast, pressure.

Sonny wrote:Sometimes you know you're going to nail each shot before you get down on it and you feel so confident, the game is so easy and you think "Why don't I always play like this, this is my natural game".

Then next day you can't pot for toffee and the same shots look difficult. Generally if I'm missing, my mind is telling me the shot is difficult and telling me I'm going to miss but when I'm in the zone I don't think, I just get down and pot balls. That should explain why I've broken down so many times in the 80's and 90's when a century is on, because I'm playing well but because the century is a landmark I've been aiming for for so long, as soon as I get near I start to think more and then I'm more likely to miss.

I guess you could call it lack of bottle

Sometimes I play my best under pressure when I know I can't afford to miss and other times I can hardly point my cue straight. It's a strange beast, pressure.

Great reply.
I'd love to document it, I really would.

Sonny, try starting your break count over once you hit 50, that might help take your mind off the ton and ease the pressure as you near it.

I like the idea but I can't kid myself. To be honest I've probably had centuries in practice whereby I lose count and just keep potting balls and I've had loads of total clearances in line ups and one time did 3 in a row without moving the white between last black and first red.

It's all psychological with me. My brain doesn't like it when I start thinking too much about a pressure shot and I can't kid it by playing the shot too quickly before I've had chance to think too much about it - bit like Doherty on that black for the 147.

How about just counting colors made and adding it all up when you miss?

I'd rather face up to it head on and get over the hurdle. It's a matter of time and once I've done it once then the rest will follow. Like if I know I'm already on 100+ and there are still more balls left then I'll pot them with no pressure because I'm already past the magic number.

I think counting colours will be distracting because as I'm down on the shot I don't want to be thinking "1 green, 2 blues, 4 blacks" because it'll put me off.

Great question John;

I would love to say that i go blank and think about nothing but truth be told, i spend way too much time telling myself to think of nothing . I am always aware of my score, my oppositions score and my highest score, It dominates me when i am playing a shot which is why i always end up jabbing at shots after a break of 20 or 30, even if i am in great positions.
I have tried loads of things like standing up, taking a breath and resetting but i more often than not make the same mistakes.