by Patrick Baumann | General |
I have written about pool and meditation before. In my meditation with Headspace today it was about the fact that there is actually no me, you, us, but simply “this” – this, the current situation. The concept is a bit too unusual and complex to be explained in more detail here, but one sentence inspired me to apply it to pool: No situation, no “this”, belongs to one person. Only through the totality of all participants, through the unity of everything does the situation arise:
A conversation without a partner is not a conversation.
Fishing without fish is not fishing.
A pool match without an opponent is not a match. (more…)
by Patrick Baumann | General |
Very often people ask me: “Patrick, what’s the difference between a draw shot and a stop shot?” Fair question, since in both shots the cue ball is hit below center, and a lot of books and (self-acclaimed) experts have quite precise formulas to the sound of: For a stop shot you need to hit the cue ball one tip width below center, for a draw shot lower than that. This distinction causes quite some confusion in player’s minds, making some even think that the cue ball shows a totally different behaviour for stop and draw shots. This is nonsense, and in the following post I’ll explain why. (more…)
by Patrick Baumann | General |
When you think about how to shoot pool, the stroke is of course one of the most important parts. After taking a longer break recently, I noticed a couple of details which are still essential for a proper technique. There are of course plenty of things to keep in mind (I wrote a book with 20 in it). But who remembers 20 things in daily life? In this blog post I only list three aspects which will help you maintain a better technique under pressure. (more…)
by Patrick Baumann | General |
Mental strength is a mystic term. Like with “talent”, mental strength for many is a naturally given thing – you either have it or not. And if not, well, bad luck, you’ll just never going to win as often as a mentally strong opponent. However, I believe mental strength can be learned. (more…)
by Patrick Baumann | General |
Very often I get asked how to aim correctly in pool. Especially in the US various pool aiming systems are discussed with a harshness which reminds me of fights between religious splinter groups. They’ve got the weirdest ideas how to aim properly. I think it’s a little bit simpler, and here’s how. (more…)
