Learn The Art Of Concentration

I hear this all the time in my Monk 101 workshops. "I lost because I was not thinking, or I was not making good choices." Not very often do I hear "I lost because my opponent was better than me and I did not get a chance to win." We need to stop losing due to our own shortcomings. In the art of war we must be ready when the opportunity comes.

You've heard the saying, "play the table and not the opponent" and this is good advice. In reality, however, you are matching wits with a live opponent. You are not matching wits with a table. And your opponent wants to defeat you. He has plans for your demise. It is a war between two combatants. You must be prepared to fight the great fight. You must compete against the opponent.

If you can get your opponent to give you extra chances, you will turn the tide in your favor. Here are a few things you can do to get that extra chance.

Be strong. Shoot balls into the middle of the pocket and don't hesitate. Appear to be totally confident.
Show no emotion. Appear to be bored by it all.
Do not interact with your opponent during the match.
If you are playing the table and not the opponent, you will not recognize when momentum has swung in your favor. Be aware of the breaks you are getting and if you are getting a few lucky rolls then go for it when the chance arises.
When momentum swings, even the weak get strong.
Play slow, methodically. Study each shot. Your strength will weaken your opponent.
If your opponent plays a great safety, take your time studying your next move. Do not rush to the table to give him ball in hand. Make him wait for it.
If you miss a shot, stand in the spot where the opponent will shoot his next shot for an extended period of time. Study the missed shot.
Do the 4-16-8 breathing to keep your self in fine rhythm.
Act a little annoyed when your opponent misses.

You are in a war. Winning is not everything. It is the only thing.

Do not shark your opponent or interfere with his right to shoot. You can unnerve him/her by your actions alone.

Always believe that the rolls will go your way so don’t be surprised when they do.

The Lost Art of Concentration

Lack of concentration comes in many forms. Once, while I was shooting the key ball, my mind decided to suddenly disappear, just leave, and I was left with this vacuum. In fact, both sides of my head began to contract. My cue came forward with no real purpose. There was no reason to deliver the shot. All reason and sanity was gone when my mind left. So I failed.

In another game, I thought it would be a good time to deliver a speech. I was sighting a key ball and my mind shifted to an unknown banquet and began a dialog I was unfamiliar with. Naturally I was more interested in the speech than the shot at hand. And, you know the results.

The mind is a powerful thing. It’s very difficult to harness. In fact, the more you try to harness it, the more elusive it becomes. I lined up a key shot, and began to deliver my victory speech. I sighted a winning shot and began to deliver my sympathy speech. What makes the mind take off on its own like that? Doesn't it have an interest in the outcome of the match? Can't it stick around to see if I make the shot or not?

I wrote "Point The Way," I know how the inner game works and I have a procedure to correct a wayward mind. I use a countdown system and get to all systems go, and deliver the winning shot. I lean over and begin to count. One, two, three and then I shoot. While I am counting, I find myself concentrating on the expected shot. I have greater command of present moment awareness.

Sometimes however, rather than annoy me with interference, the mind will just simply disappear. If I were to stop my actions at that moment, I could regain my composure and go on to deliver the winning shot. Sometimes when my mind disappears I simply stop and wait. In no time, it returns. Often times, however, I become a willing participant to this self destruction. The mind moves the hand that shoots the shots. When the hand moves without the mind, it does not resemble a shot.

Let us beam backwards to the present and resolve to stay in the one shot at a time mode. Do not shoot until you are ready for that shot. Recognize when the mind decides to wander. When we reach the end of the season, we will look back and know that the ability to concentrate was the key to our success.

Chicago Bound

Special Workshop With My Friends

I have booked the private room at Jillians on Freemont street in Las Vegas for a two day workshop. You can enroll for either day. The dates are November 22nd or 23rd. Check the web site for more details.

Calibrate Your Stroke:

The Value Of A Stop Shot

(a side note from Samm's Side Pocket)

How many stop shots do you shoot in a day, a week, or a month? The skill and discipline required to pocket 100 consecutive, perfect stop shots without a miss is truly an art.

Every player aims and views the contact point of an object ball a bit differently. Some players may have one eye that is more dominant than the other. Some players can see and feel the contact point of a cut shot without even having to look at it. Some players just drill balls into the center of the pocket while using extreme english.

Whatever system you use to sight your shots, just make sure it's consistent.

Regularly shooting series of stop shots will help you determine whether or not your stroke is 'calibrated.' What do I mean by that? It's simple. When you shoot 10 stop shots and 8 of them consistently enter the left side of the pocket, you may be inadvertently putting some right-hand english on the cue ball. And likewise, if you shoot 8 to the right side of the pocket, you may be applying some left-hand spin. Often times, if you have pocketed the ball with some english, you will be able to see the cue ball spinning in place after it contacts the object ball.

So, what does all this mean? Basically, shooting a rack or two of stop shots a day keeps the doctor away. Not really, but taking the time to set up at least one rack of stop shots for yourself, at least a few times a week, will really help you dial in on your stroke.

Our stroke may feel a bit different on different days, too. You may notice on Monday you were putting some right english on every stop shot, but today, you're hitting them square into the center of the pocket while the cue ball stops dead. If that's the case, embrace that feeling and challenge yourself to shoot every single stop shot square into the center of the pocket while envisioning the cue balls frozen in its tracks once it makes contact.

You see people practicing with a game of 8 ball before an 8 ball match. Well, you just get up to your warm up rack and shoot in 15 stop shots. I guarantee it will be much more beneficial. Like calibrating a gun, it's important to make sure it's shooting straight.

A tip: When shooting a few stop shots to prepare for a match on a bar table, use an object ball (I like to use the 9ball) as the cue ball and shoot that into the cue ball. Wait for it to return and set it up again. This will help you get in stroke while saving your money for the matches.

The Master of Art in Pocket Billiards:

This is a home study course. You train at home.

• No more traveling expenses to visit an instructor.
• No more three-day lessons filled with information.
• No more ‘half measures’.

I am accepting students in my unique home study program. You will train at home, and still have The Monk as your personal trainer for one entire year!! If you take longer to make it through this material, we will stay with you. Success is our only option.

Master each of the twelve separate lessons and you become the master. Let The Monk take you through this twelve-lesson program.

The Monk is involved in every single lesson from start to finish.

For a full report on this program, email The Monk today at

Take Five From The Monk

Click on the link and begin your unique training here and now.

I am making the cd’s available on line. For the next few weeks I will be recording some new material. You can learn while you drive your car. Learn while you lay on the beach. Learn while you are working at your desk. The cd’ program is very helpful in mastering the inner game of pocket billiards.

The Four Strokes of Pool
Changing the Script
The 101 Laws for Success
Changing the Script (subliminal)

Listen and learn while you drive.

May All the Rolls Go Your Way

The Monk