Help for a fellow master

One of the "secrets" I've found in my training is that there is a performance mode and an training mode to our game. In the training mode we are analyzing everything we are doing. We are checking our stroke, we are checking our pause, our PSR, our aim, our stroke selection, etc etc. All this is going through our head. Even if we are only working on one aspect of all these fundamentals, we are still focused on the fundamental.

When we try to perform in this mode we fail, horribly. About two months ago, I was stuck in this mode. During Tournaments and League matches, I was so stuck in the training mode that I couldn't switch to performance mode. Thus, I was blowing runouts, blowing matches and my game was going to hell in a handbasket because I was analyzing my fundamentals all the time instead of performing.
So for about two weeks straight I just piled rocks. I took time off of my training and piled rocks with the intent of seeing how many I could pile.
After I got done with this, I realized that for a long time I was stuck in the analyzing/training mode. In tournaments I was going through all the steps of my PSR and my shot. But that thinking works for the training mode.

In the performance mode, the mode that is needed so that we can put up good numbers when we are Piling Rocks, doing the 4 ball exercise, No Rails, or playing competitively etc, we can't be thinking about all that stuff that we are training on at that point. We can't think about the elements of our PSR or the elements of our fundamentals.

We need to do 4 things.

The 4 points of focus.
The Spot on the OB,
The Spot on the CB,
The Speed of the cue ball.
The Stroke we are going to use.

That is where we must concentrate and this is what has to happen in the performance mode. Notice there is no PSR in here. Why? Because the PSR has to be automatic at this point. Even if the PSR is flawed, you cannot fix it during the performance mode. Battle is not the time to have target practice. The Archer must shoot the arrows without worrying about his skill. He has to believe that his skills will carry him to victory. So must the pool player. During a match or performance you cannot let your training/analytical mind come into play.

Note from The Monk
Travis wrote this to a fellow master. Travis is a fine coach, able to lend the kind of help that really gets to the heart of the problem. His writings are a gift to the pool world.
Travis Kennedy can help you in the following classes. Travis enrolled in The Monk 101 Teachers training at the University of Illinois in Chicago. He also traveled to Phoenix to attend classes with The Monk. Travis is certified as a Monk Master and also trains in The Masters of Art in Pocket Billiards and teaches the following subjects.

Stroke Mechanics.
Take time to get it right from the start. Let this Monk Master take you through the stroke Mechanics class so you are in position to execute the shot the stroke calls for. 1 Hr.

Aiming system.
Let Travis show you a secret aiming system used by the legends of the past. 1. Hr.

Master the Four Strokes of Pool.
Build your game by mastering these all important skills. You will never be able to play position or control the cue ball if you do not master the four strokes of pool. When you complete this class your game will move to the next level. 8. Hrs.

Master Cue Ball Speed.
This class will enable you to gain mastery over that all important cue ball. Travis will take you through a series of drills and stroke development material designed to give you command of Cue Ball Speed. 8 Hrs.

Master Strategy Play.
Learn the patterns of eight ball, nine ball, one pocket and straight pool. You must have graduated from the Four strokes and Cue ball speed class before you can enroll in Strategy play. 4 hours.

Banking and kicking.
Never give up the game because you lost on three fouls. Learn The Monk 202 kicking and banking series taught by Travis Kennedy. 8. Hr.

Safeties you need to know.
This class will win you games you might have lost. When you go for a tough shot, you take a chance of losing. When you play a high percentage safety, you are in line for the victory. There are over twenty five safeties you must master. 2 Hrs.
Travis is a fine writer
Watch for future articles by Travis Kennedy. He is generous with his knowledge with a strong desire to share with others. You can reach him at Travis ,