A revolutionary new approach to tackling the inner game of pool
"This could be a breakthrough book for your game, opening the
door to improvements you didn't think possible."
Pool and Billiard magazine
Most of what you "know" about the mental game of
pool is wrong. Everyone who plays pool says it is
"mostly mental," but the conventional wisdom about
the mental game is about as accurate as the idea that
the earth is flat. Until now, no one with any expertise on
how the human mind works has bothered to write about
pool. In PLEASURES OF SMALL MOTIONS, Bob Fancher, a
psychotherapist and pool columnist, breaks new ground by
applying good science to the mental game of billiards.
For example, people often say players
should "forget they're competing and just play as if they're practicing" during
an important game, but as Fancher reveals, studies show that the tension of
competition, when managed correctly, can improve play.
Fancher explains how the mind and body work together, prescribes
drills to help sharpen the conscious and the unconscious minds, explains
the difference between concentration and focus, and gives invaluable insight on competitive play.
BOB FANCHER wrote Billiards Digest magazine's popular "The Mental Game"
column, and previously wrote a column titled "Dr. Bob, Pool Shrink" for The
American Cueist. He earned his Ph.D. at Vanderbilt University and practiced psychotherapy
in New York for fourteen years. His acclaimed book Cultures of Healing has been used in classes
at Columbia University, Princeton, and many other schools, and his writing has appeared in The
Washington Post and other publications. He lives in Austin, Texas.