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Pleasures of Small Motions Mastering the Mental Game of Pocket Billiards

Everyone who plays pool knows that 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. This book does for pool what Timothy Gallwey’s bestselling “The Inner Game” books did for golf and tennis. Fancher explains how the conscious and unconscious mind work together, prescribes drills to help players improve, advises on mastering emotion and developing rhythm, explains the difference between concentration and focus, and gives invaluable insight on competitive play. (6 x 9, 160 pages, illustrations)

Bob Fancher’s column, “Dr. Bob, Pool Shrink,” appears monthly in 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 is writing has appeared in The Washington Post and other publications. He lives in Austin, Texas.

User Ratings and Reviews

2 Stars a bit much
This had some great reviews.. but it was beyond agonizing to get through.

I thought the first few pages I read on this site was a wordy intro that would clear up soon after– it’s the same all the way through.

I found myself desperately looking for a point, which led me to do something I’ve never found to actually work before- and am suggesting: Read this book backwards.

5 Stars Deeply Insightful
Awesome book chocked full of insights on the mental game of pool and sports psychology in general. Helps instill a healthy mind set to enable you to play at your optimum with out all the baggage that goes along with performance. Invaluable to anyone serious about there game.

5 Stars Must Read for anything “Competitive” .. especially pool.
I enjoy pool … but found the insights in this book apply to anything at all I do where “winning” is important. So much of what we do, if we want to bring our “A Game” to the table, is controlled by our state of mind. This is the book to read to give yourself an edge you simply can’t find anywhere else to keep yourself in the game, enjoy the game at all levels, and take yourself to the next (and next and next) level. Jim Stevens http://savingfuelnow.com

2 Stars NOT ANYWHERE NEAR 5 STARS
It has been several months since I read Fancher’s mental meanderings. Personally, I was very upset about the author’s comments about expectations for improvement or performance beyond your previous experiences and I’m certain that aspect left a bad taste in my mouth for the rest of his material. It goes against the grain of every other self improvement book I have ever read and it truthfully goes against logic.

Personally, I feel one actually learns not just from your own physical motions and awareness but also from watching others play – your body and mind learn things of which you may not even be aware. It is possible to improve beyond your previous experience. (Otherwise you would start at one level and never move beyond that beginner’s level – and we know that is not true).

Anything that has been developed in this world, including self improvement, has been envisioned,dreamed,formulated BEFORE IT HAPPENED. And so it is with learning from other players. “I’ve seen him do it. I know it is possible. I should be able to do it also.” And so we begin practicing something new.

There is much other content about self awareness that I found realistic and factual. Any pool player has had times of poor performance and as Fancher says it’s time to become self-aware and return to the basic principles.

Perhaps, I’m just not as cerebral and self-aware as Fancher but I didn’t feel this was a fantastic read and the small things I have added to may abilities/awareness were small potatoes compared to the negative aspect of never having expectations for improvement.

I’m still improving.

5 Stars great read
probably the best book out their describing what the pros are thinking or not thinking while their running rack after rack . I especially enjoyed the chapter on rhythm , the music you play to when you have achieved relaxed concentration. Nothing takes the place of practice , but this comes close.

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