Effortless Mastery by Kenny Warner (Book and CD)

I would like to say first and foremost that this is not a book about Billiards; it is a book by and for musicians.  However, after reading the fantastic review of Pleasures of Small Motions posted by Mr. O’Neill, I felt this was a book with material that could and would definitely be useful to the billiards player.  This book is for anyone who needs to get out of his own way when it comes time to perform to his best potential.

“…if you’ve constantly pointed to other players and thought they possessed something you didn’t, or if you’ve practiced for years and never really improved…read on”

This book starts out with the author’s story regarding his rise to professional jazz musician, which I will readily admit, at first glance has absolutely nothing to do with billiards.  However, if the reader is willing to substitute anything billiards for anything musical, he can absolutely use the techniques presented in this book in order to further his game during competitive playing.

Please note the titles of the following chapters:

– Why do we Play

-Beyond limited Goals

-Fear, the Mind and the Ego

-Fear-based Practicing

-Effortless Mastery

-Stretching the Form

-I am Great, I am a Master

In addition, there are guided meditations included in the book and CD that aids the reader to achieve “The Space” – the place in which one’s mind set should be in order to allow you t0 play your best under the  most stressful conditions.  This book is a quick read and the material is in layman’s terms which makes it easy to understand.  The price is very reasonable, and while Werner is a musician, his techniques and concepts can be used by anyone striving against great difficulty.