Subconscious Mind in Petanque

The actions of the subconscious mind is what we call an "instinctive actions" and is part of every sport. If you had magical powers and you had to bake a pie, you would think of it and "Poof" the pie would be there.

Without, these magical powers you would have to instruct the mind of all the work of gathering the material for making a pie, preparing it and even calculate the time needed to cook. These instructions are our conscious mind instructing us what to do.The two minds or type of thinking are involved in all our actions and the training of Muscles for performance.

In some sports the action of preparation for a performance (delivery or Serve) is immediately followed by the result of the performance and the individual does not feel the seperation of these two mind's involvement. In golf and Lawn Bowls the several seconds between the performance and seeing the result of the performance is sufficent to allow the athletic to see and feel the transfer of mental control between the subconscious mind and the conscious mind. We find ourself in a "void of thought" for a partical second while the subconscious or instinctive aspect of our performance happens.

 This month, my number of readers on my blog exceeded 100,000 and it is interesting that from one year to the next, the total number of visitors is the same and for the same period of the year.  Players from the North and players from the South seem to have a continuous interest and regular visit to this site. The statistics of the blog (below) are the same every year.   Blog stats (below) .

This particular blog is intended for advance level coaches whom are beyond the teaching of new members their sport (level 1 "Club Coach) or helping individuals to correct a fault created from some wrong actions during the delivery. (Level 2 or "Corrective Coach"). As the coach's student moves into competition and works with more of their mental problems of stress and concentration we find them seeking out a Level 3 or "Competitive Coach" with knowledge about "Muscle Memory". 

We have learn that when you instruct the mind to do an action like to throw or roll a ball (or bowl); it is all a "conscious mind" (thinking) of the instructions to the muscles that perform the actual sport's action. After many times doing the same in practice and then making corrections; we find that instructions to change  muscles habits are difficult. These changes to an established routine of performance (delivery or serve or swing) are unique memories based upon instruction. The athletic begans using the "subconscious mind" for these instinctive muscle performance and has developed a type of "Muscle Memory".

To many, Muscle Memory is different. To me and my sports of Archery, Bowls and Petanque it is a transfer of conscious control to an instinctive performance. In body building, the athletic see "Muscle Memory" as  the muscles cells ability to remember it previous strength or building and with ease it seems posssible to return to that previous developed state after an short absence of training. 

Also in some action sports; we can actually perform our actions but are not aware of sort of instinctive movements or "Muscle Memory" because the sport requires that we continue to play immediately after that last action. (soccer, hockey, basketball). Of course, in every sport we are remembering how to do the necessary action we have learned by practice correctly by letting the subconscious mind perform instinctively those actions.

 Braking a car is often given as an example of the instinctive action we experience in time of danger. We don't think to do the action, but when it is finished we are surprised how fast it happen. The subconscious mind is explained by some as a collection of experiences which react in time of danger because the survival of our species required us to react quickly.

This information, about the two minds interaction does  hurt an athletic to know and understand but a major problem in knowing about the  conscious and subconscious interaction during a sport performance is not having a control over what is happening. We want to be in control (conscious mind doing the instruction) but for successful quick and repeated performance; the athletic must continue to allow the subconscious mind to have it's independance control. Allow it to do what often is called "Muscle Memory". Actions which happen because they have been performed the same time and time again. Now they are instinctive and done without conscious thought.

Athletics will notice that this is done by allowing the action to be performed in  a "void of thought" or a "Zen moment". Certainly, it is hard to control actions which happen without our control. In the uncontrolled qactions of the "Subconscious mind" we have a unique sport performance. Like you  have practice and performance the action, it is also possible to develop and practice telling the subconscious mind to change something.

Every sport has different actions which are perfected, from the wrist movement of throwing a dart to the swinging arm movement of Petanque roll or a Lawn Bowls or Curling delivery. Although these three  sports have the same physical movement in the beginning of their delivery action; they each have a little bit of a different muscle movement and a small change which occurs before the athletic has completed the actual action.

The time between beginning the sport's performance and when the athletic sees the result of their action is also different and of a major importance. In conscious mind instruction it is simply "Do this, ... No do it this way"; but for a major  corrective action in the subconscious (instinctive) action; we must understand how the conscious mind must be polite and gentle in it communication with the conscious mind.

In attempting the change of an action of subconscious we are like a parent watching a child learn something while it is their mind doing the thinking. With all sport actions, the subconscious mind is there in the background, always learning and seeing any problem which might occur.  For this reason, in making corrections to an athletic's performance there is the need of a "Level 3 coach" who is fully aware that attempting a change by conscious instructions to the muscles can be difficult when it comes at a lost of what the "subconscious control" knows is so important. Like that child that the parent is trying to teach something; the subconscious mind does want the instructions or interference of the subconscious.

 Therefore, in a correction or an attempt to introduce a new corrective action we must understand that when trying to attempt the change to a previous learned action, the conscious mind is being communicated with as you introduce the change. Like a parent watching a child learn something new, the subconscious mind is there in the background watching. Very often that change is refused by the Subconscious mind because when the action is performed it is "Muscle Memory" which does the action which it has been learned through hours of practice. Your suggestion (conscious request) to change something is done a-new until you click back into your routine and then "Muscle Memory" again does as it has learned. The subconscious mind is quick to refuse to incoporate any changes or suggestion. 

How do you communicate with the Subconscious mind?  The same way a child suggests to their parent that their request is wrong or not possible.  Mild suggestions.  Take for example, a Petanque player is required to do a rather long take-out shot and they are suggesting various changes which will allow the shot to be successful. (The distance of shots in Petanque is usually about 6 to 8 meters, although the maximum distance of a legal "cochon" is 10 meters).

Suggestions of  "Lift your arm higher before release the throw". "Bend at the knees and spring upward with the throw". "Aim at the top of the ball" are all conscious thoughts but one needs to communicate to the sub-conscious if they want to incorporate the suggestion in this long take-out.

Because it is difficult to judge distance and the target petanque ball is about 3 inches large; a take-out shot at a such a long distance, maybe you need to help the subconscious mind judge the distance. In the photo, of an international 'Tete-a-tete' competition (www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf6r4ePORbM&t=174s) we see the answer, but it is often overlooked as simply an action of repairing or prepare the surface in front of the target ball.  Often we will see the player walk up to the target ball and tap their foot just in front of the ball. This walk is helping the subconscious mind know the distance and watching the lips of the athletic or their eyes, sometimes we can see they are counting their steps. The subconscious mind also collect this information. Have seen shooters who simply walk half way toward the target ball for the same raison. Knowing the distance is important. So you ask "Why not just tell yourself the distance ? If you told yourself "the target ball is at 9.5 meters" it is a conscious communication and you can not give instructions in words  to the subconscious mind; you are communicating the distance by letting it actually measure the distance.

Later, I will explain how I used a "tag" in an athletic performance to flag (tagged) a change in the performance routine. (Blog on Tags in Muscle Memory) Because something in a routine is different, the subconscious mind for a micro-second paused (questions about what was different) and hear or saw (image)  of that something different. In that exammple, the "tag" was a small added movement (of a foot tap) with the words "Lawn Bowls" which during the "Muscle Memory" the subconscious sort of stopped and thought; "Oh yes, this is different". If the audio was too long it would have been a command from the conscious mind; but being short it just for a micro second interruption of the instinctive action and enough to create the change.

I sometimes in coaching an Petanque

shooter tell them " If the ball is far , beyond 8.5 meters; aim at the silver highlight on top of the ball and if it is closer than 7.5 meters see the shadow under the ball". The difference between the top highlight of the petanque ball and the shadow under the ball is only about 4 inches so it is not the aiming but the looking at the unique part of the ball. This action is  creating a "tag"  which interrupts the subconscious for a micro second and causes the subconscious mind to do an re-adjustment of the information it will use in the take-out shot. Sort of like us doing a mental calculation and forgetting out numbers and re-starting the calculation. In this case the "tag" has for a small micro-second interrupted the calculation of the distance and now will re-do. The result will be an increase in shot performance.

In a similar idea, if in throwing a baseball ball to a person you the person performing the action, was to close your eyes and not watch the ball's flight and arrival; you might be surprise with what happens. Very often during a Petanque shot the shooter experience a "Void of Thought" which occurs during subconscious (instinctive) actions. The same emptiness of the above closing your eyes during the throwing a baseball. This "void" during the of throwing a "take-out shot";  indicates that the conscious mind is no longer actively giving instruction to the muscles and all your actions are those of the subconscious mind. What is called "muscle Memory action" is the subconscious mind entering the "void" (of conscious thinking) and performing the action as has been practice so many times. If the thought or action of the interruption  "tag" with the image or thought was words it would be too long an interruption of the subconscious and would forces the mental control of the action to be switched from an instinctive action back to a conscious control  of movement and muscles.

At the beginning of the Youtube video of the "Tête-à-Tête competition Dylan Rocher and Marc Cognard  we see the shooter doing several mental re-evaluation of the distance. One would think he is not confidence with the distance but what he is doing is he is thinking of seeing his ball flying during a take-out shot and because his chosen memory of a similar shot is not the same as a ball at the same distance; he is changing the viewed memory image of another similar shot but with a ball at a greater distance. When he has the correct distance he does his shot. Because the distance of Petanque balls are between 6 meters and 9 meters after many years the mind calculates very quickly the distance to the target ball.

 This mental development happens in many sports where the subconscious has data of a previous type of action and it is used to create a precision or distance.  But like learning to talk this action is developed after many years of mental development  in your sport where "tags" and "mental image projection" has been perfected. 

In the Vimeo video of 2016 Lawn bowls Pairs final of New Zealand and Wales   (we see the same re-calculated of distance as Angela Boyd of Wales prepares to roll her bowl to the jack. In Lawn Bowls the maximun distance that the jack can be from the delivery mat can be over 30 meters so if the player wants their bowl to roll and stop next to the target "jack" then they need the correct distance. 

  In some sports we do not easily identify the actions of the subconscious mind because these sport are an "open sport" and the actions are often performed without need of the action being evaluated by the athletic. In an "Closed sport" where the performance is done  in a  "void" of thought, the athletic see immediately and evaluates the result of his performance. In the "open sport" like Soccer, the athletic avoids an opponent's action and continues running. An evaluation is necessary or is extremely difficult to identify as a subconscious action.. In a "Closed sport", like petanque, the instinctive action happens and we are found to be awake from an absence of thought and actually amazed at what had happen. Also we immediately judge the success of the action which is "feedback data" for evaluation used by the subconscious mind for finding an improvement. Yes we do think of the action, which is a conscious evaluation; but in an "Open Sport" we immediately move on. Our conscious thoughts are fixed on the next performance of a soccer offensive play no  on the last one. 

subconscious mind 
explained on Youtube

 In an "Open sport" like Soccer or Hockey we are say that we are always "Open" to what is or has just happen around us. We are making adjustments for those actions in our sport as we encounter them. An example is when a opponent player is approaching on your left so you move the ball or puck to your right side. In seeing the player we have a "Open Sport" awareness and the subconscious action is done instinctively as you move away from that danger. This action of avoiding the opponent happen so fast you did not realize you (or the subconscious mind) had done it but after years of playing and game experiences, your subconscious mind knew the necessary corrective action and you did it. I should mention here that the "over the head - upside down goal kick" of a soccer athletic is more of a "closed Sport" routine which was practice and perfected and is seen as a subconscious action when performed correctly.

 Until you are in the top percentage of athletics of your sport and against similar level players and/or involved in  a national and international competition; you may not know or even think about these "Subconscious" actions. Because Petanque is a "Closed Sport" and you are alone with your performance you sometime get lost in a world of self-ego and impressed with your performance.  This "Self-ego" is a feeling of success and creates other mental problems.  

Focus is keeping mental thought on your game, your performance, your need for improvement in your sport. Also Focus may involve evaluation of the opponents as strategy builds on their weakness or your strength. Even the rules of Petanque (and Lawn Bowls) are created to prevent and remove distractions from others players. Concentration is important but when rules are allowing you  to develop your actions with a unique "Subconscious" ability like "Muscle Memory" performance; you are moving into the "Zen Mental Attitude" more than trying to block out distractions. 

Sports like Petanque, still require a lot of practice as your self-development and your abilities progress through practices; but a good "Shooting Takeouts" or  a well executed "Pointing with an Effect action" is developed until it is done subconsciously. Finally, you become aware that each Petanque action, shot or pointing, doesn't just happens. You know the presence of the subconscious (instinctive) performance. You think it, you do it.

In "Closed Sports" like Petanque the performance is never begin until after much conscious thought and usually the athletic has a routine developed for checking important information before they release the conscious thinking or thought instructions to the "Subconscious" mind.  "Closed" sports need  the  "Preparation routine" because after the conscious  evaluation of the  previous "Performance" are seen evaluated (feedback) and decision made if it is necessary to communicate a change or a new performance objective.

 Using this Pre-performance routine you instruct your subconscious on its performance and the next or new expectation. If you spend endless hours perfecting this pre-performance routine you know of it's  two parts.  "Controlling actions" and movements to allow the subconscious to perform from the same "starting point" and "Decision actions" you expect to be changed in the next "subconscious" performance based upon information collected. Sometime this conscious evaluation and information is from a previous game's action or from the previous, just finished, athletic's performance.

With the "Preparation Routine" and all it conscious parts finished; you are now ready and are beginning the "Shot Routine" as you do little or no thinking and transfer control to the subconscious; you simply  think the shot and "Bang", let the subconscious mind perform the shot. A qualified Coach with knowledge of the "Conscious and Subconscious" conflict will work with an athletic to decide on transfer of control and do it.  In the above Petanque video one player can be seen in this "Conscious and Subconscious" conflict. He starts his "Shot Routine" then returns to conscious control and restarts again and again.  Because most of the actions of the "Shot Routine" are done with the subconscious action, they are faster than a few microseconds and the athletic is seeing the result immediately. There is always a fear of transferring of control from the conscious (thinking) mind to the subconscious (instinctive). 

In "Muscle Memory" action and because of this short passage of time during the actual performance; you may feel the fear of "Lack of Control" with the subconscious doing the shot. You should accept that strange feeling of coming out of your "Zen Void" or "Subconscious mind's control and like on a computer doing a file save; just let it happen and be confidence it was done correctly. 

 You think it, you see it happen as the shot is being done (in a fraction of a second) and you hear the sound of the ball hitting it's target as you awake to the fact that  every thing is now finished. When discussed, the athletics often says "I don't think, I just do the shot". or "It just happens". 

The website  of (Conscious and Subconscious)  gives a good insight into the interactions of the two minds. The develop of man's survival has been that during times of danger or sudden changes the subconscious mind has used the data that had been collecting and made a quick decision with a quick action of defence. Today, this subconscious mind is  often missed as happening but is still very important. With the except in Sports where we  practice our performance hours on hours, that we identify the difficulty of  learning to instruct the body or mind to use the subconscious collected data  from previous practices or competitions.

 We all know how things happen instinctive and quickly, but we seldom learn how to control it or the very least, to instruct the "Subconscious" of our changes.

When we are making practice moves or decisions so as to make a change in our performance, it is the conscious mind operating and telling the muscles what performance to do. But when we are finished thinking of what we want to do or about that actions we release our "Conscious mind" and we turn over control to the subconscious mind.  The actions are just done. "Muscle Memory wise"

For an action like jogging, a "Open Sport" with objectives of performance; (lose weight, or endurance for longer runs) we decide consciously to run and instruct our feet to start running. When that pain in the side or breathing occurs we don't find our self in danger but as an endurance and to continue. If while jogging an event was to occur, like a person running toward you, there is a survival instinctive  and we becomes aware of our need to modify our actions. You find yourself now stepping to the side while still jogging. This is a "Closed Muscle Memory" action which the subconscious mind works completely invisible of your thinking. 

So, we think and do actions with the "Conscious Mind"  which become memories, or step by step actions; and later  when we want or need that action performed again,  we allow the "Subconscious Mind" to do the action with a thought. ("Run")

Blogs, and Podcast are great, but a good website like  Thinkability.com  can and will instructs/consult its readers into a  better performance through mental disciplines and analysis. Their idea and discussion make us realize the important that some people being auditive while others are visual. Since each individuals will therefore express and develop their mental abilities differently, we must communicate our wishes to the subconscious mind in the individual's method. Teaching a student to check a fault or error which occurs during "Muscle Memory" action could be a visual memory recalled or an auditive sound to remember. 

  Both types of individual, of course, spend a lot of hours of practice and the  "Muscle Memory" building has advanced into an ability of creating of an subconscious action. Everything in time.  We Practice, Muscle Memory develops, and Subconscious communication is expressed; and even we work to extend the "Void Durations" of the Subconscious.  Some sports, like Golf, have the longer Voids of "Muscle Memory. an example is Tigar Wood who on  a Youtube video  says. "Between my back swing and seeing the ball in flight out front of me; I have no memory what happen".

Myself, I think in images so in transmitting an instruction to the subconscious, I see the image of what I want done and then let the subconscious mind do that action when I enter my  "Performance Void". So in reality, if an auditive individual want to correct a performance error, a "Don't twist the wrist", or even shorter "no twisting" would be a verbal command (auditive) to the subconscious mind before allowing the "void of thought". Myself, I am visual and must see the action. 

  Instinctive Performance and Mental Training are not easy but by using Conscious actions to build certain Subconscious actions we eventually bridge this duel mind divide. When asked by a student, "What is the most important mental strength of an athletic?" The answer given by the international athletic was " Focus". In a blog which discuss "Muscle Memory" and the Subconscious control of those performance; we  must not forget the many aspect of "Subconscious interferences". Always the mental balance of emotions and the mental strength needed during a performance require that the athletic stay in focus at all times.

The hardest aspect of instruction to the subconscious is during times of failure. Many athletics need to be able to "Restarts" or "Reset" emotions. Deep breaths, a mental image or even chewing gum can help us deal with many mental interferences which attacks or strains our performance during a game or in a major Competitions. 

The usage of the subconscious mind in our sport is hidden from us, but also when the athletic sees the finish of his/her performance; which may be very shortly after doing his take-out shot and he has return to his conscious thinking.  (Ex: a "Petanque take-out" which is immediately finished after the ball has left the shooter's hand.) 

There is still a lot more unique self awareness and training of many parts of how the subconscious has been a part of our life for the complete history of mankind. Studies are now seeing the problems and corrective actions are now starting to be engage by professionals as since studies it a bit. Actually studies on electrical impulses of the brain has shown that even just the thought of a muscle action has the result to send a electrical impulse to the muscles, sort of like a warning a request in coming and so be ready. This is where a basketball athletic is told to practice his shot while sitting on the bus riding home after a game.

One last thought. These has always been  spiritual beliefs and a attempt to understand the subconscious abilities in and sports like archery where "be the target" and "draw the arrow to you" develop a Zen like of performance. Actually in one type of archery, the student is not permitted his shooting glove until he has reached a plateau of spirital concentration. 

In many sports we find the athletic accepting tools developed to improve their performance. The bowsight of the archer has removed the instinctive nature of his sport and although the instinctive class still exist in Archery Bowhunting competitions there are few and few pure instinctive shooters.

The photo (above) are my three medals at the Quebec Trois Rivieres  Canadian nationals when I was at my height of  Instinctive training. At that time, a small group of us, were doing shooting exhibits as we show the ability to shoot bouncing tennis balls, flying coffee cups, and even shooting beer caps flipped into the air. At a early 80's Rendez Vous gathering targets were thrown into the air in a Baseball type of game which all the participants tried. (3 color rings on the foot large targets indicated if the shooter achieved a single, double, triple or home run). Pure instinctive exibitions for Traditional Archers.

 Of interest is also that at a higher level of this mental development, it can become so intense that it is possible to appear that you are outside the body looking down at your the performance.  A strange experience and maybe just one's imagination but once it has happen you better understand the strength of the mind and what is possible if we let the mind perform for us.

The North Americian indian believed the spirit of the wood of the bow was so involved in their performance and ability to provide for their family that the wood to be used in making a bow would be hung for the winter months overhead in the teepee where it would know and judge the family.  Actually there are world class musicians who feel the same love and belief  of the spirit of their guitar's wood.

Because this blog deals with Petanque a french sport very popular in my area of Montreal Quebec I was translating it to french with Google translate and Microsoft "Ai" got involved in the translation and created the following comment. Interesting evaluation of the blog..