Zen and the Art of Lockpicking

[shaofutzer]

Locksport has been a hobby of mine for going on about eight years now. I used to spend hours a day practicing, but now only pop one or two a day to keep my skills up.
Anyway, to make a long story short - One lock in my collection is a Falcon SFIC core that I'd never had any issues with picking. Sometimes I'd pick it to control, sometimes open. But the point is: I could pick it relatively easily. So, after browsing on Ebay I see a Best SFIC with keys for only $16 shipped - I jumped on it. I figured I needed a new challenge and had never actually picked a Best. Well, the lock came in the other day and after about 12 minutes I had it picked to the control line. I was extremely disappointed at how easy it was. I reset it and went at it again. This time I picked it open and it only took roughly 5-6 minutes. I put the lock down and went to check out some lockpick tool sites since I hadn't visited one in so long. Something caught my eye - a Peterson SFIC torque tool. So I started doing some research. Apparently many people have trouble with the same kind of 7 pin Best SFIC that I had just cursed at myself for buying for being too easy to pick. After reading post after post here about people going on about having trouble with the Best cores, I picked mine up and went at it again. Two hours - nothing. Three hours - nothing. OK, I must be getting burnt out, I thought to myself, and put the lock down to try the next day. The next day, I bust out the same Best and have at it. No luck! I must have been at that thing for four hours. My hands hurt from it... So I went for the ol' confidence booster and pulled out my trusty easy to pick Falcon core - NOTHING! I've been trying for the past four days to open either core and have had ZERO luck. This didn't make any sense to me at first - the Falcon never posed a problem for me, and the Best was easy as pie the first day I owned it. Then it hit me - Zen. No mind... I didn't realize that these locks were supposed to be hard to pick so I just picked them. It was the moment that self-doubt entered my mind that I became my own worst enemy.

Then I thought back to the dimple locks, Chicago double wafers, and all of the other locks that I've blown through when someone challenges me... I was always able to pick those locks within minutes of being challenged, but the second that my brain learns that there's supposed to be some degree of difficulty involved, I turn into Hammy McHamfists.

Has anyone else ever encountered this? I realize that I have the ability to pick these locks, but now there's some kind of mental block. Help! What do I do? Train my brain into thinking that I can pick anything again? I've lost my mojo and I want it back!!!!

[xylac]

I know the feeling-- some days I just over-think the entire thing, and end up getting stuck on the easiest of locks.

Sometimes it helps to just set the lock down for a night or two, and come back to it later. Other times, it really helps to think through the process step by step. Usually when I pick a lock, I don't have the state of every pin memorized; I just hop around until I find the binding pin and lift. This is faster, but on the days when I get stuck I wind up with overset pins and no idea what went wrong. By going back to the start and doing the entire process step by step I can catch whatever mistake was causing me to fail to open the lock. For example, I might think in my head, "Pin six is binding, lift it up, pin six is set. Pin five is not binding. Pin four is binding, ..." and so on.

After doing that I'm able to get back in the groove of things. It's like driving after having been in a near crash. You're on edge and you constantly check your mirrors, braking, acceleration, speedometer, turn signals, and so on, but after a while you regain the confidence that you're unlikely to get hit by another car. Before long, these skills are automatic once again and the years of training take over.

Let us know how it goes!

[billdeserthills]

As I understand the whole Zen thing, in this instance the lock must desire to be opened, before You will be allowed to pick it.
Apparently your locks aren't ready to be opened. I think some meditation and warm tea are in demand. I think you might substitute a light lubricating oil for the lock's tea tho

Here's what I do, let's say I'm at work and some one just locked themselves out of their house. I go ahead and get my tools and I'll be all busy thinkin' "There is No Way I can Pick This Lock Open" and
"I'm Gonna Look Like An Idiot of a Locksmith, Cause This Lock Will Never Pick" see, cause I have a very negative attitude. In fact, you could say that I'm Positively Negative. Anyhow then I'll get mad at myself so I'll try to tone it down a little, then I'll be thinking "there is no way i can pick this lock open" and "i'm gonna look like the lamest locksmith ever when this lock doesn't pick open", by this time, I have my tools and I'm by the lock. Whether it picks open or not is now immaterial, cause I will simply drill it open if I do fail to pick it.
Sorry, well now ya know why I'm not a coach...

[1mrchristopher]

There's only one thing that I can think to say in response to this, and it's something I have to tell myself fairly often:



I really do struggle with the same thing though, and I'm nowhere near the artist that Shaofutzer is. If I'm sitting at my table, or in my easy chair, and have the time, then I'll work and work, taking breaks, refocusing and reminding myself that every lock can be picked, but yeah, if it's cold and dark, I'm on my knees with an anxious homeowner looking over my shoulder, and I just can't manage it after a reasonable time, I may have to go for another method.

[Kheops]

Over the past few weeks and months I've been really busy and had little time to [sit down and relax]=pick locks. Now, very recently I started up again, right where I left off... I couldn't pick ANYTHING...
I was getting pretty frustrated and I was having a very hard time picking even the cheapest locks.

Yesterday, I decided to start back exactly where I started, the first lock I picked, the first technique I used. Defiant deadbolt with a small half-diamond. Picked it in a few seconds. Something clicked in my mind and within a short time (minutes) I was picking an ASSA oval cylinder I was picking last winter.

I think going back to my "roots", to the very easiest and simplest picking I had done 'reset' my ideas regarding picking. I had become arrogant and was relying solely on hooks and a TOK tension (seemed to be the combination that worked best for higher end locks).

The feeling I got with my half diamond and a BOK tension brought me back. It got me thinking that there is a big difference in the feel of a binding pin with a diamond versus a hook. The hook being pried acts like a lever, deadening the feedback. After having easily felt the binding pins, and easily picked my defiant dead bolt my confidence went way back up, and now I'm back to picking all sorts of locks again... still finding some tough though, others easy...

[BrianSimons]

It's just about the mood. I have had the same issue several times. We never can focus 100% when we have our problems. I guess sometimes we just have to do our jobs so good both parts, home and work and forget any other problems.