When you are playing a big money or tournament match, and you have your complete 'dog stroke' out, do you have a method of coping with this? When I get like this, I feel that if I can just get past the first match, I'll catch a gear later on. But no matter what I tell myself, when I am in this mode I usually can't seem to snap out of it. I thought it would be interesting to hear what you all do when you are playing horribly in a very important match.
What Do You Do When You're Broken Down?
- Thread starter cuetechasaurus
- Start date
Get 2 shots of crown royal and you will be good to go
Just believe! Just believe in yourself. Back off from the table a few moments before taking the shot and try to see the balls and their relation to one another and the pockets.
And oh! I never think about tours as tours. I treat them as everyday practice sessions. It really helps. And I kid you not!
.
And oh! I never think about tours as tours. I treat them as everyday practice sessions. It really helps. And I kid you not!
.
I have always been good at not giving up...
So, even when I am letting my inner dog run free from its leash, I am fighting to the last ball...
I tell people that it is easy for any player to win matches when they are in dead punch, but how many matches do you win when you are dogging your brains out?
You'll usually need to win one to win a tournament.
Try not to let your confidence erode when you are playing bad even though all of the visual feedback you are receiving points to a "bad day."
I think you learn a ton about a player by watching how hard they fight uphill, not by how carefee they can play when no obstructions stand in their way, mental or otherwise.
All you can ask of yourself is to win your fair share of matches that you aren't supposed to.
So, even when I am letting my inner dog run free from its leash, I am fighting to the last ball...
I tell people that it is easy for any player to win matches when they are in dead punch, but how many matches do you win when you are dogging your brains out?
You'll usually need to win one to win a tournament.
Try not to let your confidence erode when you are playing bad even though all of the visual feedback you are receiving points to a "bad day."
I think you learn a ton about a player by watching how hard they fight uphill, not by how carefee they can play when no obstructions stand in their way, mental or otherwise.
All you can ask of yourself is to win your fair share of matches that you aren't supposed to.
when I'm not performing like I want to or should I'm able to quickly realize it. At this point I will mentally shift gears and stop trying to run out if its not within my ability right at the moment. I know I can but I'm not doing it so I realize if I want any chance of winning I have to play differently. Sometimes no matter how hard you fight you just can't bring your best game. But in order to stay in the game you must play smarter. Start playing safes stop trying to run out every time you get to the table. Try and turn the momentum of the match back towards you. Try and run out when the table lay is much easier, this will help build your confidence. By playing smarter you will still feel like you are in control of whats happening at the table. You must have a one shot at a time focus here. Don't worry about anything (score, looking bad, etc..) other than the shot at hand. You might be surprised at how many times you can win even when your are off your game. In a nutshell If you're only able to run 4 or 5 balls then don't try and run more. Play within your capabilities at the time. Sometimes the answer is to not try harder! Let it happen and play smart....Good Luck........Hope this made sense a little...Dave
cuetechasaurus said:
It is an old school train of thought, but if your gambling, raise the bet! Doesn't always work, but if anything is going to get your attention and shake things up, this will.
I was playing one of the action guys in Los Angeles years ago some $50 a game 9 ball and stuck around 10 games. Everything was going his way - 9's on the break, safties when he missed, you know how it goes. I borrowed some money and raised the bet to $100 a game and it was like someone threw a switch and everything changed in my favor. I went from $500 stuck to over a thousand winner in a couple of hours.
I'm sure there were times when it didn't work, but I can't remember any of those LOL. John Henderson
clean up and change up
BPG24's advice is excellent. Take a break, wash your face and hands in cold water, clean your cue stick, mentally and physically start over.
The other thing I do is make a change. If I am shooting mainly with my old school closed bridge I'll try open bridge or vice-versa. Sometimes an extremely tight bridge that I really have to force the stick through. Sometimes I shoot very softly for awhile. Whatever it takes to make me regroup and refocus.
Most important, one shot at a time! You got in this mess one shot at a time, you can get out of it the same way. Forget the match, forget the game, play this shot and this shape although you do have to have an idea of the general runout you are playing for. Don't try to force things, relax and let them happen.
Hu
BPG24's advice is excellent. Take a break, wash your face and hands in cold water, clean your cue stick, mentally and physically start over.
The other thing I do is make a change. If I am shooting mainly with my old school closed bridge I'll try open bridge or vice-versa. Sometimes an extremely tight bridge that I really have to force the stick through. Sometimes I shoot very softly for awhile. Whatever it takes to make me regroup and refocus.
Most important, one shot at a time! You got in this mess one shot at a time, you can get out of it the same way. Forget the match, forget the game, play this shot and this shape although you do have to have an idea of the general runout you are playing for. Don't try to force things, relax and let them happen.
Hu
Train of thought!
I usually don't warm up before a tournament, unless it is a big one
(64 or more). I usually just work on my mind most of all and relax.
It doesn't matter if I warmup or not, the first match is always the hardest for me. I always like to start out easy, and build up some, but the 'draw' doesn't always go along with my train of thought, and many times I struggle to get through the first match.
Plus you have the '2 and out' thought in your mind, you know, when you're down 5-3 going to 7. I can 'bear down' during the middle and and the end of a match, but bearing down out of the gate in the 1st match is not something I usually do, plus I usually socialize some before the tournament with friends, so I am not completely switched over to 'playing mode'.
Once I am focused on the match, I usually watch the table intently, mostly oblivious to anything else going on though. I am constantly evaluating the layout, and given my opponent's skill, making an educated guess where he will miss shape or miss a shot or breakout, and usually, I am right. Sometimes they surprise me, and don't even make it to the ball I think they will miss on ... lol
I have a tendency to think that I won't have to bear down until at least the 3rd round, which sometimes bites me in the butt.
I usually don't warm up before a tournament, unless it is a big one
(64 or more). I usually just work on my mind most of all and relax.
It doesn't matter if I warmup or not, the first match is always the hardest for me. I always like to start out easy, and build up some, but the 'draw' doesn't always go along with my train of thought, and many times I struggle to get through the first match.
Plus you have the '2 and out' thought in your mind, you know, when you're down 5-3 going to 7. I can 'bear down' during the middle and and the end of a match, but bearing down out of the gate in the 1st match is not something I usually do, plus I usually socialize some before the tournament with friends, so I am not completely switched over to 'playing mode'.
Once I am focused on the match, I usually watch the table intently, mostly oblivious to anything else going on though. I am constantly evaluating the layout, and given my opponent's skill, making an educated guess where he will miss shape or miss a shot or breakout, and usually, I am right. Sometimes they surprise me, and don't even make it to the ball I think they will miss on ... lol
I have a tendency to think that I won't have to bear down until at least the 3rd round, which sometimes bites me in the butt.
crav'in action
Registered
Become very diliberate. Slow down your stroke and shorten it. Intensify your focus on the spot on the object ball that you are shooting. If you've ever noticed, when you are playing good, you're aiming spot on the object ball is the size of a BB but when you are Dogg'in it, it's more like the size of a dime.
Shrink that spot down and really focus on it and the balls will hit the center of the pockets.
Shrink that spot down and really focus on it and the balls will hit the center of the pockets.
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cuetechasaurus said:
Many times we recognize we are not on our "A" game and the spiral down begins. Fifteen years ago it happened to me at a State tournament and that was the worst I have ever played. I didn't trust myself at all. I vowed it would never happen again and I would find out the reason why it did.
It all starts with a mistake. A missed shot, safety, or position and the conscious mind goes into correction mode. What did I do wrong? Most of the time we know the answer and the game continues. Then, we miss again and the opponent even gets some rolls. We miss again and the conscious mind instantly start judging our game as inferior. We stop taking chances we normally would because the outcome could really start an avalanche. At this point you are out of your normal game. The bad part is it can get worse, so you must stop it as soon as you recognize it.
(BPG24 alludes to this in separating yourself from the action.)
When we judge we have a tendency to view the results as positive or negative. Pointing the finger at yourself or patting your back, is a bad habit in that you allow yourself to judge your game 24/7 with a negative/positive emotion. Judging should be done in a different manner entirely. When you judge results do it as if you were doing it for a friend. You are merely marking down the result for future reference. All ones and zeros so to speak. Letting human emotion into being a judge is an immediate bias against you. In other words you are from the get go playing with a glass half empty already.
How can you get back in stroke? First you cannot condemn your game over irregular occurrences. Don't beat yourself up. (Believe me I am very critical with myself about my game.) Don't believe that your game has turned inferior because the truth is only your mindset is changed. Whatever self talk works for you use it. Ask yourself honest questions why the situation is occurring and give yourself honest answers for the remedy. You'll find in a majority of instances you are making a mountain out of a mole hill to begin with. But you must pinpoint the underlying reasons it all started. (Go wash your face and hands.)
Some people just don't know why and cannot answer their own questions. They have found certain keys to turn that mindset around. John Henderson pointed out increasing the bet works. Motivation works wonders indeed. Find your motivation. Motivation emotionally engages you to the task at hand. Just like finally finding a gear instead of neutral. In short games and races we find out that we start to turn it around just a little to late. Thats because even when we find the key, the results are not immediate. It takes a little bit to get up to speed much like fine tuning a carburetor, emotion must be set right and you must wait for the result.
Snapshot has it right in that he prepares himself mentally before the tournament begins. Ralf Souquet is very well known for this and is considered the best mental player in the game. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure...
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I agree
I agree. It takes heart to stay in the battle when you are out of stroke. Too, you can cut your losses and bail when you are gambling but when you fall out of stroke in a tournament you need to know what to try to either get back in stroke or survive long enough to cash anyway. That means you have to have been there before.
Hu
renard said:
I agree. It takes heart to stay in the battle when you are out of stroke. Too, you can cut your losses and bail when you are gambling but when you fall out of stroke in a tournament you need to know what to try to either get back in stroke or survive long enough to cash anyway. That means you have to have been there before.
Hu
Just think to yourself how much it will suck to lose and use that as your motivation to win. Another thought is to bring your game back to the basics...perhaps lay off over-spinning the cueball and use more center ball or overexaggerate staying down on the shot until you find your stroke again.
renard said:
You need to write a book sir. Great stuff always!