Playing well when you don't care

P

poolmaster

Devilish
Silver Member
Did you ever notice that you can play so much better when you actually
don't care if you win or lose. A lot of people say, you have to care if you
want to win. But maybe we start to care too much and it effects our
performance.

How many times did you play and wanted nothing else but to win and end
up playing terrible. The other time you enter a tournament and don't give
a crap and end up winning. This happened to me many times which makes
me wonder.

I think that we concentrate too much on money and winning and this
makes us forget how to play and really enjoy this sport.:)
 
poolmaster said:
Did you ever notice that you can play so much better when you actually
don't care if you win or lose. A lot of people say, you have to care if you
want to win. But maybe we start to care too much and it effects our
performance.

How many times did you play and wanted nothing else but to win and end
up playing terrible. The other time you enter a tournament and don't give
a crap and end up winning. This happened to me many times which makes
me wonder.

I think that we concentrate too much on money and winning and this
makes us forget how to play and really enjoy this sport.:)
Click to expand...

I guess. But if you don't care enough you will not win.

When I am playing alone I can not seem to run as many balls as I can when I am playing someone that is decent. I guess I am not trying as much. I dunno. Maybe I should just start playing the Ghost that might help me out a little.
 
James2003 said:
I guess. But if you don't care enough you will not win.

When I am playing alone I can not seem to run as many balls as I can when I am playing someone that is decent. I guess I am not trying as much. I dunno. Maybe I should just start playing the Ghost that might help me out a little.
Click to expand...
You misunderstood me, I think. You have to care about the game but not so much
about the win. If you concentrate only on your game, the win and money will follow.
 
James2003 said:
I guess. But if you don't care enough you will not win.

When I am playing alone I can not seem to run as many balls as I can when I am playing someone that is decent. I guess I am not trying as much. I dunno. Maybe I should just start playing the Ghost that might help me out a little.
Click to expand...

This is why I play the ghost everytime I practice.If you get into it like your suppose to, you actually start thinking that your playing against somebody that never misses.It works for me.
 
poolmaster said:
Did you ever notice that you can play so much better when you actually
don't care if you win or lose. A lot of people say, you have to care if you
want to win. But maybe we start to care too much and it effects our
performance.

How many times did you play and wanted nothing else but to win and end
up playing terrible. The other time you enter a tournament and don't give
a crap and end up winning. This happened to me many times which makes
me wonder.

I think that we concentrate too much on money and winning and this
makes us forget how to play and really enjoy this sport.:)
Click to expand...
A perfect example, when you're in the zone, you don't think about winning,loseing,money
or anything else. All you want to do is pocket the balls and every time you do, you get
a personal satisfaction.

When you care too much about winning and money, playing pool starts to look like a job.
We don't want that, do we?
 
pfduser said:
This is why I play the ghost everytime I practice.If you get into it like your suppose to, you actually start thinking that your playing against somebody that never misses.It works for me.
Click to expand...

I will start doing that and see how it goes. I am sure I would be able to get my mind in it more if I done that.
 
with me ... it is if i go to play and i am upset or pissed about something from the day ... i normally shoot 10x better then if i was happy ...

like tonight ... had to deal with a hornets nest that the mother-in-law decided to stir up ... so went and had a drink and shot a few racks... for the first time since i started playing again i broke, and made in every shot on 2 racks in a row ... i normally only make in 2 to 4 in a row max and have long dry spells between those....
 
poolmaster said:
Did you ever notice that you can play so much better when you actually
don't care if you win or lose. A lot of people say, you have to care if you
want to win. But maybe we start to care too much and it effects our
performance.

How many times did you play and wanted nothing else but to win and end
up playing terrible. The other time you enter a tournament and don't give
a crap and end up winning. This happened to me many times which makes
me wonder.

I think that we concentrate too much on money and winning and this
makes us forget how to play and really enjoy this sport.:)
Click to expand...

You are correct. This is called the 'power of focus'. How many of us apply the lack of focus that exists in pool to other areas of our life? It happens the same way in any event.

When you are focused on the right things, everything flows in perfect harmony. Balance and peace of mind exist when you are in your most natural state, and you are in the moment, not the past or future.

Thinking about the outcome or thinking about whether you will win or lose is thinking about the future which means you are thinking about the wrong thing when you're down on a shot. When you're at the table, rely on your basics and knowledge and just simply play the table, not the opponent or anything else.

This is why in golf, when you hit it over a pond, and all you think about is the pond, that's where the ball goes.

In fighting, the same principles are applied. If you are afraid of your opponent, you can never attack with confidence because you are overcome with fear. If you overcome your fear, you will become filled with fighting spirit which will give you the power to defeat your opponent.

Your success lies in the truths you seek in yourself. It is actually not about you vs. an opponent, it is about overcoming the obstacles that strangle your true potential.
 
SK Custom Cues said:
You are correct. This is called the 'power of focus'. How many of us apply the lack of focus that exists in pool to other areas of our life? It happens the same way in any event.

When you are focused on the right things, everything flows in perfect harmony. Balance and peace of mind exist when you are in your most natural state, and you are in the moment, not the past or future.

Thinking about the outcome or thinking about whether you will win or lose is thinking about the future which means you are thinking about the wrong thing when you're down on a shot. When you're at the table, rely on your basics and knowledge and just simply play the table, not the opponent or anything else.

This is why in golf, when you hit it over a pond, and all you think about is the pond, that's where the ball goes.

In fighting, the same principles are applied. If you are afraid of your opponent, you can never attack with confidence because you are overcome with fear. If you overcome your fear, you will become filled with fighting spirit which will give you the power to defeat your opponent.

Your success lies in the truths you seek in yourself. It is actually not about you vs. an opponent, it is about overcoming the obstacles that strangle your true potential.
Click to expand...
You said it better than my original thread. Thank you and thumbs up.
 
poolmaster said:
Did you ever notice that you can play so much better when you actually
don't care if you win or lose. A lot of people say, you have to care if you
want to win. But maybe we start to care too much and it effects our
performance.

How many times did you play and wanted nothing else but to win and end
up playing terrible. The other time you enter a tournament and don't give
a crap and end up winning. This happened to me many times which makes
me wonder.

I think that we concentrate too much on money and winning and this
makes us forget how to play and really enjoy this sport.:)
Click to expand...

I dont know if I buy into that kinda thinking. I respect your opinion though. In my opinion trying is the only way. You try your best to execute the shot the way they need to be executed and winning takes care of itself. If your playing bad and still trying maybe your game needs some work.
 
Can't stand playing a hacker, unless they are actually trying to better themself. Just won't do it. It kills me. I'd rather give up the odd balls and first shot than play someone who doesn't give a shiite and can't make three in a row.
 
poolmaster said:
Did you ever notice that you can play so much better when you actually don't care if you win or lose. A lot of people say, you have to care if you want to win. But maybe we start to care too much and it effects our performance.
Click to expand...

Nope... quite the opposite for me. Has to mean something for me to be able to concentrate at a higher level. Even if it is only $5 on race to 5,7, or even 9.... something has to be on the line for me to care... otherwise I try silly stuff that I wouldn't attempt normally.
 
I was watching an accustats video with Danny DiLiberto commenting and he called it something like "give up stroke" and said a player can be dangerous when he gets in that mode because he gets loose.
 
poolmaster said:
How many times did you play and wanted nothing else but to win and end up playing terrible. ...

I think that we concentrate too much on money and winning and this
makes us forget how to play and really enjoy this sport.:)
Click to expand...

I can go either way with this:

It's bad when I think about winning outside of the context of the game I'm playing. For example, if I'm thinking about my own league stats and what a win/loss would mean for me versus concentrating just on playing the game at hand (and forgetting about all the other irrelevant crap going on in my brain).

On the other hand, if I'm practicing with a friend or in a situation in league/tournament play and I don't care about winning, I don't play my best no matter how loose I'm playing. I'm a pressure player. I feed off the boost of adrenaline I get from a pressure situation and play my best as a result. It's the quickest way that I know of to block out all the distractions and forget about the rest of the world. No better feeling than being in a pressure situation, starting your run, getting into the zone and then wind up shooting the money ball in (and then realizing after the game is over that you were not conciously aware of all the balls you have just pocketed -- as if it was all just a dream and you were outside your body watching yourself play).
 
alstl said:
I was watching an accustats video with Danny DiLiberto commenting and he called it something like "give up stroke" and said a player can be dangerous when he gets in that mode because he gets loose.
Click to expand...

Exactly. They call it "loser stroke" (thinks he is going to lose) or "give up stroke" (same). Usually happens when a player is down 7-2, 8-1 etc. Player expects to lose, relaxes, and plays well.

Suddenly the player fights back to 7-6, realizes they have a legitimate chance to win, and tenses up again :grin:
 
When you practice by yourself, you don't think about losing or missing a
ball because it doesn't matter and guess what, you don't miss. You jump
into a competition and all of the sudden you start to pay so much
attention to not missing a ball because now it matters.

My thing is that you should concentrate more on the game itself than
anything else. How many times you watch your opponent and you hope
that he misses so you can win. How about eliminating this thought
altogether and stop worrying about your opponent, just play your game.
 
How many times did your opponent gets a lucky roll and end up winning
a game or even a set. What happens then? Yes, you get angry don't you?
And what happens when you get angry, your game starts to go down.
To make a long story short, we have to learn how to block all of these
additional thoughts and feelings and just play. By the way, it's easier said
that done, trust me I know.
 
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