I SUFFER from Performance Anxiety

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8up

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Pfizer needs a new mix of chemicals Viagra won't help my problem. I shoot good at home and good before league starts. Then league starts and I have problems running more than 2 balls at a time. I miss shots I make 90% of the time when not playing in league. I blow position by miles and miss some shots by 8". The game before league I broke and ran at 8-ball. League starts and all shots become shaky. I find a way to lose if I even get close to winning. This just makes my anxiety worse and it snow balls.

After my break & run before league started. I find out they have we may not even have enough players showing up and OH we are not playing there but away. This was after I ordered my 1 beer (my limit) tipped the waitress and stuck $2 in the jukebox.

While this may seem like nothing to some people it was enough to start the anxiety problems for the night. Part of the reason I joined a league was try to get over my anxiety around people. Next week I might resort to using Xanax before league. If that doesn't work I will have to go back to the basement until break and run is the norm

ok my tale of a serious problem or a pity party is over.

Ron
 
Relaxing and playing your game is like taking your first step. There are usually a lot of stumbles until you find out how to stay on your feet. The worst thing you have going for you is your building yourself up for failure before you begin playing. It's a tremendous obsticle to overcome. But it's not impossible.

The first thing you have to realize is: The game doesn't change between the time you stop practicing and you start playing a competitive game. The only thing that changes is now it means something. You have to keep the same mindset you have playing as the one you had warming up. Easier said than done.

Stop putting so much pressure on yourself. If you feel nervous, take some deep breathes. Don't loose your cool if you blow a shot. Get rid of your inhabitions. Relax, have fun, and in do time you should be able to get past the stage your at right now.
 
Hey Ron

I would suggest instead of practicing at home alone, meet another teammate out for practice, and make it interesting.

Play cheap, or just play for something fun, like a coke, or table time, whatever. Something to simulate a bit of the pressure you're feeling during league time.

It also sounds to me like you're putting a bit too much pressure on yourself. Try not to feel like you're being judged or evaluated by everyone around you. Take your time, walk around and don't hurry your shots. Practice your breathing and make up your mind of exactly what you want to shoot, and how you want to shoot your shot, before you go down, and then of course, stay down on your shot. You probably know all of this already and execute it at home, but make sure you're also doing it during league play.

You're not always going to make every shot, nor win every game. And in reality, it's not you against your opponent, it's you against how the balls are laying on the table. Try to remind yourself of that. You obviously enjoy playing this game. Hold off on the xanax, sounds like you've got the passion for playing and the knowledge to recognize some obstacles you will no doubt overcome in a short while. Good luck and stick with it. :thumbup:

Kevin
 
tom mcgonagle said:
Relaxing and playing your game is like taking your first step. There are usually a lot of stumbles until you find out how to stay on your feet. The worst thing you have going for you is your building yourself up for failure before you begin playing. It's a tremendous obsticle to overcome. But it's not impossible.

The first thing you have to realize is: The game doesn't change between the time you stop practicing and you start playing a competitive game. The only thing that changes is now it means something. You have to keep the same mindset you have playing as the one you had warming up. Easier said than done.

Stop putting so much pressure on yourself. If you feel nervous, take some deep breathes. Don't loose your cool if you blow a shot. Get rid of your inhabitions. Relax, have fun, and in do time you should be able to get past the stage your at right now.
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Agree with Kobachi ,get out and play more around people , obvious your self conscious about the way you are perceived. Play mind games with yourself.


The only way agoraphobics conquer their problem is to get out of the house and ride out the panic and gain confidence. Drink 3 or 4 beers and get a give a s*&t attitude.


And go to different places , don't just get comfortable at one . Watching the streams i notice that some people start shooting faster that you know are better players and they make mistakes because they think the whole world is watching or that they have a booger hanging in their mustache or that their butt looks big.
 
Kobachi said:
I would suggest instead of practicing at home alone, meet another teammate out for practice, and make it interesting.

Play cheap, or just play for something fun, like a coke, or table time, whatever. Something to simulate a bit of the pressure you're feeling during league time.

It also sounds to me like you're putting a bit too much pressure on yourself. Try not to feel like you're being judged or evaluated by everyone around you. Take your time, walk around and don't hurry your shots. Practice your breathing and make up your mind of exactly what you want to shoot, and how you want to shoot your shot, before you go down, and then of course, stay down on your shot. You probably know all of this already and execute it at home, but make sure you're also doing it during league play.

You're not always going to make every shot, nor win every game. And in reality, it's not you against your opponent, it's you against how the balls are laying on the table. Try to remind yourself of that. You obviously enjoy playing this game. Hold off on the xanax, sounds like you've got the passion for playing and the knowledge to recognize some obstacles you will no doubt overcome in a short while. Good luck and stick with it. :thumbup:

Kevin
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A lot of wisdom there, Kevin. That was very well said, and you basically summed up everything I had in mind and more.

To the OP, I agree that you shouldn't start taking anti-anxiety drugs just yet. All that is going to do is force you to play in a state of mind you're not used to playing in. Nerves are good for you, they tell you that you want to win. Just remember, when it's all said and done, it's just a game. No one is going to think less of you as a person if you miss a ball, miss position, or lose a game. When you walk out of that pool hall, none of it even matters by the time you get to your car. I constantly remind myself of that. I always keep it in perspective.
 
Think negative. Go in there like you assume you're going to suck and lose. Ok, maybe that's bad advice but I swear I use a form of it and it worked great for me. Basically go in with no positive expectations, and don't sweat it if you don't do well. I keep relaxed thinking this way and perform well in league. I'm usually designated to go first and I don't really warm up beforehand.

Of course some will correctly point out that often when we imagine something going wrong, we somehow make it happen. That may be true. So this may not work for you. But if you can at least fake not caring, it might help.
 
there is no shame in missing a ball, any ball can be missed by any person at any time. I have seen the best players in the world miss balls that they should make 1,000,000 times in a row.

i have tried the xanax routein before i have played and i missed more balls and couldnt focus as well. the best drug in no drug. I have used Ativan and thats a lot better than xanax, if you do decide to take a drug use a 1mg ativan cut in half so .5mg and NO alchol with it, that does take the edge off.


I have done that a few times but never 2 days in a row, The reason is I remember what the .5mg felt like and then tested myself to do it natural and it works for me. So what Im saying is do it once remember that it helped you and then next time let your own brain help you.


I have been in alot of big action lately(past month) and could jump up and play for $5000 set right now because i'm in that frame of mind, now if I dont get into any action for the next 6 months-I cant jump up and bet that much right out of the gate, so I would take .5mg of ativan the first night get in action and leave the drugs alone. Less is better, none is best.


also remember one ball at a time, dont put any pressure on yourself-i know its hard not to, but have you seen Efren do anything more than one ball at a time??? OK maybe he has made 2 at once a few times but he just flows along like a wide deep river that never stops
 
you run balls at home because you are comfortable..

so learn how to get comfortable..

pretty much same sized balls on flat table..

the only difference is YOU

figure out WHY you are different ........the tables are all pretty much the same...

when you learn that answer .. you have figured out YOUR secret to pool


have a nice day:thumbup:
 
softshot said:
you run balls at home because you are comfortable..

so learn how to get comfortable..

pretty much same sized balls on flat table..

the only difference is YOU

figure out WHY you are different ........the tables are all pretty much the same...

when you learn that answer .. you have figured out YOUR secret to pool


have a nice day:thumbup:
Click to expand...


I would have to agree with this. I just subbed for a friends team tonight and it didn't go very well. It was my second time playing competitively in almost 20 years and my nerves got the best of me. Last weekend I played in a tournament and it was a similar situation but somehow I squeaked in to third place.

I'm going to continue doing it and hopefully learn something (and get more comfortable) every time.

Hang in there.
 
Each of these responses are right, and each can be wrong. The thing is to see what works for you, as we are all so very different in what affects us. The general thought behind all of these suggestions is most certainly correct, in that you have to find a way to relax a little. The question is "how", and unfortunately, only you will be able to answer that. Try any and all of these suggestions, and be patient, because it isn't gonna change overnight. And when you find something that seems to work, don't be surprised if you revert back every once in a while, because that's likely to happen, too.

I like to use the "one ball at a time" method. Look at the table, see where you want to end up, and then focus on nothing else but that shot. Easier said than done, for sure. But that not only gives you focus for your anxiety, it helps your game as well. At least that seems to help me somewhat.

I've been known to have a couple of beers on league night as well, but that is definetely a case by case basis because too much will affect you the wrong way, and all of us metabolize alcohol differently. Having to take and/or drink something in order to play is something to avoid if possible. What if you end up playing a tournament that starts at 9AM? You gonna pop a brew then? (I have been known to, back in the day.... certainly not these days tho :grin:

I also like the suggestion of playing for "something" even when not on your league night, even if it's drinks, or paying for the games, or something. Bragging rights, even. Where we play, winner stays at the table. I don't want to sit down, so there is the incentive to win, the competiton factor. Gives you something to be invested in, and will give you practice at managing those feelings without really losing anything importanat along the way.

And the old standard, "it's supposed to be fun" applies. Try to make it fun. Take it seriously during your match, but if you can find a way to smile and laugh a little, that can help too. I try to do that when my opponent is shooting, with someone not playing, even if just a little, just to remember why we are there. When I get to my shot tho, the focus has to be on the table.

Good luck. It affects us all in one way or another, you have plenty of company with this issue.
 
Yeah, I do it to. I'll sometimes miss a relatively easy shot because the risk is higher than the reward which in turn has raised the anxiety level. Performing in front of your peers on league night may certainly cause some anxiety.
As far as the Viagra is concerned, I only use it to keep from rolling out of bed at night. :D
 
I've found in my many years of playing that it really boils down to confidence or lack there of.. When I am playing well, it's usually because I am confident in my game and I feel well. It may be just me but when I have confidence, I don't sweat it.

I also have found that realizing that it's just a game, there is nothing earth shattering that is going to happen whether I win or lose.. I try my hardest but realize that sometimes the balls will roll in your favor, other times you can be playing lights out and get zero rolls, that's pool. Don't sweat the small stuff.

Running out in your basement is very different than doing so in competetion for most people. It's all about your state of mind IMHO!

I got to play Efren Reyes and Rodney Morris both at this years DCC and was relaxed as I could be during both matches. I had a blast, put no pressure on myself and it let me play at a very respectable level. I was not concerned with the end result, just focused on the table at hand.. It worked out just fine for me too.

It took me 20+ years of figuring it out to learn how to play without really pressuring myself and it has really helped me win a lot more and have a lot more fun. Don't give up and I'd say if you have to use chemicals to calm you down to play, you're definitely taking this way to seriously. Don't think the long term effects are worth it by any stretch... YMMV
 
I, too, have had serious problems performing well during a league match - sometimes immediately following a series of great games with teammates to warm up. I recognized that I was having anxiety related issues, getting overly excited, letting the adrenaline take over, etc.

I think I finally have it figured out thanks to a group of article I found last week. Check out this entry:
The Science of Choking
 
When you’re in you’re league matches there’s a voice in the background telling you to fear this, don’t do that, if you lose this game or you better not miss this.
Catch that voice ONE TIME, tell it to Shut The Hell Up (being nice there)
replace that voice with what you want. I want to make this ball with feel and confidence, see and feel what you want and then go for it.
You will fail sometimes but you will also succeed sometimes, when you fail it will have probably been a mental mistake, you must acknowledge it, accept it and promise to do better next time. If you keep at this process your successes and confidence will increase and the doubting voice in the background will decrease.
We all have the same problems to some degree, you may become super strong once you turn this situation around.
 
People seem to put more pressure on themselves when shooting 4 a team rather than 4 themselves,you can do what I do and freewheel in the league,I dont take league play to serious its usually just 1 game per opponent and anything can happen in 1 game so dont worry about it
 
Just last night I missed a long, but fairly straight 8-ball in an end of the year teams tournament. So trust me, nerves can get the best of anyone.

We ended the match tied, and I got chosen by my team to play one final tie-breaker game for all the marbles. (Not for first place, but just to win the match and move on).

My opponent won the flip, broke dry....and I proceeded to run the table down to the 8-ball, doing a great job if I don't say so myself. I normally don't get nervous, but because this was the last game of the night, everyone there was watching my game (~30 people, including the team that would have to play us next if we won).

I wasn't too nervous until the ball just before the 8-ball, so I didn't do anything too fancy and left myself a long but routine shot. I made a big mistake and started to think about the speed, whether to hit the cueball high or low, while I was down on the shot.

Before I got down on the shot, I was going to hit the shot medium speed with a low cueball -- but just before I pulled the trigger, I decided to ease up on the speed to avoid any possibility of scratching, which lead to a half-stroke, twisting of the wrist, and a miss. Yikes!

The look on my teammates faces was really something. Boy were they mad.

(On a side note....my opponent decided to go for a side pocket cut shot to start out....and he MISSED...and left me straight on the 8-ball, about 1 foot away...so we won anyways.)

It was a very odd thing to actually win on such a down-note for me personally....but we'll take it! (Hopefully that 8-ball miss doeesn't linger with me in the future....but definitely it's a miss that I will never forget).
 
Get_A_Grip said:
Just last night I missed a long, but fairly straight 8-ball in an end of the year teams tournament. So trust me, nerves can get the best of anyone.

We ended the match tied, and I got chosen by my team to play one final tie-breaker game for all the marbles. (Not for first place, but just to win the match and move on).

My opponent won the flip, broke dry....and I proceeded to run the table down to the 8-ball, doing a great job if I don't say so myself. I normally don't get nervous, but because this was the last game of the night, everyone there was watching my game (~30 people, including the team that would have to play us next if we won).

I wasn't too nervous until the ball just before the 8-ball, so I didn't do anything too fancy and left myself a long but routine shot. I made a big mistake and started to think about the speed, whether to hit the cueball high or low, while I was down on the shot.

Before I got down on the shot, I was going to hit the shot medium speed with a low cueball -- but just before I pulled the trigger, I decided to ease up on the speed to avoid any possibility of scratching, which lead to a half-stroke, twisting of the wrist, and a miss. Yikes!

The look on my teammates faces was really something. Boy were they mad.

(On a side note....my opponent decided to go for a side pocket cut shot to start out....and he MISSED...and left me straight on the 8-ball, about 1 foot away...so we won anyways.)

It was a very odd thing to actually win on such a down-note for me personally....but we'll take it! (Hopefully that 8-ball miss doeesn't linger with me in the future....but definitely it's a miss that I will never forget).
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what about the guy who started out with an open table and shoots it in the rail and leaves his opponent str8 in on the 8 when he could have done anything but that,its got to suck 4 him ,he might quit or get FIRED lol I wouldnt sweat it
 
peteypooldude said:
what about the guy who started out with an open table and shoots it in the rail and leaves his opponent str8 in on the 8 when he could have done anything but that,its got to suck 4 him ,he might quit or get FIRED lol I wouldnt sweat it
Click to expand...

Yeah, I definitely think that the guy that missed his first shot after my 8-ball miss and lost the match for his team ended-up in a worse situation.

And get this....our team voted right away to have me play the final tie-breaker game....but the other team took like 10 minutes deciding. Their player that just finished with the last regular game told me that he wanted to be the one to play and told me that he would be really mad if he didn't get to play the tie-breaker.

Well...that guy got overruled by his team, and they chose their player with the highest league average to play. So their "best player" is the one that lost the match for them.

Although, I did have to face about 4-5 guys coming up to me telling me that I missed the easiest shot of the entire run....but I really wasn't too upset about it actually.... I'm sure that won't be the last "routine" 8-ball that I ever miss...
 
I believe that performance anxiety is introduced when we take ourselves out of the present and start worrying about the what if. "If I miss that my opponent is out, if I don't get shape on this I'm hosed, if I lose my teammates will never speak to me again," etc.

I say we because everyone has experienced it at some point, in some game or competition.

I've found the fastest way for me to over come it is to focus solely on the stroke, making the best possible stroke I can for the individual shot. Once I'm down on the shot, I envision the stroke in my mind's eye, how hard I'm going to hit the shot, where my eyes are going to be at the point of contact, everything. Then I pull the trigger and attempt to make the perfect stroke. I congratulate myself for doing it no matter what happens to the shot. Once I've done it a few times, it begins to be easier and I keep making balls. I'm back in the present again and playing like I'm supposed to.

The cure is to retrain your brain to only focus on the act and not the result. Sorry I don't have any drills for you but the place to do it is in practice at home and before the match. Once it's a habit, you'll be able to call it up whenever you need to.

Good luck!

Brian in VA
 
Learn to be in the moment.

Be mindful of your triggers, and learn how to cope with them.

Play for cash; against players better than yourself. (ask for a spot)

Practice with purpose.

Be in good physical shape.

Learn how to meditate.
 
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