I was spotted 4 games in a race to 12 playing 9 ball tonight. Won 5 straight games to be up 9 to in a race to twelve. Then i lost 12 straight games to lose the twenty doalar set. I was playing good until i thought i had it in the bag. how to i prevent these huge failures? went from draining everthing to playing like A LITTLE GIRL. INCONSISTENCY sucks.Need to work on my mental focus. iwanted to share because i figure some would find it funny that i lost 12 in a row, hah
Too legit to quit
- Thread starter obclassicut
- Start date
Hang in there and keep playing hard is about all you can do. I played the 9ball ghost today(9' Diamond Pro) and won the 1st game.Then I proceeded to make several position errors and threw in a hand full of misses and lost 7 games in a row. Ghost wins 7 to 1. I got fired up and decided that I'd play the 10ball ghost instead of the 9ball ghost. I was determined and won the 1st 6 games. The ghost won game 7 to make it 6 to 1. I got out the next game to win 7 to 1. How can you lose to the 9ball ghost 7 to 1 and then turn right around and beat the 10ball ghost 7 to 1? Maximum effort and maximum focus, that's how.I'm not bragging, I just wanted to show the ghost who was the boss. I guess my point is just hang in there,focus,and keep trying hard and these things will turn around for you. We all know that pool is a brutal game sometimes,but other times things can go your way if you stay positive and don't let it get you down.
Sometimes when you come out of the gate strong, a normal 'lull' feels more significant than it really is. The other guy fires back, maybe keeps control of the table for a few racks...
he's not doing anything special but you might feel mentally like "UH OH THE TIDES HAVE TURNED" and now momentum is against you.
For me it helps to just think of it as the rolls evening out. If the other guy can play at all he's supposed to win a few, you aren't supposed to just run over him 12-0. So him getting back 3 or 4 in a row is completely normal and expected. It doesn't mean you're now dogging it.
But if you think it DOES mean you're dogging it, then that's exactly what you will do, so avoid thinking that way
he's not doing anything special but you might feel mentally like "UH OH THE TIDES HAVE TURNED" and now momentum is against you.
For me it helps to just think of it as the rolls evening out. If the other guy can play at all he's supposed to win a few, you aren't supposed to just run over him 12-0. So him getting back 3 or 4 in a row is completely normal and expected. It doesn't mean you're now dogging it.
But if you think it DOES mean you're dogging it, then that's exactly what you will do, so avoid thinking that way
Sometimes when you come out of the gate strong, a normal 'lull' feels more significant than it really is. The other guy fires back, maybe keeps control of the table for a few racks...
he's not doing anything special but you might feel mentally like "UH OH THE TIDES HAVE TURNED" and now momentum is against you.
For me it helps to just think of it as the rolls evening out. If the other guy can play at all he's supposed to win a few, you aren't supposed to just run over him 12-0. So him getting back 3 or 4 in a row is completely normal and expected. It doesn't mean you're now dogging it.
But if you think it DOES mean you're dogging it, then that's exactly what you will do, so avoid thinking that way
I like what CreeDo is saying here.
It sort of reminds me of that huge football bowl game. I'm thinking of a BCS title game. Here's what I've seen happen several times: Both teams come out super hyped up and one team returns the opening kickoff for a touchdown, or something similar to take an early lead. You would think this would lead them on to victory, but I swear it's usually the opposite. This happened a few years back in the OSU vs. LSU BCS Championship game. Ohio State returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. What ended up happening? They got blown out. I suppose the results of the opening kickoff may or may not have had any influence on the eventual outcome of the game, but it does seem like there are things that happen early on in a matchup that can cause a player or a team to lose their focus. Jumping out to an early lead is definitely one of them.
When I get off to a hot start, I've noticed that I get to feeling like I can make everything and forget safety play almost completely. That often ends up leaving my opponent with an easy run and their confidence immediately goes up and their play improves. I've found the best way to swing the momentum back to my side is to start looking for some really strong safety opportunities and try to break the opponent's momentum, get them out of rhythm. Like most sports, the mental aspect of pool is huge, probably even more important in pool. When you experience a shift in the flow and rhythm between you and your opponent, it may be time to change your strategy a bit in an attempt to get the flow back in your favor.
It happens to the best of us, the bet is not high enough to cause major concern; raise the bet gradually over time until you find yourself playing good defensive and offensive shots and for the money! and not for too much fun. I am under the assumption you are a good player that could run two or three racks if you have good break all the time..
Sometimes when you come out of the gate strong, a normal 'lull' feels more significant than it really is. The other guy fires back, maybe keeps control of the table for a few racks...
he's not doing anything special but you might feel mentally like "UH OH THE TIDES HAVE TURNED" and now momentum is against you.
For me it helps to just think of it as the rolls evening out. If the other guy can play at all he's supposed to win a few, you aren't supposed to just run over him 12-0. So him getting back 3 or 4 in a row is completely normal and expected. It doesn't mean you're now dogging it.
But if you think it DOES mean you're dogging it, then that's exactly what you will do, so avoid thinking that way
That's good advice and a good way to look at it.
For me this falls into the same category as playing down to your opponent and is a lack of mental focus. I try to stay hungry at the table no matter how far I am ahead. Sometimes, in a league match when I get put against a much weaker opponent I force myself to focus by setting a higher goal than just winning, I want to completely run over them.
Now in money games it's a different mindset all together for me. I never let up, not one ounce. I look at it more like business than fun.
Chalk your match up to a lesson learned and don't sweat it too much.
Thank you all for the input. Some good things to think about.