Sometimes when you most relaxed you play better pool

docgpmiller

docgpmiller

Active member
Today - I was practicing a little, I broke and made a stripe and looked at the table and said this is a great layout for an easy runout. So I did and made the rest of the stripes and the eight. I thought I should just shoot the rest of the solids and I did. Okay I ran 15 balls and didn't really overthink my shots. So I thought well it's a little hard from here to start another rack, but hopefully I can make something on the Break because I wasn't even thinking about 14.1 earlier, because I was practicing for 8-Ball. Any way I made the 1 in the side and continued for another few balls and missed on the 21st ball. Oh well - started to begin thinking about the shots too much. Just a simple story I thought a few might enjoy.
 
About 9-10 months ago I stopped playing pool competitively and only play at my house. Once that happened I shot LIGHTS OUT for 6 months. I didn't care what shot it was, I shot it and I made a TON of fun shots. I can't tell you now many times I was playing a buddy of mine and he would play safe (or I would hook myself) and he'd start to mumble about finally getting to the table and start standing up and I'd fire in whatever stupid 2/3/4 rail kick and tell him to sit down :) It was a good time. I haven't played much the last few months so I'm out of stroke now but man, that was a fun time.

Oh, and ever notice when you haven't played in a while you generally shoot pretty good? That's because you have no recent experiences to remind you that you suck :)
 
I know players that go out and take a few hits and then come back and shoot lights out.
After a few minutes you have to remind them that it’s their shot or what their shooting at.
Maybe to relaxed.
 
Chili Palmer said:
About 9-10 months ago I stopped playing pool competitively and only play at my house. Once that happened I shot LIGHTS OUT for 6 months. I didn't care what shot it was, I shot it and I made a TON of fun shots. I can't tell you now many times I was playing a buddy of mine and he would play safe (or I would hook myself) and he'd start to mumble about finally getting to the table and start standing up and I'd fire in whatever stupid 2/3/4 rail kick and tell him to sit down :) It was a good time. I haven't played much the last few months so I'm out of stroke now but man, that was a fun time.

Oh, and ever notice when you haven't played in a while you generally shoot pretty good? That's because you have no recent experiences to remind you that you suck :)
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I must be gifted. I don't need anything to remind me that I suck.
 
What always amazed me in Bar Tournament's We’re the people who drank many many adult beverages. But could still play well.
 
I've got a friend who used to be an alcoholic but became "California Sober" several years ago. He's an open player and his fargo is about 620. Anyways, since he now smokes an enormous amount of weed, his game is hilariously all over the place. I've seen him go from stringing 3 or 4 racks to missing every other shot all in the matter of 30 mins. He's probably got 700+ skill, but his varying states of mental awareness lower it to an average of about 620 lol.
Moral of the story, alcohol and drugs and marijuana = a lifetime of inconsistency in pool (and in life).
"Drugs are bad- m'kay?"
 
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docgpmiller said:
Today - I was practicing a little, I broke and made a stripe and looked at the table and said this is a great layout for an easy runout. So I did and made the rest of the stripes and the eight. I thought I should just shoot the rest of the solids and I did. Okay I ran 15 balls and didn't really overthink my shots. So I thought well it's a little hard from here to start another rack, but hopefully I can make something on the Break because I wasn't even thinking about 14.1 earlier, because I was practicing for 8-Ball. Any way I made the 1 in the side and continued for another few balls and missed on the 21st ball. Oh well - started to begin thinking about the shots too much. Just a simple story I thought a few might enjoy.
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If I simply look at the table for a bit and play without thinking, I play 10x better than when I try to come up with a plan. I have no idea why but it works. When you were in the zone the last time, didn't it feel like a dream or something? You weren't thinking, just shooting and letting the game play out.

Pool is 90% mental and we're real good at self sabotage. If I'm playing with a quiet mind and not thinking/analyzing everything I play much better. The trick is to figure out how to trust the process and stop trying to control it.
 
I think of pool as practice and play.

When I’m practicing, I’m kinda trying to over think. Analyze my stance, stroke, intended path for position etc. I’m trying different things and recording all the info of what works and what doesn’t somewhere in my subconscious.

Then during play I try to just shut all that off and let whatever skills I’ve got come to the surface.

The more time I put in practicing, the more comfortable I feel when it comes time to play, so I can usually get in that relaxed state even under pressure.

I haven’t been playing or practicing much lately and I still do OK when I get to a table but I haven’t been in the zone in 2+ years. I need another table damnit! And space for it
 
docgpmiller said:
Today - I was practicing a little, I broke and made a stripe and looked at the table and said this is a great layout for an easy runout. So I did and made the rest of the stripes and the eight. I thought I should just shoot the rest of the solids and I did. Okay I ran 15 balls and didn't really overthink my shots. So I thought well it's a little hard from here to start another rack, but hopefully I can make something on the Break because I wasn't even thinking about 14.1 earlier, because I was practicing for 8-Ball. Any way I made the 1 in the side and continued for another few balls and missed on the 21st ball. Oh well - started to begin thinking about the shots too much. Just a simple story I thought a few might enjoy.
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Most all amateur players, certainly including myself, generally play better when we are practicing by ourselves as compared to under the pressure of a tournament match or a $ session. It’s just harder to deliver a straight smooth stroke when you are under pressure, and it gets tougher the older I get.

The flipside of that is even when you are playing very good when practicing by yourself, it really doesn’t mean anything and is not very rewarding, whereas if you shoot really well in a tournament situation or a $ session, it is the ultimate reward / feel good as a pool player!
 
I always play better after a half bottle of NyQuil.

You just gotta make it through the first 45min without going night-night, then its automatic after that.
 
ChrisinNC said:
Most all amateur players, certainly including myself, generally play better when we are practicing by ourselves as compared to under the pressure of a tournament match or a $ session. It’s just harder to deliver a straight smooth stroke when you are under pressure, and it gets tougher the older I get.

The flipside of that is even when you are playing very good when practicing by yourself, it really doesn’t mean anything and is not very rewarding, whereas if you shoot really well in a tournament situation or a $ session, it is the ultimate reward / feel good as a pool player!
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Pressure just clouds the process. Very strange state where you include complete nonsense into your pool playing process. You get necessarily compromised results.
Quick fixes include, learning to identify and ignore irrelevant concerns, ignoring ALL concerns, or treating the pressure as an entity you hop on and surf to the cash.
 
Alcohol makes everyone a better player.. Up to a point. Then the motor skills become a wee bit fuzzy, but since your drunk you don't give a fook!
 
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