Compete without fear

SeniorTom

SeniorTom

Well-known member
I have been playing pool now for about 3 years now and I am a 500 Fargo level. In the three years I have been playing it is rare for me to be in competition without some sort of fear or stress over missing a shot or losing. It's the same apprehension and fear that all players suffer, and it can ruin your game. Although, there have been times when for whatever reason I have competed devoid of any apprehension or fear, where my skill set came out fully unimpeded, and I have excelled in my game in those moments. I have run tables and made amazing shots when fear is gone, but it is so difficult to get to that point. I am not sure how to get to that point of being without fear of losing or missing, but when I do I am a very good player. Any tips on how to get to that point? Have you had times when you have played when you didn't have any fear? Are there techniques I can use to help me reach this goal?
 
SeniorTom said:
I have been playing pool now for about 3 years now and I am a 500 Fargo level. In the three years I have been playing it is rare for me to be in competition without some sort of fear or stress over missing a shot or losing. It's the same apprehension and fear that all players suffer, and it can ruin your game. Although, there have been times when for whatever reason I have competed devoid of any apprehension or fear, where my skill set came out fully unimpeded, and I have excelled in my game in those moments. I have run tables and made amazing shots when fear is gone, but it is so difficult to get to that point. I am not sure how to get to that point of being without fear of losing or missing, but when I do I am a very good player. Any tips on how to get to that point? Have you had times when you have played when you didn't have any fear? Are there techniques I can use to help me reach this goal?
Click to expand...
A great player, who was a strong gambler and A player once told me, "Matt, I don't care if I miss a shot. I just make sure that I'm never careless. I put 100% effort into each shot. I have a complete plan before I even get down on the cue ball. I know how the shot will be made, and where the cue ball will travel. Nothing is up in the air. Then I execute my pre-shot routine, stance, quality stroke, and execution of shot. If I miss, then I will know why I missed, and my brain will automatically adjust for the next time. Strong mindset if you ask me.

Edited to add.....you need to play and compete as often as possible. Stay in battle and under pressure. Everyone's great in the gym. Get comfortable under heat. Learn to enjoy it.

That same player I described above gave me great advice many decades ago. There was a player I was supposed to beat, but he had me out of my comfort zone. And he was heisting me every time. I was just dogging it from fear and nerves. This room was brutal too because a lot of people were always watching, it was loud, and tough to fade. Well, my mentor pulled me aside and said, "Matt, you have to play him on site, every time you see him. Don't give up." He said more, but that is the reader's digest version. Well, I followed his advice, and it wasn't long until I beat this guy easily. Later, I played in that zone so often I would only get nervous if it were too quiet.
 
SeniorTom said:
I have been playing pool now for about 3 years now and I am a 500 Fargo level. In the three years I have been playing it is rare for me to be in competition without some sort of fear or stress over missing a shot or losing. It's the same apprehension and fear that all players suffer, and it can ruin your game. Although, there have been times when for whatever reason I have competed devoid of any apprehension or fear, where my skill set came out fully unimpeded, and I have excelled in my game in those moments. I have run tables and made amazing shots when fear is gone, but it is so difficult to get to that point. I am not sure how to get to that point of being without fear of losing or missing, but when I do I am a very good player. Any tips on how to get to that point? Have you had times when you have played when you didn't have any fear? Are there techniques I can use to help me reach this goal?
Click to expand...
I feel that fear is your friend…..it’s panic that is your enemy.
 
I think you might find better answers in books like "Pleasure of small motions" than on a forum where we usually just give "quick" answers and tips
 
Nervous vs Fearful would be my distinct ion. The nerves will always be there. A long time ago I got to sweat Dan Louie vs Earl Strickland in Reno. Being from the North Wet I positioned myself right behind Dan. It was a real battle and Earl prevailed after Dan missed an easy shot. As he was rolling up his gear Dan looked up at me and confessed, "I just got Nervous Greg." My reply was, "I can definitely identify with that Dan." 🤷‍♂️ Nervous is going to happen. Fear is not a good response to Nervous. My self to self coaching includes the question, "What's to be afraid of? I have missed and or lost on many occasions and I am still here." 🤷‍♂️
The nerves can heighten the focus when under control. My final attitude when facing extreme pressure is.....to at least die with honor.
Get up off the shot and start over when the mind isn't quite right. Mike Danner (RIP) taught me a method that has worked at times.....Raise up and then take the cue and sweep the tip around under the table......He refered to it as, "Chasing the Dog Out". 🤷‍♂️
 
I make my living in part by teaching and training medical students and doctors to get over exactly that fear, where the stakes are a lot higher, essentially life and limb. No matter what I am teaching them, it's always a big part of it. Its always there.

You'll get a lot of advice. Books. Videos. Coaches. Many ways to skin that cat but it's a common problem in sports psychology and in general with "performance".


 
Matt_24 said:
There was a player I was supposed to beat, but he had me out of my comfort zone
Click to expand...
Wow that brings a flashback to me. I was working at graduation from the B classification and played lots of cheap 9 ball. One guy had a way of getting in my head and taking my allowance even though my skill set was better than his. Well on the table skills. 🤷‍♂️ It took a while and I got used to Carl putting out the Ring Game alert as I entered the tavern after work. Then when I overcame my mental block and started winning it was amazing the new after work reception became a glance at the watch and, "it's late and I Gotta Go now." I never did thank Carl for helping me improve my game. 🤷‍♂️
 
One more Old Fart story. 😉
When I first started playing pool circa 1978, I couldn't win for the $1 antee at the tavern. Then I met and was courting a Gal. We were in the earliest stages of our courtship so I wanted to impress.
It was at the H bar B in uh cowboy country and I had long hair and beard and rode a Harley. It was last call on Friday night, we were playing partners vs the Bulldog Champions of the Rodeo circuit. I had spent my last dollar on our last call drinks. As I prepared to break, she told me, "we are playing for a 6 pack of Michelobe." (Law allowed sales "to go")
Well I was broke and the local sport was "first one to hit the ground buys the beer". So faced with the conundrum of what to do......with visions of blood and pain floating through my brain. I stepped to the table in silence. Then I broke and ran!!!! The first game I ever won for money.
As we celebrated in the parking lot post closing, I confessed to my lack of funds. She giggled and said, "Oh I know the bartender, he would have tabbed it for me." 🤷‍♂️ probably better that I didn't know that at the time. 🤷‍♂️ 😉
Edit: Yes we are still married.
 
Last edited:
As was stated here previously - try to
Learn to focus on stroke execution - if you say that you feel you have the stuff to perform - then the process that gets you there for each individual shot is your focus on performing each shot correctly —-never score/ venue/ opponent/ etc.
 
mikemosconi said:
try to
Click to expand...
DcXYPtOVAAAoOKa.jpg
 
Chopdoc said:
I make my living in part by teaching and training medical students and doctors to get over exactly that fear, where the stakes are a lot higher, essentially life and limb. No matter what I am teaching them, it's always a big part of it. Its always there.

You'll get a lot of advice. Books. Videos. Coaches. Many ways to skin that cat but it's a common problem in sports psychology and in general with "performance".


Click to expand...
So at the 19th hole one day I had that kind of conversation with a surgeon. We talked about how we thought during the golf swing etc…. But he said in surgery you never thought like that, i.e. how to grip/ move the scalpel etc…He was a decent golfer who got a lot out of his swing, but wasn’t that stylish or anything. He was a better surgeon. So is there anything different you guys teach in med school or what? Is it just what we are better at? How does a surgeon focus on the task without extraneous thoughts in the OR but then be “normal” overthinking on the golf course or during a pool stroke?
 
My best suggestion is to replicate that feeling as much as possible. Get used to feeling the pressure and fear and put a good stroke on it anyways. It feels/ looks terrible in the beginning but..they go in.
Every/most practice session(s) work towards a number(straight pool runs, ghost, drills, gambling) keep track. Try to beat your best repeatedly. Keep a running tab of your gambling. I ain't the best, so take it with a grain of salt. Practice like you play. These things help me.
 
In a very simple formula for your issue - try thinking about pool as a game of solving problems where the you recognize the problem and then shift all mental and physical focus to the solution - for each shot - as you begin to deliver tip to cue you should never focus back to the problem mentality.
 
Usually fear is just a lack of confidence in your own ability and how you talk to yourself before a shot. A long straight in shot on a 9 foot table used to scare me even though I would make it a hundred times a day in practice.
When it happens now I just smile and tell myself .. thanks for the challenge, now get ready to rack!
 
gregcantrall said:
She giggled and said, "Oh I know the bartender, he would have tabbed it for me." 🤷‍♂️ probably better that I didn't know that at the time. 🤷‍♂️ 😉
Edit: Yes we are still married.
Click to expand...

Greg, you have a brilliant and special lady!


A quick bit of old fart bragging. I hadn't shot a pistol in a year. Not in practice, not in competition. Fat fingered a shot I fired when I knew the sights had dropped into the nine ring, still a 599 and a win. The next year was the same thing, first time I picked up a gun in a year, a 600 and a win. My proudest performance at anything was the first 600 shot at that range a few years before, after fifteen years of very skilled shooters including masters, grandmasters, and a true legend trying. There had been dozens of 598's and 599's shot, a couple dozen people that could shoot clean once the pressure of perfect was off. I suspect that over a dozen better shooters than I was had shot before me. However, I had over twenty years of competition behind me and I might have been the best competitor. I was certainly head to head with the elite.

I had shot on plenty of perfect days and nights, the night I shot the first perfect score the weather sucked. A rain and wind squall, We were soaked, targets blowing over or completely away. Halfway through the match I realized that I was past the toughest stage for me, still clean. I decided then I was shooting a six hundred that night.

Mental toughness is the name of the game. What is going to happen if you lose? When you realize not a whole lot of anything, the pressure eases. I can't operate without mild pressure, the trick is knowing the emotional temperature you need to function at your best and how to get there. For me it is as simple as breathing. Fast and shallow to up my emotional temperature, slow and deep to lower it.

Final tip hang with the winners, stay away from the losers. I make a quick pass to read the room after that I stay away from those not trying to win. If it isn't convenient to hang with the winners, I stay alone. I don't want to listen to a bunch of negatives.

My opinion, "The Pleasure of Small Motions" second edition, dwells too much on not losing, not enough on winning. There is a difference. I understand the first edition was much thinner, I suspect a much better book.

Hu
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top