Is It The Change? Or Just Me?

DrCue'sProtege

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
as most of you know, i just recently took a lesson from Mark Wilson and i've been working on adapting to his ideas. and yes, i posted the other day that i was going to "compromise" between mark's instruction and other instruction that i have received. lately i have noticed that i tend to lean towards what mark wanted me to do, and seem to be more aligned with his mechanics than what i indicated the other day. in other words, i am trying the Wilson technique. or at least i think i am.

anyway, tonight was a horrible, horrible night at the table for me. the rolls were horrible, my play was horrible, and i bet Helen Keller could have beat me like a drum tonight. i broke rack after rack after rack after rack, and only managed to run out once. however, most of the time the balls just didnt roll good for me, i probably only had a handful of really good opportunities where i felt i really screwed up.

i am sort of at that stage where i just dont know what to do. something tells me i should just give up, and not try and get any better, and just hit em around like a weekend player/beer drinker. but then again, there's an old saying that goes "Winners Never Quit."

no, i didnt break anything tonight, but i did fire the '1' ball off the table, and lost it behind the insulation, but i did eventually find it. plus i took a sideways jab at a ball with my Predator Shaft, and fortunately i let up just enough where it didnt hurt it.

some might say its the new Wilson Technique that is causing this frustration. i dont think that is the answer, this happens to me time and again, over and over, just seems like its never-ending. the other day things were clicking and i ran a dozen racks, and tonight it was like i had never played before. unfortunately, nights like tonight are the norm, and occur 95% of the time or more.

dunno what else to do.
perhaps the only thing left to do is try the hypnosis thing.

sorry for ranting and complaining again.
DCP
 
i guess its juz partially mental and partially getting ur body to adjust to the new poise.

u've ran dozens of racks b4, but there're some things that can never be accomplished without good fundamentals, which you're now doing. congratulations!

my experience in changing stances and other mechanics is that the alignment needs to change as well. its all linked. perhaps u've been aiming/aligning in the same way u did with the old ways? have u tried to do a rail up down shot to see if you're aligned?
 
i like what i read earlier by forgoten and agree, but i also have to add in that when you try and change your game you need time to adjust. you cant learn something and expect to get it down right away. there is a transition time for you to work in all your newly acquired and ideas and advice into your arsenal. i wouldnt get to mad if i were you, just relax and remember that its always a learning expiernce. if after all this you dont think you can get any better well then maybe thats it for you. everyone has a peak to as far as they can go. and if by some greater power you have hit yours and i truely hope not, then maybe thats it and you should just focus on what you know you can do. perfect the stronger points of your game, and use that to keep you playing with the big dogs. so hang in there, relax and remeber everytime you play take it as a learning expierence..
 
DCP- Lessons are like medication! Don't overdose, you'll die! Just take the medication as prescribed, let it do it's thing, give the medication a chance to work. One day you're going to wake up and be cured of your illness!
If you focus too much on changing everything, it's going to effect what is suppose to be happening in your change. Just kick back, relax and don't concentrate too much on what you're doing. You've should try to become a robot, your actions be automatic, without really thinking about it.

Just my .02,
Zim
 
DrCue'sProtege said:
plus i took a sideways jab at a ball with my Predator Shaft, and fortunately i let up just enough where it didnt hurt it.
DCP


That's too bad, you should have taken a swipe at it like Barry Bonds and splintered it. You sound like you're playing exactly the way I did when I was using a Predator for about a year.

I know what you're saying...SURELY can't be the wonderful Predator shaft.
He's lost his marbles...OK think what you want.
 
drivermaker said:
That's too bad, you should have taken a swipe at it like Barry Bonds and splintered it. You sound like you're playing exactly the way I did when I was using a Predator for about a year.

I know what you're saying...SURELY can't be the wonderful Predator shaft.
He's lost his marbles...OK think what you want.

its funny, i've started to notice an up and down pattern in my game, since i switched to the predator. you said that the mcdermott ice shafts are good, know anywhere that has a sale on them? or is mcdermott the only supplier right now? i'd like to try one.

thanks
 
Ditto Zim's good advice. Give it time, relax, stick with it. Last year, I changed my grip and my game was off for at least three weeks with just this one little change!
rayjay :p
 
Dr. Cue, this may sound a bit silly, but it sure did work for me.

A month or so ago I was playing a buddy of mine, and we were both just playing like dogs. He suggests that we take a break and get a sandwich, because he thinks our blood sugar is low, and consequently we are not concentrating like we should. So we take the break and I ate a hot dog and chips.

I came back to playing after my meal and started playing jam-up. Basically, I am saying that you should make sure to not be hungry while you are playing. First, you start playing bad, then you get discouraged, then you questions your mechanics, then you think pool is stupid, then you start to hate your life, etc.

When things get tough, take a break, eat a hot dog, and lean on your fundamentals. This food thing has helped me ever since. I never play on an empty stomach now.

kollegedave

DrCue'sProtege said:
as most of you know, i just recently took a lesson from Mark Wilson and i've been working on adapting to his ideas. and yes, i posted the other day that i was going to "compromise" between mark's instruction and other instruction that i have received. lately i have noticed that i tend to lean towards what mark wanted me to do, and seem to be more aligned with his mechanics than what i indicated the other day. in other words, i am trying the Wilson technique. or at least i think i am.

anyway, tonight was a horrible, horrible night at the table for me. the rolls were horrible, my play was horrible, and i bet Helen Keller could have beat me like a drum tonight. i broke rack after rack after rack after rack, and only managed to run out once. however, most of the time the balls just didnt roll good for me, i probably only had a handful of really good opportunities where i felt i really screwed up.

i am sort of at that stage where i just dont know what to do. something tells me i should just give up, and not try and get any better, and just hit em around like a weekend player/beer drinker. but then again, there's an old saying that goes "Winners Never Quit."

no, i didnt break anything tonight, but i did fire the '1' ball off the table, and lost it behind the insulation, but i did eventually find it. plus i took a sideways jab at a ball with my Predator Shaft, and fortunately i let up just enough where it didnt hurt it.

some might say its the new Wilson Technique that is causing this frustration. i dont think that is the answer, this happens to me time and again, over and over, just seems like its never-ending. the other day things were clicking and i ran a dozen racks, and tonight it was like i had never played before. unfortunately, nights like tonight are the norm, and occur 95% of the time or more.

dunno what else to do.
perhaps the only thing left to do is try the hypnosis thing.

sorry for ranting and complaining again.
DCP
 
Hang in there.

Remember that everyone has terrible days at the table. When you change anything in your game it's tough at first and that tends to lower confidence for awhile and you miss more. I have days that I play very poorly; then I get frustrated and I play even worse the more I play. If you are working on changing a fundamental part of your game you may want to start by just drilling easy shots over and over to get used to the new technique and "burn it in" to your memory. You will gain confidence if you are sinking shots you can make rather than trying to deal with a whole rack right away where you may be forced to make difficult shots. Start with the easy stuff and work progressively towards the more difficult. When things are going poorly either take a rest for awhile and go back to the table later or go back to the fundamentals and review the basics. Remember also that there are "plateaus" as you learn where your game levels off or even gets worse for awhile, this is normal and anyone who knows anything about education will tell you this. I have run into the same problems that you have and one thing I know is that I can't be happy just "playing for fun" and not trying to improve. Never give up and keep practicing and you will improve. Pool is an extremely complex game and it takes a lot of work to show even small improvements.

The great thing about pool is that you may play your worst one day and the next day may be your best ever. I like 14.1 and my theory is that every ball I shoot may be the first shot in my new personal high-run. Hang in there and remember that the darkest hour is just before the dawn.
 
DCP, accept advancement over the glorious green felt for what it is --- one step backwards, two steps forward. Even for you, it has always been that way.

Remember when you started to be able to pocket balls. You had to make a choice. You could play some position and accept the fact that you'll miss a few more balls in the short-run, or stay put and stick to your comfort zone, reinforcing your old ways. I'm guessing you got that one right.

Well, you've arrived at the crossroads again. You can modify your mechanics as per the directions of your expert instructor and accept the fact that in the short-run you'll struggle a bit, or you can stay put and stick to your comfort zone, reinforcing your old ways.

Are you mentally strong enough and sufficently committed to excellence to make the right choice here? If you think back to the day you became daring enough to play position at the temporary expense of your shotmaking, you'll be able to find the wisdom to accept a temporary decline in your game in the interest of building for the future.
 
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kollegedave said:
Dr. Cue, this may sound a bit silly, but it sure did work for me.

A month or so ago I was playing a buddy of mine, and we were both just playing like dogs. He suggests that we take a break and get a sandwich, because he thinks our blood sugar is low, and consequently we are not concentrating like we should. So we take the break and I ate a hot dog and chips.

I came back to playing after my meal and started playing jam-up. Basically, I am saying that you should make sure to not be hungry while you are playing. First, you start playing bad, then you get discouraged, then you questions your mechanics, then you think pool is stupid, then you start to hate your life, etc.

When things get tough, take a break, eat a hot dog, and lean on your fundamentals. This food thing has helped me ever since. I never play on an empty stomach now.

kollegedave

lol, kollegedave...Being in the nutrition business, I can't say I've ever heard of anyone recommending hotdogs as a good nutritional source, but I think you're on to something.

I don't know of many pool players that give 2 seconds of thought about the food they eat, other than taste. I've been experimenting with this for several years now, and you're right on about carefully controlling the type and amount of food and drink before/during play. I looked at the beverages of choice in JAM's poll, and soda pop is very high on the list. Hydration is good, but is pop the best choice? (I know I picked Budweiser, but that's for my league, fun play)

Our bodies will usually respond well IF they have their basic nutritional needs met. When in stressful situations, the needs become even greater and any player who neglects these needs could be at a disadvantage against those who don't. I take specific nutirents to overcome various problems that tend to creep into my stroke and hope my opponent hasn't thought about it, yet.

Jeff Livingston
 
chefjeff said:
I don't know of many pool players that give 2 seconds of thought about the food they eat, other than taste.

In Hennings Pro Book he dedicates some space to nutrition and general health issues as they relate to pool. Definately something you shouldn't ignore. Some players will have special requirements, like our departed countryman Bill Werbeniuk (to check the proper spelling I googled "snooker canadian beer" and Bill was the first 4 hits :) ) .

Dave
 
DrCue'sProtege said:
as most of you know, i just recently took a lesson from Mark Wilson and i've been working on adapting to his ideas. and yes, i posted the other day that i was going to "compromise" between mark's instruction and other instruction that i have received. lately i have noticed that i tend to lean towards what mark wanted me to do, and seem to be more aligned with his mechanics than what i indicated the other day. in other words, i am trying the Wilson technique. or at least i think i am.

anyway, tonight was a horrible, horrible night at the table for me. the rolls were horrible, my play was horrible, and i bet Helen Keller could have beat me like a drum tonight. i broke rack after rack after rack after rack, and only managed to run out once. however, most of the time the balls just didnt roll good for me, i probably only had a handful of really good opportunities where i felt i really screwed up.

i am sort of at that stage where i just dont know what to do. something tells me i should just give up, and not try and get any better, and just hit em around like a weekend player/beer drinker. but then again, there's an old saying that goes "Winners Never Quit."

no, i didnt break anything tonight, but i did fire the '1' ball off the table, and lost it behind the insulation, but i did eventually find it. plus i took a sideways jab at a ball with my Predator Shaft, and fortunately i let up just enough where it didnt hurt it.

some might say its the new Wilson Technique that is causing this frustration. i dont think that is the answer, this happens to me time and again, over and over, just seems like its never-ending. the other day things were clicking and i ran a dozen racks, and tonight it was like i had never played before. unfortunately, nights like tonight are the norm, and occur 95% of the time or more.

dunno what else to do.
perhaps the only thing left to do is try the hypnosis thing.

sorry for ranting and complaining again.
DCP

It's you...not the change. It can't be "the change" because you haven't made any changes. You went to a lesson with a world class teacher, spent your money, bragged about going there and then promptly threw away what you learned.

You didn't take the knowledge offered to you. You watered down everything that you could have gained from that days experience until it was so diluted with your old imprecise and amaturiesh playing habits that there was nothing of substance left.

You don't plan 3 balls ahead. You don't stand back and do your thinking, planning and aiming while standing. You don't focus on hitting the cue ball precisely where you want to hit it. You rush your backstroke and you don't follow through makeing a mental note of where the tip of your cue ended up. You refuse to adhere to the rules of delievering the cue to the cue ball in a precise and repeatable manner and then you complain when you can't make a ball.

You haven't made any changes. You play without attention, concentration or focus refusing to apply the principles of expert play. It takes hundreds of hours of WORK to learn to play expertly. You can still have fun and socialize with your friends, play pretty well, meet girls, and have a good life but don't expect that you will play expertly unless you make the COMMITTMENT to make REAL changes. This will involve letting your friends play and have fun while you go to the back table and do drills hour after hour and you have not shown that you are willing to make ANY changes which require that you do any work. If it's hard or new or uncomfortable you simply quit it and complain that it's hard. That's what you DO. If you want a different outcome you have to change what you DO.

Those are harsh words but it's the truth based on what you've written on this forum. Accept it and move on.
 
About nutrition

Nowadays, I don't eat a big meal during a tournament anymore. I always feel sluggish after the meal and my game goes down the drain. Nutrition is very essential, IMHO you play best when you're just slightly hungry but don't feel the effect of a low blood sugar level. If you get your blood sugar too low, you will feel lack of motivation and energy and play badly. During tournaments, I only eat fruit, some sandwiches and maybe something small like a hot dog or some bread roll. The idea is to have the blood sugar level maintained at a certain level. Chocolate bars and lemonade aren't good because they give you a sugar rush which lasts only for a hour or so and then the sugar levels drop dramatically. That's why I recommend eating fruit which give sugar to your blood for a longer period of time... Having your sugar levels drop dramatically during a match will have a devastating effect on your game...
 
JimS said:
It's you...not the change. It can't be "the change" because you haven't made any changes. You went to a lesson with a world class teacher, spent your money, bragged about going there and then promptly threw away what you learned.

You didn't take the knowledge offered to you. You watered down everything that you could have gained from that days experience until it was so diluted with your old imprecise and amaturiesh playing habits that there was nothing of substance left.

You don't plan 3 balls ahead. You don't stand back and do your thinking, planning and aiming while standing. You don't focus on hitting the cue ball precisely where you want to hit it. You rush your backstroke and you don't follow through makeing a mental note of where the tip of your cue ended up. You refuse to adhere to the rules of delievering the cue to the cue ball in a precise and repeatable manner and then you complain when you can't make a ball.

You haven't made any changes. You play without attention, concentration or focus refusing to apply the principles of expert play. It takes hundreds of hours of WORK to learn to play expertly. You can still have fun and socialize with your friends, play pretty well, meet girls, and have a good life but don't expect that you will play expertly unless you make the COMMITTMENT to make REAL changes. This will involve letting your friends play and have fun while you go to the back table and do drills hour after hour and you have not shown that you are willing to make ANY changes which require that you do any work. If it's hard or new or uncomfortable you simply quit it and complain that it's hard. That's what you DO. If you want a different outcome you have to change what you DO.

Those are harsh words but it's the truth based on what you've written on this forum. Accept it and move on.
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geez

1) read what i wrote. i said i am basically doing what Mark Wilson wants me to do. and i dont recall "Bragging" about going there.
2) i didnt ignore what Mark Wilson taught me. i may or may not temper it with what was taught me by other instructors such as Diana Minor and a BCA Certified Master Instructor in Tom Rossman.
3) your paragraph that begins with not playing 3 balls ahead is absolutely wrong throughout the entire paragraph. as is the rest of your post.
4) and no, its not the truth.

i even posted a practice routine the other day of the things i was going to work on based upon Mark's teaching. and i am still doing most of that. i have noticed lately that i seem to be hitting the cue ball (Elephant & Rempe) pretty much where i am aiming nowadays.

V/R
DCP
 
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