Overcoming Frustration

LC3

LC3

Playing the table
Silver Member
When you’re grinding through a match full of rattled shots—knowing you can shoot better but just flubbing that last bit of execution today—and it feels like you’ve worked so hard for so little progress, it’s easy to get frustrated. Especially when you start getting exhausted because you’re expecting the rest of the match to be the same kind of grind.

How do you deal with that and get past the frustration?
 
Breathe. Return to the present moment and get out of your head. Focus only on ther current shot. The shots that came before don't matter. Future projections of continued struggle are a waste of time and energy also. So return to the present moment...the only one you can affect. It becomes easier the more u do it.

You can also check out mental game books like "The Inner Game of Tennis" or "Pleasure of Small Motions". Lot of useful tidbits in those.
 
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Thanks, WobblyStroke! I do try to remind myself that each shot stands on its own, but it’s tough to keep that mindset when the very next one ends up being another flub. I think I’m slowly getting better at managing the frustration. It's just going to take longer than I’d like.

I'll read the kinds of mental game books you suggested.
 
WobblyStroke said:
Breathe. Return to the present moment and get out of your head. Focus only on ther current shot. The shots that came before don't matter. Future projections of continued struggle are a waste of time and energy also. So return to the present moment...the only one you can affect. It becomes easier the more u do it.

You can also check out mental game books like "The Inner Game of Tennis" or "Pleasure of Small Motions". Lot of useful tidbits in those.
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Yes - for instance, Pleasures of Small Motions emphasizes focusing on the shot, not the score.

Another similar one that might be useful is Zen In the Art of Archery.

pj
chgo
 
Since not many chimed in, I'll throw my 2c in.


I've been in competitive sports most of my life, and have had a few relatives who reached the higher ranks in some sports (Baseball, Archery, Figure Skating). Growing up and talking to those people, or being coached by them, one thing every single one of them told me, verbatim, is this - "Short memory".

This doesn't mean forget your mistakes. It means forget them until the match / game is over. When you're practicing is the time to think about all the mistakes and screw ups you've made, and then how to not do those. During a game the only thing you should be focused on is what comes next. Not how bad you shot the last ball, not how good of a leave you left your opponent, not I am going to look stupid if I lose. Your sole focus should be "What am I going to do if I get back to the table again". This works insanely well for me, and has for pretty much most of my life.

Does this mean I don't get frustrated or upset in the moment? No.. But it means I can most of the time realize it's about to happen before it spirals, and I can reign it in and get back to the task at hand, trying to win.

After the match / game is over, that's when I beat myself up over the dumb things I did. Then I go practice those things so I am not making the same mistakes over and over.
 
90% if pool players are what I would call "weekend warriors"......(Personally I am about a quarterly warrior...I only play competitively about 4 times a year)......practice/play throughout the week is limited due to work/life....so consistency is going to suffer.......That being said....I have removed "frustration" from the equation....You can't control the actual stroke.....the stroke is actually a result of things you can control.....So I only think about the static things I can control. Grip, Stance, Posture, Alignment....and of course shot selection.

Those 4(5) things are really the only thing you can control and changing any one of them will change the way stroke and pocket balls and/or CB control....meaning you may be pocketing the ball but you still missed on the thick or thin side just enough to change the CB position for the next shot.

If you are off...it is only because you need to change 1 or 2 (of those 4(5) things) to be on....by thinking about just what you can control. you remove the "frustration" from the equation....and can go from playing very badly to being in stroke mid match.

I know pool players and their attitudes... You start out slow and miss a few key balls and the other player jumps out in front of you in a match and gets that vibe about them that you have no business being on the table with them and almost start strutting around the table like they are good or something......No better feeling than to change 1 of those things in your stroke...catch your gear and comeback for the win....does not always happen....but never happens if you let yourself get frustrated....By removing that from the equation and thinking about what you "can" control.....It gives you that opportunity to shove it right up where the sun don't shine...
 
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