Don't play as well when competing?

skipbales said:

Yesterday I played in a league match. I watched most of the better players lose to the "lesser" players and moan and groan. I played really well and got some incredible position in some difficult situations. Overall I played really well. I also missed a straight in 1/2 table 8 ball shot.

My point is all of this is natural. Experience helps you take it in stride but it is also a conscious decision on your part to stop analyzing every thing you do and beating yourself up. I work with a young guy who was torturing himself. Once he realized everyone misses shots and it isn't always the nervousness, he misses them in practice too, he started playing at a much higher level in competition. He now has a lot more confidence and everyone talks about how much he has improved.

It is sure nice to hear "I played a safety and rolled a little too far and Donald beat me". Instead of "I will probably miss a straight in shot and lose".

Relax and enjoy the competition. You will lose to some poor players because they shoot above their head, get lucky rolls, or you miss shots you don't normally miss. But you will also beat better players for those same reasons. Let them go home and beat themselves up.

If it aint' fun, why do it? They don't pay us to play at our level. Your idea to compete more is solid. I was playing one night a week, now I play a tourn on Mon, league on Tue and League on Wed. I simply play too much to get real excited about anything and I laugh at all the "I should have beat that guy" type comments. Yeah you should have and maybe next time you will but not today and that is OK. :smile:

Click to expand...

GoldCrown said:

So..... I play in my Div 1 singles match and win the round robin. Beat the 2 strongest shooters in the league. Move on to the League championship. Play a round robin with the Div 2 + 3 winners. I play like a real jackass(maybe I am). These guys are both weak players. I mean weak. I lose. Should have been a turkey shoot. I did everything wrong. I played the players not the table. I was more concerned with losing than winning. Set a record for scratching. Very humiliating and embarrassing. Felt like tossing my cues. I rushed. Poor PSR. Did not pause on the backswing. Slow stroked/rolled and blew easy shots. Let a bad roll or scratch frustrate me instead of staying current tense. Put a lot of pressure on myself to perform. What a horrible experience...and not the first time. I think to alleviate a repeat will be to compete more and get use to the setting. My shooting is not bad for my class. It's the mindset. To be worked on....and fine tuned. Practice, competition and informal play are not the same.
Johnboy.... start with weaker or equal level players and get used to performing. Pocket balls and gain that confidence.

Click to expand...

Quesports said:

I found two ways to combat the "I practice better than I compete syndrome."

1. Play with a the killer instinct derived from hating the opponent during the match. You can always like them afterwards.
2. If it is a league situation tell yourself your ready to show off for everyone so they can see just how good I can play. When you pull this off it intimidates the opponent and builds confidence.

Both mindsets create confidence and help you to play your best pool, IMO..
Never approach the table in a negative mindset, it makes winning that much more difficult.

Click to expand...