Little voice in my head

Stew boo

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was playing today and I kept on talking myself out of key shots. I know everybody does this but it was especially worse today. Does anybody have any techniques to shut that little guy up. He is costing me money!
 

pt109

WO double hemlock
Silver Member
Don't block it.....fear is your friend....listen to it.
....keep fiddling till the voice says....."That's it."
 

babyboy70363

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Playing better players? A fella told me a long time ago "scared money never wins"! Respecting another players game, and flat out being scared is two different things. If you're scared you'll talk yourself out of anything remotely tuff shot wise. Its mental..........

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 

jay helfert

Shoot Pool, not people
Gold Member
Silver Member
I was playing today and I kept on talking myself out of key shots. I know everybody does this but it was especially worse today. Does anybody have any techniques to shut that little guy up. He is costing me money!

Put tape on your mouth! :)
No really, you need to stay in the present and by that I mean stay focused on the shot in front of you and what you need to do to execute it. Keep going over that sequence in your head and it will allow you to block out any extraneous thoughts.

One other thing that few players avail themselves of is the power of meditation. If you were to practice silent and focused meditation only a few minutes a day you'd be surprised how much that will help you to stay focused on any endeavor you chose. I do know of some players who would meditate when they were in the chair, just watching silently, without emotion or attachment, as their opponent played and blocked out all other thoughts.

Rempe, Swanee, David Howard and Wade Crane were a few of the players who did their best to clear their mind completely when in the chair, just observing in silent thought. There are others. Watch Shane sometime!
 

pwd72s

recreational banger
Silver Member
Have the voice say: "The initial shot choice is most often the best shot choice."
 

westcoast

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Pool has to be one of the most psychological sports- perhaps only golf rivals it. So much of how I perform is linked to my confidence levels and ability to fully concentrate.

I agree with Jay that meditation certainly helps but even with regular meditation your mind can still wander periodically. Focus is a weird thing. It seems like it isn’t completely under your control- some days it just seems better than others for no exact reason
 

dnbnt

Just a little "stituos"
Silver Member
When I hear that little voice I try to remember my Father's BIG voice saying, "Don't be afraid to win!"
 

Quesports

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Jimmy Reid called his lessons No Time for Negative for a reason. He taught you to never let negative thoughts enter your mind. Instead turn them to positive by telling yourself you can make it or you can play a safe. Never allow the negative to overcome the positive..
 

measureman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Different things work for people.
When I am faced with a difficult shot under pressure I picture Luther Lassitter in my head and keep repeating silently "I'm the best that ever lived"
This little exercise calms me down and helps me execute the shot.
And if I dog it it's all Luther's fault,not mine.
 

ShootingArts

Smorg is giving St Peter the 7!
Gold Member
Silver Member
picture him as a little punk

I was playing today and I kept on talking myself out of key shots. I know everybody does this but it was especially worse today. Does anybody have any techniques to shut that little guy up. He is costing me money!


Just picture that little voice as coming from some particular punk ass player you don't like and order him to shut the hell up!

Never shoot while that little voice is yapping, wasted shot. Likewise, if he is doing the shot selection for you, almost always you are choosing wrong. You have to pick the times to take a chance, very rare for super conservative play to be the winning choice. If you have to play super conservative you are almost certainly in a bad game. In a tournament it can happen once in awhile, in a gambling match if you are scared to shoot you are in a bad match-up.

Hu
 

strmanglr scott

All about Focus
Silver Member
I'm in sales and when I was blogging about pool on another site I was gearing up to write about the selling that takes place in the mind of a pool player.

When you draw back on that cue about to make the shot, the conscious mind has to have been sold on that being the right shot. Then the conscious mind can relax and get out of the way.

Obviously, the shot has to be seen and an understanding of how to make it, the complete shot including the leave. Before getting down on the shot.

If you can't see that and know what to do, don't take the shot. The uncertainty cannot exist.

A friend would always try and shark me when I first started out. Telling me how I can't make this or that shot. In my mind I knew the shot could be made, if I executed correctly. But I didn't look at it as, can I execute it. I looked at it as, if the cue ball makes contact right here and I have this type of ball speed/English, that ball will go in and the cb should end up in this area.

If the shot can be made, I should be able to make it. What does the cb have to do to make it happen?
 

Johnny Rosato

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was playing today and I kept on talking myself out of key shots. I know everybody does this but it was especially worse today. Does anybody have any techniques to shut that little guy up. He is costing me money!
Lay off the weed! lol
 

Michael Andros

tiny balls, GIANT pockets
Silver Member
Put tape on your mouth! :)
No really, you need to stay in the present and by that I mean stay focused on the shot in front of you and what you need to do to execute it. Keep going over that sequence in your head and it will allow you to block out any extraneous thoughts.

One other thing that few players avail themselves of is the power of meditation. If you were to practice silent and focused meditation only a few minutes a day you'd be surprised how much that will help you to stay focused on any endeavor you chose. I do know of some players who would meditate when they were in the chair, just watching silently, without emotion or attachment, as their opponent played and blocked out all other thoughts.

Rempe, Swanee, David Howard and Wade Crane were a few of the players who did their best to clear their mind completely when in the chair, just observing in silent thought. There are others. Watch Shane sometime!

Souquet does that all the time when he's in the chair. Seems to work for him pretty well.
 

Stew boo

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Different things work for people.
When I am faced with a difficult shot under pressure I picture Luther Lassitter in my head and keep repeating silently "I'm the best that ever lived"
This little exercise calms me down and helps me execute the shot.
And if I dog it it's all Luther's fault,not mine.

LOL, I might have to try that one, I think if I fight the negative thoughts with positive they might start going away. Thank you all for the advice.
 
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