Don't laugh, If a player thinks his shoes help- guess what?
His shoes help.
steven
Can we talk nerves?
- Thread starter jokrswylde
- Start date
Don't laugh, If a player thinks his shoes help- guess what?
His shoes help.
steven
Yes.
Efren had new teeth a long time ago. He played bad tournament and he flushed them away from airplane... He said they were making him unlucky.
Can´t argue against his luck!
Make sure you know every little detail about your pre-shot routine (which you perfected to the last detail, of course) so that you can focus on those details during your game if your nerves start to overwhelm you. That way, you forget about those nerves and only think about the job at hand: pocket the ball, control the CB to land where you need it to.
This is probably what was meant by the 'over-focus'-thing mentioned earlier.
Other thing that helps me: deep breaths, where I exhale especially deeply while I imagine I send the air downward, toward my belly. Sounds a little strange maybe, but it's something I picked up from a yoga course I took once (the only thing I picked up) and it really works for me to settle nerves or adrenaline rushes.
This is probably what was meant by the 'over-focus'-thing mentioned earlier.
Other thing that helps me: deep breaths, where I exhale especially deeply while I imagine I send the air downward, toward my belly. Sounds a little strange maybe, but it's something I picked up from a yoga course I took once (the only thing I picked up) and it really works for me to settle nerves or adrenaline rushes.
Danny DiLiberto once told me, "when you are shooting for
The world championship you have to rely on your fundamentals."
Practice to have consistant fundamentals and when in high
Pressure situations you know that you are prepared rely on what
you have trained yourself in practice for. Shoot and be a champion.
The world championship you have to rely on your fundamentals."
Practice to have consistant fundamentals and when in high
Pressure situations you know that you are prepared rely on what
you have trained yourself in practice for. Shoot and be a champion.
Every performer gets nervous before performing! That's when you know you are ready to get out there and do your thing. Embrace the nervousness and let it empower you do your best. Someone else said it will increase your focus and they're right about that. Just remember this one thing. The reason you play the game and practice as much as you do is to be in these situations where it's all on the line. So let yourself go, don't hold back, show them what you've got! Rather than hesitate, let your stroke out and go for the shot that you see in front of you. Enjoy yourself and this moment! This is why you play the game. This is Pool!
P.S. One more thing. At the end of the day, playing pool is all about mental discipline! It's about the Zen of learning to control ourselves, our emotions and our body. I've said before that pool is like life, if you do it well it will support you in everything else you do in life! Everything you learn about yourself playing pool carries over into the rest of your existence.
P.S. One more thing. At the end of the day, playing pool is all about mental discipline! It's about the Zen of learning to control ourselves, our emotions and our body. I've said before that pool is like life, if you do it well it will support you in everything else you do in life! Everything you learn about yourself playing pool carries over into the rest of your existence.
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Nerves make the game what it is. 2 players head to head who would both make 99% of shots, or 95 or 90 or 80, numbers do not matter. Knowing what the other guy can do if you miss - that's pool. The league match - that's pool. The short race - that's pool. The "fair" gamble with a race length and game that is at the cusp of both players strengths - that's pool. The infinite race, where whoever can get in the zone and stay there becomes the winner - that's not pool, that's a practice session. Bring on the nerves - the buzz when you hold your nerve and the soul searching when you don't -that's pool. For me at least. It's also the most exciting kind of pool to watch, for this kind of purist.
Someone mentioned sugar levels. Surely there are chemicals that will make you more or less nervous (which may or may or not directly turn into better or worse performance). So know those chemicals. For example, I have found that caffeine is definitely a no no before matches for me personally. I'm already wired to the max, so coffee or soda just it makes it that much worse.
Things that work for you might vary.
Things that work for you might vary.
I love nervous energy. We all have those moments were nerves steps in and you get that rush of adrenaline.
I think that's one of the reasons I like my league matches when they matter. I always seem to play better in the playoffs or LTC's or against someone I really want to beat because of the reputation.
I learned to love it when I played Tennis all the time. Give me pressure.
I think that's one of the reasons I like my league matches when they matter. I always seem to play better in the playoffs or LTC's or against someone I really want to beat because of the reputation.
I learned to love it when I played Tennis all the time. Give me pressure.
What's to get nervous about moving a long hunk o wood back and forth a few inches?
I've been telling myself that when I shake during my setup...and it seems to work quite well. It's a simple hunk o wood. How hard could it be to move it a bit?
I sometimes even move my head from the aim and look down on my cue, my hunk o wood, and laugh to myself at the silliness of it all.
Jeff Livingston
I've been telling myself that when I shake during my setup...and it seems to work quite well. It's a simple hunk o wood. How hard could it be to move it a bit?
I sometimes even move my head from the aim and look down on my cue, my hunk o wood, and laugh to myself at the silliness of it all.
Jeff Livingston
Excessive "Carefulness"
Leads to Inhibition and Anxiety
Have you ever tried to thread a needle? If so, and if you are inexperienced at it, you may have noticed that you could hold the thread steady as a rock until you approached the eye of the needle and attempted to insert it into the very small opening. Each time you tried to place the thread through the small opening, your hand unaccountably shook and the thread missed the mark...In medical circles, we call this "purpose tremor." It occurs, as above, in normal people when they try too
hard, or are "too careful" not to make an error in accomplishing some purpose. -Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz
Max Eberle reiterated this in "Zen Pool" as well.
Psycho-Cybernetics is a free .pdf download found here http://mastertext.spb.ru/pics/Psycho-Cybernetics.pdf Pretty eye opening so far....
Leads to Inhibition and Anxiety
Have you ever tried to thread a needle? If so, and if you are inexperienced at it, you may have noticed that you could hold the thread steady as a rock until you approached the eye of the needle and attempted to insert it into the very small opening. Each time you tried to place the thread through the small opening, your hand unaccountably shook and the thread missed the mark...In medical circles, we call this "purpose tremor." It occurs, as above, in normal people when they try too
hard, or are "too careful" not to make an error in accomplishing some purpose. -Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz
Max Eberle reiterated this in "Zen Pool" as well.
Psycho-Cybernetics is a free .pdf download found here http://mastertext.spb.ru/pics/Psycho-Cybernetics.pdf Pretty eye opening so far....
Great book referral.
A guy I used to play with got so much better faster than I did, it was amazing. He some years later told me that book is what made the difference.
I had read most of those old self-help books when there were few to choose from, but somehow I missed that one. So after my bud told me his "secret," I got the book and read it. My game jumped a good bit after that. Not sure why, even, as the book did hold some new insights, but nothing extraordinary to me.
Jeff Livingston
So revisiting this after a few months. The nerves thing has gotten better for sure, but it seems as I get in matches sometimes where I focus more on "what happens if I miss", vs. trusting the shot and my stroke and hitting it in the pocket. Almost as if I look at safety options too quickly instead of runout options.
So more of a confidence issue, but still part of the mental aspect of competing that is just as hard to hone as the physical aspects. Craziest thing. Some matches the patterns jump out and the cueball goes exactly where you want, other times it seems like every shot is a 70 degree long cut off the rail.
Crazy game.
So more of a confidence issue, but still part of the mental aspect of competing that is just as hard to hone as the physical aspects. Craziest thing. Some matches the patterns jump out and the cueball goes exactly where you want, other times it seems like every shot is a 70 degree long cut off the rail.
Crazy game.
When I get nervous my mind starts to wonder. I think about my opponent. I think about the score. I think about what people are thinking about me. I think about the crowd. I think about the pressure. I think about how important this run out is...you get the point.
In order to stop this, you need to distract your mind. In order to distract your mind, you need to find something constant for it to focus on so your head is clear to perform. What works for me may not work for you but I like to focus on my breathing. I think about the pace of my breaths. I try to slow down my breathing and take several calm slow breaths at a comfortable pace. I feel my lungs pumping in and out of my chest. It relaxes me, keeps my mind occupied on something other the pressure, and allows me to perform.
It's always a battle and sometimes the nerves win but focusing on my breathing helps immensely.
Another thing that helps is if you talk. Talking to your opponent or a member of the crowd can make you feel much more relax than being suck in your head with all of your thoughts.
There was a link to a Ted talk titled "Why we choke under pressure" on here a few weeks ago. I can't find it on AZ now, but it had a few good strategies about performing under pressure. Here is a link to the same talk.
https://www.ted.com/talks/sian_leah_beilock_why_we_choke_under_pressure_and_how_to_avoid_it
https://www.ted.com/talks/sian_leah_beilock_why_we_choke_under_pressure_and_how_to_avoid_it
Attention Control Training, A.C.T. is a program developed by Dr. Robert Nideffer. The program in a nutshell is about our focus style. Attention is examined on two axis, narrow to broad and internal to external. We have a "comfort zone", a personal preference for cognitive focus. We also go through a range of focusing throughout the day. A pro pool player will see a table layout and see it within the context of a game. A broad focus encompassing the whole table, the match state, short term and long term objectives, offer options to consider. A narrower focus looks tactically to see what are the best skills to bring to bear and in what order. Our attention shuttles naturally throughout everyday functioning. Each task has its own attentional demands. A target sport like pool needs a narrow external focus to execute a shot. Nideffer takes us one more step and tells us about adding stress.
When we experience stress, our first response is to retreat to our comfort zone. We know the effect. We work on part of our game in practice, then bring it into a competitive game. The new stance, bridge, grip, stroke or whatever skill are tried out. Then we miss a shot we think we should have made, either pocketing or positioning. Each time we miss the stress tends to go up. Next thing we know we have reverted to the old way of shooting, because it feels right. Really it feels familiar and we feel comfort there. That is the first stage in the stress response. Further stress simply results in attention becoming narrower and more internalized. Extreme stress results in the fight/flight/freeze scenario.
In simple terms we get into our heads instead of focused outwards on achieving a result. When I took this info to the table, when my mind moved inwards and I realized it next thing you know I’m in my head giving myself shit for being there. It was a catch 22 until I realized that my attention needed to be on the table. Sometimes I would talk so I could hear about the shot. The sound coming from my own voice forces my attention outwards in order to actually hear it. Go around to the opposite side of the shot and see the exact angle the cue ball takes off the object ball and precisely where you want the ball to end up. Check the ball paths for flecks of chalk or lint. Seeing the small details makes the balls and pockets look bigger in comparison. Find the contact point that you need to target in the aiming and shooting process. Zero in on it. Circle back to the shot. You should now have a good 3D internal feel for the shot. Step back, take a deep breath and step onto the shot line. During this process you should have kept focused on the target. Once your body has aligned to deliver the shot, stop feathering, focus intently on that target making sure you are looking directly down the cue. This stop should be at least 3-5 seconds. The words still and unhurried come to mind. Once you are focused on the target and let yourself get still, you can let the shot just happen.
Distractions are externals messing with your focus. Bookmark your shot for a moment and pay attention to the distraction. Give it its time. You can also choose to block stuff out. We do it all the time. The phone rings while the tv is on and you block it out to have a conversation. You are at work and someone intrudes into your work flow, you simply bookmark where you were before the interruption and prioritize the new context. Once you make an evaluation you can decide to return to your bookmark continuing from where you were. These processes are tools you have already developed. You just need to bring them into the situation on the table. Just how focused can you get? Has anyone had trouble getting your attention when you’re focused on something? People get absorbed and immersed, blocking out everything else. We have that ability. Once you know these things you realize they are coping skills you already possess. You can pick and choose the ones that feel natural and work best for you.
When we experience stress, our first response is to retreat to our comfort zone. We know the effect. We work on part of our game in practice, then bring it into a competitive game. The new stance, bridge, grip, stroke or whatever skill are tried out. Then we miss a shot we think we should have made, either pocketing or positioning. Each time we miss the stress tends to go up. Next thing we know we have reverted to the old way of shooting, because it feels right. Really it feels familiar and we feel comfort there. That is the first stage in the stress response. Further stress simply results in attention becoming narrower and more internalized. Extreme stress results in the fight/flight/freeze scenario.
In simple terms we get into our heads instead of focused outwards on achieving a result. When I took this info to the table, when my mind moved inwards and I realized it next thing you know I’m in my head giving myself shit for being there. It was a catch 22 until I realized that my attention needed to be on the table. Sometimes I would talk so I could hear about the shot. The sound coming from my own voice forces my attention outwards in order to actually hear it. Go around to the opposite side of the shot and see the exact angle the cue ball takes off the object ball and precisely where you want the ball to end up. Check the ball paths for flecks of chalk or lint. Seeing the small details makes the balls and pockets look bigger in comparison. Find the contact point that you need to target in the aiming and shooting process. Zero in on it. Circle back to the shot. You should now have a good 3D internal feel for the shot. Step back, take a deep breath and step onto the shot line. During this process you should have kept focused on the target. Once your body has aligned to deliver the shot, stop feathering, focus intently on that target making sure you are looking directly down the cue. This stop should be at least 3-5 seconds. The words still and unhurried come to mind. Once you are focused on the target and let yourself get still, you can let the shot just happen.
Distractions are externals messing with your focus. Bookmark your shot for a moment and pay attention to the distraction. Give it its time. You can also choose to block stuff out. We do it all the time. The phone rings while the tv is on and you block it out to have a conversation. You are at work and someone intrudes into your work flow, you simply bookmark where you were before the interruption and prioritize the new context. Once you make an evaluation you can decide to return to your bookmark continuing from where you were. These processes are tools you have already developed. You just need to bring them into the situation on the table. Just how focused can you get? Has anyone had trouble getting your attention when you’re focused on something? People get absorbed and immersed, blocking out everything else. We have that ability. Once you know these things you realize they are coping skills you already possess. You can pick and choose the ones that feel natural and work best for you.
I remember reading the Cybernetics book... what stuck with me all these years,
is pre-visualization. Even when you're "pressuring out", as I like to call it, you
pre-vis the shot in front of you... seeing the shot completed in your mind, the
ball going in, then your muscle memory takes over.
Another thing a pro told me: When you're in your pre-shot routine tell yourself,
"this is routine, been here done that" or words to that effect... sure helps me.
is pre-visualization. Even when you're "pressuring out", as I like to call it, you
pre-vis the shot in front of you... seeing the shot completed in your mind, the
ball going in, then your muscle memory takes over.
Another thing a pro told me: When you're in your pre-shot routine tell yourself,
"this is routine, been here done that" or words to that effect... sure helps me.
Just my 0.02, but the only thing that I know to have helped me with this is continuing to put myself in that situation until I am comfortable. So, it sounds to me like you just need more competition.
Overtime, you will start to do better.
kollegedave
Overtime, you will start to do better.
kollegedave
