I seem to be having a mental block or choking issue. I am really happy with my game right now, but i have a high percentage loss on hill/hill matches and the last 2 weekends im battling for 3rd and am up 6-3 races to 7 and just cant finish it and have many chances, i make more errors in those final 2 games than the whole tournament. I start thinking things like( ok you can do this) (ok you have a great chance at it here) and i start feeling things like my heart throbbing and my hands feel like they are shaking but they arnt, and i think it affects my decision making, or at least makes me feel in a rush and dont look at all my options. So im looking for some advise or an article or book so i can work on this issue because it appears its not going away, any help is appreciated thanks!
Keep failing over and over when it comes to the final rounds
- Thread starter tt97cobra
- Start date
Just focus to game plan (runout map)and executing a shot after shot. DON'T try make sure you not making mistakes. If you do you start to dog and roll shots and lose your own style and rhythm.
Back when I competed more I had similar problem. We had double elimination until 8 or 16 left on tournament. After that it switched to a single elimination. I trashed my opponents when I knew I can loose 1 game. Normally scores were 7-1 and 7-0. After tournament switched to that single elimination I did loose always 6-7...
It was really frustrating and fellow competitors started to make jokes coz o that.
I finally handled it at 5th ranking tournament and won it and I won every single after that.
So try your best and when you get over it you will be strong!
Back when I competed more I had similar problem. We had double elimination until 8 or 16 left on tournament. After that it switched to a single elimination. I trashed my opponents when I knew I can loose 1 game. Normally scores were 7-1 and 7-0. After tournament switched to that single elimination I did loose always 6-7...
It was really frustrating and fellow competitors started to make jokes coz o that.
I finally handled it at 5th ranking tournament and won it and I won every single after that.
So try your best and when you get over it you will be strong!
I could say something like play one match at a time, you already know that. You need a different mind set. One thing is you have already done well getting that far and losing is not so disappointing. You are accepting being second or third.
Here is a trick that has always worked for me, I play for the money. I want to know what the match is worth to me and what it will cost me if I lose. I play like I would gambling and adopt that mind set.
You have lost focus. What is focus? It is here and now. Do not let your mind confuse your brain by thinking of what might happen or what has happened in the past. Take your time and use your eyes to show your brain what you want to do. It is only hand and eye coordination.
I've had the same issues and as others have said, you just have to keep your mind on the task at hand. If you feel yourself getting too emotional, stop for a second and try to control your breathing, take a deep breath. Stress causes short breathing which then impacts the brain and then physical functions. So get a good dose of oxygen and take a second to focus on the only things you can control in pool...yourself and the cue. There should be no doubts.
Experience is your best teacher. I also play with someone regularly who can beat me and we'll play a set for about the same amount as a tournament fee. This makes a lot of my playing time similar to playing tournaments in the aspect that I've got something to lose if I miss. The more I'm in this situation, the more comfortable I feel being in it.
Don't think about the score. Just think about the next shot to be made. Focus all your thinking on just that next shot.
Of course, a thought about the score will enter your mind every once in a while. But when you've practiced focusing on the next shot, it's fairly easy to replace the "score thought" with the "next shot thought."
Be The Iceman.
Of course, a thought about the score will enter your mind every once in a while. But when you've practiced focusing on the next shot, it's fairly easy to replace the "score thought" with the "next shot thought."
Be The Iceman.
Quit thinking "I don't want to lose this match" and start thinking "I want to win EVERY game". Trying to win matches gets you focused on the score which takes your mind out of the Present. Trying to win this game keeps your mind focused on the now and ensuring every inning keeps you in control of the table.
This might be oversimplified but works, I skunked a whole tournament recently thinking this way.
This might be oversimplified but works, I skunked a whole tournament recently thinking this way.
I went through this too. The way I got past it was: First of all, keep putting yourself in that situation! Second: It's not the end of the world either way. Instead of putting more pressure on myself I detached a bit and said, okay, what I tried last time didn't work, let me try something else. Almost like an experiment. Then I was able to play as a third person observer and it took the nerves out of it.
Another way to look at it is: You have practiced your stroke, your aim, your break, your safeties. It stands to reason you need to practice winning those tough matches at the end of the tournament too. So keep putting yourself in that situation and practice how to win. You will find the way within you.
Before long you'll be looking forward to getting in that position and getting to the next level of practice which is winning it all in the finals. Actually, I predict that the next tournament you win the semi-finals you'll win the whole thing. It will be a breakthrough and you'll probably tear things up for a couple of weeks until they raise your handicap...But that couple thou $$ will definitely help a bit.
You may just be pressing - it is common in these scenarios. You are playing well, in the final rounds of a tournament, and the urge to "hurry up and win" kicks in. It can lead to an abbreviated mental process, and can make you play more aggressive. If you look back on these losses and find that your thought process and shot selection was a little suspect, I bet you were pressing a bit.
Luckily, the steps you take to fix it can also help with nervousness. You need to be very deliberate in your process, maybe even make the conscious decision to play a little more conservatively in the later rounds. That doesn't mean playing scared, just evaluating the percentages carefully and taking on slightly less risk. Don't think about winning or losing (anybody can beat anybody in a short race), think about finding the best percentage play for each situation. Analyze until you are comfortable with your shot selection, then focus on executing.
If you can look back on a match and say you gave each shot its due consideration, you made good decisions about shot selection, and you came with the best stroke you could deliver at the time, you can congratulate yourself on a job well done. Winning and losing will sort itself out in the end - I let the scorekeepers worry about that.
Aaron
Luckily, the steps you take to fix it can also help with nervousness. You need to be very deliberate in your process, maybe even make the conscious decision to play a little more conservatively in the later rounds. That doesn't mean playing scared, just evaluating the percentages carefully and taking on slightly less risk. Don't think about winning or losing (anybody can beat anybody in a short race), think about finding the best percentage play for each situation. Analyze until you are comfortable with your shot selection, then focus on executing.
If you can look back on a match and say you gave each shot its due consideration, you made good decisions about shot selection, and you came with the best stroke you could deliver at the time, you can congratulate yourself on a job well done. Winning and losing will sort itself out in the end - I let the scorekeepers worry about that.
Aaron
fundamentals....the more solid you are in stance, approach, lining up...the less stress you are under....and the more likely you are to make shots even when you rush em some.
One thing that might help, try finding something in your fundamentals you want to work on, like feet flat, elbow over cue, wrist angle, head placement or something along those lines....and when your in the match, make sure you are doing this one thing on every shot. It will help you keep your mind on something important, and keep your mind off of stuff like "oh i dont like this shot" or stuff like that. Concentrate on doing that one thing, let the shot happen, and maybe it will help some (it does for me,,,,sometimes )
good luck!
One thing that might help, try finding something in your fundamentals you want to work on, like feet flat, elbow over cue, wrist angle, head placement or something along those lines....and when your in the match, make sure you are doing this one thing on every shot. It will help you keep your mind on something important, and keep your mind off of stuff like "oh i dont like this shot" or stuff like that. Concentrate on doing that one thing, let the shot happen, and maybe it will help some (it does for me,,,,sometimes
)good luck!
The more you get in this position the more comfortable you'll become. What I like to do is making myself think that I still have matches to play.
Well during matches i think things such as (if i win this match and my next match i feel like i can win the whole tournament).
And if i could pick a skill to improve on it would be the break and position play. And i do put in the time to get better at these skills.
Well that was the point of the question. If you can stop thinking about that, and start to play like you do during practices, you will be able to be at the top of your play.
With those skills mentioned, try to use a competitive game next time to create a plan how you can improve one of those skills. That was helping me a lot
It's hard but you got to focus on the moment.. I struggle with the same thing from time to time. I try to remember something the monk said in his book..
IF YOU HAVE ONE FOOT IN THE FUTURE AND ONE FOOT IN THE PAST YOU WILL PISS ALL OVER THE PRESENT!
Pretty simple and gets to the point .
IF YOU HAVE ONE FOOT IN THE FUTURE AND ONE FOOT IN THE PAST YOU WILL PISS ALL OVER THE PRESENT!
Pretty simple and gets to the point .
Once I started treating that reassuring, supportive voice in my head like a separate schizophrenic personality I started performing better. Once you let that voice in things can start going downhill fast. Your brain not only wants in the game, it wants to control everything about it and its only a matter of time before it wants to "fix" my mechanics. I don't know which of my other personalities tell the first brain to go &$&$ itself but someone says it. Seems to help me at least.
I believe it was the inner game of tennis that teaches there is an a player and b player inside everyone. The a is the one making decisions on speed and english and such. once he makes that decision b player does it. The problem is a player doesn't trust b player. So the first time you rattle a ball or blow position it wants to take over and thats when you tighten up or start guiding the ball instead of just stroking it. For me it's a matter of mentally telling myself how well I'm playing. Seems goofy maybe but it calms me down and keeps me in line when the pressure is on.
Back to the drawing board; you have to master all 4000 shots possibilities; the only way to improve the mental block is confidence in your ability to shoot, you still miss shots, a recipe for game or match loss..Later you will need to improve on all other skills of the game..