Strategy when not in top form
- Thread starter Imac007
- Start date
SLOW DOWN and get a good pre-shot routine established. Play 'cinch' pool aka make the damn ball. Take tougher shape if you have to.
When you slow down what do you do or think about in the time you created?
What does "get a good pre-shot routine established" entail?
Interpreting the first part about being conservative as about playing within yourself and taking what the table gives you, to parrot a couple of old cliches.
As to Cliff and his micro-stroke, it also set up from a long way back from the cue ball. Feeling cramped just thinking about it. Although I don’t have a particularly long stroke to start with. Probably is good advise for longer backswings.
Canada’s best player when I was a kid was George Chenier.
Cliff Thorburn eventually became Canada’s best player ever.
Cliff and George are in Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.
Personally, I’ve three-fouled a lot more players on a bad day
Pre-Shot
I actually wrote my pre-shot routine down, then built on it for about a week and eventually pared it down to where it is now. I still have it in my notes on my phone and occasionally look at it when I'm not playing well and stuck in my chair.
I actually wrote my pre-shot routine down, then built on it for about a week and eventually pared it down to where it is now. I still have it in my notes on my phone and occasionally look at it when I'm not playing well and stuck in my chair.
I play the same whether I’m playing good or bad. I know what I’m capable of and although I may not be in top form I still believe I can do it.
The last two tournaments I’ve played in I finished just out of the money simply because I didn’t play at my normal level. Both tournaments were handicapped and I was the highest rated played in both tournaments. Even tough I didn’t play welll in either I know it was my own fault.
The last two tournaments I’ve played in I finished just out of the money simply because I didn’t play at my normal level. Both tournaments were handicapped and I was the highest rated played in both tournaments. Even tough I didn’t play welll in either I know it was my own fault.
Slow down and shoot softer.
Do EVERYTHING the same pre-shot. The way you chalk, aim, addressing the ball, etc. All the things you do pre-shot should be fairly regimented. By doing this you will approach shots as just shots, not hard or easy. Watch pro golfers, they all have a routine and the good ones stick to it. Comes in handy when under the gun.
I fear that most players need to finish their strokes and that shooting soft might not work for them. Slowing down creates a time void that needs to be addressed. Activation levels are easily disrupted. A preshot routine tends to be about the orchestration of physical actions. There is a timing to that. Maybe a mental preshot needs to be part of the package for coping. A choreographed way to get to the slower softer place you suggest.
Thanks for the ideas.
Its not so much slowing down but maintaining your tempo. Its VERY easy to speed-up when doubt/tension creep in. A good psr helps a lot in maintaining a constant playing rhythm. Some people like to play fast but you can still maintain a good tempo whether its fast or slower.
Well I play at a break neck flowing pace, I have the same pre-shot routine every single shot. I simply slow my aiming system down, as I'm bending down into the shot and connecting my "dots." I can do this quickly for a 7' valley, sometimes that pace doesn't work for 9 foot 4" pockets. So I slow down in my bend down, and make sure I hit it pocket weight speed. (Of course the adjustment in positioning means I'm generally going for slightly more angle to allow this soft touch.)
Are you experiencing slowing as a deliberateness? Or is it more of a moment with calculated precision brought to the front? Or is there something else filling the time?
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Another thread with more info
https://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=470022&highlight=Coping+pool
Can we talk nerves? - AzBilliards.com
https://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=470022&highlight=Coping+pool
Can we talk nerves? - AzBilliards.com
I'm not in top form now and it matters little to me. All I need to do is spend a solid week dedicating it to table time and I should be good to go. I don't let myself think anything otherwise.
My mental key is "you'll never amount to anything." That was repeatability said to me when I was a child. That person is my opponent no matter who it is at the table.
my strategy for gambling when not in top form
i am assuming not in top form means,on tilt,broke down,discouraged' lousy attitude
my first rule is quit for the day,go home sell the cue that let me down,lick my wounds and
stay away until i feel like playing,survival with the bankroll in tact is the name of the game
m
when i feel right away,i try to get a game that i can win big money,ask for more weight
and play again
most of the time when i quit i compliment my oppent,admit i underestimated him,
say something like "you play with a lot of heart,i needed more weight,you shoot good,"
so when i come back,we adjust and jack the beti never play to try to get my money back,i want his too and jacking the bet is my favorite way back
i am assuming not in top form means,on tilt,broke down,discouraged' lousy attitude
my first rule is quit for the day,go home sell the cue that let me down,lick my wounds and
stay away until i feel like playing,survival with the bankroll in tact is the name of the game
m
when i feel right away,i try to get a game that i can win big money,ask for more weight
and play again
most of the time when i quit i compliment my oppent,admit i underestimated him,
say something like "you play with a lot of heart,i needed more weight,you shoot good,"
so when i come back,we adjust and jack the beti never play to try to get my money back,i want his too and jacking the bet is my favorite way back
[QUOTE ] I play the same whether I’m playing good or bad.
There is something about that statement that confuses me, and yet I understand it perfectly.
Reminds me of that famous quote I can never remember
something about a couple of streakers at Yankee stadium- yogi is asked what sex they were and he said he had no idea cause they had bags over their heads.
He was then asked to join some friends for dinner at a popular restaurant,to which he replied nobody goes there anymore it's too f'n crowded.
But the ops quote does rebut the notion that insanity is the definition of doing something the same way every time and still expecting different results
As to the original question - like another poster said I slow down concentrate on my PSR and relax my grip on the butt end,tighten my bridge hand , make sure to keep my head down until the object ball is pocketed or reaches its destination.if I'm still not playing well and 9 ball is the game, I break out the crop and start riding like sea biscuit
There is something about that statement that confuses me, and yet I understand it perfectly.
Reminds me of that famous quote I can never remember
something about a couple of streakers at Yankee stadium- yogi is asked what sex they were and he said he had no idea cause they had bags over their heads.
He was then asked to join some friends for dinner at a popular restaurant,to which he replied nobody goes there anymore it's too f'n crowded.
But the ops quote does rebut the notion that insanity is the definition of doing something the same way every time and still expecting different results
As to the original question - like another poster said I slow down concentrate on my PSR and relax my grip on the butt end,tighten my bridge hand , make sure to keep my head down until the object ball is pocketed or reaches its destination.if I'm still not playing well and 9 ball is the game, I break out the crop and start riding like sea biscuit
I kind of get what you’re saying, but not sure it translates for me.
When I’m not playing well, I try to play better. If I’m playing well, I try to play the same. I don’t just keep trodding along telling myself this is how I play and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.
Being able to tighten the screws when needed, is a very valuable tool. If I had one tool to do that, it is a good Pre-Shot Routine!
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Good thread. Agreed that sticking to your pre-shot routine is critical, but even when you do, you'll have slumps.
The best rule of thumb is that you must always play within yourself. That said, what constitutes playing within yourself can change with the peaks and valleys of your game.
When you gamble, you should have a game plan, and that plan should incorporate a means of accurately playing within yourself.
The best rule of thumb is that you must always play within yourself. That said, what constitutes playing within yourself can change with the peaks and valleys of your game.
When you gamble, you should have a game plan, and that plan should incorporate a means of accurately playing within yourself.