I play in a league and right now I’m rolling on a high. That’s awesome and all, and it’s been a few weeks since I’ve lost a single rack in eight ball. However, just recently I was on a low. A pretty bad low where I went hill-hill or didn’t win a match for a few weeks. I feel, partially this is due to the skill of the opponents I was playing, and partially to my own ability to be consistently “on stroke”. It’s weird to question this when I’m currently on a winning streak, but I wonder what you all do to improve consistent play in your own games.
consistency
- Thread starter heisenbug
- Start date
I go back to basics. Center ball hit when practicing to see how balls come off the tangent line and try not to force things. I also do more watching of pool on YouTube or other and just think things through in my head. Some of these things I mention don’t help me get back in stroke but I find that if I stay basic for awhile the stroke returns. So my solutions are to stay competitive till I get back in stroke.
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If we evaluated the quality of our pool sessions over time it would form a bell curve. Sometimes great, sometimes terrible, usually somewhere close to average.
Oftentimes people think the goal is to play at the top of their range consistently. That isn’t possible, the result of this would be improvement and their range lifting. The best thing to do is improve the quality of your play so the entire range does indeed lift. You will never be consistent, but your average game will then be consistently where your strong game is now.
Also, understanding this and not getting discouraged when the bad patches come can keep from spiraling into negative thoughts and slumps. Having a realistic outlook can thus be a skill that can help stay positive and patient as you put in the input needed to increase your output.
Oftentimes people think the goal is to play at the top of their range consistently. That isn’t possible, the result of this would be improvement and their range lifting. The best thing to do is improve the quality of your play so the entire range does indeed lift. You will never be consistent, but your average game will then be consistently where your strong game is now.
Also, understanding this and not getting discouraged when the bad patches come can keep from spiraling into negative thoughts and slumps. Having a realistic outlook can thus be a skill that can help stay positive and patient as you put in the input needed to increase your output.
I appreciate these thoughts. I think it is a good and useful philosophy and I thank you.
To add to my thoughts above, the goal isn’t consistency, it’s to improve. Thus asking how to be more consistent is really asking how to improve. The answer is specific to each individual’s strengths and weaknesses. In the center of it all is desire and table time.
A different question is what to do in the middle of a match when you’re struggling. In these cases I like the answer above about keeping it simple. Set baby goals. Celebrate the smallest victories. Don’t make your goal to play perfect, make your goal to play slightly less terrible. That’s improvement! Keep your attitude positive. Have fun with the adversity you’re facing, that’s what makes the game meaningful. That’s all you can do, because sometimes you will play bad and sometimes you will lose. You want to be a competitor, that comes with the territory. You can’t really make it better in the short term, but you can avoid making it worse with frustration and unrealistic expectations.
A different question is what to do in the middle of a match when you’re struggling. In these cases I like the answer above about keeping it simple. Set baby goals. Celebrate the smallest victories. Don’t make your goal to play perfect, make your goal to play slightly less terrible. That’s improvement! Keep your attitude positive. Have fun with the adversity you’re facing, that’s what makes the game meaningful. That’s all you can do, because sometimes you will play bad and sometimes you will lose. You want to be a competitor, that comes with the territory. You can’t really make it better in the short term, but you can avoid making it worse with frustration and unrealistic expectations.
Stay in the moment on and off the pool table. Don't think about the future, or the past.