What makes you lose your cool?

Well I get nervous whenever I face anyone, but I keep an MP3 player on my hip and if I feel myself getting real nervous I will put my headphones on and listen to music to bring my concentration back and calm my nerves.

But yeah, nervousness can be a problem, just have to figure out what works best for you.

Inzombiac said:

Last night I had one of my best league nights ever. I whooped my teammates on points so bad that they became visibly upset (up until last night they were both better than me). I was trying to figure out why I did so well and I noticed that I wasn't even nervous all night. My hands weren't even sweating. Even when I was running out I put down the 8 without even thinking, but before I had a problem with choking.

So here's the question to those who don't mind revealing a bit of weakness...: What, if anything, gets you nervous whilst playing pool?

Is it the money? The rep? The competition? For me I think I get nervous when I've had a bad practice or a bad game. After that I lose confidence in my skills and I start to sweat myself on every shot.

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I havent suffered from nerves in a long time. In 1992 after I lost everything in Hurricane Andrew I came down with psoriasis, a nervous condition that manly attacks the skin. At first, during a session out of nowhere my hands would shake...I went to a Dr and found that the skin condition was much more intense than flakey skin...in fact it had attacked my nervous system. I hardly shake now but it will come out of nowhere and has horrible timing.

If you can remember not to do anything but apply your fundamental's, enjoy the moment and invite the experience to excel, you shouldnt EVER get nervous. We do it at work and in our relationships without debilitating result, why should pool be any different? I mean we drive 4000lbs vehicles at 75-85MPH while talking on cell phones, changing CD's and swatting the rugrats in the back seat...swinging your cue should be a hanger

I usually get nervous in hill hill matches during cities for APA. My nervousness actually helps me focus and I play better, suprisingly enough.

Matt

Cue Freak said:

I usually get nervous in hill hill matches during cities for APA. My nervousness actually helps me focus and I play better, suprisingly enough.

Matt

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Yeah, any deciding rack in a tournament always gets to me, and my nervousness tends to hurt me, tried everything I could think of to relax at the table, finally found music helps me concentrate so I started carrying my mp3 player everywhere, it helps sometimes to pop an ear bud into my ear and listen to music playing in the background.

Would really kill me in major tournaments if things were quiet during shots, I am so used to playing with sound in the background that it would throw me off, hense another reason for the mp3 player.

i get nervous whenever i shoot a good player,belive it or not but it makes me shoot better.

Inzombiac said:

So here's the question to those who don't mind revealing a bit of weakness...: What, if anything, gets you nervous whilst playing pool?

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I only get nervous when I'm wondering if my wife is catching me checking out of the corner of my eye the buxom, good-looking blonde with the v-neck sweater on sitting over in the corner chair !!!

Maniac

Maniac said:

I only get nervous when I'm wondering if my wife is catching me checking out of the corner of my eye the buxom, good-looking blonde with the v-neck sweater on sitting over in the corner chair !!!

Maniac

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LMAO yeah no kidding, makes me glad I am single

This is an interesting question, and one I was thinking about last night. In league play I have no problem with nerves whatsoever but as soon as I play in a tournament the nerves kick in.

I played in the Sunday night tourney at my local PH last night & I was jittery as hell before it started, then played some horrible pool. Most of the players were people I've played in our league & I've been doing OK in that. I just don't know what sets me off when it's a race to 2, 4 or whatever. Hell, I'd think there is more pressure in league play because I don't want to let my teammates down, yet I play with far more confidence.

Strange, perhaps I just need to play more tournaments again.

poor sports

The only thing that comes to mind right off the bat is poor sports.

Specifically when players on your own team get mad after losing a game or missing a shot and generally act like an female ape on her menstral cycle.

That's about it.

losing my cool

The only thing that makes me lose my cool is "Cheaters". All Cheaters

$moneyshooter$ said:

i get nervous whenever i shoot a good player...

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Well, that's one way to keep them from winning!

What makes me nervous is playing people that are the same skill level or slightly worse than me because then I truely feel I should win and it makes it so much more difficult. If a player is much worse I have no problem staying cool and beating them or if they are alot better I stay relaxed and expect the worst and pray for some rolls but if they are only a little worse I feel the heat.

Just play the table, Everyone gets nervous, If you practice hard, when your at the table you should feel at home. You should only feel nervous setting watching the other person run balls, thats the real threat.

At the table you must trust yourself, Doubt yourself and you'll loose, your emotions will overcome you and you simply cant play. Relax. Brethe. Execute.


Now, what make's me upset? Bad racks, shotty cloth, and STIFF Pool Cues.


SPINDOKTOR

When I miss a really easy shot, then I miss another. I keep saying to myself, "Where would I be if I had made that shot."

Dickheads who ask me if I want to play and I say "yeah" race to 10 for $200 and then they try to hit me with race to 10 for $500. That's when I say, "screw you, do you want to play or not? Some people are pieces of sh!t. They don't really want to play they want to flash their money.

Hangover and semi-nude hot chicks will make me lose my cool...

I'll bet 500 v-cash that this thread will spawn a new one with "Who makes you...."

Well, to be honest I'd say dishonesty is something I really don't like. The same goes with a cocky attitude, but usually I'll just let my game do the talking for me and I don't get into arguments with some idiots...

Nervousness I don't encounter too much, though it happens more often when I play guys, especially the ones I know I can beat if I just play my game.

I tend to only lose my cool under one condition. If someone keeps dogging it and getting phenomenal rolls. That has been happening to me alot lately where I feel like I am outplaying someone the whole match, but when it gets towards the end and they start dogging it and getting lucky, it kills me mentally every time. I am working on this one, but it is hard not to get frustrated about it.

Firecracker said:

Nervousness I don't encounter too much, though it happens more often when I play guys, especially the ones I know I can beat if I just play my game.

I tend to only lose my cool under one condition. If someone keeps dogging it and getting phenomenal rolls. That has been happening to me alot lately where I feel like I am outplaying someone the whole match, but when it gets towards the end and they start dogging it and getting lucky, it kills me mentally every time. I am working on this one, but it is hard not to get frustrated about it.

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Good Fortune -not

Good rolls may even out over the course of a lifetime, but the way things have gone for the last three weeks in my Tues night 9-ball league, I dont think I will live long enough for that to happen. We played the same team 2 weeks in a row. 1st week we were scheduled to play. We lost 12-4. 9 of those losses came from 'freak' winning money balls. You imagine it-it happened. We played the next week since we were then tied for the last money paying finishing spot in league. Additionally this last week of the league pays 100 to the match winner. We lost 9-7. 6 of those losses were of the clueless variety again. Adding to the frustration were the "great shot honey!" shouts by the other team who genuinley felt a good shot had been made.

I'm starting to think that maybe the "luckiest MF..ers on earth" club has set up a chapter in our local room. It's probably just me, I know rolls go both ways, but if this continues-I'm not going to make it. P.S. My teammates have reminded me that my nickname is the 'curse'-just as I was trying to forget it. Thanks for listening, this and throwing the patio chair out into the street (which I retrieved) are helping me 'get over it'. I won't bore you with week three (post-league cash tournament) antics-similar theme.

One day at a time.

Nervous????

I get particularly nervous when the bartender yells LAST CALL!!!!!!!!