A Question for "A" Players and Above - How to play when not in stroke?

What has worked for me more than any other thing is going to the bathroom and washing my face, then slapping my face, and telling myself that I can play better than this, clearing my head and approaching the table like I just started playing.

Also, sometimes when I find that I am not playing well it turns out to be a problem with my tip. Sometimes it gets a little hard and just needs a little tip work.
 
Most of the advise here is good about being more conservative in your cue ball movement. Pocket the ball and accept the next shot even though it's not the best position. Play more safes. You need to weather the storm in regards to what your body and mind are experiencing.

Many times when you're not quite right it's just a matter of staying afloat long enough to regain calmness and confidence. Some times it's just from one shot that you make and it felt good and crispy. After that shot everything falls into place.

The worst thing to do is to try to force your stroke and rhythm out of yourself. This usually will hasten your demise by making it easier for your opponent.
 
Aaaarrrgh!!!

slow down , speed up, give it up , don't give up, concentrate harder , loosen up, be serious, be devil-may-care, work on your problems, lean on your easier shots, have a drink, That last one does not confuse me. Damn good idea!:grin:
 
Great thread, Steve.

In additional to the great advice given, do you assess what is letting.you down? Typically, it's 1 thing or 2 things together. Is it shotmaking? Speed control/ position? Safety play? The bottom line is that your shotselections for that day should be adjusted to what part of your game is a lil off. If shotmaking is off, play more safes and be more choosy over which shots you fire at, etc.


Eric
 
It's very complicated.

1st thing i try to do is to see if my mechanics are right.
I do this by stepping into the shot, and one stroking everything.
If they are going in, then i know my mechanics are correct, and that the only thing i have to worry about is my speed control and not my shotmaking.
If i am missing everything, i do some stretches, so to try and loosen up and try again.
If i am still missing, then i go and do something like 100 or 200 strokes parallel to the table rail, in a consistent and deliberately controlled manner, making sure the tip goes where i want it.
I then go back and do my one stroke routine, and by that point, i am usually addressing and hitting everything pretty well.

Usually, if i haven't played in a while, i can salvage my shotmaking, but my speed will definitely be off for a little while.
It's at this point i usually go back in time, to a moment where i was playing at a really high level, and i try to relive that experience. My frame of mind, how my body felt, my preshot routine, all the things that together, made me play well that day.
If i am able to do all of the above successfully, then i can usually manage to play kind of ok, but realistically, nothing beats putting the time in on the table.

Once that is done, and i can rate my game vs my all time best.
It's at that point that i usually break down the %plays in my head to see if my game is going to allow me to do what i want, or if i am going to have to resort to other options in certain situations.

Sometimes, i can systematically up my game continually till i get it to a reasonably acceptable level, and sometimes, i can't.
Usually, i don't have the problem of playing out of stroke anymore.

Not because i play every day, but because i will rarely if ever gamble when i am out of stroke. That's just asking to curse yourself out afterward for making such a stupid decision.

And i rarely play in tournaments if i am out of stroke, simply because i'd rather participate when i am ready, and would rather skip the event and use the money towards practicing so that i am not out of stroke.

But those are the techniques that i use should i be in the position of having to play when i haven't prepared for it.
 
Great thread, Steve, and great responses to this point. Many have commented that it sometimes helps to simplify. In this regard, I'll share what straight pool legend Jack Colavita once told me. Jack professed that when you are struglling, try to use a little more center ball in your position play, to regain your confidence in your pocketing. He felt that this principle was comparable to the old adage from baseball that "a hitter that is struggling should try to go up the middle (meaning hit the ball toward centerfield)."
 
great topic

I am not yet a A player or above .If I am wrong sorry but the chart
someone posted rated a A player at high run of 100 balls in 14.1 and
maybe a 5 pack or better in 9 ball. I do know this ,if I am not feeling
it the best thing I can do is slow down ,take it one ball at a time,maybe
remember a time where I did feel it, and then maybe I will grind it out
until I get back into stroke.
 
StevenPWaldon said:
I have a question for A-players and above (A-players, Shortstops, Opens, Pros, Etc.):

When you're in the middle of a set and you're just not quite in stroke, how do you find yourself playing the rest of the set? I sort of figure that if you're conscious about not playing your best, there are a few basic ways about finishing out the set:

1.) Tame down your game -- When forced with a medium-difficult shot, do you take the easier shot, and accept slightly poorer position from shot-to-shot? I guess this would generally mean rolling the ball a little more than usual, and not juicing / jacking up very often unless absolutely forced into it. On the safety side of the game, if faced with a not-so-hard bank, would you play a simple safety if you're just not feeling good that day about your game? Or stay the course, confidence in your abilities?

2.) Try to get in stroke -- Do you ever try and "force" yourself to get in stroke and loosen up a bit? This might mean taking a confidence-inspiring shot that you know you'd make in practice (maybe some jacked up draw shot, a table-length bank, etc.) to get back into your rhythm and stop doubting yourself.

3.) Take up bowling

Thanks, eh!
Click to expand...

Hi Steven,
When I'm playing, and my game isn't sharp there are a couple things I like to do. First I recognize what part of my game is causing the problem. Usually there is one aspect of your game that is causing the wheels to fall off. For example, Missing cut shots, or straight shots, cueball control, and so on.
First and foremost , not to let it become a psychological problem.
Meaning, I have seen up and coming players dog a shot or get a horrible roll, and let it consume them. If you can't clear your head of past mistakes or rolls this will change your body language for the rest of the time you are playing. This is what screws up your mechanics. Your body tenses up and causes you to squeeze the cue, stroke faster or harder, and jump up out of a shot. All of these things will turn your stroke into ASS, and making your abilty to execute impossible.
To answer your question quickly. I like to clear my head of how I've been playing. I get my convidence level back up by super relaxing myself. Then I relax the grip of my cue to the point of barely holding it. Then I'm ready to restart the set from this point forward.
I don't try to alter my game when playing bad, I need just remember what I was doing when was playing well...
Best,
Ken Kerner
 
Last edited:
Great question! I realize the question is based on 9 ball play which is the most popular game played these days.

I know it's hard to catch a gear when something isn't right mentally as we play, but 9 ball offers many opportunities to get in stroke. (relatively speaking)

I love 14.1. This is a brutal game to try to get back in stroke when you are not playing well. The time frame between shots is much longer, the penalty for one slip-up is enormous, and the chair that awaits you is ice cold.

If there is a good way to find your game, I'd love to hear input from some pro 14.1 players. These are the folks who are beckoned to awaken from a coma in their chairs for one single opportunity to get back in the game.

They have to get it right NOW and do it knowing the pressure of the next miss may mean at least 20 or 30 minutes or more of bench warming if they are lucky, and then have to come back from an even worse position.

How the heck do you muster this kind of instant gear up when you're playing bad?

edit ... playing a lot of straight pool seems to have taken tons of pressure off when playing 9 ball ( the little that I do) and I just seem to be able to free stroke in that game with little worry. It's like I was on deck with 2 bats playing 14.1, and now ... the one bat of 9 ball takes the load off. The penalties are reduced as is the pressure. I wonder if anyone else experiences that? Not that I'm a world beater, but I do feel much less burdon to be perfect with 9 ball.

Maybe this is a way to make the 9 ball focus easier to find, playing more 14.1 with it's brand of pressure?
 
Last edited:
Steven I was getting all pumped up reading the posts in this thread. Normally I just fire away my opinion without reading any of the posts, not out of respect for the other posters but just so that my post won't be influenced by the others. In this case, I didn't care if my post was influenced by others; I only wanted to hear what the rest had to say and it was all good. Thanks for a really good thread.

For me one of the things that I do when I find myself not in stroke in the middle of a set is to back off on trying to run out every rack. I tend to play a lot smarter (take less risky shots) with more safeties and let my opponent make a mistake or two, hopefully giving me cue in hand on a failed kick shot that I earned by playing a lock up safety. When I see my opponent failing to play any better than I have been, my confidence starts coming back and so does my stroke.

It's important to have prepared yourself properly (practicing like you compete) and being honest with yourself, (knowing what your true average capabilities are) and then it is just a matter of you getting control of the table and your opponent and then letting the knowledge of what your average game truly is bring you back to winning ways.

If you know that your average capability is enough to win a match and you have been brutally honest with yourself about that ability, it is very easy (at least for me) to summon my average capability by getting that breather with smart play.

JoeyA
 
Thanks everyone, for the advice given. I find it especially helpful to get advice about the mental side of the game from more advanced players; this is the sort of thing you can't really find in books, and it varies from person to person so I appreciate everyone's comments. Thanks!
 
It depends on the game, but here are a few sugestions:
1. Stay focused.
2. Play to your opponents weaknesses.
3. Play more safties.
4. Make sure you follow through.
5. If nothing seems to work, tell you oponent you had just eaten a half-dozen raw oysters then throw-up on your shoes and leave. I hope I have been some help.
 
For me, it all boils down to making sure that my fundamentals are correct. Stance, stroke and alignment are the areas I focus on most but I always maintain my style of play. I prefer to "dance with the one that brought me" instead of changing my game everytime I miss a ball or two.

I may also take a second or two longer to mull over my options before I step into a shot but once I'm down over the ball I'm iron-clad in my decisions. I've found over the years that I prefer to stand back and weigh my options until I find the exact shot I want to play. This keeps me from being down on the cueball and having that "mental" struggle with myself. Once I'm down on the ball my only thoughts are about making the picture in my head come to life.
 
i stop looking at the object ball and instead concentrate on the cueball hit. this generally gets me out of a slump. also, taking a bunch of warmup strokes helps. sometimes, my eye is not lined up with my cue and that is a disaster. the warmup strokes, expose that deficiency. oh, and when doing the warm up strokes, follow the cue to the object ball. once your hit on the object ball is determined, concentrate only on que position. working your shots in steps can get you back in-stroke.
 
One thing you can do that might help, at least it does for me, when I am out of stroke. In between your matches if there is a practice table open, place the balls randomly all over the table. Then shoot the balls straight in the pockets with your cue stick, no cue ball. Don't over power them, just use your normal stroke. Make a mental note of the way the balls sound, when they hit the back of the pocket, and how pure your stroke feels. This will probably be the pace that you normally use, when you are in dead stroke, and the pace you should be using now. Probably just a couple of times doing this with 15 balls, is all you will need.
This is also a good way to warm up a little.
 
Last edited:
Steven,
This is one of the best threads I have ever read on this forum.

Your statement about each person's solution being unique is spot on.

I continue to enjoy reading all of the unique perspectives. This is what I like most about this forum.

JoeyA
 
I think most would agree it comes down to mechanics and habits. If you normaly play slow and you find yourself trying to keep a pace that your opponet is playing go back to your own pace. Check your rythum make sure it feels normal. Don't panic. Reduce the amount of balls you are thinking ahead. Remember every game is only one shot at a time. RELAX


Chad
 
sfleinen said:
Steven:


This "toss the concern to the wind with wild abandon" sometimes is the juice I need to make those medium-to-difficult shots in pressure situations, when I'm not playing my best for any of a number of reasons. I've managed to shake myself out of ruts with this approach, and "broke through" whatever funk it was that was keeping me back. Sometimes, other thoughts racing through our minds (e.g. hard day at work, personal life, etc.) bleeds our concentration, even if we think we're not thinking about it. Just gritting your teeth (figuratively speaking), growl internally a bit, and shoot the shot like you mean it (because you do!) somehow tells your mind that this pool game is more important than whatever background "noise" is going on in your mind, and from that point forward, bumps the priority of the game "higher" in your mind. Again, the key (for me) is not talking to yourself (either audibly or internally) because this engages the conscious brain. You want to engage the subconscious brain, the one that's been storing away all the eye/hand/arm/body coordination for successful shots during all your practice; you want to call upon this vast storehouse of information and yank out the piece of info you need to execute the shot, keeping that doorway to the subconscious open for subsequent shots.

Just some food for thought; hope it's useful! Again, great thread, and I'm sure we're going to see some very interesting and useful replies!

-Sean
14.1 high run: 133 (9ft table)
9-ball: 9-pack (9ft table)
8-ball: 7-pack (9ft table)
Click to expand...

This sounds a lot like George Fels Pleasures of Small Motions, IMO. I would like to know how one can effectively cancel out the noise in ones head. This is what hold me back, NOISE, THOUGHTS, BACKGROUND DISTRACTIONS!

Tell me please:thumbup:
 
I wonder what percentage of people answering this question are not A players.
 
EZMoney said:
This sounds a lot like George Fels Pleasures of Small Motions, IMO. I would like to know how one can effectively cancel out the noise in ones head. This is what hold me back, NOISE, THOUGHTS, BACKGROUND DISTRACTIONS!

Tell me please:thumbup:
Click to expand...

I'm sure there are some good concentration techniques out there, but I can tell that the biggest thing that helped my focus was playing in bowling alley for the first few years. Focusing on your game with balls thumping, pins crashing, video games blaring, and unruly kids running around screaming and bugging you for quarters was quite a task. You will become one hard SOB to shark, though. :smile:

Aaron
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top