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

[5ballcharlie]

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!

I just try to take out as much guess work as possible. Try and keep my head in the match and try and do the best I can do with each inning. I have had times were I wasn't necessarily playing well but kept my head level and ended up playing great. Some days the balls just make it tough to win. That doesn't necessarily mean you have to lose. I try and gain a little something with each match. It all builds upon itself. Its like the old saying goes the more ya do it the better ya get at it. Just keep at it and don't quit. Rome wasn't built in a day.

 

[breaknrunjr]

I'm not what I would consider to be an A player myself, but this is a really interesting topic to me, so I figured I would add my two cents for anyone that might be interested.

The first thing that I feel is worth mentioning is that this topic tends to go into the mental aspects of the game, and because all people don't think alike, there is no "textbook" way of getting back into stroke in the heat of a match (for example, you can reference the numerous posts before this one to see a variety of methods that work for different people). Keeping this in mind, here are some things that seem to work for me:

1) Don't give up - If you start playing poorly in a match due to falling off your game, make sure that you are still giving ALL shots the amount of thought and time that they deserve. If you start banking balls without considering your options, or if you begin to hit easy kick shots just for the sake of hitting the ball. It's a sign that you want to get the match over with, which in and of itself is a sign that you're giving up. If you want to have any chance of getting back into stroke in the middle of a match, make sure that at the very least, you are thinking as well out of stroke as you were when you were in stroke. Don't take this task lightly, however, as the frustration of being off your game coupled with the fact that you may be losing can make this task very difficult at times.

2) Zip the lip - While I generally don't talk while I play, if I'm not playing up to par, I find that if I cut my speaking to the bare minimum (calling shots, calling someone over to watch a hit, etc), I can raise my sense of concentration. I feel it's a little like taking brain capacity away from one activity (talking) and giving it to another (pool). However, a player that generally likes to throw out the occasional one-liner when they are on might feel out of sorts doing this, so I don't think I would recommend this method to more talkative players.

3) Use your breaks more liberally - While I can generally finish a match out without taking a break if I'm playing well, if I'm not I may make it a point to take a trip to the restroom even if just to splash some water on my face. I'm not exactly sure how it works, but I've had instances where I would go in to the restroom a beaten player and come out playing 2 speeds higher. I guess the same concept applies to problems off the pool table as well. You can stare at a problem for hours and not have a solution, then you might go get a can of soda or do something else for 5 minutes. You might then return to the problem to find the solution is staring you right in the face. I suppose it's possible that once you encounter a problem, you might at times fall into a rut of looking at the problem from one perspective. When you leave the problem and return to it after clearing your mind, you might be able to see the problem in a new light that may allow you to solve it.

I realize that this post is a little long, but I state again that this is a very interesting topic for me and I'm glad that this thread was started so that I could read about what other people are doing when faced with the same situation.

 

[dabarbr]

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 may be wrong but I believe the credit for "Pleasures of Small Motions" goes to Bob Fancher, Ph.D.

 

[D_Lewis]

just posting so I can read this all later.

 

[EZMoney]

My bad. But it does sound like Pleasures.

 

[tom mcgonagle]

I try to hang in, play a little more conservative and hope, like some great pitchers in baseball. I find my best stuff as the game goes into the late innings.

 

[CrownCityCorey]

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!

This is where a solid pre-shot routine is KING!

 

[Big C]

This is where a solid pre-shot routine is KING!

This is true. When you are playing bad, that is the worst time to fix something. Stick to what you know and just play through it. Champions don't win because they are on the top of their game. They win because they realize that no matter how bad they are playing, they can turn it around and pull out the win. It's all about confidence. Get some!

 

[Raecarmia]

my two cents....

First, thanks again for posting such a great question as it seems to have generated many good responses.
I tend to agree with some of the stuff and disagree with some. I guess when you say "not in stroke" you are referring to not hitting the balls with confidence...or being unsure of the outcome of any one particular shot (and the reason I say one shot is because that is all we really face at any one time).
Ok...here goes, I believe most players find them self "not in stroke" because they are not comfortable with their level of confidence, either the particular match-up, the game, the specifics of the equipment they are using. One or more of these things have crept into the subconscious and surfaced in the conscious leading to doubt in abilities and generate fears as to the outcome, which in effect snowballs and leads to more frustration etc...
When I have found myself in this situation I immediately shift my focus away from my abilities (I tell myself I know how to play and I can hit the balls as good as anyone) and then focus on how to make the next five (specifically five) shots difficult for my opponent, either by an obvious safety or even better leaving the cue ball frozen or as close to frozen to the rail. Then plan on watching my opponent’s reaction to his own frustration. Once I see him miss or sell out a shot I try to let that feed my confidence. It snowballs, and soon you are back (focused) on the execution of perfection. Trying harder to execute just re-enforces your lack of ability. I try to shut that down as soon as possible and focus outward, doing so has seen many matches turn around. Trust in your abilities , after all you are where you want to be and deserve to win.