Any Advice...

Breazy, remind yourself of this always: You can't build confidence without gaining skill, but you can't gain skill without first building confidence. Before you can be confident in your pool game, learn to be confident in yourself. Try to focus your energy on learning WHY you did what you did incorrectly, and then enjoy finding a way to fix it. No sense dwelling on a missed shot, it'll never make the ball roll into the pocket :)
 
Nothing that hasn't been said before, but:

1. Fake it til you make it. You're allowed to be mad about something and it's fair to say you can't help that. But when you pretend to be cool with it and just sit down calmly, it somehow makes you calm and helps you keep your head right for your future shots.

#1 priority is don't smack the stick on the rail, cloth, or floor. If you can master not hurting the stick, try to move on to #2, not talking to yourself or bìtching about the shot to the other guy. If you can master that, you're pretty much there. #3 (efren level) is to have a little smile and seem relaxed and untroubled about it, rather than sitting in stony brooding silence.

2. Nearly every person I've seen say "I totally miss shots I should make" are actually talking about missable shots. Don't beat yourself up about the shots you're only 50/50 to make. If your ballmaking skill truly jumps all over the place, that's an issue with fundamentals. You gotta get a simple repeatable stroke. Once you're lined up, you should be able to send the cue ball where you're aiming it. If you can do that, the CB doesn't care whether you're mad about the last shot or not.
 
CreeDo said:
Nothing that hasn't been said before, but:

1. Fake it til you make it. You're allowed to be mad about something and it's fair to say you can't help that. But when you pretend to be cool with it and just sit down calmly, it somehow makes you calm and helps you keep your head right for your future shots.

#1 priority is don't smack the stick on the rail, cloth, or floor. If you can master not hurting the stick, try to move on to #2, not talking to yourself or bìtching about the shot to the other guy. If you can master that, you're pretty much there. #3 (efren level) is to have a little smile and seem relaxed and untroubled about it, rather than sitting in stony brooding silence.

2. Nearly every person I've seen say "I totally miss shots I should make" are actually talking about missable shots. Don't beat yourself up about the shots you're only 50/50 to make. If your ballmaking skill truly jumps all over the place, that's an issue with fundamentals. You gotta get a simple repeatable stroke. Once you're lined up, you should be able to send the cue ball where you're aiming it. If you can do that, the CB doesn't care whether you're mad about the last shot or not.
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Couldn't agree more with CreeDo (uh oh, someone alert the authorities, CreeDo is making sense again :P )...

In all seriousness though, it's like I tell my players.

1. No matter what happens on the table, you meant to do it. Even if you jump the cue ball 5 tables over and make the 8-ball in on that table to the intended pocket, you meant to do it. [This add a little humor to it, but it to get the player to not concentrate on anything with exception to their next shot].

2. A player may come up and ask for criticism on a shot (what did I do wrong or why didn't the ball go into the pocket). Depending on the situation (practice vs. match). I will either provide instruction (practice) or tell them to read the back of a ketchup packet (match). [At first they may look confused, but again it is to get them unfocused on their preceeding shots].

3. Play how you practice and practice how you play. Sometimes when a player practices, their is nothing on the line so there is no pressure. This, naturally, puts you at ease. Making a shot during a match is no different than the same shot made during practice.

Pool is 95% mental, 4% skill and 1% luck.

-saige-
 
Koop said:
Watch Efren Reyes.
He doesn't miss often but when he does, he just smiles and sits down. You can just tell it doesn't phase him. Gets right back up and runs em out.

You're NOT perfect....you will miss...accept it and move on.

Best of luck,
Koop
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I totally understand what your saying here and for an advanced player that is totally spot on.

I do disagree with you though in regards to newer players. They are going to miss a lot of shots. Shrugging one off once in a while is very easy in comparison to missing all the time. When playing in front of other people, missing shot after shot eats into their self esteem. The players who are new to the game have to learn that they aren't going to be amazing overnight and stop equating their self worth with their playing ability. No expectations, No judgements, No ego.
 
Neil said:
You sound like a perfectionist. That can be a good thing channeled properly. As Koop said, everybody misses. Even the easy ones! Accept that you will also. Instead of expecting perfection, which won't happen, when you do miss, look at WHY you missed it. Faulty aim? Just plain careless? Crooked stroke? WHY did you miss. Then, you can use that miss for a tool to get better and better by correcting your mistakes.
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I will take it a step further than what Neil has. When that big miss happens become a third party in your mind. Try to figure out the reason why you missed but in a disengaged manner. Much like as if you where the third party watching the match...not actually playing in it. After you listen to your third parties consultation accept it as fact and move on to the next shot as if it were a lesson. Indeed it has been a lesson right?

Thanks Neil good stuff! Good luck Breazy!
 
Geometry said:
I totally understand what your saying here and for an advanced player that is totally spot on.

I do disagree with you though in regards to newer players. They are going to miss a lot of shots. Shrugging one off once in a while is very easy in comparison to missing all the time. When playing in front of other people, missing shot after shot eats into their self esteem. The players who are new to the game have to learn that they aren't going to be amazing overnight and stop equating their self worth with their playing ability. No expectations, No judgements, No ego.
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Good point.

Thanks,
Koop
 
Here you go:

1. NOONE will go forever without missing a ball.

2. You ARE gonna miss, otherwise you'd be a guru.

Knowing this, the miss is just part of the makeup of the game. Say there's a hundred shots in a race to seven, how many do you expect to miss? Then, just think of it as part of your equation. Make sense?

Like this. In a race to seven, I expect to miss between two and five balls that I'm actually trying to pocket. Granted, some are two way shots. Some are "letting it fly" depending on my opponent. So, one ball? It's part of the equation. I'm a perfectionist, also. So, the sooner you get this equation in your head, the better.

Hope this makes sense.

By the way, welcome to the "pool addict" status.
 
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It's important to accept the fact that we will never be able to always play our best game. Just as we will not always play our worst game. An honest personal evaluation requires us to define our average game. This can not be our best or worst game. Simply by definition, average is somewhere in between. So we need to set our expectations to our average, enjoy the really good days, and understand that the bad days are also going to happen.

Steve
 
Easy shots are missed because they are taken for granted. It's a gimme so you don't take the time or care each shot requires.

Don't get upset when you miss a hard shot, one that you make less than 50% of the time

Like others said it sounds like you're loose and comfortable when playing your husband, but tense up in competition. Time and experience will help, but don't forget to relax and breathe when you're in the heat of battle.

:cool:
 
Just learn to focus on one thing......

breazy said:
i have been playing in the apa for about 2 years now and i really love playing pool. My biggest problem is not being able to let a bad shot go. I have been very competitive my whole life. Most of the time i can see what shots i need to make and how to make them, but if i miss a shot i know i should have made i get upset with myself. For some reason i can't let it go and it carries over from shot to shot, the snowball effect as my husband calls it. Does anyone have any advice on ways to help me? I know it's just a game and i should be having fun, but i don't know how to let bad shots go. Please help...i'd really like to get back to enjoying the game and not spend so much time being pissed at myself! :eek:
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hi there,

i don't know if this will make any sense to you but here goes. Pool is a game of individual shots. Sometimes we might shoot 20 shots to finish a game depending on safes and whatnots.

Each shot in itself is a game. To get down and shoot to the best of your ability. When you get down on that shot the slate needs to be wiped clean. If you practice this all the time you will get better and better getting prepared for each individual shot.

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Forget about the so called big picture. You got plenty to worry about on your individual shots and trying to fugure out how to get out.

Kind of like the old prize fighter that's retired. He hears a bell ,,,ding,,,,,, and he's ready to go.

With practice you can train yourself to wipe the slate clean, nothing else matters, and take your next shot.

The mind can be trained and you can do it..................

Have a great day...............
 
Geometry said:
I totally understand what your saying here and for an advanced player that is totally spot on.

I do disagree with you though in regards to newer players. They are going to miss a lot of shots. Shrugging one off once in a while is very easy in comparison to missing all the time. When playing in front of other people, missing shot after shot eats into their self esteem. The players who are new to the game have to learn that they aren't going to be amazing overnight and stop equating their self worth with their playing ability. No expectations, No judgements, No ego.
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This just took me from this:banghead: to this.:clapping:

Thanks for putting this in perspective for this new player. Leave the ego at the door....I love it! Everyone starts at the bottom, every pro misses, we're not making pacemakers that our lives depend upon, it's supposed to be fun.

:bow-down:
 
grindz said:
Good words from Neil. And you can take that a step further.... ask yourself.... if your goal is to improve, and you can't objectively evaluate your miss because you are angry about it... how will you improve?? Anger
just blurs the picture... is your picture so clear that you can make balls even with it a bit fuzzier?? JMO With that said... we've all cussed ourselves out at one time or the other.. at least I have to myself!! :eek:

G/L

td
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Very well said.
 
I know I'm not perfect by any means and that I am going to miss shots. I was just trying to get some advice of how others handle things. I really love the game but right now it's not loving me (lol). The 9-ball team I play on has a match tonight so I will definitely use some of the advice that was given if I play. I will take it one shot at at time and try to have fun with it but still do my best.
 
It's not that I have a hard time letting go of the bad shots, but I HATE letting go of the MONEY they end up costing me. That's what I have a hard time with. If it doen't cost me any money I don't consider it a bad shot, but that's just me.
 
genomachino said:
hi there,

i don't know if this will make any sense to you but here goes. Pool is a game of individual shots. Sometimes we might shoot 20 shots to finish a game depending on safes and whatnots.

Each shot in itself is a game. To get down and shoot to the best of your ability. When you get down on that shot the slate needs to be wiped clean. If you practice this all the time you will get better and better getting prepared for each individual shot.

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Forget about the so called big picture. You got plenty to worry about on your individual shots and trying to fugure out how to get out.

Kind of like the old prize fighter that's retired. He hears a bell ,,,ding,,,,,, and he's ready to go.

With practice you can train yourself to wipe the slate clean, nothing else matters, and take your next shot.

The mind can be trained and you can do it..................

Have a great day...............
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That's a winner!!!!!

td
 
I've ordered the book that was suggested along with a couple other ones. Unfortunately, I didn't get to play last night so didn't get to put all that good advice to use, except for the one that suggested drinking more. Guess we'll see how it goes Sunday night, but I don't think I'll be playing then either. Really need to get other people their matches in before it's too late.

Thanks again everyone for all the great advice...I'll keep you updated on if it works. ;)
 
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