attitude

[duke@neo.rr.com]

"cuejunkiee, thanks for your advice. I have decided to chalk it up to a bad night all around and try to learn from it...so yes, I deleted my little rant, and replaced it with these words. to "cuejunkiee", I will attempt to use your advice and take it a little slower...that should help. THANK YOU VERY MUCH MAN!!!!! now, lets get this back to normal like it should be!!

 

[Snapshot9]

Suggestions

The fact that you had only played for a $100 a set once before means you are a 'tenderfoot' playing for that level of money.

Sometimes you can not 'control' your mind or thoughts, BUT KEEP IN MIND,
'You move towards what you think about'.

Aren't you getting to be a little old for the 'Strip Club phase'. You're old enough to know that they are just money pits, and even if you get lucky with one of the dancers, it will just be a nightmare in the end? I speak from experience ... lol

You are not 'what you think you are' unless you can prove it meaning you don't judge your skill by the best you have done but rather the AVERAGE
play you do.

Evidently, putting dollar bills in panties is more important than having an extra $100 to you.

I recommend that you sit down and think what is really important to you,
prioritize them, and proceed from there.

Good luck!!!

 

[duke@neo.rr.com]

ok

The fact that you had only played for a $100 a set once before means you are a 'tenderfoot' playing for that level of money.

Sometimes you can not 'control' your mind or thoughts, BUT KEEP IN MIND,
'You move towards what you think about'.

Aren't you getting to be a little old for the 'Strip Club phase'. You're old enough to know that they are just money pits, and even if you get lucky with one of the dancers, it will just be a nightmare in the end? I speak from experience ... lol

You are not 'what you think you are' unless you can prove it meaning you don't judge your skill by the best you have done but rather the AVERAGE
play you do.

Evidently, putting dollar bills in panties is more important than having an extra $100 to you.

I recommend that you sit down and think what is really important to you,
prioritize them, and proceed from there.

Good luck!!!

uh...thanks, I guess. my "normal" game is way better than this, as I've PROVEN this many time in the past...maybe the pressure just got to me, but maybe I shouldn't have been playing in the first place?? thanks for the reply, but it's not helping me. I'm looking to see what, if anything, I can do to keep focused on the game in front of me and leave everything that has happened and will happen away from the table...cause when I get irritated by something, it just bothers me and I've already lost...even if I'm up 10 sets, they eventually get it back + mine

 

[Island Drive]

You choose to either focus on matters at hand and learn from your mistakes, or you can improve on you *****ing and complaining (which you already seem to have perfected). You need to be constructive with your mistakes, not destructive, thats really all your doing wrong.

 

[duke@neo.rr.com]

again, no help really

You choose to either focus on matters at hand and learn from your mistakes, or you can improve on you *****ing and complaining (which you already seem to have perfected). You need to be constructive with your mistakes, not destructive, thats really all your doing wrong.

yeah, it seems I have perfected that side on a more positive note, I'd like to accept this as only a "lesson learned", but I need to know also how to control something I have had no luck in doing so far. I'm already over losing a whole $100...not that big a deal really, but don't want it to happen again so I need some constructive criticism on how to control it...I know you won't always be able to do so, but any would be a start and I can manage from there. (sighs) thanks for the response

 

[Scottster]

"It's not about winning or losing, It's about playing well."

True champions focus on playing well. From what you have said you are not doing this. You are allowing your mind to run rampant on thoughts that do nothing but waste energy and deter your focus on the task at hand.

Jeff, you need to give full attention to playing well and nothing else.

 

[CueJunkiee]

yeah, it seems I have perfected that side on a more positive note, I'd like to accept this as only a "lesson learned", but I need to know also how to control something I have had no luck in doing so far. I'm already over losing a whole $100...not that big a deal really, but don't want it to happen again so I need some constructive criticism on how to control it...I know you won't always be able to do so, but any would be a start and I can manage from there. (sighs) thanks for the response

well, when i'm shooting crappy and tides aren't my way <see my 'slump' thread i started this morning> i focus on playing smarter. Leaving the cueball in safe locations makes me choose 1 shot or the other, taking breaths during my strokes to try and release tension before pulling the trigger.... this has gotten me through my 2 week slump getting me on the hill in many matches, which the way i've been shooting, shoulda never gotten that close.... when you are aggrevated- you are stressed, heart rate is up, and muscles are tense and that tosses out your stroke...I find i tuck my arm and my shoulder isn;t loose when i'm stressed-so i 'jab' alot..during a match. I like to sit quietly in a corner when i'm like that - away from everyone and where it's a little darker, but not so far i can't watch my opponent closely... between his shots while he's thinking i'll even close my eyes and concentrate on breathing for 15-30 seconds- slows the heart rate, releases tension and in turn helps a little.. Sure is no cure but helps..

I sometimes play with a guy we call 'Crazy xxxxx' cause when he's shooting bad we know we can get under his skin, leave him tough to miss, keep running him around the table that way, and all his confidence goes to heck and i've actually had him toss his stick like a spear <mind you, we weren't even playing for greenbacks....>

I like playing guys like you and Crazy.. <no offense> They usually shoot quick, get aggrevated when tides go wrong <pool isn't always skill-table rolls can kill your match and you just gotta go with that..>, and tempers flare when they miss... and i like to take advantage of things like that. I shoot slower, leave ya tough, safe ya couple times, then your aggrevation goes higher, you miss shots, then i run out..

just my .02...

 

[duke@neo.rr.com]

nice, thanks

well, when i'm shooting crappy and tides aren't my way <see my 'slump' thread i started this morning> i focus on playing smarter. Leaving the cueball in safe locations makes me choose 1 shot or the other, taking breaths during my strokes to try and release tension before pulling the trigger.... this has gotten me through my 2 week slump getting me on the hill in many matches, which the way i've been shooting, shoulda never gotten that close.... when you are aggrevated- you are stressed, heart rate is up, and muscles are tense and that tosses out your stroke...I find i tuck my arm and my shoulder isn;t loose when i'm stressed-so i 'jab' alot..during a match. I like to sit quietly in a corner when i'm like that - away from everyone and where it's a little darker, but not so far i can't watch my opponent closely... between his shots while he's thinking i'll even close my eyes and concentrate on breathing for 15-30 seconds- slows the heart rate, releases tension and in turn helps a little.. Sure is no cure but helps..

I sometimes play with a guy we call 'Crazy xxxxx' cause when he's shooting bad we know we can get under his skin, leave him tough to miss, keep running him around the table that way, and all his confidence goes to heck and i've actually had him toss his stick like a spear <mind you, we weren't even playing for greenbacks....>

I like playing guys like you and Crazy.. <no offense> They usually shoot quick, get aggrevated when tides go wrong <pool isn't always skill-table rolls can kill your match and you just gotta go with that..>, and tempers flare when they miss... and i like to take advantage of things like that. I shoot slower, leave ya tough, safe ya couple times, then your aggrevation goes higher, you miss shots, then i run out..

just my .02...

now this is what I classify as an attempt to help. thanks, good rep for this!!

 

[duke@neo.rr.com]

thanks

"It's not about winning or losing, It's about playing well."

True champions focus on playing well. From what you have said you are not doing this. You are allowing your mind to run rampant on thoughts that do nothing but waste energy and deter your focus on the task at hand.

Jeff, you need to give full attention to playing well and nothing else.

I'll try to do so in the future...I guess last night was just a bad night for me and should not have been gambling anyways...thank you, Jeff

 

[Klopek]

Jimmy Reid's great advice

Jimmy Reid discusses positive mentality on one of his instructional tapes, and it helped me out a lot. I guess you could call this attitude, or at least an approach to the game.

Reid calls it the "If" theory, meaning you tell yourself "IF I make this ball and land here than I'll be able to take this next shot, IF I make that I should be able to get out". This is a kind of thinking that sets you up for positive action but doesn't lead to game and spirit shattering negativity should you fail to execute your shots as planned.

Your thought process will be aware that there's a chance you may not succeed. A miss becomes just a miss and poor shape is just an opportunity to show what you're really made of. If you get out of shape you start over again and always tell youself "IF I do this, then I can try that".

On the other hand if you have the thought process of "I'm going to play this shot, stop here, take that shot, stop there", the moment the plan is screwed up you loose confidence and have to re-evaluate. Many people say to themselves "I HAVE to make this shot and stop EXACTLY there". They make a little mistake and they're mentally out of it. They get frustrated and at that point the battle is already lost.

Planning is good. Just don't let yourself get too attached to that plan because under presure, you're more likely to get out of shape. Take each shot at a time and don't get ahead of yourself.

Don't just plan where to put the cueball, plan where the cueball will be in relation to the object ball should you miss your shot. Play as many shots to nothing as you can.

I learned alot from Jimmy Reid's videos, wish him all the best.

 

[duke@neo.rr.com]

good

Jimmy Reid discusses positive mentality on one of his instructional tapes, and it helped me out a lot. I guess you could call this attitude, or at least an approach to the game.

Reid calls it the "If" theory, meaning you tell yourself "IF I make this ball and land here than I'll be able to take this next shot, IF I make that I should be able to get out". This is a kind of thinking that sets you up for positive action but doesn't lead to game and spirit shattering negativity should you fail to execute your shots as planned.

Your thought process will be aware that there's a chance you may not succeed. A miss becomes just a miss and poor shape is just an opportunity to show what you're really made of. If you get out of shape you start over again and always tell youself "IF I do this, then I can try that".

On the other hand if you have the thought process of "I'm going to play this shot, stop here, take that shot, stop there", the moment the plan is screwed up you loose confidence and have to re-evaluate. Many people say to themselves "I HAVE to make this shot and stop EXACTLY there". They make a little mistake and they're mentally out of it. They get frustrated and at that point the battle is already lost.

Planning is good. Just don't let yourself get too attached to that plan because under presure, you're more likely to get out of shape. Take each shot at a time and don't get ahead of yourself.

Don't just plan where to put the cueball, plan where the cueball will be in relation to the object ball should you miss your shot. Play as many shots to nothing as you can.

I learned alot from Jimmy Reid's videos, wish him all the best.

good advice also, good rep coming your way for this!

 

[Klopek]

good advice also, good rep coming your way for this!

Thanks Jeff, but Jimmy Reid deserves the credit and rep for that. I'm just savagely paraphrasing the great advice he offered up years ago. Hope I didn't bastardize it to much Jimmy!.

 

[Island Drive]

Duke, in reading your responses, I think your on you way. I've always known if a student can learn one or two new principals during a lesson, engrain them into their game that's allot. I have found it usually takes a few weeks to a month to become natural (depending on how much you play) and your ready to move on. Its so hard to change ones bad habits. Your attitude seems readjusted and, you did bring up the C note a few times so I know it "was" an issue. Sometimes accepting that it was an issue is a powerful learning tool also. One of the most difficult things in pool is being Nice to yourself during play, almost like your playing two people, you/opponent.