Awesome proof that this game is all mental

M

Mustardeer

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Something amazing just happened...

So I've been casually playing for about 10 years on bar boxes and a few months ago have decided to get a lot better and finally have my first break and run.

Every time I'd have the perfect break where it looked like it was a perfect opportunity for a run out I'd hyper-focus, try really hard, and end up making a mistake somewhere.

So during this practice I had one of my worst breaks ever: the CB was stuck in a way that I only had 1 difficult shot on a stripe. Stripes looked awful though- problem balls and clusters everywhere. It was clear that there was no way in hell I was gonna run out. So completely relaxed without any pressure I made the first shot, properly took care of the problem balls early, and long story short I quickly got to the key ball. The though started creeping in like OMG this might be it I think I have a good chance to run out but I quickly pushed that thought aside and made the ball and ended up with a decent shot on the 8.

YxwphXg.jpg



Here I took a 5 min break. Took this picture and started thinking about how I'm going to take this shot. (If you're wondering why I'm even posting these silly pictures- this was my first decent shot at the 8 in a break and run situation in ten years.) The though entered my mind- how painful it'll be if I miss this easy shot. Then I decided to just get down and shoot it without thinking at all. It went in. Here's the pic of the final position.

Z8xphSA.jpg



I get that some of you guys run packs daily and it's not a big deal but this was my first break and run, a little dream of mine for a while and I'm just really surprised of the rack I ended up running out. Always thought it'd be the rack with a bunch of hangers and CB right in the middle of the table. I guess the cheesy moral of the story - if one is able to take away the pressure we put on ourselves anything is possible. If anyone has a personal story about the mental aspect of the game I'd love to hear it.
 
Awesome! It is a great feeling and I hope you get to experience it many more times.

I am a solid B player who could be an A if it wasn't for my wandering mind. If I could keep thoughts from creeping in I would be a dangerous player. The times that I can just let the automatic aiming take over feel great

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk
 
I had a buddy who was (is) a very good player. What I mean by good is he's beaten a lot of pros in long races. Anyway, he practiced all the time (he seldom worked). He was obsessed with running a 100 balls with witnesses. I bet he ran 90-some 15 times before he finally got his 100. Whenever he got close, he would bare down too hard and put too much pressure on himself.

I guess the take-away to that story is players of all levels have their own internal demons they're fighting. It's part of what makes pool so interesting and challenging.
 
"Awesome proof that this game is all mental"

I don't see how your story PROOFS this.

That cloth looks pretty worn....lol
 
Someone once told me I was completely mental.
Does that mean I'm a good player?
 
Congrats,

The first one is always the toughest. Here is to many more in the future.

Stay in the moment, and don't allow exceptions to creep into your head.


Mustardeer said:
Something amazing just happened...

So I've been casually playing for about 10 years on bar boxes and a few months ago have decided to get a lot better and finally have my first break and run.

Every time I'd have the perfect break where it looked like it was a perfect opportunity for a run out I'd hyper-focus, try really hard, and end up making a mistake somewhere.

So during this practice I had one of my worst breaks ever: the CB was stuck in a way that I only had 1 difficult shot on a stripe. Stripes looked awful though- problem balls and clusters everywhere. It was clear that there was no way in hell I was gonna run out. So completely relaxed without any pressure I made the first shot, properly took care of the problem balls early, and long story short I quickly got to the key ball. The though started creeping in like OMG this might be it I think I have a good chance to run out but I quickly pushed that thought aside and made the ball and ended up with a decent shot on the 8.

YxwphXg.jpg



Here I took a 5 min break. Took this picture and started thinking about how I'm going to take this shot. (If you're wondering why I'm even posting these silly pictures- this was my first decent shot at the 8 in a break and run situation in ten years.) The though entered my mind- how painful it'll be if I miss this easy shot. Then I decided to just get down and shoot it without thinking at all. It went in. Here's the pic of the final position.

Z8xphSA.jpg



I get that some of you guys run packs daily and it's not a big deal but this was my first break and run, a little dream of mine for a while and I'm just really surprised of the rack I ended up running out. Always thought it'd be the rack with a bunch of hangers and CB right in the middle of the table. I guess the cheesy moral of the story - if one is able to take away the pressure we put on ourselves anything is possible. If anyone has a personal story about the mental aspect of the game I'd love to hear it.
Click to expand...
 
Congrats! If I remember right, my first break and run on a 9-foot came during a hill-hill 9-ball match. They're few and far between, but it's a nice reminder of how rewarding hard work can be.
 
Careful Mustardeer, 8 ball runouts are kind of like meth. Once you get the taste of that first one. You will want eightbillionsixtyonemillionseventytwo more! Congrats.
 
Thanks guys. It's amazing how much more confident I feel now having accomplished that... For those asking about proof, I guess I was trying to say I've been practicing countless stroke drills daily ( physical ) and obsessively worked on my stroke but still couldnt run out. Once the mental pressure was removed (bc I didnt think it was possible to run out) I ran out easily.
 
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