I am not a great pool player. I am ranked as a strong BB in Michigan. I play league pool twice a week and find it very interesting when a player has a chance to beat me but at some point in the rack he realizes where he is and what is happening and I can see his arm start to shake and he hits a ball really bad and lets me in. I believe this is very common, most players cannot handle pressure because they play for nothing all the time. 2$ a game and eventually you should get tired of the 10$ to 20$ nights and start learning to play safe and steady your nerves. To handle pressure you need to be under pressure over and over and eventually your stroke will hold.
big dog in da house
- Thread starter 15cherries
- Start date
step-up
young players will not step-up to the table anymore, it's hard to get $20 sets anymore, they all want weight, so they will play a bit until the heat comes and then they all crumble!!!
young players will not step-up to the table anymore, it's hard to get $20 sets anymore, they all want weight, so they will play a bit until the heat comes and then they all crumble!!!
So give em what they want, so you can get what you want by outrunin da nutz... :thumbup:
Excellent post and a lot of players can't play their game when the pressure gets on them.
Pressure does funny things to people in all walks of life.
This is DA truth!!!
This is very true and includes the pros as well. Watch closely and you'll see folks start to miss shots or shape that they usually don't.. Pressure and how it's handled sometimes has more outcome on who wins than skill itself..
I kind of don't agree with your post if you are implying that gambling teaches you to deal with pressure.
Gambling, league and tournament play are completely different. Gambling to me has zero pressure. I just play and try to manage my money and be honest with my self about the game. But as far as pressure, none. I can afford to lose if I do. If I couldn't I would not play or at least not play for more then I could afford.
Pressure is self imposed, it is your personal view of the situation. Playing pool is not car racing or sky diving where I can get killed. Playing pool has no real dangers. It is just a game and fun to play. Now when it comes to playing in league or tournaments there is an element of added pressure. In league it is the sudden death nature of the play and the obligation you feel to the other players on your team. There is no room for error and you have to adopt a different mind set of play.
In gambling it is usually open ended and you can play as long as you want. A few bad rolls or lost games don't really matter and will not change the ultimate outcome. You know that as you are playing and I can tell when I am the better player. I have been wrong but not often. After a few hours of play I know if I will win or not. It may take a while sometimes. In fact I have play several days in a row before finally getting the guy.
Tournament play is a bit like league play except for the feeling of obligation to other players. It is your business and no one else's what you do. However it is sudden death and there is no room to just lose games and come back. You may lose to a much lesses player in tournament play. In that respect you may feel pressure to not make mistakes that you would not feel gambling.
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In just a few posts we've brought up:
Playing under pressure
Stepping up and into the box
Leagues are the problem
Getting the nutz
The more nervous I get the more I concentrate on my stroke.
As long as I am stroking (and practicing) it doesn't matter how nervous I get, and most players get nervous.
I think it's about practice, not gambling.
Playing under pressure
Stepping up and into the box
Leagues are the problem
Getting the nutz
The more nervous I get the more I concentrate on my stroke.
As long as I am stroking (and practicing) it doesn't matter how nervous I get, and most players get nervous.
I think it's about practice, not gambling.
It is the trust you have in your skills you develop through your practice. Once you begin doubting yourself it can all spin out of control. That is one of the things that happens in a long gambling match.
Two players have proven this is pretty much an even match no one having any real edge. Then all of a sudden the match goes one sided and one of the players implodes.
What happened? What happened was, one of the player stopped believing in himself and began to believe that maybe I can't really win. Once that thought enters his mind he is finished. As you watch you can almost see the winning player impose his will on the other player convincing him he can't win.
It doesn't have to be gambling. Whatever it is that you find important whether gambling ,tournaments or leagues with apply preasure. I've seen guys who our stone cold for the cash play in leagues and fall apart because they aren't used to a group of friends counting on them to win or in a tournament because they are used to playing sets until there broke. Having to win that one set or your done changes things . I love match play golf because the pros don't do it often. You see how they act different. Instead of having to just make the cut you have to beat that one guy your playing or your done for the weekend. You see top players crack every year. It's all mental. So if gambling doesn't mean anything to you ... Doesn't get you excited then it's not gonna matter.