Can't see patterns anymore

[Aten]

It's pretty widely taught that the best way to hit a shot and get shape is to visualize the OB going into the pocket as well as the path of the CB post-contact. For me (as well as probably a lot of others) I can usually approach a table and see the pattern I need to play. This gives me a lot of confidence and is one of my few strengths since it gives me the feeling that I am being guided. Effectively, it's equivalent to travelling through a town you've never been in with a GPS strapped to your dashboard.

About 2 weeks ago, I was playing the best pool I've ever played and I was playing so confidently. Any time I missed a runout or made a mistake, I knew exactly what went wrong and I worked hard to fix it. However, as of the last week I have felt utterly lost. My accuracy isn't a problem... I'm still making balls. But when I come to the table and see a layout now, I may as well be blindfolded. I see the balls, but my brain has no idea as to what I should do or how I can navigate my way through the rack. I thought maybe I was just overthinking it, so I tried a few times to simply bang around and bruteforce the table... but to no avail. The lack of thoughtful planning simply led to constant sellouts.

Yesterday I played in a big tournament which I had spent hundreds of hours preparing for. I had felt really confident leading up to the event and thought I'd have a good shot at cashing... but I went 2 and out. I realized that I was getting to the table completely blanked out.

Have any of you guys been through this? What did you do to snap out of it? I don't think my pattern play is utterly incompetent (at least not to the level that I saw yesterday...) and honestly I wasn't even missing pots (just hooking myself because I had no idea where I was trying to go). I'd say it's a slump, but most of my slumps have been periods where I couldn't make a straight-in to save my life (or maybe this is just another kind of slump?)

 

[Bob Jewett]

... However, as of the last week I have felt utterly lost. My accuracy isn't a problem... I'm still making balls. But when I come to the table and see a layout now, I may as well be blindfolded. I see the balls, but my brain has no idea as to what I should do or how I can navigate my way through the rack. ...

Have you been getting enough rest and exercise? In my experience inability to think comes from lack of those.

 

[Neil]

Is your problem just on the pool table, or are you noticing problems with other problem solving? If so, you might have had a mild stroke.??? If it's just on the table, that's a new one on me! Maybe, the anxiety of wanting to do good in that tourney made you temp. go "brain dead".???

 

[sfleinen]

Have you been getting enough rest and exercise? In my experience inability to think comes from lack of those.

Bob:

Ya beat me to the punch yet again!

Lately, I've been getting 4 hours of sleep a night -- a fallout of the "always on call" thing in information technologies (and especially support of very, very large networks). My 14.1 game fell into a slump for quite a while after a high run of 112 in January, 2010. I just would run out of gas after 3 or 4 racks, and couldn't accurately picture patterns anymore. I'd shoot the wrong ball -- or worse yet, a ball from what would normally be a great key-ball/break-ball combination. I'd shoot my key-ball, and then realize later, "why the hell did I do that?" Just bone-headed mistakes.

One night a week or so ago, I was so exhausted after months of this little-to-no-sleep situation, that I called my manager and told him I'm going incommunicado for a while (much to his dismay), removed the battery from the cell phone, and went right to bed after dinner. No glass of wine or nightcap, either. I crashed *hard*, and got 8 full hours of sleep -- something I hadn't done in a long time. I felt great the next morning -- creaky bones from sleeping so long (comparatively speaking), but I felt renewed. That evening, I played the best 14.1 I'd played in a long time -- I ran 84, and only because I bobbled the break ball on the 7th rack because I was focusing too hard on where to hit the rack, that I forgot to "pocket the ball." It was a sudden realization to me the importance of sleep to recharge the mind.

Pool patterns are very dependent on perception, and perceptive abilities are hampered or enhanced by how much sleep we get. It never occurred to me how sleep-deprived I was all this time. Needless to say, there's renewed effort on my part to get a good night's sleep as often as I can.

Great post,
-Sean

 

[poolmouse]

Bob:

Ya beat me to the punch yet again!

Lately, I've been getting 4 hours of sleep a night -- a fallout of the "always on call" thing in information technologies (and especially support of very, very large networks). My 14.1 game fell into a slump for quite a while after a high run of 112 in January, 2010. I just would run out of gas after 3 or 4 racks, and couldn't accurately picture patterns anymore. I'd shoot the wrong ball -- or worse yet, a ball from what would normally be a great key-ball/break-ball combination. I'd shoot my key-ball, and then realize later, "why the hell did I do that?" Just bone-headed mistakes.

One night a week or so ago, I was so exhausted after months of this little-to-no-sleep situation, that I called my manager and told him I'm going incommunicado for a while (much to his dismay), removed the battery from the cell phone, and went right to bed after dinner. No glass of wine or nightcap, either. I crashed *hard*, and got 8 full hours of sleep -- something I hadn't done in a long time. I felt great the next morning -- creaky bones from sleeping so long (comparatively speaking), but I felt renewed. That evening, I played the best 14.1 I'd played in a long time -- I ran 84, and only because I bobbled the break ball on the 7th rack because I was focusing too hard on where to hit the rack, that I forgot to "pocket the ball." It was a sudden realization to me the importance of sleep to recharge the mind.

Pool patterns are very dependent on perception, and perceptive abilities are hampered or enhanced by how much sleep we get. It never occurred to me how sleep-deprived I was all this time. Needless to say, there's renewed effort on my part to get a good night's sleep as often as I can.

Great post,
-Sean

Ya, I'm responsible for 2,000 Macs in a multimedia firm...long hours drains you and effects your ability to rest, eat and think. Being hypoglicemic doesn't help matters either. When I get 8 hours sleep, eat right and exercise, it's amazing how much more effective you can be at work. Er, ya, also on the pool table.

 

[Aten]

Have you been getting enough rest and exercise? In my experience inability to think comes from lack of those.

Well, I knew I had to keep my body in solid shape if I wanted to stand a chance in this tournament. I've been regularly getting 8 to 9 hours of sleep every day, eating 3 healthy meals as well as some small snacks, and exercising quite well. I haven't experienced much issues with other problem solving (I work as a telecom engineer and I haven't noticed any deficiencies in my performance on the job), so I'm a bit confused :S I don't think I'm overworking myself at work either (I've done 35 hour weeks for the last month now)... but I may be stressing myself too much on the practice table (just over 60 hours last week).

@Neil: Your suggestion about anxiety may be correct. I like to think I can keep my head screwed on in pressure situations, but honestly yesterday's matches felt so hopeless. Every time I came to the table I felt like I had no idea where I was. The game felt foreign to me, like I didn't even have the slightest clue what would happen after I took a shot anymore.

 

[itsfroze]

I know this is going to sound a bit simple, but as Billy Incardona says in One-Pocket when your in a though spot and don't know what to do , do something simple. What I would try in your situation is just to concentrate on pocketing the ball your shooting and position for just your next ball. Do this a few shots in a row and get it to work and sometimes your confidence will come back and things start to roll again. In other words bring your focus in a little and then once things start to roll again then you can go back on auto pilot. GOOD LUCK, to you.

 

[Aten]

I know this is going to sound a bit simple, but as Billy Incardona says in One-Pocket when your in a though spot and don't know what to do , do something simple. What I would try in your situation is just to concentrate on pocketing the ball your shooting and position for just your next ball. Do this a few shots in a row and get it to work and sometimes your confidence will come back and things start to roll again. In other words bring your focus in a little and then once things start to roll again then you can go back on auto pilot. GOOD LUCK, to you.

Ok, I'll try that, thanks Actually in fact this sort of resonates deep within me because in my original post I was going to put more details in the part about my last 2 weeks being rock solid... truth is, I think the cause of my sudden jump in skill was that I started making everything dead simple (from fundamentals to patterns etc.) and it made me feel invincible. I guess the last week I've tried to look too far.

 

[JC]

Ok, I'll try that, thanks Actually in fact this sort of resonates deep within me because in my original post I was going to put more details in the part about my last 2 weeks being rock solid... truth is, I think the cause of my sudden jump in skill was that I started making everything dead simple (from fundamentals to patterns etc.) and it made me feel invincible. I guess the last week I've tried to look too far.

I have gone through the same thing and it's lack of frequent competition leading to fear of failure and success. When you fear them both, failure is the result. Don't be afraid to fail or succeed and your anxiety will melt away. This goes back to process oriented EVERYTHING with no concern of results.

Have you ever tried one of these? (they came before video games)



Pool tournament experience works just like this thing. At first you fall into the first or second holes. Seems impossible to get past them. As you gain experience you can soon weave your way from end to end and keep enough composure to avoid the pit falls as your hands and nerves stay steady. Nothing is wrong with you, just keep at it or quit if the going up isn't worth the coming down.

 

[TATE]

Mental Block

It's pretty widely taught that the best way to hit a shot and get shape is to visualize the OB going into the pocket as well as the path of the CB post-contact. For me (as well as probably a lot of others) I can usually approach a table and see the pattern I need to play. This gives me a lot of confidence and is one of my few strengths since it gives me the feeling that I am being guided. Effectively, it's equivalent to travelling through a town you've never been in with a GPS strapped to your dashboard.

About 2 weeks ago, I was playing the best pool I've ever played and I was playing so confidently. Any time I missed a runout or made a mistake, I knew exactly what went wrong and I worked hard to fix it. However, as of the last week I have felt utterly lost. My accuracy isn't a problem... I'm still making balls. But when I come to the table and see a layout now, I may as well be blindfolded. I see the balls, but my brain has no idea as to what I should do or how I can navigate my way through the rack. I thought maybe I was just overthinking it, so I tried a few times to simply bang around and bruteforce the table... but to no avail. The lack of thoughtful planning simply led to constant sellouts.

Yesterday I played in a big tournament which I had spent hundreds of hours preparing for. I had felt really confident leading up to the event and thought I'd have a good shot at cashing... but I went 2 and out. I realized that I was getting to the table completely blanked out.

Have any of you guys been through this? What did you do to snap out of it? I don't think my pattern play is utterly incompetent (at least not to the level that I saw yesterday...) and honestly I wasn't even missing pots (just hooking myself because I had no idea where I was trying to go). I'd say it's a slump, but most of my slumps have been periods where I couldn't make a straight-in to save my life (or maybe this is just another kind of slump?)

Stress can interfere with the puzzle solving mental process that is necessary in pattern play. Then once self doubt creeps in, anything can happen. It's really important to make the planning part of the game a habit, something you just do habitually before even considering a shot.

Sometimes it helps to break it down to the simple components. Here's an exercise.

When I have a problem with patterns and feel like I'm out of stroke, I'll take 3 balls, 1 - 3 and toss them on the table in a "traveling" pattern, with the 2 down table from the 3. Take ball in hand on the 1 and run them in order.

The most important thing about this exercise is the mental training of recognizing the position you need to be on the 2 to get to the 3, which determines the angle you need to start with on the 1.

Try using 1, 2, 3 and even 4 rail routes. Use inside english routes and outside english routes. If you do this for awhile, you will find your own patterns that work best for you.

The important thing is to find routes you are comfortable with and confident you can execute - then you can just relax and play.

 

[thefonz]

sounds like you're on vacation

....your pool brain that is.

do you have the same issues when you're practising?

if not i'd have to agree that it could be anxiety related during matchplay. here's some tips that help me:

i'll stand at the foot of the table and visualize the overall layout from there, the emphasis is not on what you think would be your first shot.

when i'm not shooting, i'll watch other matches going on and analyse other players games, how i would play position in their circumstance, etc. it keeps my brain working.

if i get stuck, i'll return my chair to take a drink of water.

sometimes the outs aren't always easy, and if you have expectations to get out every time, that could compound anxiety on yourself. remember that you are best to take what the table gives you sometimes, and that may mean that you can't get out. so play tactical, and smart pool, to keep control of the table and give yourself the best advantage to win. great players don't necessarily have to put together packages to win, they contain the table to their advantage in any way possible, if that means locking up your opponent three times in one game, than so be it.

find a way to win, the patterns will come automatically.

 

[Island Drive]

Have you been getting enough rest and exercise? In my experience inability to think comes from lack of those.

Nice observation Bob.................

 

[cardiac kid]

I have gone through the same thing and it's lack of frequent competition leading to fear of failure and success. When you fear them both, failure is the result. Don't be afraid to fail or succeed and your anxiety will melt away. This goes back to process oriented EVERYTHING with no concern of results.

Have you ever tried one of these? (they came before video games)

View attachment 220487

Pool tournament experience works just like this thing. At first you fall into the first or second holes. Seems impossible to get past them. As you gain experience you can soon weave your way from end to end and keep enough composure to avoid the pit falls as your hands and nerves stay steady. Nothing is wrong with you, just keep at it or quit if the going up isn't worth the coming down.

Damn metmot, completely forgot I have an original Brio Labyrinthpal in my attic. Sure used to help in hand / eye / concentration. Must be at least fifty years old. Can't find the ball bearing though!

Lyn

 

[schmizz]

I would tell you that it's Alzheimer's, but you would forget right after reading it, so I won't bother. :groucho:

 

[Aten]

I would tell you that it's Alzheimer's, but you would forget right after reading it, so I won't bother. :groucho:

I'm too young to be forgetting :thumbup::thumbup:

 

[C.Milian]

It's pretty widely taught that the best way to hit a shot and get shape is to visualize the OB going into the pocket as well as the path of the CB post-contact. For me (as well as probably a lot of others) I can usually approach a table and see the pattern I need to play. This gives me a lot of confidence and is one of my few strengths since it gives me the feeling that I am being guided. Effectively, it's equivalent to travelling through a town you've never been in with a GPS strapped to your dashboard.

About 2 weeks ago, I was playing the best pool I've ever played and I was playing so confidently. Any time I missed a runout or made a mistake, I knew exactly what went wrong and I worked hard to fix it. However, as of the last week I have felt utterly lost. My accuracy isn't a problem... I'm still making balls. But when I come to the table and see a layout now, I may as well be blindfolded. I see the balls, but my brain has no idea as to what I should do or how I can navigate my way through the rack. I thought maybe I was just overthinking it, so I tried a few times to simply bang around and bruteforce the table... but to no avail. The lack of thoughtful planning simply led to constant sellouts.

Yesterday I played in a big tournament which I had spent hundreds of hours preparing for. I had felt really confident leading up to the event and thought I'd have a good shot at cashing... but I went 2 and out. I realized that I was getting to the table completely blanked out.

Have any of you guys been through this? What did you do to snap out of it? I don't think my pattern play is utterly incompetent (at least not to the level that I saw yesterday...) and honestly I wasn't even missing pots (just hooking myself because I had no idea where I was trying to go). I'd say it's a slump, but most of my slumps have been periods where I couldn't make a straight-in to save my life (or maybe this is just another kind of slump?)

It's a slump. Take time off?