concentration.. & patience.

C

cheemagun

gettin there...
Silver Member
This is my biggest problem when i play pool. patience and my mental state.
ive been playing on tight pockets 1 1/2 balls on and off but the last two days thats what i been playing on.. and i find that i play better on the tights everytime i play on them.. its the way i concentrate and take my time before and during the shot. while i may miss like 1 or 2 makable shots on a race to seven tight pocket i miss far more on the regular pockets, maybe its the hole is big and i can make everything without trying mindstate?.. the concentration i have on a tight pocket makes the shot so clear for me.. unless im tired or somthing. but on the regular pockets i am SO lazy. i just want to waltz around and bang all the balls in. then i miss some dum shit. i dont even want to walk all the way to the area where i want my cue ball to go. i just look from where im currently shooting...

well what im trying to say is.. what if im ABLE to apply my tight pocket concentration and patience to my game on the regular pockets ??? will i move up a level ?? has anybody ever tried this ?

note: my home room where i practice does not have a tight. otherwise id be on it everyday.
 
so the big pockets don't challenge you enough.

You might try entertaining yourself with exactly where in the pocket you can hit your ball to make shape- see how much you can cheat the pockets, or try spinning them into the edges of the pockets and make them fall anyway.

Or you could challenge yourself with absolute total speed control. Can you hit the ball just hard enough that the ball haaannngggss on the lip and then falls?

sucks having to entertain yourself on a pool table, but it's still better than... knitting.
 
Try a meditation course!

It will drive you crazy for a while trying to sit still and calm your mind, but it will improve your ability to focus at will.

In tournaments I would sit down somewhere quiet and relax / meditate as much as possible, keeping out of all the excitement and stimulation. I'd use slow, deep, relaxed breathing.

When practicing and playing I try to stay in that calm mood also between shots. During the actual shot, focus is quite intense and tiring after a while.

Drivermaker mentioned that practice in bursts may be better and I'd agree, though it's hard to make yourself leave the table and come back again.

But something like 1 hour focused then 1/2 hour rest, then 1 hour focused can probably improve your overall intensity. This method also prepares you for tournaments where you have to stop and start cold over and over.
 
cheemagun said:
This is my biggest problem when i play pool. patience and my mental state.
ive been playing on tight pockets 1 1/2 balls on and off but the last two days thats what i been playing on.. and i find that i play better on the tights everytime i play on them.. its the way i concentrate and take my time before and during the shot. while i may miss like 1 or 2 makable shots on a race to seven tight pocket i miss far more on the regular pockets, maybe its the hole is big and i can make everything without trying mindstate?.. the concentration i have on a tight pocket makes the shot so clear for me.. unless im tired or somthing. but on the regular pockets i am SO lazy. i just want to waltz around and bang all the balls in. then i miss some dum shit. i dont even want to walk all the way to the area where i want my cue ball to go. i just look from where im currently shooting...

well what im trying to say is.. what if im ABLE to apply my tight pocket concentration and patience to my game on the regular pockets ??? will i move up a level ?? has anybody ever tried this ?

note: my home room where i practice does not have a tight. otherwise id be on it everyday.
Click to expand...
The place i play has 8 ft tables with normal pockets but has a 9 footer that has really tight pockets i usually play on it. Dont feel so bad I also went through this do what colen says and focus through it. If you can ever get in a good rythem on those loose tables and break well its not uncommon to string 3-4 racks together.
 
cheemagun said:
This is my biggest problem when i play pool. patience and my mental state.
ive been playing on tight pockets 1 1/2 balls on and off but the last two days thats what i been playing on.. and i find that i play better on the tights everytime i play on them.. its the way i concentrate and take my time before and during the shot. while i may miss like 1 or 2 makable shots on a race to seven tight pocket i miss far more on the regular pockets, maybe its the hole is big and i can make everything without trying mindstate?.. the concentration i have on a tight pocket makes the shot so clear for me.. unless im tired or somthing. but on the regular pockets i am SO lazy. i just want to waltz around and bang all the balls in. then i miss some dum shit. i dont even want to walk all the way to the area where i want my cue ball to go. i just look from where im currently shooting...

well what im trying to say is.. what if im ABLE to apply my tight pocket concentration and patience to my game on the regular pockets ??? will i move up a level ?? has anybody ever tried this ?

note: my home room where i practice does not have a tight. otherwise id be on it everyday.
Click to expand...

You shouldn't be asking us these questions! If you miss 1 or 2 makeable shots in a race to 7 on tight equipment, you play like a world champion. Why would you ask us lowly players for advice?
 
I agree with Colin ...

I don't practice hard before a tournament, unless
I have a tough opponent coming up, and then
mostly what I do is tune up my banks.

People have asked why I don't practice right before
a tournament, but what I do mostly is just relax
and get myself in the right state of mind for shooting
Pool. I feel that having a clear mind going into a
tournament or money match is important, very important.
I will also watch other player warming up, notice any
little 'defects' in their game, so I will know how to
exploit their 'weaknesses' if I play them in the tournament.

About the best recommendation I could make for improving
the mental aspect of your game is to read,
Sun Tzu's "The Art of War".
 
LastTwo said:
You shouldn't be asking us these questions! If you miss 1 or 2 makeable shots in a race to 7 on tight equipment, you play like a world champion. Why would you ask us lowly players for advice?
Click to expand...


dont misconstrue now.. MAKEABLE SHOTS. not every shot lol.. if i get bad on a position i play saftey on tight pockets.

but keep the ideas coming.. i can definitly use this feed back. thanks.
 
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