Dealing with anger when underperforming?

A lot of good advice on here; I appreciate it. I really do need to just be a bit more mature and realize when what I'm doing and the way I'm behaving doesn't help me at all (I always feel a bit embarrassed at how I acted during a match I don't play well; I feel like a big baby).

I don't do anything THAT bad though; one time a guy threw the cue ball against the slate; it bounced back up and hit the light and broke it!
 
RonnieOSullivan said:
A lot of good advice on here; I appreciate it. I really do need to just be a bit more mature and realize when what I'm doing and the way I'm behaving doesn't help me at all (I always feel a bit embarrassed at how I acted during a match I don't play well; I feel like a big baby).

I don't do anything THAT bad though; one time a guy threw the cue ball against the slate; it bounced back up and hit the light and broke it!
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Meh it happens. I've seen the great Ronnie O'Sullivan throw a hissy fit in person whilst practicing. Its the natural mentality of a champion to want to play the best possible game they can.
I can't stress enough about not letting people know you're pissed off. It will only aid your opponents. They will feel better about themselves and play better, just adding to your frustration.
Keep calm and carry on!
 
The posts about accepting your true level - where it is today - are ones I strongly agree with. Some people are better at measuring themselves against others. Watch players in your area who play similar to the level you think you are at and really pay attention to how often they miss or get out of shape etc then compare with how you do. What you will find is either they are better than you or that you are making about the same number of mistakes but being too critical of yourself.

People who watch pool on regular TV, which is highly edited, think the pros never miss. If you haven't already done so, be sure to watch some unedited pro pool. Sure they go on killer runs, make great shots but they miss too.

I can't remember which big name coach it was but in one of the billions of books was a quote I will never forget - "you are not supposed to enjoy losing, you know who enjoys losing? losers". You are in control of how you react but you certainly don't want to just casually accept and be happy about your mistakes. After a mistake you have to step back and evaluate what just happened - why did you miss so you can do it differently next time.

One of the points made in the pleasures of small motions is that you can anticipate certain events and PLAN AHEAD how you will react to them. A waitress shimmies her butt right behind your shot - will you even notice, will you stand up / take a relaxing breath and re-focus, will you get distracted and miss. You can do the same thing with your situation to mentally program yourself as to how you are going to respond to mistakes. Create mental movies of these events happening and of you responding the way you want to.

Craig
 
Read "Golf is not a game of perfect"...I dont golf, but was recommended to me for my anger at the table. Pool and golf are so synonomous that everything relates. I hate reading, but I read that book cover to cover. I'd recommend this to any pool player
 
I've been in the same boat, myself, and like CreeDo says, ya gotta put limits on yourself. You alo need to realize that you won't change these habits in a few days, or even weeks...it takes work to change any habit.

I used to get really angry with myself, enough that I was embarrassed at my own behavior. I've struggled with it, but gradually got it managed so that I only became frustrated....nowadays I think I'm at the point where i merely get annoyed at my mistakes. Lower levels of the emotion are easier to manage.

When I get annoyed now, I try to mutter something to myself (and not loud enough for others to hear) and hopefully I can shake my head and force myself to smile. Believe it or not, that smiling relaxes some if the frustration.

Good luck getting a handle on it, its worth the trouble.
 
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