Ever have this happen to you....

cbi1000

cbi1000

It is what it is...
Silver Member
The story begins.....

I say to myself, Craig, it's time to up your game. You been the ok players all the time, the good players most of the time, and the really good players some of the time. I if i start to practice, I mean really put my mind to it i can and should step up my game.

First to go, the beer. Now, i don't drink that much when i play. 3 beers during a league night 7-11pm. However, it's time to step up. Second, practice, and i don't mean put balls on the table and shoot. I mean practice practice.

So, a couple weeks go by and i'm feeling great.......... I go to league and guess what happens, i can't make shit! LOL, it was bad. It didn't matter if the ob was 4 inches from the pocket, missed it, or i'd make it and scratch. What a night. Such high hopes.....
:)
 
Expectations too high?

It does happen to me, too. Usually it is when I have been playing really good on the practice table. When I come to my match, I am positive that I am going to annihilate my opponent only to go down in ignominious defeat. Keep on working on your game. It will eventually begin to show in your matches.

Good luck,
nelldrake@lakemartin.net
 
I've learned that what happens in practice does not always carry-over to your match. Hell, your game can change in the MIDDLE of a match (for better or worse). Practice sessions usually do not include the mental part of the game. When you get into the ring with a REAL opponent, your thought processes change radically. That said, the long, hard practice sessions ARE improving your game, you just might not yet be seeing the fruits of your labor. Be patient, it will come!!!

Maniac
 
cbi1000 said:
The story begins.....

I say to myself, Craig, it's time to up your game. You been the ok players all the time, the good players most of the time, and the really good players some of the time. I if i start to practice, I mean really put my mind to it i can and should step up my game.

First to go, the beer. Now, i don't drink that much when i play. 3 beers during a league night 7-11pm. However, it's time to step up. Second, practice, and i don't mean put balls on the table and shoot. I mean practice practice.

So, a couple weeks go by and i'm feeling great.......... I go to league and guess what happens, i can't make shit! LOL, it was bad. It didn't matter if the ob was 4 inches from the pocket, missed it, or i'd make it and scratch. What a night. Such high hopes.....
:)
Click to expand...

So let me get this right ..when you play during league , 3 beers... first to go when you practice..the beer...try practicing the same as when you play league..might put you in the same frame of mind..
 
You dont mention how you are practicing. Are you doing drills? And if so, what drills are you doing?

Doing drills is one of the fastest ways to improve, but it doesnt always prepare you for the pressure felt when actually playing another player. One way to help with this is when doing drills and you make a mistake force yourself to start the entire drill over. With some drills this will make you feel some pressure as you are getting towards the end of the drill and get you more prepared mentally.

Just a suggestion.

Woody
 
The fruits of my labor will show up down the road. Up to three months later I start to see improvment, I think of good practice as a investment.
 
You just practicing or are you working on fundimentals such as correcting your stroke, etc.? I know for me when I really started working on my mechanics my game went to crap for months, but now I'm better than when I started. Not a great player by any stretch, still have a long way to go including mechanics (and I often slip back to my old natural/comfortable style). I still have off nights, in fact I'm just coming off an off month, but I see light at the end of the tunnel.

For me the hardest part is staying focused on mechanics, stroke, etc. during pracitce then switching to playing in the zone yet retaining those fundimentals during match. This is what works best for me. If I'm in a match trying to think about grip, swing, follow-through, etc. etc. etc. I lose focus on the game and pretty well suck. It's those rare nights when I'm completely focused on the game, position, strategy, and have the confidence to shoot the "correct" shot instead of the easy one, all while muscle memory and previous practice has my shooting in stroke, that make the pracitce worth while.
 
I use the same approach to practicing shots on the table, and to practicing guitar. I work real hard, but never the night before the tournament or the gig. That nite off before gives you a break and i usually do better when i do.
 
Practice time has been spent doing drills and working on stroke.

Staying focused.

I've been feeling goooooood, so going to league i was ready to play.

It's all good, i posted this as more of a "are you kidding me?" then anything. I know in the long run the practice and focus will pay off.

I'm sticking to the no beer anymore while playing, i think in the end this will help.
 
Expectations!!! You practice and you expect to see improvement. You inadvertently put pressure on yourself and you let in distraction by thinking about what you practiced and not the game. I think you will find as I have that we see the results of practice in retrospect [ Wow, I used to miss those all the time, or I can't believe it i just ran 75 balls, thats the best I've ever done!, etc.]. No expectations! Just practice and play.
 
cbi1000 said:
The story begins.....

I say to myself, Craig, it's time to up your game. You been the ok players all the time, the good players most of the time, and the really good players some of the time. I if i start to practice, I mean really put my mind to it i can and should step up my game.

First to go, the beer. Now, i don't drink that much when i play. 3 beers during a league night 7-11pm. However, it's time to step up. Second, practice, and i don't mean put balls on the table and shoot. I mean practice practice.

So, a couple weeks go by and i'm feeling great.......... I go to league and guess what happens, i can't make shit! LOL, it was bad. It didn't matter if the ob was 4 inches from the pocket, missed it, or i'd make it and scratch. What a night. Such high hopes.....
:)
Click to expand...

nope. i think it's because i have talent!!!!!!!!!!!

i'm f'ing with you. stick with it man you'll get past your hump
 
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