gettin out of a slump

[mindtriplx]

i was playing in a tourney this weekend. shooting very well then near the end it was like i went brain dead. it was not like i was nervous and choked because i went in to the match with a lot of confidence. the trouble is this isnt the first time ive done this. im not sure what im doing differently. i was thinkin maybe i was just hungry ....anyways any ideas or what you do to prevent or get out of a slump would be cool.

 

[cut shot]

Assuming that your bridge hand is in working order, check your stroking hand. If your holding the cue too loose or too tight, this will throw your aim off. I tend to hold mine too tight and must constantly remind myself to loosen my grip. Another point is to follow through and stay down until the balls stop rolling. This has helped me out a lot. Now if someone can teach me to play position on the next ball, I am set!

i was playing in a tourney this weekend. shooting very well then near the end it was like i went brain dead. it was not like i was nervous and choked because i went in to the match with a lot of confidence. the trouble is this isnt the first time ive done this. im not sure what im doing differently. i was thinkin maybe i was just hungry ....anyways any ideas or what you do to prevent or get out of a slump would be cool.

 

[sjm]

i was playing in a tourney this weekend. shooting very well then near the end it was like i went brain dead. it was not like i was nervous and choked because i went in to the match with a lot of confidence. the trouble is this isnt the first time ive done this. im not sure what im doing differently. i was thinkin maybe i was just hungry ....anyways any ideas or what you do to prevent or get out of a slump would be cool.

1) Make sure you are sticking to your pre-shot routine. Failure to do so can affect your mechanics negatively.

2) Make sure you make all your decisions before you get over the cue ball. If you don't, you won't be sufficiently committed to your shots.

 

[Kimmo]

I don't pretend to be a player of any serious caliber....more likely still a rookie... but what seems to have helped me is just going back to the principles. When I play good for a while..I seem to start getting overconfident and start whacking the balls harder and picking up the pace unnecessarily.
The change is so gradual and subtle that I've had hard time picking it up.
It's also like self-growing problem...the more I miss, the more frustrated I become, the less focused I become, the more I miss..
What has normally helped me then is simply to walk away... I've usually taken some time off....not play for a few days...a week...even two... This has helped me to then approach the problem without the frustration.
Last time this happened actually not too long ago...I stopped playing for full 2 weeks....during this time I went to see both Amsterdam Open and World Poolmasters to see how the Pros do it.... and it was almost like a revelation...I (re-)discovered the fact that the pros hardly ever bang the balls around with a lot of force, they let the balls do the work for them. They also don't let the pace get out of the hand.....even if it is an easy rack, they take their time to shoot every ball properly instead of just trying to run out as fast as possible.
This kind of studying of other players has helped me as well to identify technique problems in my own game. For example I just realized that I had been playing with the wrist of my backhand turned too much outside. When I then stroked, the wrist tended to start rotating leading up to the fact that I didn't hit the cueball where I wanted to. Now that I know it, I've paid extra attention to it and suddenly those long pots just miraculously have started to drop!

Well....I am sure everyone has their own reasons for slumps....I seem to have found a reason for most of mine....inside my head. Luckily I seem to have found a relatively effective way to deal with it as well.

Live by the KISS-principle!

cheers,
Kimmo

 

[LastTwo]

Check your alignment. When your alignment is off, you don't see things correctly when you are down on the shot. Something just doesn't feel right when you are down on the shot. Make sure your elbow is in a straight line with your cue. Look back at your elbow and if you see your cue pointed inwards or outwards, make it all in line.

There could be many reasons why someone gets in a slump, but not lining up correctly is a common reason. If that is your problem, once you fix it, you will start "seeing" everything again, the feel comes back, and you won't go brain dead. I'm speaking from something I went through before.

 

[Sheldon]

Focus on fundementals, and play through it.

 

[Billy_Bob]

Could be burnout. Do you use the same brain functions for work or school?

My brain shuts down and refuses to do any more work sometimes when I have been working intensively on a project for a long period.

When this happens, I do something physical which requires no thinking (go for walks, ride bike, etc.), relax and do nothing, get plenty of rest, etc.

 

[senor]

i was playing in a tourney this weekend. shooting very well then near the end it was like i went brain dead. it was not like i was nervous and choked because i went in to the match with a lot of confidence. the trouble is this isnt the first time ive done this. im not sure what im doing differently. i was thinkin maybe i was just hungry ....anyways any ideas or what you do to prevent or get out of a slump would be cool.

Find a sucker...they usually get me in stroke

 

[Bluewolf]

i was playing in a tourney this weekend. shooting very well then near the end it was like i went brain dead. it was not like i was nervous and choked because i went in to the match with a lot of confidence. the trouble is this isnt the first time ive done this. im not sure what im doing differently. i was thinkin maybe i was just hungry ....anyways any ideas or what you do to prevent or get out of a slump would be cool.

You mention being hungry. A tournament can be grueling and very fatigueing. i was talking about this on another forum, and i got suggestions to combat fatigue. When you say you went brain dead, what do you mean by that? Was it fatigue or just sort of falling apart mentally, etc. ?

Laura

 

[mindtriplx]

You mention being hungry. A tournament can be grueling and very fatigueing. i was talking about this on another forum, and i got suggestions to combat fatigue. When you say you went brain dead, what do you mean by that? Was it fatigue or just sort of falling apart mentally, etc. ?

Laura

well i noticed after i lost that i was very hungry. this isnt the first time that has happened so i ussally pack a snickers bar or something with me this time i forgot.....when i say i went brain dead i mean i missed a straight in 9-ball i though it was a fluke so i shrugged it off. then after the other person broke they didnt make a ball left me a shot i ran out to the 6 i think all the hard work was done everything was laying in the pocket and i dogged a easy shot on the 6. it just kept going down hill after that. if i had to make a guess i would say its either mental or mechanics..something changes and i cant put my finger on it. maybe i try toooo hard near the end.................anyway thanks for the input all. all usefull suggestions