My point about the dime was to stress the importance of practicing white ball control. I didn't mean it to be taken literally, 'dime on the coin' is a figure of speech (in my club anyway) similar to 'keeping the white on a string'. It was more in aid of stressing the importance of building confidence and as you state optimism in ones ability to control the table in a higher percentage of situations. You of course have to be true to yourself and realistic that things will not always go your way and the ball will not always fall were you expect it and take acts of god into account:wink:.
In my case i play the game to my own limitations and rarely take on shots if it means the possibly of losing control of the white ball. In particular cannon shots or shots at pace. This approach for some may appear overly cautious. However, I rarely pot the white because I don't take on these types of shots unless i really have to and have no choice. In these instances I just have to suck it up and try to visualise the most positive outcome of the risky shot before getting down to play it (sports psychology as you say). If the shots ends up going completely wrong you just have to shrug it off and refocus on your strategy. And be mindful that as soon as it gets in your head you are more likely to get frustrated which will negatively effect your game.
I have found that this approach in the long run has allowed me to play more constantly at a decent standard. In particular in long races. For example, if I play someone of a similar level to me in a race to 11 and they like to play a little flashy they will almost definitely make the occasional mistakes. In these cases if I maintain my self control I can play the entire set at a certain pace with limited mistakes and consistently finish the balls when the opportunity arises and secure games which i have developed via safety or clear up if the balls are available.
Although I still practice and have the ability to play big shots if I am forced into the situation. Funnily enough i seem to have a better average now playing shots such as long pots with loads of screw because I play them so rarely in matches and probably give them more focus and attention and treat them with more respect.
In comparison the opponent may like to take on a few big shots (when they don't need to) which don't always come off and thus lose games which they should have won. As you have suggested this is when the person starts to drop their head and sag their shoulders because they are expecting too much from themselves or simply being unrealistic.
It has taken me years to get to this stage and realization that I will win more games with a consistent methodical approach. For example, as a teenager and in my early 20's I loved to show off what I was learning from practice and would send the white all around the table with loads of side etc to get a reaction from onlookers. However, i quickly learnt that I tended to lose more than i won and that the skills which had taken a lot of time to develop could be put to better use.
In the long run my approach of always playing a percentage game has worked for me and allows me to slip easier into the zone and maintain my temperment. Much like a snooker player methodically playing small stun shots around the red and black without really thinking about it too much because they are taking low risk shots as the white is only moving a couple of inches every time. If they run out of position they will run safe and try to tie the opponent up and force them into taking on a big high risk shot and consistently use the identical approach to match play.
In conclusion if I play a long series of cash matches against multiple opponents of my standard and a little better over a period of say a week. In these cases I tend to win more than I lose and always remain positive that when an oppurtinty arises I can take advantage of it. I believe that this is due to the majority of players allowing negative thoughts to affect their game. And of course these are the types of players that you try to target.
Metaphorically speaking I like to play the same song from a classical record over and over again whilst the opponent is busily flicking through 100 tracks on his Ipod to see which song he is in the mood for at the time in order to try and force himself into the zone. I hope that makes sense - I know what I am trying to say anyway
Anyway this is how I have attained inner peace when I play pool and I hope that it in someway helps the OP.
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