How can you regroup after a losing streak???

regroup how? how/why did you lose?

i mean if you lost because your mechanics were off, you were missing shots you shouldnt have missed, then practice.

if you lost because you were grossly overmatched.......learn to make better matches

sometimes you just lose, nothing goes your way, your opponent gets the rolls and you dont..........all you can do is keep that stuff in mind and try to play more carefully, control the table and dont leave things to chance.

your game wont ever be perfect, all you can do is make a conscious effort to improve.
 
Beat up on as many suckers as possible A.S.A.P.

When I used to get into a slump, I would go out and hit the bars.
I would play cheap OR high (it didn't make any difference) but I wouldn't hustle at all. I would just win every game possible and build up my confidence.
Now this was in the 70's when you could walk into any bar and get a game. There were no leagues that put an end to all open play.
Once you get your confidence back, it is just a matter of time until you get back your consentration & consistency.That = the three C's & "YOUR BACK"!

TY & GL

Ps - This will only work if your not one of the suckers.
 
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C'mon guys, I'm looking for something better, even though I'm not the person who started this thread (my apologies). Everyone crumbles, regardless of skill level, because our bodies can't help but to respond to emotions and those are, oh, so volatile.

Watch the 2000 U.S. Open match between Efren & Buddy Hall, and you'll see arguably the most talented of them all making mistakes I would make. Should we just tell Efren to practice more, or are we talking about something that requires THOUGHT?

How do you get over a glaring error DURING a match? Let me hear it, please.
 
OldHasBeen i really like your idea

vapoolplayer its not about getting better , somtimes a loss just hurt your confidence .

i know everybody is trying to get better but my topic here is about regrouping mently
 
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i just forget, it works because i have a horrible short term memory. ask me to recall a shot in the last rack and i honestly wont remember :D .
 
Masayoshi said:
i just forget, it works because i have a horrible short term memory. ask me to recall a shot in the last rack and i honestly wont remember :D .
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i'll bet my short term memory is shorter than yours,,,ah,,,,,ahh,,,,,,,?,,,,what was that you said?
 
live in the now

Several people have already said this in different words but living in the "now" is the answer to a losing streak. I am never in the middle of a losing streak when I am shooting, or in the middle of a winning streak either. You almost can't have a literal losing streak. Lost the last three matches? What did you do the last twelve? Lost six? What have you done for the last six months or year?

Losing streaks are purely in the head and winning is often a matter of mind control. With practice you can be in control. There is a book about pistol competition called I believe, "With Winning in Mind" Although I haven't read a lot of pool books this is the best book I have read about the mental game. The author realized that the winning mindset could be transferred from any sport and used golf, running, and many other sports to learn from, possibly including pool.

Nobody's mental game is perfect but I do feel that I rarely beat myself. I play my best game without fighting myself and let the other person try to surpass that. It has worked in a very wide variety of activities including pool.

This is the cure for a "losing streak" in my opinion: Either realize that it only exists because of an arbitrary marker you placed in your mind or ignore it and the streak ceases to exist. When I lose a game or match, that is what I have lost, one game or one match. I never have a losing streak.

Hu
 
OldHasBeen said:
When I used to get into a slump, I would go out and hit the bars.
I would play cheap OR high (it didn't make any difference) but I wouldn't hustle at all. I would just win every game possible and build up my confidence.
Now this was in the 70's when you could walk into any bar and get a game. There were no leagues that put an end to all open play.
Once you get your confidence back, it is just a matter of time until you get back your consentration & consistency.That = the three C's & "YOUR BACK"!

TY & GL

Ps - This will only work if your not one of the suckers.
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I've used this before OHB. We call it slumming. Beating up on inferior players for a little bit while freewheeling all the way. Sooner or later everyone sees whats happening and they all want a piece of you. You use everything you have to hold the table all night. The confidence does come back because in the beginning no pressures, nothing on the line. At the end you start bearing down to acheive your goal.

I must add on another note that almost all advice you get from others on the mental game will be wrong. It's like asking advice about a mental disorder with a used car salesman!

Question:Who knows how the brain works?
Answer: Psychotherapists!

Do psychotherapists know all the answers? No. Do they possess the silver bullet to your problems? No. But they can explain how the mind works, so you can find for yourself what works for you. Get the book, "The Pleasures of Small Motions" by Bob Fancher Ph.D. A good read that has helped me from breaking down in games and and given me more tools to deal with other problems at the table.
 
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Tons'O'fun said:
This is only a placebo effect though. When a person does this they aren't really dealing with the mental issues that made them feel they were in a slump.
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Yes your right, and off the mark as well. The answer lies in between. If your in a slump and even the people you would normally give weight to are beating you like a drum. It does you no good to be punching bag. You need to step back analyze the why it happened. The possibilities are endless for why it happened. Once you think you have a good understanding of why, you can't apply this against a player that would have you thinking to yourself: "this can't be the fix." When it maybe indeed the cure your looking for.

You slowly wind up in speed as the opponents abilities at the same time become better as well. The real test is the next day when you step back into the ring to face the heat.

tonsoffun said:
Beating up on inferior players is a hollow victory because the person knows weaker opponents won't pressure them much. When the real shooters come around, they might lay a heavy beating down and the person is lacking confidence again.
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You put your own pressure on yourself. Knowing where your game actually is at and where your ego thinks it's at are two different things. Everyone in thier mind has an inflated self image of thier abilities. People spend vast amounts of time convincing others and themselves that the image is true. Then the bubble pops and its a long fall down. If you were truthful about your abilities with yourself to begin with you would be saying to yourself, "I took way to many chances on shots that were 50-50 propostions at best." Then you would have no problem with the outcome and it would be in and out of your mind forgotten.

If a real shooter comes around you need to say, "OK he's better than me but lets see how we stack up today." We go into competition to find out where we deserve to rank- not what we think we rank. What is competition but a way for us to establish status among the ranks of pool players.

Climb up the rungs!!! If it be from the lowest to the highest so what? At least you are truthful with yourself and tried to find a systematic way to find your game. Then you know where you stand. The trick is to play every game the same, by refusing to lose! You don't let up for anyone.
 
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I think the WORST thing that can be done is ignoring negative thoughts. You gotta RESPOND to them. "Man I dogged it; I really did. Nothing I can do about it now... I mean, I steered, and jumped up something terrible. But you know what, lets see if I can do better on THIS shot." If you let the gray cloud knock about inside you, you're sure to dog it again.

The second worst thing can be done is "trying harder." Or "thinking positive." *All that does is take your attention off the shot in front of you.* I'm learning it the hard way, and still working on it.

Take the shot exactly the way you know how. If there is something to work with in your game, I try to do that in PRACTICE.
 
lewdo26 said:
I think the WORST thing that can be done is ignoring negative thoughts. You gotta RESPOND to them. "Man I dogged it; I really did. Nothing I can do about it now... I mean, I steered, and jumped up something terrible. But you know what, lets see if I can do better on THIS shot." If you let the gray cloud knock about inside you, you're sure to dog it again.

The second worst thing can be done is "trying harder." Or "thinking positive." *All that does is take your attention off the shot in front of you.* I'm learning it the hard way, and still working on it.

Take the shot exactly the way you know how. If there is something to work with in your game, I try to do that in PRACTICE.
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Exactly lewdo! The mental makeup we have won't bother to alert us to things that we can automatically take care of. If something captures your attention then it's asking to be addressed. If you put it out of your mind your like a bad boss at work, who just ignores his workers! You need to deal with it. In fact, you can take negative thoughts and think them through, you can use them to focus and steady your play. Turn it around to work for you.
 
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Long! --- Sorry for the highjack

Here are the many situations I'm working on. If that helps, good, if not, business as usual:

1. When behind/not shooting well
2. Playing someone you "should" beat
3. Playing a stronger opponent
4. Letting up when ahead
5. After a bad shot or a sequence of bad shots
6. After a great shot
7. Self-conscious due to those watching you play
8. Playing someone you know
9. Intimidated by opponent
10. Annoyed/sharked by opponent
11. Pressure situations and clutch shots
12. Putting a finish to a match or rack
13. Bad conditions of play or environment
14. Other things in your mind
15. Rolls
16. Perpetrating an upset
17. Opponent admires your play or not
18. Out of stroke
19. Getting out of the gate quickly
20. When losing or gaining momentum
21. In the chair/prior to a match
22. Easy shots (I dog those too; taking it for granted!)
23. Fatalistic/negative thoughts

I realize this is worth a thousand threads and apologize in advance. I'm currently enthralled with the mental aspects of the game. The ideal would be to develop a routine for each of the situations above. Maybe there is an item or two you guys would like to comment upon or add to.

Thanks.

P.S.: I do not consider "ignoring" the situations above a legitimate answer to these questions. :cool:
 
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Tons'O'fun said:
I didn't say ignore negative thoughts, I said don't have negative thoughts to begin with. This means analyze your mistakes using constructive criticism, not destructive self-bashing. The pros ask themselves questions designed to solve a problem. The amateurs fill their heads with negative thoughts and self doubt.

"Thinking positive" isn't an action or a distraction, it's a point of view. You can look at a glass and say it's half full or say it's half empty. Neither one of these outlooks requires any extra attention.

Take the shot exactly the way you know how is fine, as long as you have a positive outlook. There are no specific exercises to do, you just have to develop a new outlook and all these fears and stresses will melt away.
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I'm not saying anyone's opinion's here are wrong and that I'm right. I myself use the constructive criticism in the same way you do.

We are talking about losing streaks which some may think they are in a slump. It depends on if the others played lights out above thier normal game or not. But if you start doubting your game you have to be prepared.

I'm sorta losing where your coming from Tons'o'fun. What I'm understanding from you is that you shouldn't be there to begin with and the positive (Confidence) should always be there. What if the outlook isn't so rosey it a must situation? How do you pick yourself up after being in a slump? What if you were already down and the self talk just isnt working?
 
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