How Common Is This?

[maha]

its usually always a mind thing or your stroke isnt ingrained in your brain that day.

so if you cant hit balls then at least line up on the diamonds and stroke over and over till its back and loose and goes where you want.

the sole reason you and all of us got good was thru repetition. so revert back to that when off.

to get great you need special eye hand coordination.

 

[lfigueroa]

Might mean something or nothing. Years ago I was about to quit. My playing dropped off due to what seemed like a mental problem. At times it was like I could not see any angles and the lights were flickering . I owned a pool room at the time and had been playing the best my life. Running hundreds and beating most anyone I played before this happened.

After seeing doctors and being examined there seemed to be nothing wrong. I won't go into how I discovered what it was but it was diet soda. The artificial sweetener has an effect on some people and I was one of them. After quiting all sodas within a few weeks it was gone and never happened again. I even had had a single car accident from what was like a brain fog.

GFG!

You cannot possibly leave us all hanging on that!

What was it?

Lou Figueroa

 

[gregcantrall]

I recall a statement regarding "Savoring" the shot.
Savoring the perfection or seeking then Savoring the perfection in each shot.
Of course the possibility of blood does heighten my senses and gets my best game.
I prefer the field of friendly strife.

 

[Cornerman]

As some (many) know, I'm writing a book and something happen to me this past weekend that I would want to address in said book.

It is something that has happened to me in the past but was particularly dramatic/traumatic this past weekend. I've been playing pretty good, consistent, high level for me, and then this past weekend -- for one session -- my game fell completely and totally off the cliff. Could not see the angles, could not judge CB speed accurately, and my banks went into the toilet, (sigh). My game was a wreck.

So my question is, though I know we all have our ups and down: do you occasionally walk into the PR, get into a game, and without prior warning, have your skills evaporate? Yes, I know they eventually come back. But do you occassionally suffer a fugue state in which it appears you've never played pool before?

Lou Figueroa

Considering the Yips have been so debilitating that I quit playing this game competitive. I’d say … yeah. Unfortunately.

 

[Chili Palmer]

I play in a local weekly 8B bar tournament, it's a race to one

First match - break and run (came in cold, first time on the table was first match).
Second match - break and run.
Third match - don't remember who broke but yep, completely forgot how to make a ball. Had three chances, should've been out all three times, still lost. A bit frustrating to say the least.
4th match - opponent broke and ran and hooked himself on the 8, hit the 8 but didn't leave me a shot, played a safe but didn't do anything near what I wanted to do, still got safe. He scratched on the masse - he should've kicked.
5th match - opponent broke dry - I ran out. Thought - cool, back in stroke.
6th match - I think my opponent broke and made a couple of balls and then missed, either way - I forgot how to shoot again, I think I had 3 innings that game and lost. Was playing to get into the money.

It really is a stupid f****ing game.

 

[middleofnowhere]

GFG!

You cannot possibly leave us all hanging on that!

What was it?

Lou Figueroa

I phrased that poorly. It was the sweetener plus the caffeine. I saw a doctor on the Merv Griffin show and he was talking about the dangers of the artificial sweeteners being used in everything. What he described was exactly what I was experiencing.

I read about Jimmy Conners having the same problem till a nutritionist/doctor got him off the sodas that he drank constantly. Conner's credited that with adding years to his career.
The doctor Haas wrote a book
Eat to win

 

[straightline]

Considering the Yips have been so debilitating that I quit playing this game competitive. I’d say … yeah. Unfortunately.

Ever think you got hypnotized?

 

[Badpenguin]

Welcome to 50+ buddy ;(

 

[nataddrho]

As some (many) know, I'm writing a book and something happen to me this past weekend that I would want to address in said book.

It is something that has happened to me in the past but was particularly dramatic/traumatic this past weekend. I've been playing pretty good, consistent, high level for me, and then this past weekend -- for one session -- my game fell completely and totally off the cliff. Could not see the angles, could not judge CB speed accurately, and my banks went into the toilet, (sigh). My game was a wreck.

So my question is, though I know we all have our ups and down: do you occasionally walk into the PR, get into a game, and without prior warning, have your skills evaporate? Yes, I know they eventually come back. But do you occassionally suffer a fugue state in which it appears you've never played pool before?

Lou Figueroa

I didn't read the other thread answers, just answering directly. This would happen to me after a few hours of playing, maybe in every fourth tournament or so, or sometimes when I would play friends. Sometimes they would even say "Nathan, are you alright?"

It had to do with my pre-shot routine missing something that should be a conscious part of my process, and instead I made subconscious out of naiveite. When this thing was calibrated subconsciously would play great, but when my mind got tired this piece would un-calibrate and I would fall off in a big way.

After years of studying my pre shot routine, I finally figured out that I wasn't making a deliberate effort to align the exact center of the cue ball to my shot line. I've played pool / billiards so much that I would just feel where the center was. But by not taking the extra second to just look at the top edge of the cue ball and verify that the peak of the curvature was on top of my predicted shot line, it allowed my "feel" of the center of the cue ball to drift very slowly as I became more mentally drained. This caused other problems like dialing back on max English due to a feeling of under-confidence, and things unraveled. I added this visual check on every shot, and also use my lower peripheral vision a bit more to watch my final follow through to make sure it isn't drifting towards center.

The issue with this is that it is so incredibly personal and internalized I don't see how any video or instructor could even pick it up. No training device that I could make could figure this out either. It is very mental and subtle, and just requires a lot of patience and observation to notice and fix details like this.

So I would say that all pros have gone though this process many times, and have PSR that is bulletproof, not only for every shot, but also checks micro details when their mind is tired and keeps them on track for the long haul.