How do I get out of a funk?

TheNewSharkster

TheNewSharkster

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I haven't been playing very good pool lately. I have dropped from a SL6 to a SL5 in APA. I have been selling out more than I care to admit. I have tried to be positive during this time but it can be difficult.

A friend of mine said I should take a break. I don't think that is the problem because I haven't played a ton of pool and am not burnt out.

I was thinking of going back to the basics and pulling out 99 critical shots book and going through them again.

Would anyone have any other ideas of how to get out of a funk. Thanks in advance for any replies.
 
Are you unable to play much for some reason or are you not wanting to play much? Answering this would change my advise.
 
Hit the balls warp speed for about an hour, then slow it down. Take a little more time on every shot, walk around the table, etc. Oh yeah, have fun.
 
What skill level players are you losing to? I've found (I am an APA SL6) that I lose more matches and shoot worse when I shoot lower skill levels than I am. I asked my Captain to put me up against the other teams best player whenever possible. It worked wonders for my game. I focus better and get "in the zone" more often. I have fared fairly well against players of higher skill levels, although I lose my share of matches too. But it has improved my overall game. If a short layoff doesn't help, try my approach.

Maniac
 
TheNewSharkster said:
I haven't been playing very good pool lately. I have dropped from a SL6 to a SL5 in APA. I have been selling out more than I care to admit. I have tried to be positive during this time but it can be difficult.

A friend of mine said I should take a break. I don't think that is the problem because I haven't played a ton of pool and am not burnt out.

I was thinking of going back to the basics and pulling out 99 critical shots book and going through them again.

Would anyone have any other ideas of how to get out of a funk. Thanks in advance for any replies.
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Going back to basics is the right move, and will cause you to improve your game overall. I try to look at slumps as an opportunity to become a better player.

Typically a slump comes about due to a mechanical error or a loss in confidence or both
 
The eyes have it

You may want to consider the article the eyes have it.
Can be found at this link.

www.blackbeltbilliards.net

Written based on observations from several years ago but I still find it helpful if I start missing balls I should be making.

For what its worth and Good luck.
 
coryjeb said:
Are you unable to play much for some reason or are you not wanting to play much? Answering this would change my advise.
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Neither. I want to play and am able to play. The problem is I having been missing some silly shots and not playing to the level I feel I should be playing at.
 
Maniac said:
What skill level players are you losing to? I've found (I am an APA SL6) that I lose more matches and shoot worse when I shoot lower skill levels than I am. I asked my Captain to put me up against the other teams best player whenever possible. It worked wonders for my game. I focus better and get "in the zone" more often. I have fared fairly well against players of higher skill levels, although I lose my share of matches too. But it has improved my overall game. If a short layoff doesn't help, try my approach.

Maniac
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I am the captain of my team so I will give that a shot. One of the only advantages of being a captain is you get to pick your matchups :-)
 
Steve C said:
You may want to consider the article the eyes have it.
Can be found at this link.

www.blackbeltbilliards.net

Written based on observations from several years ago but I still find it helpful if I start missing balls I should be making.

For what its worth and Good luck.
Click to expand...


I am checking out your site now. I really like using a belt system to improve your game. I will check this out.
 
slumps in pool or any endeavor is inevitable. More often than not there is a mental / focus issue to them along with a slip in fundamentals. This was something that was told to me many years ago and was dead on. Here's a few suggestions that helped me.

1. Examine your physical and mental prep and shot routine.
2. Are you practicing away from your matches? Somewhere alone doing drills, playing the ghost. This helps you with tuning up your basics as well as analyze how to get in your best focus. The mental game is as physical in some ways as the body mechanics. Find what works for you to get in focus and be consistent.
3. Have you been getting rest lately and eating well? May sound silly, but it effects us so much. Life distracts us sometimes in subtle ways when we don't realize it.
4. Practice through it and know a slump can also be an opportunity for growth.
 
TheNewSharkster said:
I haven't been playing very good pool lately. I have dropped from a SL6 to a SL5 in APA. I have been selling out more than I care to admit. I have tried to be positive during this time but it can be difficult.

A friend of mine said I should take a break. I don't think that is the problem because I haven't played a ton of pool and am not burnt out.

I was thinking of going back to the basics and pulling out 99 critical shots book and going through them again.

Would anyone have any other ideas of how to get out of a funk. Thanks in advance for any replies.
Click to expand...

There is only one solution to your problem. This is a quick fix used by many professional pool players. Use with caution.
Purd
 
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This might be a personal thing but I know it works for me and a few other guys. When I find myself floundering in a match or whatever I simply concentrate solely on staying down on the shot until the object ball is pocketed. Somehow this eliminates whatever mental distractions are happening and naturally puts me back into focus. I assume this is true of most when you are in a zone and running out more often then not you play on focus and instinct for lack of a better term the game becomes less analytical. Rather then thinking I'm going to use low right and move the cue ball 6 inches and leave it right there you just see it and execute.. to me this is focus, you think when you are walking around the table and execute when you get down on the shot. By finding something to focus on other then how do I fix my floundering (in this case simply focusing on staying down) things seem to right themselves.
 
2rgrbn said:
This might be a personal thing but I know it works for me and a few other guys. When I find myself floundering in a match or whatever I simply concentrate solely on staying down on the shot until the object ball is pocketed. Somehow this eliminates whatever mental distractions are happening and naturally puts me back into focus. I assume this is true of most when you are in a zone and running out more often then not you play on focus and instinct for lack of a better term the game becomes less analytical. Rather then thinking I'm going to use low right and move the cue ball 6 inches and leave it right there you just see it and execute.. to me this is focus, you think when you are walking around the table and execute when you get down on the shot. By finding something to focus on other then how do I fix my floundering (in this case simply focusing on staying down) things seem to right themselves.
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Stay down and admire the shot!
Purd
 
Maniac said:
I've found (I am an APA SL6) that I lose more matches and shoot worse when I shoot lower skill levels than I am.
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I am a SL6 (9ball) as well, I found it really tough for awhile to beat lower skill levels consistantly... then I started realizing that I was playing to offensively... going for the tough runouts and not even thinking about safety/position play (could it be that heavy offensive thought process is nurtured by the fact that when you play safe in APA you lose an inning and subsequently your skill level goes up?, nevermind. save those thoughts for another thread) Anyway... what I found was I was going balls out for the tough cuts & leaves playing aggresively and when I missed a shot, or had a couple unlucky rolls I was leaving myself with my pants down and I had SL4's who are perfectly capable of making a 4-5 ball run on a easy setup... doing just that. I found a much higher level of success against lower skilll levels by shifting gears and not taking the tough shot/leaves as much playing safe or at least playing position getting the CB & OB as far apart as possible... if you play patiently against lower skill level they WILL make a mistake and give you the run more time than not. Defineately found that there are entirely different gears and styles required to play succesfully against different handicaps.

*edit* Oh to answer your question about the funk... yeah, go back to the basics and STOP THINKING. Just do, dont think. Enjoy yourself. *edit2* Also, try stepping away from the game your playing, if you play 8 ball... switch to 9 or 10 or 1 pocket, golf, bowliards anything... just switch it up.
 
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I am not sure, but I think you are playing 8-Ball.

8-Ball is the great equalizer, because if a good player doesn't get out, in his run & is left with 1 ball or just the 8 Ball, the good player can whittled down to size rather quickly.

My suggestion is to purchase the 8-Ball Bible & learn some strategy & nuances from that book. That might help a great deal. Strategy is part of the game too..

Good Luck...
 
Seek out one of the SPF instructors. Have your stroke analyzed on video. Often when we hit slumps in our game, our fundamentals could use some fine tuning.

Best Wishes

Rufus

SPF more than just Sun Screen
 
My play level is always directly related to the enthusiam level. It comes and goes but mainly stays away anymore.
 
Two thoughts

First, if you are playing APA congratuations on going down a skill level! I struggled to stay a 3...;)

Other way to get out funk is one of two things, as mentioned, take a break. The second is try to gamble more, just $20 sets of nine ball races to 5 will help or at least help me focus.

Leagues or funsy pool doesnt make for good pool, IMO. It doesnt have to be for a lot, again just cheap $20 sets, will help.

Ken
 
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