How do you get over that ONE shot?

softshot

softshot

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After Training with RandyG in August my game has rocketed to places I never dreamed of before..

I train 6 days a week.. 2-4 hours a day..

a week ago I was wiping the floor with everybody including locally known GREAT players..

League started Wednesday night.. first game I was on.. 2 early safeties to break my balls up and boom win...

game two break and run leave perfect on the 8.... and it rattled...I enter the proverbial one ball hell...I don't even remember how many innings that game went.. I ended up winning on a one in a million kick shot that I spun the hell out of to get the angle... I won that game... but the best shot I got on the 8 was the one I left myself...

game 3 I got slaughtered... I played 3 hours after the league games ended and I was getting beat by some good players friends and teammates..the same guys I was crushing on Tuesday..

tonight I do my drills and I am nearly perfect in executing them. then I started playing with a few guys and couldn't make 3 balls in a row half the time blowing easy shots and easy leaves...

and for some reason I can't seem to let go of that rattling 8 ball....in a game I won???

I'm puzzled...

Help me out what are your best slump busters ??:thumbup:
 
It's not like I have never lost a game before... I have dogged shots before...

everyone has....

I don't know what is different about this one or why I can't put it in the trash like all the bad shots of my past...


this kind of thing usually doesn't phase me..
 
Maybe you should go see a billiard psychologist about this. I find that for me, the best way out of a slump is to watch "The Color of Money", and put on my "Ross" t-shirt, and hit the pool room.
 
softshot said:
You should drive down tomorrow... this could be your one chance to beat me LOL:thumbup:
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Sorry can't tomorrow. I am actually going to play in a pool tournament where I can win some money!:grin-square:
 
I'm not sure if this pertains to your question, but the one thought that came to mind is this idea of the time invested in training and the expectations it assumes.

Really I say this because I struggle with this a lot. And it's because I practice...a lot. It's a sickness, and I don't care.

But the win, the spectacle, for me I act like it has to happen. Why? because I've worked so f-in hard to get, even at least here. And when that ball rattles, or I miss it by a mile, whatever...all that work seems to go down the trash for a minute. Say goodbye to trust.

And I think that's where much of the magic lies. Trust. I think if you've spent an earnest time practicing, you already own shots you've been missing under the gun. When you feel like you have to manifest that practice in to the beating of your opponent, doubt and fear of the outcome have a pathway.

Zen buddha bullsh-t aside, you've already been in that place where you were beating them at one point. By some freak occurance they've all gotten balls better than you, I guess you'lll have to work harder.

But the show, the wins...forget it. The win is inevitable. And if you lose, there's still a chance that they earned it.

(I just think it's strange how the psychology of missing a ball versus getting out of line are treated so differently, when really they are similar. Leave yourself easy shots = instant confidence.)

Now I'm rambling....
 
Impact Blue said:
I'm not sure if this pertains to your question, but the one thought that came to mind is this idea of the time invested in training and the expectations it assumes.

Really I say this because I struggle with this a lot. And it's because I practice...a lot. It's a sickness, and I don't care.

But the win, the spectacle, for me I act like it has to happen. Why? because I've worked so f-in hard to get, even at least here. And when that ball rattles, or I miss it by a mile, whatever...all that work seems to go down the trash for a minute. Say goodbye to trust.

And I think that's where much of the magic lies. Trust. I think if you've spent an earnest time practicing, you already own shots you've been missing under the gun. When you feel like you have to manifest that practice in to the beating of your opponent, doubt and fear of the outcome have a pathway.

Zen buddha bullsh-t aside, you've already been in that place where you were beating them at one point. By some freak occurance they've all gotten balls better than you, I guess you'lll have to work harder.

But the show, the wins...forget it. The win is inevitable. And if you lose, there's still a chance that they earned it.

(I just think it's strange how the psychology of missing a ball versus getting out of line are treated so differently, when really they are similar. Leave yourself easy shots = instant confidence.)

Now I'm rambling....
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you might not be to far off base here... I did lose the trust....my confidence was at an all time high... I just shot and the ball fell.....and the next shot lined itself up so to speak.

now I am overthinking.... but only in competition... my stroke is there... the drills tonight proved that to me... my mechanics are at peak levels... during practice....

so where did the trust go??? and how do you get it back??

winning a few games would help...I have won some racks since... but I can't seem to get that.... "IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN" back in my head... now I am fighting with ..."if it happens"
 
softshot said:
you might not be to far off base here... I did lose the trust....my confidence was at an all time high... I just shot and the ball fell.....and the next shot lined itself up so to speak.

now I am overthinking.... but only in competition... my stroke is there... the drills tonight proved that to me... my mechanics are at peak levels... during practice....

so where did the trust go??? and how do you get it back??

winning a few games would help...I have won some racks since... but I can't seem to get that.... "IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN" back in my head... now I am fighting with ..."if it happens"
Click to expand...

As strange as it sounds, I would suggest changing, or at least rethinking your shot choices. See a safe. Make them work for their out. If anything it leaves a chance of them selling out. If this opportunity fuels your confidence, it's something. Not something to wholly rely upon, but at least it brings it back to knowledge. I would hope you have that edge.

And try and make an attitude adjustment. Breathe and smile. Open up and snuff em out. The trust will come.
 
Unrealistic expectations?

Perhaps a lot of this derives from the expectations that you have going into the match. Your game has gone up a level and you have been playing very well in practice; you naturally look forward to bringing this new standard into your matchplay. And you expect it to happen. :rolleyes:

But it is important to understand, and to accept, that whatever improvement you have found in your game is not going to show up every single time you play - that's the nature of the game. However psychologically it is natural to believe that it will be there all the time - your expectations have now been raised and you will go into your match looking forward to showing your new speed.

The problem is that you will now be measuring yourself against expectations that are unrealistic - not unrealistic because you are not able play to the level you now think you can, but unrealistic because you cannot play to this level all the time.

And when you measure yourself against an unrealistic expectation, inevitably you will fail. As a result you get down on yourself, frustrated, disappointed etc etc - all the negative emotions that destroy what is left of your stroke and send your game down the tube.:(

The good news is that the next time you play, you will probably start with lower expectations, will exceed these and get all your confidence back as a result.:thumbup:

The key is to try to keep your expectations grounded in reality. Or, to put it another way, you missed a black for f*** sake! Get over it! The sooner you accept that it has happened and that it is going to happen again, the sooner you will get back to enjoying your game and playing at the level you know you are able to. :D

And if you don't feel like playing for a bit, buy and read the book 'Pleasures of Small Motions' which covers this area (and others) very well.
 
Siz said:
Perhaps a lot of this derives from the expectations that you have going into the match. Your game has gone up a level and you have been playing very well in practice; you naturally look forward to bringing this new standard into your matchplay. And you expect it to happen. :rolleyes:

But it is important to understand, and to accept, that whatever improvement you have found in your game is not going to show up every single time you play - that's the nature of the game. However psychologically it is natural to believe that it will be there all the time - your expectations have now been raised and you will go into your match looking forward to showing your new speed.

The problem is that you will now be measuring yourself against expectations that are unrealistic - not unrealistic because you are not able play to the level you now think you can, but unrealistic because you cannot play to this level all the time.

And when you measure yourself against an unrealistic expectation, inevitably you will fail. As a result you get down on yourself, frustrated, disappointed etc etc - all the negative emotions that destroy what is left of your stroke and send your game down the tube.:(

The good news is that the next time you play, you will probably start with lower expectations, will exceed these and get all your confidence back as a result.:thumbup:

The key is to try to keep your expectations grounded in reality. Or, to put it another way, you missed a black for f*** sake! Get over it! The sooner you accept that it has happened and that it is going to happen again, the sooner you will get back to enjoying your game and playing at the level you know you are able to. :D

And if you don't feel like playing for a bit, buy and read the book 'Pleasures of Small Motions' which covers this area (and others) very well.
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I think we have all battled this at one time or another. It is easy or not that tough and for no apparent reason, out of nowhere we take it for granted and miss it.

For me it was take a few seconds to un derstand why I missed and get over it. You are going to have another oppritunity here shortly and need to be ready for it. If not, often you will do it all over agin and control of the match has shifted drasticly and then we really start to kick ourselves.
 
possible reasons for confidence loss..

I am with Siz, unrealistic expectations can ruin ones confidence quite easily. You are not God, just accept it will take some time to get comfortable at the new level of play and that sometimes you are going to slip back. Thats just the way it is.
Did you ask yourself about the reason WHY did you rattle that 8 in the first place? Was the shot too tough? Was it lack of concentration/preshot routine? Outside disturbance? Once you name the reason of missing that 8 it will bother you much less. Trust me, been there done that.
 
FWIW I when I find myself missing balls and falling into that "can't-make" mindset, I have begun to focus entirely on my mantra that I learned in pool school. In other words, I'm totally locked into making the best stroke possible, not on making the ball. Typically, the ball goes in the hole. After a few of those, I stop thinking about missing. Unfortunately, it's still not second nature to me; I have to be very intentional or I fall back to my old habits.

My issue is how do I keep that mindset (stroke) all the time. That's what I'm working on.

Brian in VA
 
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making sure the stroke is good

Brian in VA said:
FWIW I when I find myself missing balls and falling into that "can't-make" mindset, I have begun to focus entirely on my mantra that I learned in pool school. In other words, I'm totally locked into making the best stroke possible, not on making the ball. Typically, the ball goes in the hole. After a few of those, I stop thinking about missing. Unfortunately, it's still not second nature to me; I have to be very intentional or I fall back to my old habits.

My issue is how do I keep that mindset (stroke) all the time. That's what I'm working on.

Brian in VA
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Good advice, especially when you haven't found your stroke or when playing a real pressure shot.

Not sure that I would want to focus on this all the time though. It is fine if you can do it and still concentrate on getting the balls do what you want. But for me, if I focus too much on the mechanics etc, I forget how to pocket the balls! :(

I find that a good compromise is to focus (mostly) on technique while doing some repetitive drills, but to switch focus (mostly) to the balls when playing a game.

In doing this you have to accept that you will often slip back into old habits. But hopefully the balls will start behaving themselves better when you get your stroke right; and when this starts happening, by directing your mind to concentrate on the balls, you should find that your body will automatically stroke better to accomplish this. (Does this make any sense?)

Of course it might take another 40 years or so to get it right. But no matter - when you're done, you will be a hell of a player.:smile:
 
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I lost 9-8 in the Norwegian 9-ball Championship, against a much better player than me, and with a good friend of me having a 600 $ sidebet on that match.

I had the lead 5-2 and 8-6, and at 8-7 I had my chance but played bad position from the 8 and missed the 9. He made it instead, then broke and ran the last for the win.

I made a cuetable of the last balls, and how I played position, printed it out, and brought the layout with me for the next tournaments, leaving it next to my bottle of water so I could see it during matches. It made me focus much harder, and it helped me a lot.

I still have that piece of paper in my cuecase, and I will definitely have it next to my bottle of water next time I meet that player. I am never gonna lose to him again because I dog shots or take position for granted!!!
 
bet you are thinking wrong

You have some excellent advice already so I am going to focus on one thing, your mental statements. With that eight ball looming big in your mind you are constantly thinking, "I am not going to do that again!" Wrong thing to be thinking and makes it far more likely for bad things to happen. You need to be focusing on what you are going to do. Before a match and when the other person is shooting focus on what you intend to do and will do when you get a chance at the table not what you want to avoid.

The other thing I do is keep the big picture in mind when going through a rough patch. I may pet the pooch now and then but I am a winner. Knowing that, I know that the losses are what are abnormal, not the wins. Nothing is more powerful than self confidence and that can be worked on almost 24/7.

Hu


softshot said:
After Training with RandyG in August my game has rocketed to places I never dreamed of before..

I train 6 days a week.. 2-4 hours a day..

a week ago I was wiping the floor with everybody including locally known GREAT players..

League started Wednesday night.. first game I was on.. 2 early safeties to break my balls up and boom win...

game two break and run leave perfect on the 8.... and it rattled...I enter the proverbial one ball hell...I don't even remember how many innings that game went.. I ended up winning on a one in a million kick shot that I spun the hell out of to get the angle... I won that game... but the best shot I got on the 8 was the one I left myself...

game 3 I got slaughtered... I played 3 hours after the league games ended and I was getting beat by some good players friends and teammates..the same guys I was crushing on Tuesday..

tonight I do my drills and I am nearly perfect in executing them. then I started playing with a few guys and couldn't make 3 balls in a row half the time blowing easy shots and easy leaves...

and for some reason I can't seem to let go of that rattling 8 ball....in a game I won???

I'm puzzled...

Help me out what are your best slump busters ??:thumbup:
Click to expand...
 
softshot said:
After Training with RandyG in August my game has rocketed to places I never dreamed of before..

I train 6 days a week.. 2-4 hours a day..

a week ago I was wiping the floor with everybody including locally known GREAT players..

League started Wednesday night.. first game I was on.. 2 early safeties to break my balls up and boom win...

game two break and run leave perfect on the 8.... and it rattled...I enter the proverbial one ball hell...I don't even remember how many innings that game went.. I ended up winning on a one in a million kick shot that I spun the hell out of to get the angle... I won that game... but the best shot I got on the 8 was the one I left myself...

game 3 I got slaughtered... I played 3 hours after the league games ended and I was getting beat by some good players friends and teammates..the same guys I was crushing on Tuesday..

tonight I do my drills and I am nearly perfect in executing them. then I started playing with a few guys and couldn't make 3 balls in a row half the time blowing easy shots and easy leaves...

and for some reason I can't seem to let go of that rattling 8 ball....in a game I won???

I'm puzzled...

Help me out what are your best slump busters ??:thumbup:
Click to expand...
It sounds like you got to carried away with how good you were playing. I have seen great players miss shots my grandma could have made and she's dead. Trying too hard to get back to where you were is like Brer Rabbit when he saw the tar baby in the middle of the road. He told the tar baby to move, which of course the tar baby couldn't. So he hit the tar baby and in a few seconds was hopelessly stuck to it. In other words it is important to be able to let bad shots go as quickly as possible.
 
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Hu and Ironman said it best.

Hu, in so many words, said to say to yourself "What will it take to win from here?" instead of "What will it take to lose from here?"

Ironman, in so many words, said get over it, but don't lose sight of why it happened.

My advice? Man up! Get a hold of yourself for a brief second before you shoot and fire it in the back of the pocket!

On slump busting, I always found the guy who could barely hold a cue who wanted to bet a little something. Then I pounded on him relentlessly until he quit. Then I repeated as necessary until my confidence was back.

Good luck
 
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