How much does pressure affect the pro's

[Neil]

The first thing you need to realize is that pressure is a good thing. You need pressure in order to compete at your peak level. This is not just my opinion, this is a proven fact. In sports psychology I think it is referred to as the optimum level of arousal. To use a metaphor, think of pressure to be like water, too much of it and you drown... Too little of it and you die of thirst. You made a statement saying that it seems when the pros are just shooting around, they make difficult shots a whole lot more often. I don't think that is the case most of the time. Next time you are at a tournament or watching some pros match up, watch them warm up and see for yourself how their performance compares to when the match starts. Pressure brings you to that optimum state where concentration becomes more intense. Most records, in every sport, are broken under pressure situations.

Just knowing that pressure is required for peak performance will help you to relax when you start to feel the nerves. Everyone feels the nerves too when they are competing and under a stressful situation. While Niels post is not entirely incorrect, it leads one to believe that all stress can be eliminated with the right techniques and to be a pro or to perform at a peak level, elimination of pressure is required. I know that is not the case. Believe me, the pros feel the stress... you are not alone... and remember you want to feel the pressure because it is good.

Gene is right. Pressure is less with the pros. They do learn how to manage it better to keep it from growing into a pressure so great that, to use the metaphor again, they drown. One of the ways to do this is with a mental pre shot routine. Some of the best have a consistant routine that they have practiced over and over so that it is automatic to them. This focused practice and consistant practice of his routine is going to make it easier for him to think the same way while preparing for the final shot at the 9 to win the US open as he does for a routine shot in any tournament. His thinking process will be the same. Not just any old routine is good enough either. The routine should be organized to guide you from left to right brain activity. Having a good routine that you follow will keep you focused on the process and not worry about results. An amature will not have a consistent routine that is properly organized that they use on every shot. They will drift off into thoughts about what happens if they miss this... how great it would be if they could make this etc.

I don't want to give the impression that Neil is entirely wrong either. There is a lot of truth to what he is saying. Pressure can be managed better if you can identify the source and identify how you can think differently about certain triggers that cause you to put pressure on yourself. Perhaps you find that you are putting undo pressure on yourself because of a perfectionistic attitude that causes you to create unrealistic expectations... If so you need to change that. But recognize that you will never eliminate the pressure, nor do you want to.

PRESSURE IS GOOD!

Excellent post, but I don't really agree with your last sentence. If you never let go of the pressure, you will never perform at your peak. I will agree to a degree much smaller than most ever realize that you do need some pressure at the beginning. That being, the only pressure you should really feel is "this is a serious match, no goofing off". I know that for me, when I have played my best, I quickly got in "the zone". That was due to no extra pressure, and a very solid routine that I did almost religiously on each and every shot.

So, I agree that you may need a little pressure at the beginning of the match, but disagree that you should keep that pressure "up front" during the match. If you do, you run the very real risk of "feeding" that pressure and having it grow out of control. Optimally, you want to quickly get into and stay in the zone. Where you are playing almost totally with your subconscious and are only aware of the table. Granted, it is a rare place to go to, but that should be the goal.

 

[(((Satori)))]

Excellent post, but I don't really agree with your last sentence. If you never let go of the pressure, you will never perform at your peak. I will agree to a degree much smaller than most ever realize that you do need some pressure at the beginning. That being, the only pressure you should really feel is "this is a serious match, no goofing off". I know that for me, when I have played my best, I quickly got in "the zone". That was due to no extra pressure, and a very solid routine that I did almost religiously on each and every shot.

So, I agree that you may need a little pressure at the beginning of the match, but disagree that you should keep that pressure "up front" during the match. If you do, you run the very real risk of "feeding" that pressure and having it grow out of control. Optimally, you want to quickly get into and stay in the zone. Where you are playing almost totally with your subconscious and are only aware of the table. Granted, it is a rare place to go to, but that should be the goal.

Good luck finding the zone when you are hill hill in a set that is of great importance to you, playing the key shot of the rack and it has to be hit perfectly. Good luck identifying the thoughts that you need to eliminate and dealing with them on the spot.

Imagine being on the road, playing for a huge score and you need to make a tough shot to win. You win and your bankroll is pumped, you lose and you are damn near broke. In this situation you are going to feel the pressure and you had better be able to deal with it on the spot. You had better learn some techniques to keep your heart rate down yet be able to view the pressure as something that is natural and unavoidable, something you can use it to help you focus. See the good in it.

As for the zone, we are talking about something entirly different here. When we are in the Zone we do not have to consciously try to do anything to achieve a high level of performance. It works automatically and below the normal state of consciousness. The Conscious Mind is attentive and doing what it needs to do but seemingly without effort or thought. The Subconscious is in the driver's seat and moves the performer to the proper spot with ease and excellence is achieved. There is no effort on the part of the Self-Image to interfere even if the player is scoring outside of his comfort zone. This phenomenon is elusive and relatively misunderstood.

It is difficult to define 'the zone' because the zone experience defies logical explanation, in the way we are used to defining things. Things we normally say things such as - 'this happened to me,' or 'I did this and that was the result'- fail to capture the significance of the zone experience. This is because the zone experience is quite unlike our normal way of experiencing the world, in which subject and object are sharply defined. In contrast, the zone experience is felt more as a collapsing or merging of our subjective vs. objective method of perceiving."

We fall into the Zone much the same way that we fall asleep. You cannot make yourself go to sleep on command. You cannot cause the Zone experience, not the experience I am talking about. The Conscious Mind must give up control while still doing its job. That is not its normal state and this is one reason it happens so infrequently.

It is much easier to keep the Zone from happening than to create a situation where it will happen more often. I have never seen a technique, pill to take, biofeedback system, hypnosis, mantra or anything that can cause this phenomenon to happen on command. Every year or so someone comes along and sells the secret to making the zone happen, but if their system really worked more athletes would use it. It could happen someday but I have yet to see it.

I do believe there are things we can do to improve the environment that the Zone prefers. One of the best ways is to not be looking for it and having the attitude that you simply do not need it. If you have a planned, practiced system of thinking such as preload and mental program and you are trusting rather than trying, you can achieve mental consistency without the Zone. You can do this on demand and without relying on the mysterious and elusive Zone for your success and you can do this under pressure.

 

[rayjay]

At the top levels, I think that whoever deals with pressure most effectively creates the differences. They can all make all the shots, but some handle pressure better than others.

 

[joelpope]

Pressure is only a thing of your own mind. Doesn't matter if it's a friendly game but your kid is watching you, all the way to you don't eat today and sleep in your car if you miss this shot. "Pressure" is nothing more than a thought you made up yourself. Since you created it, you are also empowered to eliminate it. How well you can eliminate it depends on how much you have fed the original thought and let it grow, and how practiced you are at eliminating it.

Therefore, there is no real answer to half of your question. As each individual will be different in both the pressure he feels, how much he allows that pressure to grow, and how practiced he is at eliminating it. That alone can vary from day to day, let alone person to person. Some will fold under pressure and not be able to perform the simplest of tasks. Others will perform their best under pressure. The optimum is to feel no pressure at all, just peak performance. Accomplish the task at hand, nothing more, nothing less. No emotions. The downside to that, is you essentially feel no satisfaction with winning or completing the task at hand. So, no mental reward for performing well. (which is also another reason some will only play for money, it's their only reward.)

Not sure where you get it or what it is but I want to some some of that

Huh???

 

[backplaying]

The first thing you need to realize is that pressure is a good thing. You need pressure in order to compete at your peak level. This is not just my opinion, this is a proven fact. In sports psychology I think it is referred to as the optimum level of arousal. To use a analogy, think of pressure to be like water, too much of it and you drown... Too little of it and you die of thirst. You made a statement saying that it seems when the pros are just shooting around, they make difficult shots a whole lot more often. I don't think that is the case most of the time. Next time you are at a tournament or watching some pros match up, watch them warm up and see for yourself how their performance compares to when the match starts. Pressure brings you to that optimum state where concentration becomes more intense. Most records, in every sport, are broken under pressure situations.

Just knowing that pressure is required for peak performance will help you to relax when you start to feel the nerves. Everyone feels the nerves too when they are competing and under a stressful situation. While Niels post is not entirely incorrect, it leads one to believe that all stress can be eliminated with the right techniques and to be a pro or to perform at a peak level, elimination of pressure is required. I know that is not the case. Believe me, the pros feel the stress... you are not alone... and remember you want to feel the pressure because it is good.

Gene is right. Pressure is less with the pros. They do learn how to manage it better to keep it from growing into a pressure so great that, to use the analogy again, they drown. One of the ways to do this is with a mental pre shot routine. Some of the best have a consistant routine that they have practiced over and over so that it is automatic to them. This focused practice and consistant practice of his routine is going to make it easier for him to think the same way while preparing for the final shot at the 9 to win the US open as he does for a routine shot in any tournament. His thinking process will be the same. Not just any old routine is good enough either. The routine should be organized to guide you from left to right brain activity. Having a good routine that you follow will keep you focused on the process and not worry about results. An amature will not have a consistent routine that is properly organized that they use on every shot. They will drift off into thoughts about what happens if they miss this... how great it would be if they could make this etc.

I don't want to give the impression that Neil is entirely wrong either. There is a lot of truth to what he is saying. Pressure can be managed better if you can identify the source and identify how you can think differently about certain triggers that cause you to put pressure on yourself. Perhaps you find that you are putting undo pressure on yourself because of a perfectionistic attitude that causes you to create unrealistic expectations... If so you need to change that. But recognize that you will never eliminate the pressure, nor do you want to.

PRESSURE IS GOOD!

I have to ask, do you play pool? if so at what level?

 

[King Hester]

Good luck finding the zone when you are hill hill in a set that is of great importance to you, playing the key shot of the rack and it has to be hit perfectly. Good luck identifying the thoughts that you need to eliminate and dealing with them on the spot.

Imagine being on the road, playing for a huge score and you need to make a tough shot to win. You win and your bankroll is pumped, you lose and you are damn near broke. In this situation you are going to feel the pressure and you had better be able to deal with it on the spot. You had better learn some techniques to keep your heart rate down yet be able to view the pressure as something that is natural and unavoidable, something you can use it to help you focus. See the good in it.

As for the zone, we are talking about something entirly different here. When we are in the Zone we do not have to consciously try to do anything to achieve a high level of performance. It works automatically and below the normal state of consciousness. The Conscious Mind is attentive and doing what it needs to do but seemingly without effort or thought. The Subconscious is in the driver's seat and moves the performer to the proper spot with ease and excellence is achieved. There is no effort on the part of the Self-Image to interfere even if the player is scoring outside of his comfort zone. This phenomenon is elusive and relatively misunderstood.

It is difficult to define 'the zone' because the zone experience defies logical explanation, in the way we are used to defining things. Things we normally say things such as - 'this happened to me,' or 'I did this and that was the result'- fail to capture the significance of the zone experience. This is because the zone experience is quite unlike our normal way of experiencing the world, in which subject and object are sharply defined. In contrast, the zone experience is felt more as a collapsing or merging of our subjective vs. objective method of perceiving."

We fall into the Zone much the same way that we fall asleep. You cannot make yourself go to sleep on command. You cannot cause the Zone experience, not the experience I am talking about. The Conscious Mind must give up control while still doing its job. That is not its normal state and this is one reason it happens so infrequently.

It is much easier to keep the Zone from happening than to create a situation where it will happen more often. I have never seen a technique, pill to take, biofeedback system, hypnosis, mantra or anything that can cause this phenomenon to happen on command. Every year or so someone comes along and sells the secret to making the zone happen, but if their system really worked more athletes would use it. It could happen someday but I have yet to see it.

I do believe there are things we can do to improve the environment that the Zone prefers. One of the best ways is to not be looking for it and having the attitude that you simply do not need it. If you have a planned, practiced system of thinking such as preload and mental program and you are trusting rather than trying, you can achieve mental consistency without the Zone. You can do this on demand and without relying on the mysterious and elusive Zone for your success and you can do this under pressure.

Great Post. Well thought out! Greenie to you.

 

[sjm]

Jack Nicklaus used to say that "if you don't feel the pressure, you're already dead." The champions, he noted, were simply the ones that knew how to deal with it in the toughest spots.

Contrastingly, Lee Trevino, after holing a putt to win a PGA event on the final hole was asked about how he dealt with the pressure. His memorable answer was "That's not pressure. Pressure is a $20 putt when you only have $10 in your pocket."

Pressure means different things to different people.

 

[CJ Wiley]

I used to want to play a "match to the ....."

Pressure affects the pros just like it affects us amateurs.
Just at a different level. :smile:

Yes, it's all relative to what you're accustomed to at the time. I used to want to play a "match to the death," but not so much these days.

 

[(((Satori)))]

The secret to great marbles is CTE aiming

I have to ask, do you play pool? if so at what level?

Lol, I play world class marbles so I know what I am talking about. The concepts are pretty much the same... there is unbelievable pressure when playing for keepsies.

 

[book collector]

I'm curious how many of the players of the last 30 years, you have seen,or known, that would do what you are talking about CJ ?
1 in 10 ? 1 in 100 ? 1 in ?
Doing battle with someone of similar skill, until one of you broke?

 

[TheMadScientist]

I would just like to say that I don't feel pressure on a tough shot and I am not a pro level player. I have played in pro tournaments and there were times when I felt a lot of pressure on shots that were easy to moderate in difficulty and I was expected to make them.

As far as I'm concerned, you can't dog a tough shot. I've often said, "All shots are 50/50. You either make it or miss it." I, for one, love a real tough shot. I really enjoy making a shot in a match that noone in the building could make one time in five practicing.

 

[CJ Wiley]

That's the "ole school" way of building up your heart, and determination

I'm curious how many of the players of the last 30 years, you have seen,or known, that would do what you are talking about CJ ?
1 in 10 ? 1 in 100 ? 1 in ?
Doing battle with someone of similar skill, until one of you broke?

Playing 3 day matches isn't near as popular these days, as a matter of fact it's rarely done. I've played a lot of matches that lasted over 20 hours, sometimes playing several opponents "back to back".

That's the "ole school" way of building up your heart, and determination to win. For me it was a test against myself and I just refused to stop.....even after a 20 hour match I'd stay and practice until I felt like I couldn't walk any further.

I'd say this is a "one in a hundred thousand" behavior, there's only a handful of players these days that will play for more than 20 hours. I still think it's a fun way to test your skills and it will get you over some playing levels in the process.