How strong/weak is your mental?

Jimbojim

Jimbojim

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
What takes you off of your game? Do you succumb to the pressure or do you ride it like you own it? Can you say you can ALWAYS stay positive even when playing well under your speed?


My cue is broken somewhere in the butt and it makes an annoying buzzing sound...it drives me nuts and it makes me question myself about my game.

Does your equipment distract you when its not 'just perfect' or is your focus so strong that it doesn't change a thing in your game?

im getting a cue in a month from the same cuemaker.
 
mine is really weak, almost anything can get me, anything! its really bad, for example, one missed shot and i loose lots of confidence then in my next return at the table, I play bad...

another example, is the crowd, or music in the hall, or anything at all can ruin my game, I can't find a way to stop this... ill tell you a little story and show you how can anything get to me and ruin my whole SET, the other day I was playing a guy, who has a bad habbit - (tbh its only bad in my mind, I know i should get over this and just focus on the table) he tends to hold his Cue during my attempt to run out, once I get to the last ball which is the BLACK eight on 8ball, or nine ball playing 9ball, he has this habbit where he lean his CUE on a chair, or a wall (with movement) basicaly he moves from where he was standing, to lean his cue. and this small thing, gets to me (every single time) and I keep on missing the last ball from this one small thing he done, I need to fix that.

thats just a one example, I can go on and on with other stories and examples of how can mental, silly things and happenings can make me miss shots, or play bad.
 
Mine could certainly be better.

Two years ago I was at the top of my mental game. Yes, I'd still lose confidence or concentration here and there, but it was minimal. I just stayed relaxed and focused most of the time. I wound up with a 57-35 record that season- quite respectable for our league.

However, last pool season was a disaster for me mentally, especially at our home bar. My overall record at home was 12-24, but 20-12 on the road! Seemed like whatever could go wrong, did go wrong at home- low level players would play spectacular or freakish things would happen and my confidence was shot. I opened 2-14 at home! Our home table plays unusually fast, has odd rolls, and humongous pockets. If we form a team this season, I'm hoping to switch to another bar.

This season I'm going to try to return to my mindset from the other season- stay relaxed, focused, and confident as much as possible.

Sometimes it is hard to maintain that positive mindset when things go downhill or when you're not at the top of your game for some reason
 
asbani said:
mine is really weak, almost anything can get me, anything! its really bad, for example, one missed shot and i loose lots of confidence then in my next return at the table, I play bad...

another example, is the crowd, or music in the hall, or anything at all can ruin my game, I can't find a way to stop this... ill tell you a little story and show you how can anything get to me and ruin my whole SET, the other day I was playing a guy, who has a bad habbit - (tbh its only bad in my mind, I know i should get over this and just focus on the table) he tends to hold his Cue during my attempt to run out, once I get to the last ball which is the BLACK eight on 8ball, or nine ball playing 9ball, he has this habbit where he lean his CUE on a chair, or a wall (with movement) basicaly he moves from where he was standing, to lean his cue. and this small thing, gets to me (every single time) and I keep on missing the last ball from this one small thing he done, I need to fix that.

thats just a one example, I can go on and on with other stories and examples of how can mental, silly things and happenings can make me miss shots, or play bad.
Click to expand...

The ability to stay focused and consistent with your fundamentals is absolutely essential to this sport. Feel free to contact me with any questions.
 
Back when I was playing competitive pool I was limited more by anxiety than ability. No question. It was particularly bad as a "feel" player. When I was hot I was damn hot. As soon as my confidence took a hit or something threw me off balance, I would drop to the losers bracket then off the board like a damn rock.

Now I'm coming back from a decade of not playing, so I have very little confidence with much of my game, but I'm a much stronger person in general. I'm keeping my expectations very low. Not many people know me. I've got no rep in the rooms I'm visiting. I gotta tell you, it's been liberating! If I make a good showing it's a treat!

So yea mental strength is damn huge :)
 
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My mental game sucks nowadays. I'm fine until chit chat starts then I lose all focus on the game. I can't talk to people I know while i'm playing pool. But it seems everybody wants to hang out & talk, and they even follow me around to my matches to watch & show "support". My opponents never bother me really. It's the people watching me play that want to talk to me between innings & that totally throws me off my game. Those who know it bothers me leave me alone. Only a couple do not, even though they know it bothers me. They think I should just "get over it". Yeah, like I didn't wish I could LOL So my response is LEAVE ME THE F ALONE ALREADY. But anyway, thats the stuff that gets me. And once i'm thrown, i'm done. I don't recover quickly.
 
I either like IMMENSE pressure or none at all.. screw the in between if I have to get up for a game then I need something to really GET ME up.
 
My mental game is bad at this time. After 5 years off I stared playing again at home only. The dozen or so times I've played for the cash over the last year or so I felt too much pressure for the amount of money I was playing for ($5 a game 9-ball on the box or $50-$100 sets), and I wasn't playing anyone that could run more than a rack or 2 on me. I always played with my own money and worked for a living most of 58 years. I never felt relaxed playing for over $200 with anyone I didn't know. That's the one thing I like about the ghost...he never takes my money=no choke. :smile: Johnnyt
 
Inner Game of Tennis

Jimbojim said:
What takes you off of your game? Do you succumb to the pressure or do you ride it like you own it? Can you say you can ALWAYS stay positive even when playing well under your speed?



My cue is broken somewhere in the butt and it makes an annoying buzzing sound...it drives me nuts and it makes me question myself about my game.

Does your equipment distract you when its not 'just perfect' or is your focus so strong that it doesn't change a thing in your game?

im getting a cue in a month from the same cuemaker.
Click to expand...

Hi Jimbojim,

Imo, the weakest part of my game is the mental game. At least it is for now. More often than I'd like, I find myself making a spectaular shot and getting shape for my next ball and then missing the much easier shot. Wtf! Shots that I'd be 98 out of a 100 on in practice! What I've discovered is that I'm mentally distracting myself to the point where it negatively affects my natural ability.

The mental game comes up every so often and I've always seen recommendations for a book titled "The Inner Game of Tennis".

I finally pulled the trigger last weekend and bought it locally (only 16 bux or so). I'm through with Chapter 5 and have already made improvements to my mental game. (I'm a slow reader).

I hope to continue with the improvement as I progress through the book.
Good luck with your quest for mental strength.


Best Regards,
 
Some really good testimonials there.

Sometimes, it looks like I have 2 types of stroke and when I'm struggling, I don't know which one to use. I have the loose stroke like Reyes or focused stroke like Souquet. I know I should just rely on my instincts but I find good things on both of 'em. I'm lost these days.

But I look at Buddy Hall's stroke and I feel its the best out there.
 
Usually I hate loud music in pool rooms but until I get my new cue, I hear it less with the music.
 
I got sharked last night by the juke box. I wasn't paying any attention to the crappy country song playing until the guy said "We'll get our swerve on". I LOL'ed as I dogged the hell out of the shot...:o

So, obviously pretty weak mental game here!
 
Pressure

I have a good mental game until all the rolls go against me. Especially when spotting weaker players who don't put in the work to deserve winning anyway.

Example: Last week I play in a handicapped tournament giving up 7 games to 6 plus the called 7 and 8 ball. My opponent makes three 8 balls, I make the 9 and scratch in the side from about a 20 degree angle off the head rail and then scratch after playing safe off the 9 ball with the cue ball 2 rails due to the table rolling off (otherwise he's done). Now it's 5 to 1 him, I play my heart out, running several racks to make it hill hill. The last game he dogs the 6 ball and leaves me a tough shot, with tricky position on the 7. I hang the 6 ball in the hole and now it's 6 ball 7 ball and o v e r.

Dude made probably 12 out of 100 balls and wins. Some people say that's pool, I say it's BS. The only way he wins is if he rolls good. These crazy handicapped matches feel more like practice lately, like they aren't even in the room.
 
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I do pretty good mentally playing one on one matches ... my problem is league play. When I have a bad game in the league set it really bothers me, as I feel like I'm letting my team down. I can be up 4 games in the set but if I dog a shot and the person runs that one game out it tends to put me off the next game or even 2 games.... which of course just makes things worse.
 
Did you know that you can improve your mental game with practice? Actually you train your ability to concentrate and ignore distractions.

In your practice time set aside part of it for “practicing” concentration. In whatever way you set up and concentrate on the shot turn this into a multi-step process. For instance:
1. Sight the cue ball contact while standing.
2. Always step into the shot.
3. Stare at the contact point on the cue ball while bending over.
4. etc.

Make yourself intensely concentrate on your particular elements of play through the shot execution. Do this for about 15 – 20 minutes or until you find yourself losing concentration. In this type of practice it is about concentrating not about anything else.

When you stand up from a shot, intentionally stop concentrating. Hum, whistle, sing, whatever it takes to break your concentration. Now figure out if you got the position to get to that next third ball in your strategy and go back into your concentration routine.

When you feel that you have begun to master the ability to tune out everything but the shot begin to introduce some noise such as background music and music that you don’t care for, not music you hate, just the stuff you don’t like.

Later maybe you can put on a football game on TV or some sport that you like and learn to ignore it during the shot.

When you can do this it is time to ask a friend (or similar person) over to practice with you. Make sure it is one of those guys who runs his mouth and then learn to ignore him while you are shooting.

In this way you can work up to and through the ability to compete in highly distracting environments.

One of the bars where I used to play had a signature behavior where they would periodically break a beer bottle in a metal trash can to liven the place up. After awhile I found that it did not bother me if a bottle broke in the middle of a shot.

Oh, your wife would probably enjoy a routine where she walked in the room and said you name at random points in time just to distract you.

Over time you will find that you can intensify your concentration during the shot and that you can indefinitely increase the length of time you are able to use his skill, such as in a tournament.

Many people do not realize that the ability to sustain concentration is a skill and one that can be trained. So if you are having trouble, you need to address the issue in your practice routine. Even a little intentional practice will improve your game as your mind learns what it is that you want to do.
 
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i4pool said:
Hi Jimbojim,

Imo, the weakest part of my game is the mental game. At least it is for now. More often than I'd like, I find myself making a spectaular shot and getting shape for my next ball and then missing the much easier shot. Wtf![/U] Shots that I'd be 98 out of a 100 on in practice! What I've discovered is that I'm mentally distracting myself to the point where it negatively affects my natural ability.

The mental game comes up every so often and I've always seen recommendations for a book titled "The Inner Game of Tennis".

I finally pulled the trigger last weekend and bought it locally (only 16 bux or so). I'm through with Chapter 5 and have already made improvements to my mental game. (I'm a slow reader).

I hope to continue with the improvement as I progress through the book.
Good luck with your quest for mental strength.


Best Regards,
Click to expand...



Hi Abe.

You make those spectacular shots against me 'more often than I'd like.' Someone once told me that on those occaisions-you should walk around the table killing time-assessing the next shot-chalking the tip-laughing-calming down while the 'inner applause' rush dies down.

Good advice, I think. I make so few good shots-I can't remember what I'm supposed to do after that. I forget to remember the advice. So, I blow the hanger.

Abe- please don't get more mentally tough. I'll need 5 going to 8.

Take care buddy.

btw: what is this thing called 'practice'???--FOUL!!
 
My mental game comes and goes. I can tell when I am going to play well by how much I notice what is going on around me. When I am in stroke I see contact point I see path of cue ball and my eyes go from cue ball to set the tip to ob back to the cb one more time and then to the ob. I hear nothing outside of the tip and pool balls colliding.


Then maybe a few games later my ADD kicks in(or sometimes even a few shots later). I can hear the guys whispering 5 tables down, the guy chalking his cue like he is putting his finger nails to a chalkboard, how bad my stance feels. Then after I shoot I realize I wasn't even looking at the ball I was shooting at.
 
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