How to stop choking?

genomachino

genomachino

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
great answer Woody.

woody_968 said:
A couple good suggestions already. Playing shape with the cueball off your last ball can really help, as that is how you play all the other shots (I hope :) ). Putting yourself in that position as much as possible also helps. You have to learn to love that nervous feeling you get when competeing.

But the best answer I think I could give you is having a solid pre-shot routine. If you get to where you instinctively do the same thing on every shot then your last shot will be just like your first.

Woody
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100% correct. The other part is the whole shot routine. Many great players just don't seem to get there for the cash or the final match. Just like aiming a gun you need to know where the sights are and how to line them up.

There really is a perfect place to have your eyes on every shot. The natural sight is there. Knowing where this is on every shot can cure alot of misses. Especially when it comes to the shot for all the bananas.


Usually the pplayer doesn't choke on the shot, they choke on the aim. The eyes are simply not in the most correct position.
 
B

backplaying

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Everyone has choked more than once.Anyone who says they haven't are lying. No aim system will cure choking,but puts a good plug in for them i guess. I know people who play par golf for a couple of dollars a hole and can't break 80 when betting more.These same people are good five dollar pool players,but can't beat anyone betting twenty. If you haven't always choked on 9 ball shots,i would say you just have a lack of confidence at the moment. Missing several can do that. I would think you can play yourself out of it.You might try playing better/ closer shape on the nine. I think as others stated it can also help to play shape on a ghost ball while shooting the 9 as long as you still hit the cueball where you have the most confidence to make the ball.
 
Snapshot9

Snapshot9

son of 3 leg 1 eye dog ..
Silver Member
The letdown

Sometimes, in a pressure filled match, you will be so glad to get a shot, that you concentrate hard on making the run. You are trying so hard on the run that after you make the 8 (in 9 ball), you have an physical and emotional letdown, or type of body exhale.

You shoot the 9 saying to yourself I got it when you really don't until the 9 goes in the pocket. Some guys race through a run, bam bam bam, but my suggestion is after making the 8 stand up, breathe a couple of times, go over to your table, take a drink of water or soda (not alcohol), breathe deep a couple of more times, then approach the table relaxed but focused on the 9 ball.

Make sure your form is correct and your stroke is straight, and then make the 9.

(I won my first $1,000 set doing this, and the shot I had on the 9 was not an easy one).
 
C

cuetechasaurus

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Here are two things to help you stop choking that work wonders for me:

Before your execution stroke, pause about 3 seconds with your tip at the cue ball. Look back and forth, and make sure your tip is in the right place, and your aim looks right. Then take a nice smooth stroke and make the ball.

Make sure you keep your head down. It will keep the rest of your body down. If you pop up on the shot it will ruin this whole routine.
 
Black-Balled

Black-Balled

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
mullyman said:
...you screwed up it royally, but you did *exactly* what you set your mind on. Bravo! So, when you get down ...picture that 9-ball going in the hole. ...Do not shoot that 9-ball until you are seeing it in your mind going into the hole.
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What he said. I woulda told you you to slap yourself first...just do it an all that...

Though what Mully says is true. You have to visualize success.

A similar instance of this is in bike riding, they say you hve to look where you want to go, not where you don't want to go. Coz you gonna crash!
 
Tramp Steamer

Tramp Steamer

One Pocket enthusiast.
Silver Member
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Become tournament seasoned.
Choking, buck fever, the yips, stepping on your weenie, are only names we give the all to human condition of folding like a cheap suit. It is part of our mental processing that is closer to subconscious behavior rather than conscious, and as such cannot be practiced away. Only controlled.
Everyone, at one time or another has choked, or will choke. You, me, the Prez, even the great Efren. It's just the way it is.
So what do you do? Play in as many tournaments as you can, remembering that tournament pressure can indeed cause a choke, but that tournament pressure can also (as you become seasoned) reduce and contol them.
Now get out there and choke one for the Gipper, ya big lug. :wink:
 
muddawg

muddawg

Chill Out
Silver Member
How do you reduce the chances of choking while eating? Eat slowly.

How do you reduce the chances of choking while playing pool? Play slowly.

Now, what I mean is that most of the time when you are going to choke, you feel it. The nerves become too much to handle. You may even start thinking something along the lines of "I'm going to miss this shot."

So, what you can try to do is take a little extra time on the shot. Take some deep breaths and try to relax yourself. And try to stay focused.

Other than that, just let yourself play like you know how to play.
 
paksat

paksat

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I think you should take a step back and ask yourself if it's just bad luck.

Lately i've been having some real bad luck and it's gotten to the point where i've perhaps been taking it out a little on the people around me.

Now it'd help if those people around me weren't so damn sensitive to what i have to say but that's besides the point and just something i wanted to say lol :grin:

Anyhow, we all go through phases and we seldom remember the good ones. It's pretty much as simple as that.

Just remind yourself, there's a time and place for everything.
 
Lazy Ledy

Lazy Ledy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Try reading: Pleasures of Small Motions: Mastering the Mental Game of Pocket Billiards

This is a really good book and well worth the 15 bucks it cost me.
 
paksat

paksat

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Tramp Steamer said:
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Become tournament seasoned.
Choking, buck fever, the yips, stepping on your weenie, are only names we give the all to human condition of folding like a cheap suit. It is part of our mental processing that is closer to subconscious behavior rather than conscious, and as such cannot be practiced away. Only controlled.
Everyone, at one time or another has choked, or will choke. You, me, the Prez, even the great Efren. It's just the way it is.
So what do you do? Play in as many tournaments as you can, remembering that tournament pressure can indeed cause a choke, but that tournament pressure can also (as you become seasoned) reduce and contol them.
Now get out there and choke one for the Gipper, ya big lug. :wink:
Click to expand...

That's another thing right there... sometimes people make the mistake of thinking they're not up to the task when in reality they just need to get use to it.

I believe the word is "seasoning."
 
sausage

sausage

Banned
m79a said:
I am on this sickening streak of choking. I play a lot of 9 ball. I look like a pretty decent player until I get to the 9. Don't get me wrong I make it a lot of the time. But too often I am missing routine shots on the 9 that if were any other ball I wouldn't miss. It's really starting to get in my head. Anybody else gone through this? I'm at a loss and it's really pissing me off. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.
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there's a simple solution. play your position even when shooting the last ball on the table and all will be well.
 
KSwiss10

KSwiss10

Registered
I know most people on here bash the APA, but playing in it this season has helped with this exact situation. Making the 9 in the APA is worth 2 points and that's it. If you make it you may win that rack but still lose the match, and if you miss, you may lose that rack but could still win the match. It's just two points on the way to whatever you need. Now when I play outside of leagues I look at the 9 like any other ball.
 
driz86

driz86

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Learn to fail, or fail to learn? Pay attention to what the ef you are doing and I bet that things will make a change for the better.
 
hang-the-9

hang-the-9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Something that has helped me a bit lately. When I get to any game winner, if I'm in perfect position or not, I don't even think about the ball being there to make. I get down like I'm just practacing my swing, get in line with the cue ball, focus on the contact point on the cue ball, then look at the object ball and do the rest of the shot as normal. I find that this gets me off the "oh crap, what a tough shot" or "hey, just one more ball and I win" thoughts and gets my hand and eyes to just focus on the contact point of the ball.

I found out a bit ago that when I approach the shot with either fear of missing it, or fear of scratching, or anticipation of winning, things usually go bad for me. I started focusing more on the mechanics of the hit and aim and blanking out everything else, what ball this is, who I'm playing, the hot asian chick with tight jeans 2 tables over (OK, OK, I still pay attention to that :wink: ). Soon as I started doing that, I turned into a mini-monster player, I started ripping through people I had a hard time beating before. Not just close games, before many games went hill-hill, now I'm looking at 5-0, 5-2 scores. I don't really think too much about what spin to use, how hard to hit, learn to trust your practice and experience and the cue stick will know what to do.
 
jfred0826

jfred0826

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Wow.....I can certainly relate to choking on the game ball. I have to fight that battle regularly.

One thing I like to do during practice is just shoot with the cue ball and the nine ball. Shoot that nine over and over, and then shoot it some more..... each and every practice session. Seeing the nine go in the hole for you a hundred times a day builds an image in your mind that tells you that YOU can make that yellow and white ball any time you step up to shoot it. That can do wonders for your confidence level.

Naturally, if you play both 8 ball and 9 ball, then use both of them in your practice session.

Hope this helps. I know it works for me.

Joe
 
S

Scott Lee

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
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