How!
- Thread starter Shaky1
- Start date
in the past i have not only had a low spot or slump, i have literally fallen into an abyss. been there for more than a week or so. over the past year have threatened to end the misery, everyday asking myself, WTF? after a couple of days the haunting question drives me back to the pool hall and find out what had happened. i ended up taking a couple of lessons and we found the problem, it was a fundamental problem, the stroke. if you love the game, then get over it and get an instructor. you will be back in no time.
I suspect that all players have their slumps. My experience in that arena tells me that I have to go back to my fundamentals, to regain my skill level. I also have to set realistic boundaries for myself. I'm no world beater, but I am a threat to play well. All of this depends on my feel good, how much rest I've had & how many hours of practice I have had lately.
The old phrase, "Success breeds Success" says a lot. If you are stumbling in mid rack or mid-match, each time you play, maybe your confidence level wanes & you begin to tighten up & melt down. Too much of this scenario will definitely impair your inner thoughts & judgement at the table.
I don't believe that cautionary play is safety play. Playing tight inhibits free thinking & stroking, so things may or may not work out well. Stroking a successful 2 or 3 rail safety is as satisfying as pocketing a difficult shot. I've been playing this game for many, many years & I slip off into the mental traps myself, i.e... I start playing my opponent, instead of playing the table. My opponent & I have no interface, if I don't allow it. My opponent's abilities are limited, just as mine are, if my opponent is seated, he is helpless.
Because of the stress factor in this game, after a time a player can develop a good attitude or a less than acceptable attitude, which can surely impede one's play. I've seen myself tighten up at the bracket board because of a tough draw, that is ridiculous. That negativity starts taking the fun & success out of playing. For that reason, I've begun my practice sessions at home, with music or comedy playing, so my mental attitude is always at a positive level, even if my practice session is less than desirably successful. I believe it's important to have good feelings about what you are attempting to do in this life.
Remember, we are humans, not robots...
The old phrase, "Success breeds Success" says a lot. If you are stumbling in mid rack or mid-match, each time you play, maybe your confidence level wanes & you begin to tighten up & melt down. Too much of this scenario will definitely impair your inner thoughts & judgement at the table.
I don't believe that cautionary play is safety play. Playing tight inhibits free thinking & stroking, so things may or may not work out well. Stroking a successful 2 or 3 rail safety is as satisfying as pocketing a difficult shot. I've been playing this game for many, many years & I slip off into the mental traps myself, i.e... I start playing my opponent, instead of playing the table. My opponent & I have no interface, if I don't allow it. My opponent's abilities are limited, just as mine are, if my opponent is seated, he is helpless.
Because of the stress factor in this game, after a time a player can develop a good attitude or a less than acceptable attitude, which can surely impede one's play. I've seen myself tighten up at the bracket board because of a tough draw, that is ridiculous. That negativity starts taking the fun & success out of playing. For that reason, I've begun my practice sessions at home, with music or comedy playing, so my mental attitude is always at a positive level, even if my practice session is less than desirably successful. I believe it's important to have good feelings about what you are attempting to do in this life.
Remember, we are humans, not robots...
A clear mind clears tables... when im shooting im not thinking about anything else but whats going on at the table. Never force yours self to focus or concentrate its just don't work that's like telling your self to fly away, when im in a slump and playing bad its becuse something has me really stressed out or i have to much of life on my plate and trying to play pool while your thinking about all the crazy stress does not work.
I found a way to get rid of that stress i just slap on my Ipod some feel good music and just start making balls and not worrying about play my best pool i just try to make the shoot keeping it simple.
A stressed out mind is a Mutha F&*Ker trying to play pool........
I found a way to get rid of that stress i just slap on my Ipod some feel good music and just start making balls and not worrying about play my best pool i just try to make the shoot keeping it simple.
A stressed out mind is a Mutha F&*Ker trying to play pool........
What Jose V said is very true. Also, total confidence in your ability tends to alleviate this kind of problem.
I call it avoiding the "spectator stroke".
The spectator is you. You watch the execution of your shot while wondering if it's gonna go in. That's no good! You have to see it, feel it, mentally experience it in fine detail and then execute what you have already seen as perfection.
( and then shank it ... ) LOL, just kidding :grin:
I call it avoiding the "spectator stroke".
The spectator is you. You watch the execution of your shot while wondering if it's gonna go in. That's no good! You have to see it, feel it, mentally experience it in fine detail and then execute what you have already seen as perfection.( and then shank it ... ) LOL, just kidding :grin:
What Jose V said is very true. Also, total confidence in your ability tends to alleviate this kind of problem.
I call it avoiding the "spectator stroke".
( and then shank it ... ) LOL, just kidding :grin:
:thumbup: Gee Thanks.
Is there a "Patron Saint" of pool? I need to light a candle!
It's my "Ex" wife. She put a voodoo spell on me! How do I get rid of it?
The guy I'm playing can miss his position by 3 feet and still have a perfect shot. I miss by a quartet inch, and I'm f##*@d. :angry:
It's my "Ex" wife. She put a voodoo spell on me! How do I get rid of it?
The guy I'm playing can miss his position by 3 feet and still have a perfect shot. I miss by a quartet inch, and I'm f##*@d. :angry:
That last statement kinda tells me u need to work on natural lines to get shap...coming into a shot gives you way more room for error than coming across...might not be the case cuz sometimes when something is written you can take it several ways...just a thought.
I'm trying to play too perfect. Sometimes you only have a tiny window to get to a ball, (bar pool 8 ball). I'm missing the window by a quarter inch!. I can't get out. Then I watch the other guy miss position and have enough ducks on the table , where no matter how hard he tries, he can do no wrong.
Is there a "Patron Saint". :embarrassed2:There is for everything else?
hustlinfor$
Banned
Above average players in the B category are often their own worst enemies. They win 4 games and give 3 away. In 9 ball simple statistics show that a B player runs 4 balls only 70% of the time. So why do they feel they should run 6 balls every time?? Same in 8 ball, they try to runout every time and do so maybe %50 or less. They leave 2 balls and the oponent has 6 or 7 and then they wonder why they don't win.
Improvement comes with practice, study and time.
Look at the state of your game as it is. Even have a better player assess it, we are the worst judges of our play. Identify your weakness and work on them until they become strengths. Then you become more aware of your abilities.
Come gametime, when it matters you will know what you are capable of. Thinking this way allows you to assess your oponent better and in turn let them beat themselves when matching up. I rarely lose to weaker players anymore. Sometimes because I play lights out and other times I stop myself from giving away games. If you make them earn it, many times they can't.
Pickup the books by Cappelle on 8 and 9 ball, and the pro and advanced pro books by Bob Henning. These are terrific information and form the basis for a strong competitive game.
A great book on proper mental attitude at the table in The Pleasures of Small Motions. Under 150 pages, but the best book on pool psychology ever written. Sets you up to motivate your self to win and remeber why you play.
Improvement comes with practice, study and time.
Look at the state of your game as it is. Even have a better player assess it, we are the worst judges of our play. Identify your weakness and work on them until they become strengths. Then you become more aware of your abilities.
Come gametime, when it matters you will know what you are capable of. Thinking this way allows you to assess your oponent better and in turn let them beat themselves when matching up. I rarely lose to weaker players anymore. Sometimes because I play lights out and other times I stop myself from giving away games. If you make them earn it, many times they can't.
Pickup the books by Cappelle on 8 and 9 ball, and the pro and advanced pro books by Bob Henning. These are terrific information and form the basis for a strong competitive game.
A great book on proper mental attitude at the table in The Pleasures of Small Motions. Under 150 pages, but the best book on pool psychology ever written. Sets you up to motivate your self to win and remeber why you play.
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I know good players who have done it with good results and I've done it myself from time to time. Helps you to focus when you come back to the table after some time off.
A Short Novel ...
Frank, you’ve started a few of these threads lately but I’ll group my reply to all in this one spot to save confusion and reposting. I apologize for the length but I will try to use grammar and punctuation to make this easier to muddle through.
I went on a date a few weeks ago and the girl had nothing but stories from years before. I call this type of person a, “usta-could”. She used ta be able to play this sport, she used ta be able to do this thing, she used ta have this stuff… It quickly became tiresome because there was never anything in present, it was always, “I usta-could” do this, that, and the other.
In pool, there’s always lots of usta-coulds. I used ta be able to run all night and never ever miss a shot. I usta-could go a month without losin’ a game. I used-ta…
Sadly I have done the same thing. I used to play, night and day. I used to play very well. Then I got married. My wife hated pool; she always thought I was down at the hall picking up women. Most of us will snicker at this idea because we know how few and far between female pool players really are. Having an interest in continuing to be married, I quit playing pool. After I lost my wife, I had been out of the scene for so long it didn’t occur to me to take it back up. For 10 years, I didn’t play. One day I was out with a friend at a bar and I heard someone with a sledgehammer break. I started playing again the next day.
I was terrible when I first started back again. I spent weeks and weeks trying to remember what I’d forgotten along the way and it felt like an uphill battle that got steeper with every step. After almost a year playing that way I gained some traction and was starting to run out again. I still had those, “off-nights”, but I wasn’t quite sure why. Then, last year, I had a severe allergic reaction and ended up in the hospital. I couldn’t even shovel my own driveway afterward or I’d end up having nosebleeds and coughing up blood. My ribs and the muscles around my heart were badly bruised and there was no way I could do anything involving much movement so pool was out of the question entirely.
6 months later, I finally got back to the table. My stroke was as straight as politician. It was pokey and inelegant, balls came off the table; I needed 7 or 8 innings to run 7 or 8 balls. I was excited and nervous if I made 2 in a row. It took some time, and a lot of patience, but I began playing a little better. But then it all fell apart again and it wasn’t an “off-night”, it was an “off-month”, or a “slump” as another poster mentioned.
I was so frustrated I bought a video camera and taped a few matches. I found the one that exemplified the problems I was having and posted it in the, “Ask The Instructor” forum. What followed was more or less an old-fashioned roast. I thought there would be some compliments but it was two pages of ripping. It was hard to read at first but I dug deep for some of that, “Canadian Patience”, and listened. Some of the instructors are personal friends and all of them I respect. I took what they said to heart and even though this was my 3rd time starting over, I dropped everything I learned and started from scratch … again.
I hadn’t disclosed I had managed to stop my heart before. Nor had I realized (and what I only found out just before I went to TAR 22) that I have an eye problem that causes me to lose focus if I don’t use prescription eye drops. I mention that because two people said they’d never heard of a player dropping so many levels without some kind of eye or health problem. Leaving out that information gave me honest and unbiased answers and showed me who to listen to.
Much like the title of Melinda’s blog, I was on a journey. Pool was the journey, and playing better was the destination. It is a long, and honestly, unending road. I started paying more attention not just to fundamentals, but instruction in general. Instead of saying, “I usta-could”, I just said, “I can’t, but I’d like to learn.” No matter how I had played before, I wasn’t playing that way now so something drastic had to change.
I use the IPAT (International Playing Ability Test) drills to relearn technique. People who say things like, “drills are boring”, or, “drills are useless”, or, “I know a guy who can do drills, but can’t play at all”, are missing the point of what they are for. It’s not so should the balls magically line up in a perfect “L” around the corner pocket, I’ll know how to run out, the drills teach you how to use concepts like Side (English) to get back into position. Perfect follow, draw, and stun skills that get used in every single game. Hitting A Million Balls (HAMB) is also important so you see some variation and don’t get used to doing only one thing.
I’m starting to play better and use a more reliable system than, “around here, you’re “X” rated, but in my city you’re “Y” rated”. It’s called Fargo, and Hopkin’s. It’s not for bragging rights, I use these tests to see where I am, and in the IPAT ratings I can see which drills I’m not doing so well, and thus need to work, on more. APA/VNEA/BCA/NYC/Whatever. I use an international, same for every Joe-Schmo rating to figure out where I am.
That’s the mechanical or physical part of it. It’s great because my body now knows enough to make the shots, to run-out where it’s possible; and safe intelligently when I can’t. But I still had some of those, “off-nights” I referred to before. And therein, as someone else recommended, I found a certain book.
The Inner Game of Tennis is a great tool, and helps immensely. I also use Progressive Muscle Relaxation and meditation to keep my inner hamster on its wheel. Combining all of these things:
Fundamentals
Practice
Drills
Mental Toughness
I’ve been able to lower my blood pressure, lose 30 lbs, and play far better. I’m still not a world beater. But instead of saying, “I usta-could”, now I say, “I wish I usta play like this.” I can recall stories from the past, but the ones I write each time I get to the table now are far better.
Don’t ask me for advice on women. All I can say about the inner voice is a paraphrase of The Inner Game, which is that telling that voice to, “Shut Up”, just doesn’t work. “Stop thinking about it”, doesn’t either.
I can tell you this: there’s no Saint that will save you. There’s no magic shaft, magic tip, magic tool, magic cue, magic chalk, magic shirt, no magic socks, or even magic shoes. There’s no magic woman, magic drink, no magic food. You make a diamond the same way; time and pressure.
Last night I started off horridly. I missed Ball In Hand shots. But I fell back on all that work like any soldier under fire. The training kicked in and I ran out several times. I’d love to bottle it up and sell it cheap, but it’s a journey you have to make on your own. If you made it all way through my rambling maybe you’ll see a few road signs.
.
Frank, you’ve started a few of these threads lately but I’ll group my reply to all in this one spot to save confusion and reposting. I apologize for the length but I will try to use grammar and punctuation to make this easier to muddle through.
I went on a date a few weeks ago and the girl had nothing but stories from years before. I call this type of person a, “usta-could”. She used ta be able to play this sport, she used ta be able to do this thing, she used ta have this stuff… It quickly became tiresome because there was never anything in present, it was always, “I usta-could” do this, that, and the other.
In pool, there’s always lots of usta-coulds. I used ta be able to run all night and never ever miss a shot. I usta-could go a month without losin’ a game. I used-ta…
Sadly I have done the same thing. I used to play, night and day. I used to play very well. Then I got married. My wife hated pool; she always thought I was down at the hall picking up women. Most of us will snicker at this idea because we know how few and far between female pool players really are. Having an interest in continuing to be married, I quit playing pool. After I lost my wife, I had been out of the scene for so long it didn’t occur to me to take it back up. For 10 years, I didn’t play. One day I was out with a friend at a bar and I heard someone with a sledgehammer break. I started playing again the next day.
I was terrible when I first started back again. I spent weeks and weeks trying to remember what I’d forgotten along the way and it felt like an uphill battle that got steeper with every step. After almost a year playing that way I gained some traction and was starting to run out again. I still had those, “off-nights”, but I wasn’t quite sure why. Then, last year, I had a severe allergic reaction and ended up in the hospital. I couldn’t even shovel my own driveway afterward or I’d end up having nosebleeds and coughing up blood. My ribs and the muscles around my heart were badly bruised and there was no way I could do anything involving much movement so pool was out of the question entirely.
6 months later, I finally got back to the table. My stroke was as straight as politician. It was pokey and inelegant, balls came off the table; I needed 7 or 8 innings to run 7 or 8 balls. I was excited and nervous if I made 2 in a row. It took some time, and a lot of patience, but I began playing a little better. But then it all fell apart again and it wasn’t an “off-night”, it was an “off-month”, or a “slump” as another poster mentioned.
I was so frustrated I bought a video camera and taped a few matches. I found the one that exemplified the problems I was having and posted it in the, “Ask The Instructor” forum. What followed was more or less an old-fashioned roast. I thought there would be some compliments but it was two pages of ripping. It was hard to read at first but I dug deep for some of that, “Canadian Patience”, and listened. Some of the instructors are personal friends and all of them I respect. I took what they said to heart and even though this was my 3rd time starting over, I dropped everything I learned and started from scratch … again.
I hadn’t disclosed I had managed to stop my heart before. Nor had I realized (and what I only found out just before I went to TAR 22) that I have an eye problem that causes me to lose focus if I don’t use prescription eye drops. I mention that because two people said they’d never heard of a player dropping so many levels without some kind of eye or health problem. Leaving out that information gave me honest and unbiased answers and showed me who to listen to.
Much like the title of Melinda’s blog, I was on a journey. Pool was the journey, and playing better was the destination. It is a long, and honestly, unending road. I started paying more attention not just to fundamentals, but instruction in general. Instead of saying, “I usta-could”, I just said, “I can’t, but I’d like to learn.” No matter how I had played before, I wasn’t playing that way now so something drastic had to change.
I use the IPAT (International Playing Ability Test) drills to relearn technique. People who say things like, “drills are boring”, or, “drills are useless”, or, “I know a guy who can do drills, but can’t play at all”, are missing the point of what they are for. It’s not so should the balls magically line up in a perfect “L” around the corner pocket, I’ll know how to run out, the drills teach you how to use concepts like Side (English) to get back into position. Perfect follow, draw, and stun skills that get used in every single game. Hitting A Million Balls (HAMB) is also important so you see some variation and don’t get used to doing only one thing.
I’m starting to play better and use a more reliable system than, “around here, you’re “X” rated, but in my city you’re “Y” rated”. It’s called Fargo, and Hopkin’s. It’s not for bragging rights, I use these tests to see where I am, and in the IPAT ratings I can see which drills I’m not doing so well, and thus need to work, on more. APA/VNEA/BCA/NYC/Whatever. I use an international, same for every Joe-Schmo rating to figure out where I am.
That’s the mechanical or physical part of it. It’s great because my body now knows enough to make the shots, to run-out where it’s possible; and safe intelligently when I can’t. But I still had some of those, “off-nights” I referred to before. And therein, as someone else recommended, I found a certain book.
The Inner Game of Tennis is a great tool, and helps immensely. I also use Progressive Muscle Relaxation and meditation to keep my inner hamster on its wheel. Combining all of these things:
Fundamentals
Practice
Drills
Mental Toughness
I’ve been able to lower my blood pressure, lose 30 lbs, and play far better. I’m still not a world beater. But instead of saying, “I usta-could”, now I say, “I wish I usta play like this.” I can recall stories from the past, but the ones I write each time I get to the table now are far better.
Don’t ask me for advice on women. All I can say about the inner voice is a paraphrase of The Inner Game, which is that telling that voice to, “Shut Up”, just doesn’t work. “Stop thinking about it”, doesn’t either.
I can tell you this: there’s no Saint that will save you. There’s no magic shaft, magic tip, magic tool, magic cue, magic chalk, magic shirt, no magic socks, or even magic shoes. There’s no magic woman, magic drink, no magic food. You make a diamond the same way; time and pressure.
Last night I started off horridly. I missed Ball In Hand shots. But I fell back on all that work like any soldier under fire. The training kicked in and I ran out several times. I’d love to bottle it up and sell it cheap, but it’s a journey you have to make on your own. If you made it all way through my rambling maybe you’ll see a few road signs.
.
These are games I'm capable of and should win.
I'm a 7, playing like a 3.How do I get rid of a Voodoo spell?:sorry:
Jimmy Reid put out some tapes years ago that talk about the mental part called no time for negativity....sounds like u thinking bout all that could go wrong instead of just letting yourself get in the zone & your memory muscle takes over..in his tapes he says just put your pointer finger & thumb together & close your eyes & remember back when u was playing your best & try n remember even how the balls were sounding & put yourself in that mindset...how many times you wasn't quite sure what to put on the ball & just wound up pulling the trigger & sure enough it came up bout halfway of where it should have gone...The more you stay positive the quicker you will be able to fade bad rolls...just a lil fuel for thought.
I couldn't have said it better.
I definitely want to read The Pleasure of Small Motions" book.
That book is not a silver bullet but it does explain how the mind works. The rest is up to you. Good book!
I have battled Demons all my playing life, I am now using keyword distractions to stop my brain from releasing those evil chemicals that cause loss of muscle control, neutralization of rational thinking and heighten senses. Keywords can be anything, for example I use "eye on the ball" and repeat over and over till the anxiety subsides. It gets you in the moment and focussed on the task at hand.
Been working pretty well lately and have come close to playing my own game in matches.
Been working pretty well lately and have come close to playing my own game in matches.