I Blew It!!! Big Time!!!

[Black Cat 5791]

A few months ago some of you regulars may recall my post of a few shot scenarios that had come up in a few games that my then Team Captain and my primary pool mentor, had berated my play and shot selection. Well it really pissed me off and some bad blood started to boil between the 2 of us especially when he made the determination that another player on the team who was rated the same handicap as me was a better player, and politely asked me off of his team. So for the past few months now I have been leading another team running over people like a freight train going south untill last night.

Pressure burst's pipe's it's a proven fact. The key is to strengthen up the pipe, to the point that it won't break. I just played the worst match of pool that I can remember. I had wide open tables and couldn't run more than 3 balls, the table was playing too fast I was over playing everything. Before tonight I was running racks, waiting for someone to make a mistake and this has been going on for months now, I've been waiting for tonight, waiting for this match up, it get's here and what happens I choked. And, I'm totally pissed at myself.

So to make along story shorter the magnitude of this match shouldn't have fazed me anymore than any other, I should have been able to play my game and run him over just like everybody else that's been on the tracks.

But, tonight I wasn't mentally tough enough. Gambling puts the pressure on you to win every time out otherwise you have more to loose than just the game.

I had this posted in another thread but moved it here what do you guy's think.

Black Cat

 

[Gregg]

First off, take it easy on yourself. Your not the first to melt under the bright lights of the playoffs, where everything seems intensified. Look at all the great play you have had up to this point.

I played in our team playoffs last last week, and played as well, if not over my head. All of my team was really impressed, except myself. I lost to a better shooter than myself, and am still not happy, but what can I do?

It's just a league for playing, and having fun. Try to have perspective.

 

[Icon of Sin]

I dont think it was the gambling this time.

I think it may have been the pressure just to say you beat this guy that you have a bad history with.

 

[Black Cat 5791]

I dont think it was the gambling this time.

I think it may have been the pressure just to say you beat this guy that you have a bad history with.

Well it's never been about gambling between us, it's just that he's been a teacher and a friend. Things started getting rocky when his out burst on a few matches led to him berateing my game, I felt beyound constructive instruction. We used to play partners scoth doubles, and we won our share but towards the end he started to leave me with more and more difficult shots, where I'd leave him damn near perfect every time at the table.

Yeah it's just league but it's more than that too. I played nowhere near my ability and it was all about nerves. I just expect more from myself than that.

Black Cat

 

[ScottW]

Pool is 90% mental. You let something influence your game, pure and simple. Learn from it - use it to figure out how to NOT let that happen to you again.

 

[Jude Rosenstock]

A few months ago some of you regulars may recall my post of a few shot scenarios that had come up in a few games that my then Team Captain and my primary pool mentor, had berated my play and shot selection. Well it really pissed me off and some bad blood started to boil between the 2 of us especially when he made the determination that another player on the team who was rated the same handicap as me was a better player, and politely asked me off of his team. So for the past few months now I have been leading another team running over people like a freight train going south untill last night.

Pressure burst's pipe's it's a proven fact. The key is to strengthen up the pipe, to the point that it won't break. I just played the worst match of pool that I can remember. I had wide open tables and couldn't run more than 3 balls, the table was playing too fast I was over playing everything. Before tonight I was running racks, waiting for someone to make a mistake and this has been going on for months now, I've been waiting for tonight, waiting for this match up, it get's here and what happens I choked. And, I'm totally pissed at myself.

So to make along story shorter the magnitude of this match shouldn't have fazed me anymore than any other, I should have been able to play my game and run him over just like everybody else that's been on the tracks.

But, tonight I wasn't mentally tough enough. Gambling puts the pressure on you to win every time out otherwise you have more to loose than just the game.

I had this posted in another thread but moved it here what do you guy's think.

Black Cat

You can't look at any set and view it as the defining moment of your pool-game. I know you wanted to prove something and in that situation, it's perfectly understandable but in pool, the mental-objective is not to allow your emotions to get the best of you. Earl Strickland aside, this isn't football. You don't get "pumped" for a game. The very best players are the ones that have an even approach and it's obvious to me that you approached this match differently than the others. Why is it obvious? Well, for starters, you posted this thread.

 

[laser2507]

Its true that the mental side of pool is the hardest to beat. Maybe you thought about the match too much. I normally play very well if I dont hype it up.

 

[pete-biker]

Mental aspects are the ones most has to work with. It's easy to do marvelous runs when playing alone in garage or in an empty pool hall but when you have a lot of people around you and all that noice...shots are the same but you must be able to do them the same way, and that's mental.

Focus, consentrate and leave all those things behind you. Easily said and hard to do, right?

Prepare your mind on those things; have mental games in your mind and beat those guys either easily or barely, but win every match. Let your mind be the winning zone.