I lost my game.

[cheemagun]

for the last two weeks I dont know where it went Even though i been squeaking by my gambling games i finaly lost a 150 yesterday. and forget about tourneys. i been getting my ass handed the first round. I dont play this bad. i play much bettter then the way im playing now. Im like a b+ a- but im playing like a b- c. any suggestions? cuz nothing is working for me.... except the scratching of course.

I think ima take a break from the game for a couple of weeks.

 

[Black-Balled]

Hey please let me know if you find yours coz lately I lost mine too. Maybe they are together. please ask mine to call soon.

 

[Jude Rosenstock]

for the last two weeks I dont know where it went Even though i been squeaking by my gambling games i finaly lost a 150 yesterday. and forget about tourneys. i been getting my ass handed the first round. I dont play this bad. i play much bettter then the way im playing now. Im like a b+ a- but im playing like a b- c. any suggestions? cuz nothing is working for me.... except the scratching of course.

I think ima take a break from the game for a couple of weeks.

You have no idea how tempted I am to start talking smack but for the sake of taking you seriously, I suggest simply throwing balls out on the table and pocketing w/o any serious thought. I mean, don't bang the balls all over the place but don't aim. Just get down, take a few warm up strokes and shoot. Keep it as basic as possible, as though you were playing the game for the very first time. You'll be amazed by how much you can learn about yourself when you're not playing well. It's the best opportunity to just let go and allow whatever's natural to take-over.

This is what I do whenever I fall out of stroke and lately (6 months or so), my slumps don't last long.

 

[Hal]

Hey please let me know if you find yours coz lately I lost mine too. Maybe they are together. please ask mine to call soon.

They both passed me on I24 yesterday.

 

[vapoolplayer]

for the last two weeks I dont know where it went Even though i been squeaking by my gambling games i finaly lost a 150 yesterday. and forget about tourneys. i been getting my ass handed the first round. I dont play this bad. i play much bettter then the way im playing now. Im like a b+ a- but im playing like a b- c. any suggestions? cuz nothing is working for me.... except the scratching of course.

I think ima take a break from the game for a couple of weeks.

its fairly probabl that your problem is fundamentals. focus on them.

set up all 15 balls in a row from side pocket to side pocket.

then take the cue ball in hand for each shot, place it in a straight line to the corner pocket from one of the object balls. place it two diamonds behind the object ball.

now shoot a stop shot. then take ball in hand for the next shot and do the same thing. shoot have in one corner, then the other half in the next.

all the while taking your time to set up a stright shot, and shoot a perfect stop shot. make sure you focus on your fundamentals.

do this a few times, and if you are making all 15 one out of three tries, then you're stroke is pretty much straight and fine. you will know very soon if there is something wrong.

this will help you to get back in stroke, after a couple times doing the drill thinking conciously, then do this drill and just shoot the ball without really thinking. this will get your subconcious back in stroke as well.

this is a great drill that many people forget how important it is. you cannot do this drill if your fundamentals are bad. you will notice the cue not stopping, or missing the shot, or whatever else........it will be apparent.

shawn putnam reinforced the importance of this drill to me over the weekend, and i will be using it for my warmup before a game, or practice session.

thanks

VAP

 

[TATE]

for the last two weeks I dont know where it went Even though i been squeaking by my gambling games i finaly lost a 150 yesterday. and forget about tourneys. i been getting my ass handed the first round. I dont play this bad. i play much bettter then the way im playing now. Im like a b+ a- but im playing like a b- c. any suggestions? cuz nothing is working for me.... except the scratching of course.

I think ima take a break from the game for a couple of weeks.

Sounds like you're getting tight. Just loosen up and start stroking them again. All of a sudden it will be back. Relax.

 

[Black-Balled]

Sounds like you're getting tight. Just loosen up and start stroking them again. All of a sudden it will be back. Relax.

You sound like my wife! Creepy! Stop it!

 

[OldHasBeen]

The Cure-All

for the last two weeks I dont know where it went Even though i been squeaking by my gambling games i finaly lost a 150 yesterday. and forget about tourneys. i been getting my ass handed the first round. I dont play this bad. i play much bettter then the way im playing now. Im like a b+ a- but im playing like a b- c. any suggestions? cuz nothing is working for me.... except the scratching of course.

I think ima take a break from the game for a couple of weeks.

Go someplace where you can play cheap. Beat as many lesser players as you can for as long as you can. This will get you loose and raise your confidence. I used to do this all the time way back when. I would get into a slump and take off for southern MO. Would play 1,2,3,$ pool with anyone in any bar. I would come back "In-Stroke" and ready to Kick Some Ass.

TY & GL

 

[ceebee]

course.

I think I may take a break from the game for a couple of weeks.

That might be a good idea. When you return, start off slow & build your confidence. FORGET about the days gone by, when your game suffered, DO NOT CARRY that BAGGAGE around.

Good Luck

 

[cheemagun]

Thanks everybody.

I obviously could not stay away from the pool hall. Went and practiced and found out i was hitting the balls way too hard on almost every shot. Hence the scratching. Got rid of that. Then I also found out I got tight on the spot balls or the nine ball.. which I never did before. Took me a couple of days and another 40 bucks to get rid of the tightness and regain my confident stroke. But i think im almost back to whre i was.

 

[pharaoh68]

Problem sounds mental to me. I should know because the same thing happens to me all the time. I play this one guy like, once or twice a wekk and I usually take his money from him with ease. One night, I took him for $200-$300 giving him a spot. A few nights later, I had other things on my mind, I didn't focus, he started free-stroking, and I lost it all back. From that point on, every time I stepped to a table against him, I had that worry in my mind.
The important thing to do is to NEVER think about the past when you shoot. NEVER think about the games you've lost and "oh God! I usually make this shot but lately...."
Approach every shot with a clear and empty head. Think only about putting the ball in the hole. Forget the money. Forget your opponent. Forget everything. Just play the game.

Oh, and like vapoolplayer said, practice fundamentals. All the basics need to be ironed out before the fancy stuff comes into play.

 

[Snapshot9]

Your game ...

Basic reasons games go down the tubes:

1) First always is form, check your stance and stroke. You might be changing something without knowing it. Have a real good player check your stance and stroke.

2) Women problems - emotions can cause a guy's game to go to sh*t. My game went to h*ll for a year after I broke up with a woman that I was engaged to.

3) Your mental toughness went away - For some reason you have fears that are raising their heads on critical shots, i.e., you watch an opponent and say to yourself how good they are - in other words you become fearful for some reason and this plays on your mind. The same way a guy shooting a $1,000 set for the 1st time when he has only been used to shooting $50 or $100 sets, he thinks about losing that much money and causes him to clutch on 'game' shots.

 

[RAZOR ROG]

Fear not. Usually when I misplace my game, when I find it again, I come back a little stronger.

 

[cheemagun]

Problem sounds mental to me. The important thing to do is to NEVER think about the past when you shoot. NEVER think about the games you've lost and "oh God! I usually make this shot but lately...."
Approach every shot with a clear and empty head. Think only about putting the ball in the hole. Forget the money. Forget your opponent. Forget everything. Just play the game.

Oh, and like vapoolplayer said, practice fundamentals. All the basics need to be ironed out before the fancy stuff comes into play.

this nailed it on the head.

 

[olgoat]

set up all 15 balls in a row from side pocket to side pocket.

then take the cue ball in hand for each shot, place it in a straight line to the corner pocket from one of the object balls. place it two diamonds behind the object ball.

now shoot a stop shot. then take ball in hand for the next shot and do the same thing. shoot have in one corner, then the other half in the next.

That is a tough drill. I ran across it in Larry Schwartz 8 ball book. I'm a novice and that drill makes for a very frustrating hour of pool. Hope it eventually pays off. Right now it just increases my alcohol consumption afterwards. ;-)

 

[vapoolplayer]

That is a tough drill. I ran across it in Larry Schwartz 8 ball book. I'm a novice and that drill makes for a very frustrating hour of pool. Hope it eventually pays off. Right now it just increases my alcohol consumption afterwards. ;-)

try doing it for 6 hours.......see how you feel when you get home....

sometimes getting better isn't fun.........but it sure is fun when you're whippin someone else's ass on the table later.

VAP

 

[Black-Balled]

I will bet you a thousand that I can get thru all 15 in 3 or fewer tries. post up w/ Don Purdy.

That is a tough drill. I ran across it in Larry Schwartz 8 ball book. I'm a novice and that drill makes for a very frustrating hour of pool. Hope it eventually pays off. Right now it just increases my alcohol consumption afterwards. ;-)

 

[olgoat]

I will bet you a thousand that I can get thru all 15 in 3 or fewer tries. post up w/ Don Purdy.

Bet you a thousand I can't! 6 hours! I'd be a zombie....

 

[olgoat]

try doing it for 6 hours.......see how you feel when you get home....

sometimes getting better isn't fun.........but it sure is fun when you're whippin someone else's ass on the table later.

VAP

To be honest, no part of this pool thing has been fun so far. Golf indoors as far as I can tell. It has be come a weird , painful facination if that makes any sense. Don't know why I keep going back.