I need some mental game help...

Thunderball

Thunderball

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Silver Member
Here is my relatively new problem...and its got me more then miffed.

Two weeks in a row, league play.8ball.

Week one, needing 5 games to win, I get to 4 nuttin...then lose the match 5-4. Arghh

Week two, needing 4 games to win (hc adjusted after previous loss lol) I race to 3 wins. I mean I'm cooking. Everything is going in...three rail shape perfect. Money ball kick out of a safety...no problem. Ect. I mean for me, I'm on "a" game. Perhaps my whole game is at a new level as far as seeing patterns/potting percentage goes, hard to say, but it feels like maybe my game is at or fast approaching a new level.

I also lose this match 3-5.

So two weeks....one game from the win while the op is at 0 wins and getting flat run over by yours truley...and somehow I find a way to let em start slipping away.

Now the guys I were playing ain't slouches...but dam...these losses has some sting on em. I feel like maybe I relax some...get a little to casual perhaps. I don't really know, but it gets all train wrecky of late when its time to close the deal. Never had an issue with this before.

Any thoughts?
Advice?
Help???

No way I can keep this up, my poor team is gonna excummunicate me. Must be awfully confusing from afar.
 
Hi there,

don t think too much about it- every players runs through things like you did. I remember a innerstate championship semi-final in 8-Ball and 9-ball. both on following weekends.
In 8-Ball i played awesome whole tournament- then semifinal leading 6-0 without any mistake.....then missed the last ball.......lost 6-7.

a Week later 9-Ball- again semis, then i was 0-6 behind.....and again lost 6-7

Iwas really pissed about it- but this is the main problem mate- you don t have to think about it- it s all a kind of process you have to run thought:

NO TIME FOR NEGATIVE...in no situation. Just go on with it like ever, the expirience will get you through this in the future!

And last but not least: "Pleasures of small motions" by bob Fancher
a must read for every pool player who want to know and learn about the mental part in pool sports. I highl recommend it to player of each lvl!

lg from overseas,

Ingo
 
Grit your teeth partner......

get the gritting on while the gritting's still good

-Grey Ghost-
 
Thunderball said:
Here is my relatively new problem...and its got me more then miffed.

Two weeks in a row, league play.8ball.

Week one, needing 5 games to win, I get to 4 nuttin...then lose the match 5-4. Arghh

Week two, needing 4 games to win (hc adjusted after previous loss lol) I race to 3 wins. I mean I'm cooking. Everything is going in...three rail shape perfect. Money ball kick out of a safety...no problem. Ect. I mean for me, I'm on "a" game. Perhaps my whole game is at a new level as far as seeing patterns/potting percentage goes, hard to say, but it feels like maybe my game is at or fast approaching a new level.

I also lose this match 3-5.

So two weeks....one game from the win while the op is at 0 wins and getting flat run over by yours truley...and somehow I find a way to let em start slipping away.

Now the guys I were playing ain't slouches...but dam...these losses has some sting on em. I feel like maybe I relax some...get a little to casual perhaps. I don't really know, but it gets all train wrecky of late when its time to close the deal. Never had an issue with this before.

Any thoughts?
Advice?
Help???

No way I can keep this up, my poor team is gonna excummunicate me. Must be awfully confusing from afar.
Click to expand...

yes you should quit for 2 weeks then quit all together.
just playing
dont worry about what the other player does you can only control what you do.
 
Thunderball said:
Here is my relatively new problem...and its got me more then miffed.

I feel like maybe I relax some...get a little to casual perhaps.
Click to expand...

There is your problem. Play every ball like it is the 8-Ball to win the match for the team.

When I started making sure that I was in full concentration mode for every single shot I won the 12 man tournament undefeated.
 
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This IMO is definately a mind thing, I have seen it before and nobody can fix it but you, they can suggest everything and anything but you must fix it. Concentration is probably the key, how you figure out what's happening and why is the difficult part.

I would first try maybe slowing yourself down a little in the final rack, take a little more time than normal, concentrate as much as possible with ensuring the basics are right. Stance, Bridge, Cueing etc, be positive in whatever shots you decide to play, don't try to change simply because it's the winning line. It will only take you to fall over the line a couple of times to get this Monkey off your back. Everyone goes through something similar, at various times, even the guys at the top.
 
It,s always hard to win 1 st and the last game. So stay focused & don,t feed opponent with some easy shots:) Make them bleed for every single ball ^^
 
Try re-running the final stages of those matches in your head (easy if they are still relatively fresh). When you do this, try to focus on reproducing as accurately as you can what you were feeling at the time the wheels started to come off.

If you sit down undesturbed and reflect on it, you may find that it is easier to identify what the mindstate was - not so easy to do at the time, when you are in the middle of it all.

If you can find out what the dominant feelings and emotions were, you will have taken an big step towards working out how to manage the problem.
 
In the last three tourneys, I have scratched on a key shot that put me out of the tourney. Twice was on the 8 ball.

It's not that I played bad, either. Its as if deep down, I don't want to win to keep moving up the bracket. I make it past three rounds and the go down hill.

So, I've been thinking why I might not want to keep winning in tourney's. Maybe the same thing is going on with you.

Winning consistently does bring on a whole new set of issues.
 
You are playing well, and then 'nothing'. This is a symptom of letting go of the mental game "I'm so far ahead nobosy can catch me, so I no longer have to play so hard" and in fact, you quit playing to win <so do I>.

Rule #1: NEVER give your opponent a break, and take all breaks that land in your lap.

Rule #2: If you even entertain the motion to think about the possibility of disobeying rule #1, you are likely done for the night. Might as well pack up your cue and start drinking.
 
There are a lot of good tips in here.

One thing that I find helps me with my focus is eating or drinking specific things either before competition or during.
 
MitchAlsup said:
You are playing well, and then 'nothing'. This is a symptom of letting go of the mental game "I'm so far ahead nobosy can catch me, so I no longer have to play so hard" and in fact, you quit playing to win <so do I>.

Rule #1: NEVER give your opponent a break, and take all breaks that land in your lap.

Rule #2: If you even entertain the motion to think about the possibility of disobeying rule #1, you are likely done for the night. Might as well pack up your cue and start drinking.
Click to expand...

This is the best tip I've seen so far. When you get a sizable lead like that, it's very easy to feel like you don't need to play hard anymore, that you can just wait for that one more game to fall into your lap.

Personally, I think you just don't hate your opponents enough. Pretend like everyone you play is a greaseball who just spit in your wife's face, and you'll have a much easier time keeping that killer instinct. :)
 
Thunderball said:
Any thoughts?
Advice?
Help???

No way I can keep this up, my poor team is gonna excummunicate me. Must be awfully confusing from afar.
Click to expand...

Pick up a copy of "The Pleasures of Small Motions" .... and read it! Great stuff about the Mental Game.
 
Mental Game

As Ratta mentioned earlier, definitely look into obtaining a copy of Bob Fancher's book "Pleasures of Small Motions". The entire book is dedicated to helping the player improve and fortify his/her mental game.

It'll open your eyes, I promise.
 
cycopath said:
As Ratta mentioned earlier, definitely look into obtaining a copy of Bob Fancher's book "Pleasures of Small Motions". The entire book is dedicated to helping the player improve and fortify his/her mental game.

It'll open your eyes, I promise.
Click to expand...

+1

I agree, it really is an excellent book...A must read for anyone who's serious about playing better pool, and also for those who are tired of replacing their broken cue every time they miss a ball. :)
 
Thunderball said:
Here is my relatively new problem...and its got me more then miffed.

Two weeks in a row, league play.8ball.

Week one, needing 5 games to win, I get to 4 nuttin...then lose the match 5-4. Arghh

Week two, needing 4 games to win (hc adjusted after previous loss lol) I race to 3 wins. I mean I'm cooking. Everything is going in...three rail shape perfect. Money ball kick out of a safety...no problem. Ect. I mean for me, I'm on "a" game. Perhaps my whole game is at a new level as far as seeing patterns/potting percentage goes, hard to say, but it feels like maybe my game is at or fast approaching a new level.

I also lose this match 3-5.

So two weeks....one game from the win while the op is at 0 wins and getting flat run over by yours truley...and somehow I find a way to let em start slipping away.

Now the guys I were playing ain't slouches...but dam...these losses has some sting on em. I feel like maybe I relax some...get a little to casual perhaps. I don't really know, but it gets all train wrecky of late when its time to close the deal. Never had an issue with this before.

Any thoughts?
Advice?
Help???

No way I can keep this up, my poor team is gonna excummunicate me. Must be awfully confusing from afar.
Click to expand...

It's just a confidence and concentration problem.
Some good sparring with anyone will help. Soon as you win a couple in a row in your league, you'll forget about needing any fixing.
 
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Thanks for the replies all. Very much appreciated.

I do think I "geared down" a bit when I look back on it. Mostly due to the lead, but I suspect partly because I was hitting em so good. I just "knew" there was no catching me I guess. My typical match is often more of a give and take and hill hill is not uncommon. In those matches, focus happens naturally of course.

I guess the upside, if any, is I gotta learn how to win playing really damn decent pool lol. (If the pool gods let me keep my new found gear that is) . Not really a bad problem to have considering.
 
Mental Game

Worrying about things you don't control only cause you to tighten up and dog shots. You don't control winning, the other player, the score, who shot John, the rail birds, and a million other things that are out there.

When you are at the table, visualize what you want to do, and then do it. Repeat. It is really that simple, and you control this process.

Let everyone else worry about the score, the bet, who won, etc. See what you want to do and then do it.

The technical terms are outcome goals and process goals. Concentrating on outcome goals causes tension and choking as you don't really control the outcome. Concentrating on process goals frees you to perform your best. Do your best every time you play and at the end of the day, you will be satisfied with your results.

When you find something you want to do, but fail in the execution, go to an instructor, the practice table or drills and develop that skill.

Over time, you will become a feared player, mentally strong, with an arsenal of pool skills.
 
Thunderball said:
Here is my relatively new problem...and its got me more then miffed.

Two weeks in a row, league play.8ball.

Week one, needing 5 games to win, I get to 4 nuttin...then lose the match 5-4. Arghh

Week two, needing 4 games to win (hc adjusted after previous loss lol) I race to 3 wins. I mean I'm cooking. Everything is going in...three rail shape perfect. Money ball kick out of a safety...no problem. Ect. I mean for me, I'm on "a" game. Perhaps my whole game is at a new level as far as seeing patterns/potting percentage goes, hard to say, but it feels like maybe my game is at or fast approaching a new level.

I also lose this match 3-5.

So two weeks....one game from the win while the op is at 0 wins and getting flat run over by yours truley...and somehow I find a way to let em start slipping away.

Now the guys I were playing ain't slouches...but dam...these losses has some sting on em. I feel like maybe I relax some...get a little to casual perhaps. I don't really know, but it gets all train wrecky of late when its time to close the deal. Never had an issue with this before.

Any thoughts?
Advice?
Help???

No way I can keep this up, my poor team is gonna excummunicate me. Must be awfully confusing from afar.
Click to expand...
KILL!!!!!!!!!!!! when you got 'em down you can't let up for a second. in short races all it takes is 1 mistake to turn things around and get the momentum moving against you


it's funny for me to post this though because i have the same problem.
 
Put your thought of being a Life Guard at the Kids Swimming Pool, think of nothing but what is inside the 4 Rails, (water) Like at each shot a small group kids you need to keep save if drounding. Let not your mind not wander farthur the what I call the water in the Pool Area.
 
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