Inconsistencies - What causes it?

cubc

cubc

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Ok I have a problem that I cant figure out. This used to happen a long time ago when I played and I thought about it long and hard for the 6 years I quit playing. I used to play 15 hours a day 6 days a week for 3 years straight.. until college when I quit.

The problem is I would shoot really well some nights and see everything fine. The pockets as big as doors and the smallest spot for shape as big as a basketball court so everything seemed really easy. Then other nights the pockets were as tiny as thimbles and the biggest safest route for shape as small as a finger print. I could not make a shot to save my life, i could not play shape for anything. It was absolutely horrible. Most nights I was fine and other nights I was not. I couldnt figure out what the deal was and just accepted it.

I took no drugs, I did not drink, I did not smoke. Back then I did not wear glasses.

Over the 6 year break I thought about how turkey naturally makes you more sleepy and how caffeine and sugar can put you on subtle highs and lows, how carrots help you see better in darker places etc.

For the past 4.5 months I've been back playing my ass off about 40 hours a week now that I have a full time job I've not had 1 bad day yet. I play very well and very consistent. Everything has been consistent to the point I didnt even need to warm up to gamble. Just rack em and lets go. I've been watching my diet, no caffeine until I arrived at the pool hall, no drugs, no smoking (just LOTS of secondary), no drinking.

Last night I lived a horrid past experience. I could not see again. My eyes felt swollen and I could not play shape, I couldnt see to make the balls, I couldnt do a damn thing right and couldnt run 4 balls in a row. I won my match still but it was only due to safeties. Even though I couldnt make a shot I could still control the cueball.

What the hell causes this?

I do normally sit in front of a pc and write code and design all day on a regular basis.. even for the past 4.5 months. Nothing has been out of the ordinary but I have to figure this "good night, bad night" sh*t out. It's only happened once, but I dont want it to start over again. I dont want to dwell on it but everything has a reason for happening and I'm hoping someone out there knows and has solved this.

Thoughts?

Thanks!
 
cubc said:
Ok I have a problem that I cant figure out. This used to happen a long time ago when I played and I thought about it long and hard for the 6 years I quit playing. I used to play 15 hours a day 6 days a week for 3 years straight.. until college when I quit.

The problem is I would shoot really well some nights and see everything fine. The pockets as big as doors and the smallest spot for shape as big as a basketball court so everything seemed really easy. Then other nights the pockets were as tiny as thimbles and the biggest safest route for shape as small as a finger print. I could not make a shot to save my life, i could not play shape for anything. It was absolutely horrible. Most nights I was fine and other nights I was not. I couldnt figure out what the deal was and just accepted it.

I took no drugs, I did not drink, I did not smoke. Back then I did not wear glasses.

Over the 6 year break I thought about how turkey naturally makes you more sleepy and how caffeine and sugar can put you on subtle highs and lows, how carrots help you see better in darker places etc.

For the past 4.5 months I've been back playing my ass off about 40 hours a week now that I have a full time job I've not had 1 bad day yet. I play very well and very consistent. Everything has been consistent to the point I didnt even need to warm up to gamble. Just rack em and lets go. I've been watching my diet, no caffeine until I arrived at the pool hall, no drugs, no smoking (just LOTS of secondary), no drinking.

Last night I lived a horrid past experience. I could not see again. My eyes felt swollen and I could not play shape, I couldnt see to make the balls, I couldnt do a damn thing right and couldnt run 4 balls in a row. I won my match still but it was only due to safeties. Even though I couldnt make a shot I could still control the cueball.

What the hell causes this?

I do normally sit in front of a pc and write code and design all day on a regular basis.. even for the past 4.5 months. Nothing has been out of the ordinary but I have to figure this "good night, bad night" sh*t out. It's only happened once, but I dont want it to start over again. I dont want to dwell on it but everything has a reason for happening and I'm hoping someone out there knows and has solved this.

Thoughts?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I hope you figure out why it happens (you'll be the first), but meantime maybe you can do something about it when it does. I think that, whatever the reason, you're simply losing focus. You need a "focal point" - something in your game to focus on intently in order to begin shutting out the distractions (external and internal) so your focus can "expand". I usually try focusing on accurate tip/ball contact, but I suppose anything in your game (that benefits from focus) would work.

pj
chgo
 
I'm wondering if since my eyes felt swollen if maybe there was some sort of an irritant? Maybe few drops of visine next time and see if that clears it up. I've not tried that yet.

I generally focus fine.. as in people talk to me and I dont even hear them. I go into a zone but I just couldnt see anything. I'll try to maybe think of something else when playing and focus on that. Maybe I should put headphones in on a night I'm sucking.. It's driving me nuts because I cant figure it out.

edit: I think I just got what you mean by focus expanding. Perhaps that's why I see things generally so "big and easy" is because I'm really focused and when I'm out of focus it's much smaller..
 
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It's great to play 30 or 40 hours a week. But I can think of several things that could have happened.

You picked up a bad habit in the last 40 hours.
Solution: Take a day or 2 or even a week break. Whatever it is may simply disappear.
Solution 2: Have someone you trust watch you and try to find out what it is.

Confidence sometimes leads to sloppiness.
Solution: Go back to basics. Take a little more time.

Rhythm changed. Sometimes happens when playing someone with a drastically different rhythm. Way to slow. Way too fast.
Solution: See item 1.

You started off badly and let it go to your head and started the negative self talk thing. Similar to your post. What's wrong with me. I can't hit a 9' rail.
Solution: I'm the best darn player in this place and tomorrow's going to be even better. I can't believe how well I can play.
 
cubc said:
I took no drugs, I did not drink, I did not smoke. Back then I did not wear glasses.
Thanks!
Click to expand...

This could be the problem right here; Every good pool player needs a bad habit.

On a serious note, how about a good lesson from a qualified instructor? Even the best of players have taken a lesson or two. A structured shooting sequence can eliminate a lot of variables, and will provide you with the tools to evaluate what you may be doing wrong on your own. It really may help with your constancy.
 
cubc said:
I do normally sit in front of a pc and write code and design all day on a regular basis..
Thanks!
Click to expand...

i think this says it all, eye fatigue of looking at pc screens.

when i play league matches during the week after sitting 8 hours in front of a screen, the eyes get tired and arent as focused as normally...

What lightning did u have in the hours before u played? bad lightning, direct lightning? it can all cause trouble in seeing contrasts and focuspoints.

maybe that's just it, nothing more, nothing less.
 
Solartje said:
What lightning did u have in the hours before u played? bad lightning, direct lightning? it can all cause trouble in seeing contrasts and focuspoints.
Click to expand...

Ok and if i experience bad lighting what's the best way to fix it. Like if I notice I am experience this same issue again (after being exposed to bad lighting) in the future what would you try?
 
I just went throuh something similar, to the point where I was thinking of quitting altogether. It lasted for a few days. I think I found the problem and it may help you too.

When I get too involved in some aspect of my game, (this time it was cue ball control), my bad habits come quickly to the surface. I tend to forget to watch the CB hit the OB when I am interested in "other" things. This destroys my game. If I let my eye wander just the least bit before CB hits OB, my shooting gets erratic.

Knowing the problem and concentration brings the game back around. However, the problem is so subtle that for hours I simply can't figure it out.

(edit -- your problem and this discussion just lead to the following idea that I will use elsewhere -- thank you :D )

Obviously I need some sort of pre-shot routine or list of things to check when my playing goes bad. Of course I don't have one so I have to live with the problem and it often takes hours or days to find my bad habit again.

About a year ago I did write out a 10 - 12 step process that listed, in order, all of the things that I need to do on a preshot for consistency. I asked Bob Byrne what he thought and he said it sounded like some old man's list and was not needed. Now I am not so sure. I think the list might be needed when your game goes south.
 
Patrick Johnson said:
I hope you figure out why it happens (you'll be the first), but meantime maybe you can do something about it when it does. I think that, whatever the reason, you're simply losing focus. You need a "focal point" - something in your game to focus on intently in order to begin shutting out the distractions (external and internal) so your focus can "expand". I usually try focusing on accurate tip/ball contact, but I suppose anything in your game (that benefits from focus) would work.

pj
chgo
Click to expand...

Actually, this works pretty good. I, like you, have the same problem. Mine is probably due to age, glasses, I drink and all the other bad habits. My "killer instinct" is gone Most my play is recreational now.

But, I read Patrick's theory in another thread about a week ago. Tried everything else and thought I would give this a try. Playing in a big touring tournament this weekend, I was down 8-3 in a race to nine, 9 ball, alternate breaks.

Due to a bad hit call that I didn't have watched, I was fairly upset and my game reflected it. Then the opponent picked up the cue ball, thinking it was ball in hand. This gave me my chance. I treated each game as if it were my last. (it was) I wasn't shooting that bad, it just was that I could not finish. I used the focusing of cue tip placement to the cue ball and got my focus back into the game.

I won the set 9-8.

Now this isn't an answer all to all problems in the game, but, sometimes something different gives good results. Kind of like a placebo in medicine.
 
now you might think you hit a slump like many others say, and the only way to get out of it is to keep shooting, keep getting mad at yourself and the game and eventually some day you will suddenly wake up in the morning and shoot superbly again like earl, or you can give up altogether and go have a full time job and try raise coupld of kids. personally i do not believe in a player's slump. i believe it only happens to people who do not have a clear understanding of their fundamentals and their own style and ability of the game. you said you took a 6 year break of the game and now you came back and first you felt everything is right again and you could gamble without a warm up. this only means you had a good starting rhythm, maybe the rhythm you were used to when you shoot well. and thats it. you lost the rhythm quickly because you forgot the fundamentals, the routines, the eye patterns, and many other details that you normally are not concentrating on. then as soon as you start missing balls and getting yourself hooked on positions, you started to question all the above, and do you even know which one you are doing wrong? no clue. the only solution is to go slow, maybe just go to the pool hall by yourself, shoot by yourself and from shooting one shot to another, you will slowly figure something out, what feels right, what feels wrong, and why it feels wrong, why it feels right, what am i doing that made it feel right. remember, shotmaking, and especially positioning are all built-in in your muscle memories, dont force it, just let it flow, because this way its easier to see the big picture.
 
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FOCUS-----and I am not talking about eye focus. Mental FOCUS. You may have other things on your mind. Whether they are work related, home related or pool related. Mental FOCUS normally is the key to having bad pool outings. Your mindset needs to become dialed in to just making the shot. Shape, cueball position and cueball speed are all areas you must process before you approach the table. When you approach the only thought that should be on your mind is potting the ball. Shape and everything else was already compensated for while approaching the ball. Any questions while set on the shot deviates FOCUS. A strong FOCUS leads to confidence, and confidence leads to victory.

Did you have other things rolling around in the back of your head that night? I normally do when I shoot poorly.

Was it a close match-up?

Fundamental pool will only take you so far, then the Mental side starts kicking your backside.
 
cubc said:
Ok and if i experience bad lighting what's the best way to fix it. Like if I notice I am experience this same issue again (after being exposed to bad lighting) in the future what would you try?
Click to expand...

thats maybe a question for a docter?


i have the same problem when ive been sitting in front of my pc to long.
maybe try on of those screens u put over your screen who reduced eye fatigue..

maybe adjust the frequency of your screen (dont think u can change it, exept by buying a better screen aka more expensive.

try to sit so you dont have direct lightning into your eyes. put the lightning so it lights your workspace up from the side or above (not behind, because it will cause reflection in the screen)
dont watch tv or pc in dark places.
what lightning was used above the table when u had a bad day off?

so many things that can fatigue your eyes and deminish your eye focusing ability's without you even consiously seeing it.

ive had my eyes tested twice in a day, in the morning i had 9/10, and at night i had 7/10. this is enough to miss.

but then again, it might be ALL mental.... if you dont know it, nobody will... but just thought i'd trow in some options.
 
Dak: I dont ever consider 1 night a slump nor do I consider slumps to exist in this game. The purpose of this post was to figure out what causes individual single separate away from each other occasional bad nights and to avoid them. Like I stated I've had 1 bad night in 4.5 months and I've been getting stronger over time.


snap9: I think that has to be it (focus). Maybe I was still thinking about something else.. It wasnt a close match. Theres few in this area that's a real challenge. Even though I won (by safeties) I just knew I was off. Normally I can string 3-4 racks without issue given the table is spread yet last night I could hardly string 4 balls :D

I dont dwell on playing badly although this post may seem like it I'm just one to find solutions and fix it. I never harp on the bad. For every problem there is a solution and while I may be able to beat people that's been playing 30 years, those same people have far more knowledge in situations than I could ever have with my current level of experience which means I could learn more. That's why I ask things on here.

Going from out of focus to in focus is much harder to practice since you dont know when it'll happen again :D I guess I'll get to try more stuff when it happens again (hopefully years from now :))

Thanks for the replies so far.
 
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For me its whats going on my personal life that gets to me on the table.
It runs a vibe through the nights play. :cool:
 
Ok for future posts please post the solution to your issues. It could be a million things that cause this but realizing it is only half of the solution. What do you DO to fix it then and there on the spot to play better that same night?

If it's a bright light to a dark setting and that causes you to see poorly .. how do you fix it then once inside the pool hall? Sit with your eyes closed for 20 mins? what??

If your life is going bad or something and its affecting your game.. how do you tune it out to play good then and there ?

If you sit in front of a pc too long and your eyes get tired how do you wake them up?

See what I mean? :) it helps to know how you resolve an issue once you realize it then maybe it can be applied in other situations for other readers and myself included.
 
I'll go with those who said mental focus, or a lack of it. When you've been on auto pilot for a while, it is easy for the mind to wander off slightly. When this happens, glitches in your fundamentals occur and you end up with less balance, your elbow moves, your head position shifts a little. This adds up to not being able to see the shot, and not being able to hit it properly. Keep workin at it and your consistancy will come back.
 
CUBC,

In your posts (which are excellent, btw), you keep referring to objects and activities outside of yourself. You mention diet, a lack of bad habits, lots of practice time, but then when consistency is the subject, you seem to go into a fog. Another poster said that if you figure out the consistency angle, you would be the first. That's in jest, but it's pretty close to the truth.

The Woim is going to say something here that may be taken as an insult or some form of snobbery so please don't read it that way. You, (CUBC) and all of us, must learn to know ourselves and our game as it really is.

When you're playing good and you're feeling good and that cue just sings in your hand - you literally love everything about pool at those precious moments and, from reading your post, it seems like you're in that zone regularly. But, when you're not in that zone, you can't seem to put it together.

This see-saw motion of up and down in the feelings and emotion department actually has only a small effect on your true pool game. I don't know your game but I'd guess you play at a consistently high level - strong B or B+, but when you're in the zone and hitting it, you feel like a AA+. Your emotions are playing tricks on you. It happens to all of us.

So, what's The Woim's solution? It's too easy actually. Assign game improvement to the hours of practice, and assign game assignment to your game playing time. Game assignment is to win, or place or lose with dignity. If you're feeling down, you know you're feeling down (don't fight that feeling or you'll be fighting yourself emotionally and trying to concentrate on pool at the same time) so adjust your goals and strategies to how you're feeling.

From my own perspective, The Woim has won many tough matches and games in a hard fought defensive struggle because I couldn't get into dead stroke to run racks.

When you know you're feeling down (and you need to focus on that) then be able to change your game plan. If you're feeling down, then you're probably not going to get the shape you want, or the speed control (notice when you're down you still pocket balls) so change the focal point of your game.

One last little comment, keep the game fun always.

Hope what I said helps...

Yours Truly,
The Woim
 
Diet

Pro golfers use a strict diet. Certain foods can cause you to be inconsistent. Before any type of competitive play such as tournaments, action, you shouldn't have dairy products 24 hrs before! Thats a long time but from what I've read it takes a lot for your body to digest milk,cheese,ect. Also spicy foods are not good before play. Carbs should be complex carbohydrates. Carbs you get from sugars, white bread, ect will burn quickly and leave you in a rut when they are gone. Carbs found in trail mix will stay with you with a slower more efficiant burn. Its better to eat a good two hours before play so that your food can digest. Food digestion takes a lot of your body's energy, more than you would think. This in turn take away from your ability to concentrate. I've read that caffine is good for concentration but not so much that you would be jumpy. You wouldn't want a double shot expresso before a match.
 
cubc------Realizing that your mental FOCUS is off is very hard to conceptualize. Mainly due to most of the time it is working within the subconsious part of your brain. I used to have a business a few years back that was doing poorly. Unfortunately, thoughts were always going through my mind as to how, why, what and where. Normally, I would slightly pick these thoughts coming and going(more like light hints of the thoughts) while watching my opponent make runs at the table. Recognizing these thoughts led me onto more thought as to how to get rid of them or to correct them while playing. Honestly, once the thoughts are there they normally do not go away until they are repaired or replaced with a different thought.

The only solution I could thrust upon myself while at the table was to simplify by structuralizing my game. This is why approaching the table prepared with shot, shape and speed is so critical. Like I stated in the previous post that all these things need to be done before getting to the table. This is so you can soley FOCUS on one task and one task only MAKING THE BALL.

I hope this might help even slightly if any at all.
 
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