Is have the Shakes Normal ?

Rob_jerrylee

Rob_jerrylee

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Is having the Shakes Normal ?

I was just wondering if having the shakes is normal when playing in any type of league or event , The reason I'm asking is I just joined an APA league and my first night playin I had the shakes everytime It was my turn to be at the table and then the second week was even worse , I couldn't keep my cue stright to shoot a shot , so I just wanted to know if this was normal . thanks
 
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Shakes

Shakes are just your body's response to the adrenalin dumped into your system for the match. Just breath deeply through your nose and enjoy the rush. Otherwise, run around the building twice or do 100 pushups to burn it down to a manageable level.
 
yes it is very normal, i had 3 new players last session and they all went through this. once you get to know the people your playing, you will not have such a "rush".
 
You will get used to it as your confidence grows and your experience. Competition play like anything else takes a little time to get your legs. It used to bother me to no end, but now it doesn't do it at all. I used to have a problem with public speaking, and now I can just roll all day.
 
Rob_jerrylee said:
I was just wondering if having the shakes is normal when playing in any type of league or event , The reason I'm asking is I just joined an APA league and my first night playin I had the shakes everytime It was my turn to be at the table and then the second week was even worse , I couldn't keep my cue stright to shoot a shot , so I just wanted to know if this was normal . thanks
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League is a different animal because it turns pool into a team sport. Now you not only have the normal pressures of competative play, you also have the hopes and expectations of the entire team riding on how well you do. Then there is the 14+ people spectating, watching your every move. Do you feel embarrassed when you miss in these conditions?

It's normal to put extra pressure on yourself when you perceive others are depending on you. It's normal to worry about missing that easy shot in front of everybody. It's normal to get an adrenaline dump at the onset of a match and then have to cope with it until it subsides. All of these things become less severe with experience for most people.

You should enter a tourney away from home where you will be a virtual unknown. Go alone and compete without the pressure of performing for an audience you know. If you tank, you'll know it isn't the added pressure of the "team" environment. If you play well and more importantly feel good (no uncontrollable jitters) then you will learn that you are allowing extra pressure on yourself to perform well for the team. Knowing what causes a problem is half the battle. You'll see your mindset and your performance improve.

Good luck


:cool:
 
DelaWho??? said:
League is a different animal because it turns pool into a team sport. Now you not only have the normal pressures of competative play, you also have the hopes and expectations of the entire team riding on how well you do. Then there is the 14+ people spectating, watching your every move. Do you feel embarrassed when you miss in these conditions?

It's normal to put extra pressure on yourself when you perceive others are depending on you. It's normal to worry about missing that easy shot in front of everybody. It's normal to get an adrenaline dump at the onset of a match and then have to cope with it until it subsides. All of these things become less severe with experience for most people.

You should enter a tourney away from home where you will be a virtual unknown. Go alone and compete without the pressure of performing for an audience you know. If you tank, you'll know it isn't the added pressure of the "team" environment. If you play well and more importantly feel good (no uncontrollable jitters) then you will learn that you are allowing extra pressure on yourself to perform well for the team. Knowing what causes a problem is half the battle. You'll see your mindset and your performance improve.

Good luck


:cool:
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No I really don't get embarrassed when i miss a shot , but most of the people I shoot with I know from other teams , but also this is the first time I've ever join any type of league in my life so I've never been in a Competitive Environment before .
 
Welcome to AZ.

Competition, or more precisely pressure, affects different people in different ways.

Some people fold under the pressure. Some people excel under the pressure. That is why you might hear the following expressions:

"he is a practice player". A practice player can only play good for free and usually by himself.

"money player". They, like me, play their best when there is money and pressure on the line.

And finally you have "tournament player". These guys play good in tournament type pressure, but not heads up money matches type of pressure.

Of course many people might be a combination of the above.

I'll give you an example in my case. I've been a "gambling player" all my life. It used to be $50 sets would cause me to have just the right amount of pressure to play my best when I was younger. THat progressed to 100, then 200, then 500 and more. As I got used to playing for larger amounts of money, I would no longer have the right blend of pressure and motivation for small amounts of money, and would not play my best unless the money was high. By the same token, I never did well in tournaments, cause there was no pressure on me to play my best.

On the other hand, some players play great for $5 but fold completely for $100.

These types of personalities often stay with us forever in our pool careers. But like anything else, the more you do something, the less you will feel the pressure. Your body will become accustomed to it. My advice is to keep putting yourself into the situations that cause you the most pressure. You will eventually (hopefully:)) be able to handle it.

Also, knowing with high proficiency what you are doing at the table will ease the pressure on some players (but not all). I highly recommend Joe Tuckers "Guaranteed Improvement" book, no matter if you are a beginner or an A player. It is a position drill book that also has charts for you to track your progress. If you do the drills you WILL learn the shots, and you will have the confidence to know where the cue ball is going in a real game.

Another strong piece of advice I have is to read "The Inner Game of Tennis". It is a classic book about quieting your mind so it will not distract you. EVERY pool player should read it. You might even go up a speed when you get through the whole book!

Good luck.
 
Rob_jerrylee said:
I was just wondering if having the shakes is normal when playing in any type of league or event , The reason I'm asking is I just joined an APA league and my first night playin I had the shakes everytime It was my turn to be at the table and then the second week was even worse , I couldn't keep my cue stright to shoot a shot , so I just wanted to know if this was normal . thanks
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That's why they make Bud Light=)) 3 or 4 of those puppies and you'll never shake again....:thumbup:
 
i had the shakes real bad my first 2 seasons in apa, the only thing i could do to beat em was to get hammered. eventually my team noticed and asked me to try out a few nights stone sober . . . after that nightmare they were the ones feeding me drinks :thumbup:

~Will.
 
Easier said than done but put your focus on to the balls, the table and the game. When you're really concentrating on those things the shakes will go away. Right now you're focused on yourself and the fight or flight syndrome and that makes it escalate. As others have said nice slow breathing helps too.
 
Even the best of the best tighten up, but their game is at such a high level it still leaves them with an "A" level game. I've seen Jim Rempe interviewed, and said his heart was a thumpin', even after he won a race to eleven at the US 9 ball open.

There is no cure all.

Use positive visualization at and away from the table, and become as comfortable as possible at the table by playing, practicing, and competing. A lot.
 
Don't sweat being nervous. You'll mostly get past it after a few matches, once you get more used to playing in league.
 
I've been playing in leagues for a while and still shake a bit the first game or so. I attribute it to going from a very casual environment (i.e. watching others play and socializing) to suddenly being placed in a stressful environment (playing competitively in front of others). Once I start getting in stroke and feeling the table it goes away.
 
Don't use chemicals to help your nerves. Eventually you'll need them to perform. Get over the jitters by playing more and more. Competition does that to a lot of people. I used to get really nervous when it came to leagues but that's been a long time. Now, even when I play matches in National and State level events, I am as relaxed as playing at home.

Confidence has a lot to do with it. Also, I have learned to really enjoy the game, win or lose. Don't pressure myself. I play to the best of my ability but realize that sometimes things will not go our way.. Life goes on. When you learn to really just play and enjoy the game, you'll play better and it's a whole lot more fun. YMMV
 
When I first started playing in tournaments a few years back I would get the shakes in my early matches. My solution was to down 2 beers in a few minutes and calm myself down. Then it becomes a mental game. Just think, you are the only person at the table. No one is going to come and knock you down for a sack. And BREATHE! After a little confidence builds you should be good to go.
 
MOJOE said:
Don't use chemicals to help your nerves. Eventually you'll need them to perform. Get over the jitters by playing more and more. Competition does that to a lot of people. I used to get really nervous when it came to leagues but that's been a long time. Now, even when I play matches in National and State level events, I am as relaxed as playing at home.

Confidence has a lot to do with it. Also, I have learned to really enjoy the game, win or lose. Don't pressure myself. I play to the best of my ability but realize that sometimes things will not go our way.. Life goes on. When you learn to really just play and enjoy the game, you'll play better and it's a whole lot more fun. YMMV
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I will try to do that , thanks for everyone's opinions .
 
The Shakes

Rob_jerrylee said:
I was just wondering if having the shakes is normal when playing in any type of league or event , The reason I'm asking is I just joined an APA league and my first night playin I had the shakes everytime It was my turn to be at the table and then the second week was even worse , I couldn't keep my cue stright to shoot a shot , so I just wanted to know if this was normal . thanks
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Yes Rob everyone gets that shaky feeling sometimes, for me it only happens when I'm playing in a Tournament, not all the time but on occasion, may happen 1 in 10 tournaments, it may last for a few games, that match, or the whole day, then it suddenly go's away!

I have had it so bad that I thought I was going to drop my cue on the back swing, but I've played some good pool "shaken like hell"

Now on the other hand, I've never had the shakes while "gambling!",guess I got "Ice in my Veins" when it comes to $ Money!,it's weird I know, you'd think just the opposite.

All I can tell you is to keep playing and you'll get over it for the most part!



David Harcrow
 
You have a case of the APA Jitters(it's what we call it in NC). They go away over time. I think the difference between the good shakes and the APA jitters is one of them makes you buckle down and focus to play your best game and the other makes your game implode. If you stand on the coals long enough your feet won't hurt as bad so keep playing until it goes away. Trust it will go away then it'll be time to focus on your game but thats a later post. Good luck!
 
If you're over 40...

Rob_jerrylee said:
I was just wondering if having the shakes is normal when playing in any type of league or event , The reason I'm asking is I just joined an APA league and my first night playin I had the shakes everytime It was my turn to be at the table and then the second week was even worse , I couldn't keep my cue stright to shoot a shot , so I just wanted to know if this was normal . thanks
Click to expand...

it could be a symptom of familial essential tremors. They do tend to be exacerbated when under stress, duress or pressure. Then on the other hand they can occur with none of the above while eating your 'wheaties' in the morning or trying to get the contacts in. Alcohol does mitigate the symptoms to a large extent, but there are issues to deal with on that front as well. Hope you don't have this condition. If you do it is fairly benign, but bothersome.

td
 
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