Keeping focused

thrash attack

thrash attack

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Last night I should have had the 20-0 split in apa nine ball but I fell apart and only picked up the 18-2. I was playing great, made my first league nine on the snap but once I was down to the last 6 points I just couldn't finish it up. I started missing simple shots, giving ball in hand, etc. I don't know how to prevent this from happening again.
 
thrash attack said:
Last night I should have had the 20-0 split in apa nine ball but I fell apart and only picked up the 18-2. I was playing great, made my first league nine on the snap but once I was down to the last 6 points I just couldn't finish it up. I started missing simple shots, giving ball in hand, etc. I don't know how to prevent this from happening again.
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At some point you told yourself the match was over and started playing that way. You probably started feeling very relaxed and that's when it began. Keep your eye on the game, not the scoreboard and you should be fine. When I play a match, I really don't know what the score is until it's over. I have an idea of the score, but I won't dwell on it and I'll never ask anyone how close I am to finish.
 
Newstroke has hit the nail on the head although I would like to add it comes down to motivation. There are many reasons we are motivated to play our best pool.

For example: Impressing a woman, beating a braggart, or winning your first tournament. The possibilities are endless.

When the source of that motivation disappears you have to be ready to hitch up your wagon to another motivation source. If you don't have the stomach for clubbing baby seals as you were till the last 6 points...maybe that changed your motivation. Thus your play became uninspired.

Make a list of why your motivated. Why do you play the game? What countless reasons make it fun and a challenge?

Then use them!
 
did you miss cuz you felt pressure and choked, knowing you were gonna set some kind of record? Or you just were winning everything and stopping putting effort into it, assuming the win was a given?
 
I went to the tourny last night not expecting big things as I was working on a new to me aiming system,but what happened was I was running multiple racks all night and felt I was the 1 to beat,well I was the 1 to beat until I ran into another AZer who had been working harder on his game than I have,he is a great player with a massive will to win and he played almost flawless.What I think happened to me was while I was waiting for about an hour I got sleepy and lost my focus,he had been in more matches and longer tournys than I have recently and it showed.The more you put yourself in that position the better able you will b to make the right decisions under pressure .Good Luck and keep putting yourself out there and the confidence to make good decisions under pressure will get easier
 
NewStroke said:
At some point you told yourself the match was over and started playing that way. You probably started feeling very relaxed and that's when it began. Keep your eye on the game, not the scoreboard and you should be fine. When I play a match, I really don't know what the score is until it's over. I have an idea of the score, but I won't dwell on it and I'll never ask anyone how close I am to finish.
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This is great advice. Thank you. I just joined the apa last session and I've been underranked up until last night so it's been really easy to win. I'm probably a weak to mid level 4 but I've been a 2 since my second week. I guess it was just unfounded ego. I was thinking about it and I realized when I stopped chalking and physically lining up my shot everytime is when I went downhill. When I started doing it again is when I began pocketing again.

Note: I read my reply and sound very full of myself but I'm too lazy to fix it. I'm not a very good player.
 
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