Knowing I'm going to miss a shot as I pull the Trigger, What does it mean !!!

XSubmariner said:
Wow !!!


It might be a confidence thing because it will be on more difficult shots.
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This stands out for me. I'm no one to give stroke or fundamentals advice anyway. Is it the same type of shot, ie long cuts with or w/o english, thin cuts or back cuts? Maybe there is a common denominator you haven't discovered, something specific that can be worked on.
 
I have this problem too, but less frequent these days... What I've learned is that once I'm down on a shot and something doesn't "feel" right, I force myself to get up and redo PSR. It could be anything - a distraction, a doubt in my alignment, the grip feels strange, the practice swings, etc. the good news is that you're at a point where you know what it feels like to make a ball and what it feels like when you know you'll miss.
 
XSubmariner said:
Ok I have a serious problem & Im hoping that someone has experienced it and know what it means & hopefully how to fix it.

As I pull the trigger on a shot I know immediately ( before the cue ball strikes the object ball ) that I'm going to miss.

It has to be tied to Fundamentals which I strive to work on daily.

Could it be I'm twisting my wrist ???

I know someone has experience it before.

I just need to know what I need to work on so I can get past this.
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Ask "Colin Colenso", he knows.

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=381434
 
XSubmariner said:
Wow !!!

Thanks for all the excellent food for thought.

I certainly appreciate it.

I can eliminate some of them because as I said I work on fundamental every day. So I'm thinking it can't be shooting too fast, however it might be the converse, in taking too long.

It might be a confidence thing because it will be on more difficult shots.

Now to get back to the Table & work on the Idea shared here.

Thanks again.
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Just put yourself on camera for some self evaluation. Use any smartphone and some free "slow motion" apps so you can breakdown what may or may not be happening. Have someone help you to do different angles etc. When I did this I realized that I was not stepping into the line. Once I started doing that I started feeling very confident about the shot before the final stroke.
 
There're a lot of great replies in this thread and there might be some real answers for you if you take the time to heed them.

I examined several of these avenues in my own game and found that the problem wasn't in my approach, stroke or aiming. I realized I wasn't able to predict when it was going to happen, so I quit trying to fight it.

Instead, I gauged every shot I made by how much commitment I put into it. If I did something other than stroke deliberately and confidently, I counted it as a bad stroke whether I made the ball and got my position or not. That's all. No negative criticism, just an observation. You can't tell your mind how to feel about something. It just does and makes its own corrections, despite your best efforts to get in the way. :cool:

Eventually I saw that by committing to the shot, good things happen. I didn't have time to be sharked or distracted. My yips lessened to the point they rarely bothered me anymore. They became a waste of my time and almost silly to dwell on instead of firing balls in the holes. My goal became doing what I set out to do, no matter what was going on around me or what my head was telling me. All by understanding that when I bent over to shoot, if I committed to the shot, I'd be much better off.

Best,
Mike
 
try observing Kevin Cheng. when the shot does not feel right, he stands up and does his entire shot routine. same goes for Dennis Orcullo.
when everything feels right, you pull the trigger.
 
Mikjary said:
There're a lot of great replies in this thread and there might be some real answers for you if you take the time to heed them.

I examined several of these avenues in my own game and found that the problem wasn't in my approach, stroke or aiming. I realized I wasn't able to predict when it was going to happen, so I quit trying to fight it.

Instead, I gauged every shot I made by how much commitment I put into it. If I did something other than stroke deliberately and confidently, I counted it as a bad stroke whether I made the ball and got my position or not. That's all. No negative criticism, just an observation. You can't tell your mind how to feel about something. It just does and makes its own corrections, despite your best efforts to get in the way. :cool:

Eventually I saw that by committing to the shot, good things happen. I didn't have time to be sharked or distracted. My yips lessened to the point they rarely bothered me anymore. They became a waste of my time and almost silly to dwell on instead of firing balls in the holes. My goal became doing what I set out to do, no matter what was going on around me or what my head was telling me. All by understanding that when I bent over to shoot, if I committed to the shot, I'd be much better off.

Best,
Mike
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Best reply yet


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk
 
BasementDweller said:
(snip)

So, try spending more time in the aiming and aligning phase of the shot so that you feel more confident while you are down over the ball.

.....or it could just be me.
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That is good advice as it allows time for the brain an eyes to come to agreement.

I used to know, just as I was about to hit the cueball, that I was going to miss. After I decided to spend more time standing while aiming (vs. while down) that extra time helped ensure I had the proper aim, thus less fidgeting after in my stance, thus more certainty of making the shot.

One good thing is to not change your stroke at the last second. but simply be confident that you have aimed correctly, EVEN IF YOU "KNOW" YOU'LL MISS IT when stroking. This forces the aim to happen before going down on the shot and eventually you'll get better at aiming upright and that confidence will become more real, if that makes sense.

Jeff Livingston
 
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This is reset. Basically if it doesn't feel right, then repeat the entire pre-shot routine rather than 'muscle' it through (you make minor adjustments when you're down on the shot).

I learn the concept of the pre-shot routine from SPF instructor Scott Lee. The pre-shot routine is also taught in other pool schools, and available in some books. As others pointed out, video tape yourself. You're not looking for the shots you make well, concentrate on watching which ones you flub and the reason why.

arps said:
try observing Kevin Cheng. when the shot does not feel right, he stands up and does his entire shot routine. same goes for Dennis Orcullo.
when everything feels right, you pull the trigger.
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This will sound insane...why does it work for me????

Perhaps I am insane? But this, for me, really helps to make shots.
When I am down on a shot, before pulling the trigger, I am saying to myself...."you're gonna' dog it, you're gonna' dog it"...over and over until the cueball is gone down the table. My percentage of good pots stays high.
On the other hand, if I say to myself over and over...."this ball is going in, this ball is going in" or any 'positive' affirmations...the percentage of successful pots drops.
I had a shrink tell me this is called (in his world).........."maintaining a positive attitude by assuming a negative result". (that sounds wacky also):confused:
Any "no smart ass" discussion about this would be interesting to me
:smile:
 
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