losing it for a technical vs a natural player

id like to add a pm bob sended me, (he's ok with me posting it here too, as he might have another point)

bob said:

"You said you played lights out when your favorite song was playing... did you ever think that your inconsistency might have something to do with your Cadence, tempo and Rythum? maybe that favorite song kept your routines and your stroke going at a certain speed and beat (playing to the music). Many people don't give much credence to how much Tempo can make a difference in your game, but it DOES! Record that song on a CD and see if playing it while you practice helps you. If it does, then it may be nothing more than a cadence and tempo problem and your consistency problems may go away. If I start to fall out of stroke, I hum a particular song to myself and sure enough, my tempo will fall back in place and I start shooting dead off in the pocket again.

On the other hand, it NEVER hurts to have a good technical knowledge, but if you have days when you shoot "A" or above, then you can do it EVERY day. You're just missing something small that helps get you in that "run out mode". Maybe it's the tempo thing."


now most here know im used to play in a karaoke barr... with VERY VERY loud pounding techno music. i even dance when im in the zone. For me playing pool is like a dance, where u position your arms, feets, weight etc exactly where needed and u execute a movement untill u have perfected it. So he might have a very good point about my tempo. I NEVER NEVER EVER played bad during my favorit songs, and my old karaokebarr habit might just have made me a player where tempo is needed, and might explain why its hard for me to find any tempo in a 9ballgame. Its like walking in a dancemovement to a girl in a club to ask her to dance and getting rejected. u wont dance anymore that night thats for sure. well thats what happens with my 9ball game, and in matches. If i dont get the temp right, ill have a bad day.

6pack, u mean in training? i can make the ball consistently. i dont have a really havey dominant eye. funny u tell this, but its exactly what ive told my gf to do, and its working miracles for her. but in practice i hit and see correct and it makes it worse for me.

note; ill try to aply all uve said, the tempo thing, humbling my favorit song, checking on center hits on a match, preshot routine in a match, and ill see how ill play next week. Check my signature next week, for the results of next Ranking . im aiming for a quarter final place, but mainly to play my better level.
 
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Solartje said:
my problem is simple; i just miss the freaking balls. (and even if im abit out of position sometimes , i stille expect to pot them) When im losing it, i really concentrate on this one thing: Imagining the ball going in exactly how i want, and the cb finishing exactly how i want, (just like ive been told too, see the lines before u shoot) but then i shoot it and its just going totally wrong
Click to expand...

When you visualise the balls dropping and the CB going exactly where you want are you at the same time visualising what you want your body to be doing..... I.E. Stance rotation of your arm stroking through the ball etc???

Because if you aren't then you may well be aiming properly etc but not stroking properly.. Then when you ask someone to watch your stroke you're thinking about your stroke so you stroke properly but you don't aim properly. What you should do is buy and read "The Inner Game of Tennis"

I've heard other people on this site mention this book as well. It will really give you some insight on the conflicts that arise from your knowledge self and your experience self and what it can do to your game.....
 
I think all of your questions can be answered by reading Pleasures of Small Motions by Bob Fancher. Read it slowly and take notes, there is a TON of information in the book.
 
Hey Solly if you are going to record yourself on video try doing it from 2 angles at least. The first directly from the side (perpendicular to your stroke.) Then directly behind.

The first position will show certain thing like: if your dropping your shoulder, poking not stroking, ect. The second view will show you certain things like: if your steering your stroke trying to compensate, if you tend to bring your hand position closer or away from your body in a stoke.

Pick a shot that is is not easy, not difficult; say a shot you have a 60-70% chance of making at any given time. This shot should be tried at 3 speeds: soft, medium, hard. Also try using variable english: screw it back, follow, and side.

What I propose is have a contest with a friend and maybe a friendly wager on the side. Then for example: Take 5 long shots using hard draw to bring the cueball back past the side pocket. Each ball made is a point. Try the whole variety or list of shots all why being video taped.
 
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Gage said:
I think all of your questions can be answered by reading Pleasures of Small Motions by Bob Fancher. Read it slowly and take notes, there is a TON of information in the book.
Click to expand...

I second that!
 
mmm ill try to answer all the post together this time.

the 2 only books that are mentioned here are the 2 that i havent read yet (and a third one, about war.. cant remember the exact titel). But i will try to find the books. not sure what they talk about and if they can correct my personal tournament consistency problem. but they will be good to read anyway. i just hope they arent another book about basics, and they are more about mental , muscle memory , winning spirit, etc..

ridingthenine21
what level i am? it depends. Like i said, on training or on competition? On training, i can run 50breaks in snooker, 40 breaks in straight pool (average of a rack each inning ), i think in practice, when its just me and the balls, i couldnt be hapier, i got nothing i really think im a beginner in, nor am I a expert pro player. I think (not much) , i see, and i do it, and i enjoy it. I enjoy seeing paterns and cleaning a rack exactly like i had seen it. like someone said before (i think it was terry) im at a certain level where i hit the top of selfimprovement. im very happy of the level i achieved. I need experts to get me further, brush away the last flaws i have in training, and most of all; learning how to COMPETE, and im willing to invest the time into achieving this. I have played for 10 years but never played in competition before, never gambled, i just played for the fun of playing and achieving a level that was selfsatiscfying to me. Now playing competition comes along with many different things i never had to deal with before. stress, having to sit down for long periods, playing in places im not used to, having to find the fighting spirit to WIN, tempo , etc. but it is a nescecary mean to achieve perfection. (at least i think)

foxyman: ill try to do that. Not sure about the shot idea. like i said, its only in a match, (not in between matches when im keeping myself warm) not after a match, not before, its as soon as the toss has been made, that my results is unpredictable. either i clear , or i choke on every ball. the Match situation is the important factor why i miss the most simple shots, where as in training i really dont find any pot hard, thin cuts, long pots, englisch, doesnt matter. i dont have to think about potting, i only think about paterns. i take 2 minuts to analyse the table, and then clean it in the same amount of time. i clean around 20 racks in just abit more then a hour. (usually 1.20)

slasher; that will be hard :p i want to play all the time, finances are my only limitations.

ill try to tape myself when im having another D level day, and see what i can find. then film me when i got my A-B level game, and check for differences. my gf already spotted my aura... wich i think in pool terms has to do with tempo, preshotroutine. and myself i spotted i miss pots because im not hitting the cb where i should. i think these 2 checkups will really improve my tournament consistency play. then again ; im only competing sinds august, competition is like playing pool, play play play, compete compete compete. ive also rescheduled my pooltime a bit. going from 100% training, to 80%training and 20%competition in august, to 50%training and 50% competition now.


question about what i think when i play , well .... i dont think consciously. I just do my thing. I think of some flaws that i needed to correct, (stroke hand placement some inches closer, stretch my bridge arm completly (helps me straighten my shots) but as soon as they become natural i dont think of them. Only thing i think is; paterns, position where i can continue if i pot, and thats safe at the same time if i miss, how to open clusters in the correct way, study any possible plants and plan B pots, my game/stroke/stance just folows. (or not :D like when i choke)
 
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