Making The Money Ball!!!!
- Thread starter jsaxman
- Start date
Ill throw my 2 cents in the bucket.....
When you focus on the last ball being a win or lose situation, you are putting unneeded stress on yourself to pocket it. Dont worry about what happens after the ball goes down, dont worry about where you are going to break from, dont worry about what the blonde in the corner will think if you make it/miss it......... Its just the next shot, simple as that. It of course helps to play your absolute best position on the money ball to give yourself an easy shot
, but follow your preshot routine, get down on the ball and pocket it like any other shot. Put everything else out of your head, dont think about it, dont worry about it....... just pocket the ball.
Just pocket it, like the ones you pocketed before, and like the ones you will pocket after.
Chuck
When you focus on the last ball being a win or lose situation, you are putting unneeded stress on yourself to pocket it. Dont worry about what happens after the ball goes down, dont worry about where you are going to break from, dont worry about what the blonde in the corner will think if you make it/miss it......... Its just the next shot, simple as that. It of course helps to play your absolute best position on the money ball to give yourself an easy shot
, but follow your preshot routine, get down on the ball and pocket it like any other shot. Put everything else out of your head, dont think about it, dont worry about it....... just pocket the ball. Just pocket it, like the ones you pocketed before, and like the ones you will pocket after.
Chuck
I kind of wonder if some people choke on the 8 ball because they would rather not win?
When you win, nasty things happen! People get angry, they don't want to play with you anymore, etc.
However when you lose, everybody is your friend! They want to play, play, play. Good fun for all!
If you just want to have fun and it is more fun not making the 8, then I see no problem with that. I like to have fun when I play. Actually I would rather lose and have fun than win all the time and tick everybody off.
I guess fun is my main goal. *More* important than winning sometimes!
(Of course when I go to a tournament and just go to have fun - don't try to win, then I wind up taking 1st! Maybe because I don't care and am more relaxed? No pressure to win?)
When you win, nasty things happen! People get angry, they don't want to play with you anymore, etc.
However when you lose, everybody is your friend! They want to play, play, play. Good fun for all!
If you just want to have fun and it is more fun not making the 8, then I see no problem with that. I like to have fun when I play. Actually I would rather lose and have fun than win all the time and tick everybody off.
I guess fun is my main goal. *More* important than winning sometimes!
(Of course when I go to a tournament and just go to have fun - don't try to win, then I wind up taking 1st! Maybe because I don't care and am more relaxed? No pressure to win?)
BVal you are quite correct. You need to play the eight like you played the other balls. When you are shooting on the eight it helps to concentrate on positioning the cue ball to a specific location. This helps to keep negitive thoughts out of your mind. Keep your mind busy with positive thoughts.BVal said:
As usual, there's a lot of great advice in this thread and on others if you search around a bit.
I posted a thread earlier and got some great advice. My main problem was not focusing on cueball control enough in the shot before which was in one of the responses I recieved.
The only thing I could add is to remember that all shots are equal.
Good luck!
I posted a thread earlier and got some great advice. My main problem was not focusing on cueball control enough in the shot before which was in one of the responses I recieved.
The only thing I could add is to remember that all shots are equal.
Good luck!
The problem ...
is one of 'internal' control, being able to maintain control over your emotions that you may be experiencing. Once you learn to do this (although it does become easier as you age), then you can get over the 'hump'.
It's about being in control ALL THE WAY to your intended goal, which is to win the game or match. Many real good players are often accused of being
emotionaless robots, which is not generally true, but they have learned to control themselves in situations involving Pool, especially if they are a money player.
Controlling your emotions is NOT EASY, especially if you are playing for bigger stakes than you are used to. Many players either get in a hurry or overthink something that ends up having devestating effects on the match.
Players that can maintain control in almost any situation are often referred to as a player with grit, or a seasoned player. These type of players also are good at knowing which other players lack control (some people just do not have the capacity to control themselves), and the seasoned players know how to play them like a fiddle to win the match. This is part of the mental toughness that a player learns over time.
I credit a lot of my mental toughness to meditation techniques I practiced when younger, martial arts training, and the fact that I have always exercised and was very active in other sports most of my life.
is one of 'internal' control, being able to maintain control over your emotions that you may be experiencing. Once you learn to do this (although it does become easier as you age), then you can get over the 'hump'.
It's about being in control ALL THE WAY to your intended goal, which is to win the game or match. Many real good players are often accused of being
emotionaless robots, which is not generally true, but they have learned to control themselves in situations involving Pool, especially if they are a money player.
Controlling your emotions is NOT EASY, especially if you are playing for bigger stakes than you are used to. Many players either get in a hurry or overthink something that ends up having devestating effects on the match.
Players that can maintain control in almost any situation are often referred to as a player with grit, or a seasoned player. These type of players also are good at knowing which other players lack control (some people just do not have the capacity to control themselves), and the seasoned players know how to play them like a fiddle to win the match. This is part of the mental toughness that a player learns over time.
I credit a lot of my mental toughness to meditation techniques I practiced when younger, martial arts training, and the fact that I have always exercised and was very active in other sports most of my life.
Bishop said:
This is similar to what I was about to post. You don't need to treat it as just any other ball! Your brain already knows it's the money ball, and if you try to 'deny' it internally, you are causing undue mental stress, IMO.
Go read Pleasures of Small Motions.
-s
mnShooter said:
On the contrary, if the shooter is the first to attempt the run-out, the 8-ball can be the toughest ball on the table to make. The remaining balls are all blockers and can make things extremely difficult if the shooter falls out of line. Your theory is best suited for 9-ball where the rack gets easier and easier as the game progresses. 8-ball, the game always gets tougher as your options diminish with every pocketed ball.
I've talked to a lot of people who claim to have problems pocketing the end-ball. I think, the worst thing you could possibly do is recognize it as a problem. You have to look at your misses as having no added meaning whatsoever. You make balls, you miss balls. Their value has no influence on the probability of them going-in whatsoever. The moment you begin to give meaning to it, you then isolate the situation and treat it differently than any other shot hence, you should expect different results.
Your rhythm, routine or whatever you want to call it should be strictly about the matter at hand. You're here to pocket the ball infront of you, nothing more. Make the ball, move on. Miss the ball, sit down. That's it.
Why did you miss the 8-ball? You hit it on the wrong spot. That's it. Don't over-analyze it. Just let it go.
Your rhythm, routine or whatever you want to call it should be strictly about the matter at hand. You're here to pocket the ball infront of you, nothing more. Make the ball, move on. Miss the ball, sit down. That's it.
Why did you miss the 8-ball? You hit it on the wrong spot. That's it. Don't over-analyze it. Just let it go.
A couple of brief comments/suggestions from my own experiences...
1. Don't hope the 8-ball in... shoot it in. And make sure that you have a smooth follow-through on your stroke of shot. Stroke... don't poke.
2. Don't think in the shooting position... and if you find your mind drifting while down... get up, re-chalk and re-start your pre-shot routine. If necessary, get back up a second or third time. The time to think about the shot is before you get down... not while you're down.
3. During your pre-shot routine, focus on the shot... are you on the cue ball vertical centerline?... you should be.... are you properly aligned with your body for the correct cut angle?... you should be.... are you totally focused on stroking whitety to make the ball?... you should be. Again, don't allow your mind to drift out side of the shot... stay totally focused on the shot... and you will make the ball.
1. Don't hope the 8-ball in... shoot it in. And make sure that you have a smooth follow-through on your stroke of shot. Stroke... don't poke.
2. Don't think in the shooting position... and if you find your mind drifting while down... get up, re-chalk and re-start your pre-shot routine. If necessary, get back up a second or third time. The time to think about the shot is before you get down... not while you're down.
3. During your pre-shot routine, focus on the shot... are you on the cue ball vertical centerline?... you should be.... are you properly aligned with your body for the correct cut angle?... you should be.... are you totally focused on stroking whitety to make the ball?... you should be. Again, don't allow your mind to drift out side of the shot... stay totally focused on the shot... and you will make the ball.