Mental game problems

Papa Red

Papa Red

Love it or Leave
Silver Member
For the last few months I have had a mental melt down in my game.

If I play a player equal to my speed of higher I hold my own! If i have to spot a lower speed player if seem to get to me when they miss and hook me. Two weeks ago I was playing and every time he missed I was hooked and kicking at balls. I was kicking the ball but left him a good shot every time. I had to spot him 2 games in a race to 6 and before I knew it he had me 5-0. I managed to run a couple of racks but get close but lost 6-4.

The problem is when the player misses and hooks me I've started talking to myself and throws my game off. Seems I lose my confidence in my shooting ability and start missing shots when I get a shot.
I'm a slow starter and let players get ahead of me and most of the time loose my first match but always have the confidence to come back and place in the money.

I went on social security 3 year ago and I can't get up and play $20 a game or $100 set anymore and I think this has hurt my confidence by not playing pressure matches.

Would a mental tape help?
 
If you can make the trip to Dallas, get with RancyG who posts here on a regular basis. That would be the best option.

If that isn't an option, consider the book Pleasures of Small Motions by Bob Fancher. You won't find a better book on the subject.

Steve
 
Another inexpensive option is to buy the book I Came To Win by Tim "TheMonk" Miller. It focuses on the mental aspects and helped me dramatically. It runs around $10 if you get it in ebook format
 
Humm, seems I played you about two weeks ago. Yes, I think you are in a slump. I just thought it was the purple cue that had you talking to yourself. Hope you figure it out and get back to playing your regular speed. Now if I could just catch Robby in a slump.

Best of luck to you!!

Larry
 
Was not you Larry, it was Jeff the week before that started the melt down! You got a couples of roles but you played good also. Taco played good also and apologized for beating me and I told him he deserved to win same as you. Jeff on the other hand was unreal, he would make a good shot then miss a straight in and send the cue ball into a pack and hide me almost everytime he missed. But since you mention it I'll blame it on the purple cue, you need to name it Barney. LOL
 
play weaker opponents with the mindset of making them look bad, destroy them, set limits on yourself like innings. think of nothing other than beating them as badly as you can!!!!! but when the game is over shake hands and remind yourself how much you enjoy playing, After a few weeks your out of your slump and having fun again. just saying it works for me when Im down.
 
Learn to shoot every shot with equal intensity. Allowing your brain to disengage because the shot is a duck and the position is easy trains your focus to kick out of gear (sometimes when you don't want it to).

Regardless of how a shot looks- they're all equally hard (if you're trying to be exact). Look at a spot on the cloth where you want to go and get THERE.

Breaking pool down to a "per-shot" basis is really important to the mental game. This way, you're training your brain to never disengage. This is the hardest thing to do when, in your heart, you think you'll never miss a particular shot. As you might know--- EVERY shot can be missed, no matter how simple.

If you break pool down on a shot-by-shot basis by thinking: 1) This is exactly where I need to aim to make the ball, 2) this is exactly where I need to be and finally 3) this is exactly how I have to execute to get there.....you'll never get ahead of yourself by looking at your next shot while executing your current shot.

Hope that helps.
Dave
 
SpiderWebComm said:
Learn to shoot every shot with equal intensity. Allowing your brain to disengage because the shot is a duck and the position is easy trains your focus to kick out of gear (sometimes when you don't want it to).

Regardless of how a shot looks- they're all equally hard (if you're trying to be exact). Look at a spot on the cloth where you want to go and get THERE.

Breaking pool down to a "per-shot" basis is really important to the mental game. This way, you're training your brain to never disengage. This is the hardest thing to do when, in your heart, you think you'll never miss a particular shot. As you might know--- EVERY shot can be missed, no matter how simple.

If you break pool down on a shot-by-shot basis by thinking: 1) This is exactly where I need to aim to make the ball, 2) this is exactly where I need to be and finally 3) this is exactly how I have to execute to get there.....you'll never get ahead of yourself by looking at your next shot while executing your current shot.

Hope that helps.
Dave
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100 % agree
 
one thing that i found that helps me regardless of opponents skill level is to not watch them shoot. you need someone there who you trust to watch the game for fouls and such and tell you when its your turn at the table. i was getting wrapped up in watching the lucky rolls and unintentional safties instead of focusing on what i can control, which is my shots. try not to worry about what your opponent is getting, approach every turn at the table as a new opportunity and concentrate on what you can control, YOU. Good Luck

Mike
 
mm4pool said:
one thing that i found that helps me regardless of opponents skill level is to not watch them shoot. you need someone there who you trust to watch the game for fouls and such and tell you when its your turn at the table. i was getting wrapped up in watching the lucky rolls and unintentional safties instead of focusing on what i can control, which is my shots. try not to worry about what your opponent is getting, approach every turn at the table as a new opportunity and concentrate on what you can control, YOU. Good Luck

Mike
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As we are well aware, everyone is different. Personally, I try to study everything that is happening when my opponent is at the table. I can often pick up bits of information like slow rolling balls that roll off line, and I can also study the table. As your opponent moves balls on the table, your plan to get out when it's your turn might change. He may nudge a ball slightly and block the path you thought you had for your ball to get to the pocket. It also helps me remain focused on the game at hand, and not get distracted. I might also spot something in my opponent's game that I can use to my advantage. Maybe he passes up an easy bank shot for a more difficult cut...that's something that is good to know.

Just another way of looking at it. If tuning out what your opponent is doing works for you, by all means, continue to do so.

Steve
 
May work for you

Hey man, I had the same exact problem and i'll tell ya what worked for me. I read " The Inner Game of Tennis" and made it a habit to totally focus on the cue ball when i'm in the chair and try to think of nothing else but watching it roll across the table and how much i'm going to focus on the next shot i get.
It has totally helped my mental game. When you get frustrated by the rolls it makes you play against your opponent instead of the table. I hope this helps you also.
 
mental game...

As I went up in skill playing with the APA (now a skill level 7) I often come up against lower level players. It"s a regular strategic ploy for the oposing team captain to throw a 2 or 3 at a 7 like me to derail us.(example : in 9 ball i have to get 55 points and a 2 only needs 19) . I take the position of playing them like they are an 8 or 9 ! I shoot easy shots with the same tenacity as hard ones, I don"t throw any shots away and I may play as many as ten defensive shots (or more) during the match, works for me...kingoftow
 
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railroad82 said:
Hey man, I had the same exact problem and i'll tell ya what worked for me. I read " The Inner Game of Tennis" and made it a habit to totally focus on the cue ball when i'm in the chair and try to think of nothing else but watching it roll across the table and how much i'm going to focus on the next shot i get.
It has totally helped my mental game. When you get frustrated by the rolls it makes you play against your opponent instead of the table. I hope this helps you also.
Click to expand...

I second this book, The Inner Game of Tennis. Just finished the read and have noticed a more natural consistent showing on the table.

Good luck!
 
Papa Red said:
The problem is when the player misses and hooks me I've started talking to myself and throws my game off.
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Note what you are saying to yourself and challenge those negative thoughts, then tell yourself to focus on your game.

Challenge "Damn, I'm hooked again. Even if I get the hit, he's going to get a shot. When he misses, Mr. Lucky's going to leave me hooked again. I just can win for losing." with "OK, fine. I can beat this guy. Let's get the hit and leave him tough. When his luck runs out, I'm running out. It's time for business. Let's get to work."

His luck might not run out, but if it does, you'll be ready.
 
The mental part in pool is often underrated- and on the other side often too much discussed, too :p
First rule is always to work on your technical abilities and your routines<----very important!

And what Mark shown up nailed it-at least there is one point that you should ever remember:

NO TIME FOR NEGATIVE !!!

When you re in training you re allowed to think about fails and errors and why etc etc. - but in competition/tournament you just have to *do your job*. Just sitting in your chair until you re allowed to get at the table- and then just think before shooting and then shoot without thinking. Sounds easy....you ll have to work on it. But that s the key :)

lg
Ingo
 
Ratta said:
The mental part in pool is often underrated- and on the other side often too much discussed, too :p
First rule is always to work on your technical abilities and your routines<----very important!

And what Mark shown up nailed it-at least there is one point that you should ever remember:

NO TIME FOR NEGATIVE !!!

When you re in training you re allowed to think about fails and errors and why etc etc. - but in competition/tournament you just have to *do your job*. Just sitting in your chair until you re allowed to get at the table- and then just think before shooting and then shoot without thinking. Sounds easy....you ll have to work on it. But that s the key :)

lg
Ingo
Click to expand...


Thats basically the "inner game of tennis" in a nutshell...it just explains mental aspects in such a way that you can really really really really grasp....i think its a good book just for personal well being imop, it's information applies to many aspects of life and life itself.


Good book everyone should have a copy....they should make them read that in highschool...

-Grey Ghost-
 
Ratta said:
The mental part in pool is often underrated- and on the other side often too much discussed, too :p
First rule is always to work on your technical abilities and your routines<----very important!

And what Mark shown up nailed it-at least there is one point that you should ever remember:

NO TIME FOR NEGATIVE !!!

When you re in training you re allowed to think about fails and errors and why etc etc. - but in competition/tournament you just have to *do your job*. Just sitting in your chair until you re allowed to get at the table- and then just think before shooting and then shoot without thinking. Sounds easy....you ll have to work on it. But that s the key :)

lg
Ingo
Click to expand...

This is the honest truth!!!

I have been studying the mental part of the game alot the last month. I just finished the book previously mentioned here "The Pleasures of Small Motions". It is a great read I recommend it highly.

Also I did a review of the Hypnosis CD from EDD (screen name here at AZ)
It really helped me more then anything mentioned here. As surely as I am breathing air it helped me so much that I put it on my sig!! :smile: Check it out seriously!

good luck!
 
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