Mental Game: The Status Game

[rementis]

Good stuff

Really interesting post, as often happens after reading this forum for a few minutes, I'm looking forward to shooting again.

I experienced this phenomenon yesterday... A friend and I went to a for-charity scotch doubles 8-ball event. We have been playing as a team for quite a while, and we always do well but never win the whole thing. Well, yesterday we blew through some good players really quickly and then I recognized our old pattern creep in when we got into a position to actually win the tourney. We were "giving up the high ground", so to speak, assuming that the other team must be really good if they had gotten that far. For some reason yesterday, this familiar feeling was easier to recognize, and I stepped outside the situation and consciously decided that since we were in the same position in the tourney as those guys, we are just as good, if not better. The next time I got to the table, I made a tough shot and left my partner in great shape. After he got a couple of easy shots under his belt, he started making everything he aimed at, and we won that tourney easily.

Confidence matters, that's for sure.

 

[sixpack]

Really interesting post, as often happens after reading this forum for a few minutes, I'm looking forward to shooting again.

I experienced this phenomenon yesterday... A friend and I went to a for-charity scotch doubles 8-ball event. We have been playing as a team for quite a while, and we always do well but never win the whole thing. Well, yesterday we blew through some good players really quickly and then I recognized our old pattern creep in when we got into a position to actually win the tourney. We were "giving up the high ground", so to speak, assuming that the other team must be really good if they had gotten that far. For some reason yesterday, this familiar feeling was easier to recognize, and I stepped outside the situation and consciously decided that since we were in the same position in the tourney as those guys, we are just as good, if not better. The next time I got to the table, I made a tough shot and left my partner in great shape. After he got a couple of easy shots under his belt, he started making everything he aimed at, and we won that tourney easily.

Confidence matters, that's for sure.

Awesome! That's exactly what I'm talking about.

I remember one time I played a guy in the finals that was getting pure shit-ass lucky against everybody. He was the guy I lost to earlier and so I had to beat him twice in the finals.

I remember clearly one guy saying "I don't think you can beat him, I mean, I know you're a better player, but you can't overcome his luck." I said, "I plan on out-lucking him. Getting luckier."

The dude's eyes got wide and he went straight to the guy I was going to play and told him I said I was going to out-luck him.

Well, I knew he did that, counted on it actually, and the first couple of games I went for some goofy lucky stuff and one of them fell. I think it was actually a combo-bank on the nine ball. That guy threw his cue down and I knew I had him. His body posture changed and I knew his luck had run out. And he knew it too.

I beat him pretty quick sets I think he only won one game in the two sets.

~rc

 

[sixpack]

Great Post! Some of the best advice I've ever read here on AZ! I think some do use the techniques you speak of to a certain degree without knowing it, but if they were firmley applied at all times , I believe ones game would improve immensely!


David Harcrow

Man, if you and Calvin don't LIVE this way on a pool table, then nobody does.



Reading your stories on here is one of the things that made me think about this more.

~rc

 

[sixpack]

I think you don't actually have to imitate a specific pro, you just need to exude confidence. It has to ooze out of every pore. You need to act like everything you make is routine (especially the good tough shots) and be almost bored about the whole thing.

Doing this creates an aura of invincibility. The other guy assumes you play above his speed and he gets a little resigned to losing before you even hit a ball. I remember a few guys who have done it to me. I was doing well in a tournament but I was playing a slow player and matches were backing up. When I finally won, the next guy acted kind of rushed and exasperated ... like "let's get this over with, lemme knock out this scrub real quick and we can get on with this tournament". He never actually said anything so rude, he just somehow hinted at it. Later, when I played a poor position shot and ended up on the right ball (but in the wrong pocket) he said "nice shot". To an uninformed observer it might look like a fine shot and the guy was just complimenting me. But he knew I was playing for the side and overhit the ball 2 feet and ended up straight into the corner. I knew it too and it messed with me.

In retrospect, I never saw him run the balls any better than I do, I just came in and assumed the position.

Creedo, you're exactly right, it's about the confidence.

One of the things that I find particularly strong about what I'm saying though is that you exude confidence by acting a certain way and there is a definite connection between how you ACT and how you THINK.

So if you are struggling with your confidence if you ACT confident then you BECOME confident.

It's a way to change your mental state.

Pros exude confidence, so an easy model of how to act confident is to act like a pro.

~rc

 

[big_wave_dav]

As the saying goes " The Mind is a Terrible Thing...........to waste"

 

[Charlie Hustle]

I agree. More than other sports the physical limitations between amateurs and pros is negligible. I think that coordination is more of a mental ability than a physical one.

Aside: any doubters try this yet? I'd be interested to hear how I went.

~rc

After watching a pro match for a couple of hours, and seeing how easy they pocket balls and get shape, I find myself playing way above my game when I go shoot that night. As Im playing, I guess I subconsciously "know" that the shots will go, or that I will get shape. Pretty weird huh?