Mind games???

Jallan

Jallan

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I need some advice...
I try to shoot around 15-20 hours a week. Some weeks I make it, others I don't. The only night I have to shoot anything overly competitive is on Wednesday league night. I have been practicing well; no games or run outs, just basics repeated shots while working on control. And, in my first few weeks things were coming together well. I felt prepared going into matches, was shooting with a scratch handicap, and was playing competitively with much more experienced and seasoned players. All of this is a drastic improvement from what I have been known to do in the past. Then last week I fell apart. I didn't shoot well my first game, got a bad roll from a bump in the corner and completely lost all ambition and drive to win. I felt like my arm wasn't even attached to my body. I have been trying to work on things but I just can't get back into a rhythm. Not only that, but I can't figure out why I fell off so sharply. I have a couple of ideas:
1. The team I played last week was the top team in our league and I respect several of the player?s games a great deal. I also worry I may have wanted to show them I was capable of playing at a high level too much. I was just putting a lot of pressure on myself to perform.
2. I was cold; temperature wise. I was freezing all night and couldn't get warm enough to feel comfortable.
3. I drastically changed my usual routine for Wednesday nights. I usually get to the room at 2, shoot until 5:30 or so, do the cross word and start league play at 7. Last week I shot from 2 straight up until 7.

So, did I shark myself and what did I do to cause it? As well, do any of you have some tips to get back into stroke?

Thanks for the advice.
 
Take a couple days off. :)

Seriously.

Your thinking WAY too much , it does me wonders to give it a rest a bit and get my mind on other things and then come back fresh with a more general and objective focus.


IMO ,


Jay.
 
RRfireblade said:
Take a couple days off. :)

Seriously.

Your thinking WAY too much , it does me wonders to give it a rest a bit and get my mind on other things and then come back fresh with a more general and objective focus.


IMO ,


Jay.
Click to expand...

Translation: You're a nut job and need to tone it down a few notches? I know I can be a little high strung and ocd about things. Bahamas for a week in Feb; but I suppose I'll find a table there too....

Thanks Jay.
 
When you break your normal routine, it can cause several problems...

For example, You are used to practicing until 5:30, which allows for a break between practice and league... the crossword or whatever you do before league starts, clears your mind and allows everything you have practiced to soak in...

It also can disrupt rythym (spelling?)... Your body may not be used to playing for that many hours continuously, which is why you felt like your arm wasnt a part of your body, or as like like to say, you had no feel...
Stick with what works.....

BTW I play golf well, and the same goes for most great golfers, after practicing, they do something to clear the mind...

I hope this helps you.....
 
I really felt it was the change of habits too but I didn't know if that would play a large role. I guess I was just curious if that is somthing common. Thanks for the feedback.
 
NP...
you probably were mentally fatigued, which can make you forget about your preshot routine too......

Also don't eat heavy foods, or drink too much liquid before an important match or tourney..... These things can also cause mental fatigue
 
regroup

Two things, the change in routine and the cold. When you are cold muscles tense and remain tensed. If like almost everyone your muscular development isn't perfectly balanced, the tensed muscles alter your stroke.

The only real solution I know of is to simply recognize that you aren't playing well and mentally back off and regroup. Play every shot like it is the key or final ball in a big money match. Take nothing for granted. Often when I focus on doing things right I realize what I hadn't been doing before.

It is nice to just back off and let the subconscious handle all of the details but when that isn't working good fundamentals and micro management can get you through much of the time.

Something I want to try to fight cold is one of the chemical hot pads for your back. They are very light and the ones with velcro are comfortable to wear. It would keep your low back muscles from tensing up which alters your stance and aim. There is also a tremendous amount of blood flowing through there and warming the blood should warm the whole body. The last I knew they came in two-packs for about eight dollars so price isn't a major issue.

Hu

Jallan said:
I need some advice...
I try to shoot around 15-20 hours a week. Some weeks I make it, others I don't. The only night I have to shoot anything overly competitive is on Wednesday league night. I have been practicing well; no games or run outs, just basics repeated shots while working on control. And, in my first few weeks things were coming together well. I felt prepared going into matches, was shooting with a scratch handicap, and was playing competitively with much more experienced and seasoned players. All of this is a drastic improvement from what I have been known to do in the past. Then last week I fell apart. I didn't shoot well my first game, got a bad roll from a bump in the corner and completely lost all ambition and drive to win. I felt like my arm wasn't even attached to my body. I have been trying to work on things but I just can't get back into a rhythm. Not only that, but I can't figure out why I fell off so sharply. I have a couple of ideas:
1. The team I played last week was the top team in our league and I respect several of the player?s games a great deal. I also worry I may have wanted to show them I was capable of playing at a high level too much. I was just putting a lot of pressure on myself to perform.
2. I was cold; temperature wise. I was freezing all night and couldn't get warm enough to feel comfortable.
3. I drastically changed my usual routine for Wednesday nights. I usually get to the room at 2, shoot until 5:30 or so, do the cross word and start league play at 7. Last week I shot from 2 straight up until 7.

So, did I shark myself and what did I do to cause it? As well, do any of you have some tips to get back into stroke?

Thanks for the advice.
Click to expand...
 
Sometimes when I make improvements in my game, and everything is rolling like it never has, and I am really "feeling it". Things go to shit not long after. I think I am feeling it too much, and I get away from the stroke fundamentals. I will almost completley lose my stroke sometimes and it is very frustating not to mention expensive. At those times I go back to square one and concentrate on the stroke, and it comes right back, and I start to feel it again. When I am "feeling it" I don't think I just do, but when things go south you can't fall back on a "feeling". You can always fall back on the fundamentals. That is what gets me out of the funk.
 
and if you had played great... same reasons...

..."Not only that, but I can't figure out why I played so great. I have a couple of ideas:
1. The team I played last week was the top team in our league and I respect several of the player?s games a great deal. I also believe I may have wanted to show them I was capable of playing at a high level. I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform and came through with flying colors.
2. I was cold; temperature wise. I was freezing all night and couldn't get warm enough to feel comfortable, but I shot "lights out"..
3. I drastically changed my usual routine for Wednesday nights. I usually get to the room at 2, shoot until 5:30 or so, do the cross word and start league play at 7. Last week I shot from 2 straight up until 7 and I was awesome.


Notice that had you played very well that night... the same reasons you feel you played poorly could have been used to explain why you played great.

We always make excuses for our poor play... get over it (and you will). You will play good again and you will play poorly again (we usually think we played poorly when we lose).

Just play...
 
have to disagree with you

In any form of competition it is good to take an objective look at how you played and at least consider why it happened. I have played poorly and won, maybe something to do with weather or bio-rhythms or some such thing, everybody played poorly. On the other hand I have played great and somebody else was absolutely on fire and I lost. Both situations need to be looked at objectively and the poor performance needs to be dealt with. Silly to dwell on the loss seeking improvement when I played over 95% of my best and probably nine times out of ten the same performance would have won.

It is important to look at both how we played and why. Played poorly with an abscessed tooth and splitting headache from lack of sleep for a few nights? Obviously no reason to try to adjust for that. Played poorly because you made poor choices or just never felt comfortable over the table? Equally obvious that these problems need some attention.

It can be much harder to determine why you played great and repeat that pattern. Don't analyze a great performance as it is happening but it definitely needs to be thought about as soon as possible, starting on the trip home. Try to break down the performance and discover the important factors why you performed well and use them over and over.

Hu


Shortside K said:
..."Not only that, but I can't figure out why I played so great. I have a couple of ideas:
1. The team I played last week was the top team in our league and I respect several of the player?s games a great deal. I also believe I may have wanted to show them I was capable of playing at a high level. I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform and came through with flying colors.
2. I was cold; temperature wise. I was freezing all night and couldn't get warm enough to feel comfortable, but I shot "lights out"..
3. I drastically changed my usual routine for Wednesday nights. I usually get to the room at 2, shoot until 5:30 or so, do the cross word and start league play at 7. Last week I shot from 2 straight up until 7 and I was awesome.


Notice that had you played very well that night... the same reasons you feel you played poorly could have been used to explain why you played great.

We always make excuses for our poor play... get over it (and you will). You will play good again and you will play poorly again (we usually think we played poorly when we lose).

Just play...
Click to expand...
 
"It is important to look at both how we played and why. Played poorly with an abscessed tooth and splitting headache from lack of sleep for a few nights? Obviously no reason to try to adjust for that. Played poorly because you made poor choices or just never felt comfortable over the table? Equally obvious that these problems need some attention."

I agree with much of what you say. Yes, it is important to assess our performance after any competition. However, I think we tend to overdo it.
Maybe I've played long enough and well enough that I can accept and undertand the highs and lows with a quick assessment.
There are usually obvious reasons for our good or bad play. These usually go back to our fundamentals and focus.

Giving too much consideration to "temperature, or "the color of our shoes" is spending focus that could be better spent elsewhere.
If we consider these "situations" as reasons for our poor play... then the reason is again obvious... we're allowing these "distractions" to negatively affect our performance. Just play...
 
Shortside K said:
Giving too much consideration to "temperature, or "the color of our shoes" is spending focus that could be better spent elsewhere.
If we consider these "situations" as reasons for our poor play... then the reason is again obvious... we're allowing these "distractions" to negatively affect our performance. Just play...
Click to expand...

I appriciate the feedback and am by no means an expert in this field; however, it was not as if I missed a couple of balls that I had to throw up a wild shot at. I was playing so far below my speed it was embarassing. I have had lulls before but have, as was suggested, gone back to the basics and relied on fundimentals to get me through. This was different. Everything I did was wrong. I was given a simple three ball out with ball in hand and didn't get out. I missed a two foot straight in shot by 3/4 of a diamond. I am by no means a great player; I average a run out about 1 in 15 games, but I know what my lows are and this was not it. Or maybe I need to just shoot... Thanks to all for the advice and insight.
 
I agree

I agree, we do need to look at causes and ignore things that aren't valid like I was/wasn't wearing my lucky shirt today. Sorting reasons from excuses is a very real part of reviewing a performance.

For the original poster, don't dwell too much on this if it was an exceptionally poor performance. Once in a great long time everyone has a terribly off day for reasons that may be impossible to chase down. For some reason our mind or body isn't functioning just right that day. If it is truly an aberration, ignore it and move on. That is one of the things most pro's can do. If they make a bad shot, even have a bad match or event, they are able to say that isn't my normal level of play and move on. We have already discussed your question of how to work through the problem while it is happening. Sometimes we have to accept it just isn't going to be our day too.

Hu




Shortside K said:
I agree with much of what you say. Yes, it is important to assess our performance after any competition. However, I think we tend to overdo it.
Maybe I've played long enough and well enough that I can accept and undertand the highs and lows with a quick assessment.
There are usually obvious reasons for our good or bad play. These usually go back to our fundamentals and focus.

Giving too much consideration to "temperature, or "the color of our shoes" is spending focus that could be better spent elsewhere.
If we consider these "situations" as reasons for our poor play... then the reason is again obvious... we're allowing these "distractions" to negatively affect our performance. Just play...
Click to expand...
 
"We always make excuses for our poor play... get over it (and you will). You will play good again and you will play poorly again (we usually think we played poorly when we lose"

i couldnt disagree with this more....

I remember 100's of times, that I have played very well and lost... (simply out classed)
And also many times that I have played bad, but gutted out the win...

Some of us are realistic about our performance regardless of the outcome
 
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