Need a fix for Performance Anxiety

PocketPooler

PocketPooler

...............
Silver Member
I stopped playing 12 years ago, and started playing again a little over a year ago. I stuggled for the first month back at the table but things started getting back on track quickly after a month. Although I am not playing as well as I did in my 20s, I still see a lot of the same things, but fail to execute and drive home the win all too often.
For example, 4 hours ago.
8 ball, Opponent breaks dry, I go for the runout after two break out shots to set up my out. I'm on my last ball (5) with natural shape for the 8. The shot is comparable to a spot shot, fairly routine. The ball rattles.
My opponent caroms off my 5 sending it up table during his runout but gets out of line for his last ball. He misses leaving me an inch off the rail from left footrail corner pocket. My 5 ball is 6 inches of left rail, 6 inches above the side pocket. 8ball is on right rail middle diamond on head string. Very simple out, and I will be safe if I rattle the 5 in the corner. I take my time, focused on breathing, concentrated on pocketing the ball with slight stun/draw stroke, and absolutely shanked the 5 into the first footrail diamond. without cutting the ball to the left my safe position was no longer safe as the cue ball stopped nearly on contact leaving my opponent the simplest of outs. I raked the table and went on to game 2. Lost that one too.

This is happening way too often to me and need a fix. I understand that only I can make myself focus and clear my head, but I just feel like I have lost the Killer Instinct I had 10 years ago to send my opponents home. I play better than nearly all of my friends that I play with, but it seems that in any tournaments, I find myself going home first. I am at the end of my rope and need some motivation and a cure.
 
PocketPooler said:
I stopped playing 12 years ago, and started playing again a little over a year ago. I stuggled for the first month back at the table but things started getting back on track quickly after a month. Although I am not playing as well as I did in my 20s, I still see a lot of the same things, but fail to execute and drive home the win all too often.
For example, 4 hours ago.
8 ball, Opponent breaks dry, I go for the runout after two break out shots to set up my out. I'm on my last ball (5) with natural shape for the 8. The shot is comparable to a spot shot, fairly routine. The ball rattles.
My opponent caroms off my 5 sending it up table during his runout but gets out of line for his last ball. He misses leaving me an inch off the rail from left footrail corner pocket. My 5 ball is 6 inches of left rail, 6 inches above the side pocket. 8ball is on right rail middle diamond on head string. Very simple out, and I will be safe if I rattle the 5 in the corner. I take my time, focused on breathing, concentrated on pocketing the ball with slight stun/draw stroke, and absolutely shanked the 5 into the first footrail diamond. without cutting the ball to the left my safe position was no longer safe as the cue ball stopped nearly on contact leaving my opponent the simplest of outs. I raked the table and went on to game 2. Lost that one too.

This is happening way too often to me and need a fix. I understand that only I can make myself focus and clear my head, but I just feel like I have lost the Killer Instinct I had 10 years ago to send my opponents home. I play better than nearly all of my friends that I play with, but it seems that in any tournaments, I find myself going home first. I am at the end of my rope and need some motivation and a cure.
Click to expand...

Questions- how old are you? What changed in your life from 10 years ago? Why did you quit pool? What made you start up again?

Life has a way of changing perspective of various things.....

Bob
 
I had pretty much an identical experience. I don't have that fire I used to have and thought it was from a lack of solid motivation, but I'm leaning towards it just being a result of lower testosterone production shift from 20's to 30's-40's. Love to hear others experience with this as I was just discussing trying to find some way to fuel a desire to compete like I used to.
 
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PocketPooler said:
I stopped playing 12 years ago, and started playing again a little over a year ago. I stuggled for the first month back at the table but things started getting back on track quickly after a month. Although I am not playing as well as I did in my 20s, I still see a lot of the same things, but fail to execute and drive home the win all too often.
For example, 4 hours ago.
8 ball, Opponent breaks dry, I go for the runout after two break out shots to set up my out. I'm on my last ball (5) with natural shape for the 8. The shot is comparable to a spot shot, fairly routine. The ball rattles.
My opponent caroms off my 5 sending it up table during his runout but gets out of line for his last ball. He misses leaving me an inch off the rail from left footrail corner pocket. My 5 ball is 6 inches of left rail, 6 inches above the side pocket. 8ball is on right rail middle diamond on head string. Very simple out, and I will be safe if I rattle the 5 in the corner. I take my time, focused on breathing, concentrated on pocketing the ball with slight stun/draw stroke, and absolutely shanked the 5 into the first footrail diamond. without cutting the ball to the left my safe position was no longer safe as the cue ball stopped nearly on contact leaving my opponent the simplest of outs. I raked the table and went on to game 2. Lost that one too.

This is happening way too often to me and need a fix. I understand that only I can make myself focus and clear my head, but I just feel like I have lost the Killer Instinct I had 10 years ago to send my opponents home. I play better than nearly all of my friends that I play with, but it seems that in any tournaments, I find myself going home first. I am at the end of my rope and need some motivation and a cure.
Click to expand...

I have two therapeutic remedies:

Book "play great pool" by Mark Wilson
Part 1:
chapter 9 "the mental game in competition"
Chapter 10 "motivation"

(The most detailed writing on the subject I have come across. This will help you reach inside yourself and find the inner pro waiting to go beast mode on your opponent)

DVD "the secret art of pool" by Lee Brett
Chapter 13: pre shot thoughts
Chapter 14: pre shot routine

(This guy breaks it all down and shows you how he instructs professional players and their mentality while at the table. This dvd set me on a whole new course and I'm grateful for it. Go to this link to see a sample of how Lee talks about pool and competition like no one ever has.....https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FCl3gtp2FUY)

As for the age discussion-I don't believe determination and drive to succeed disappears with age. But like all machines, we have to learn to re-tool when limitations are met. Maybe your mental game just has to be recalibrated.

Best of luck!
 
I'm 37. Quit around the age old 25. The usual "met a girl" story. Now, I have a family and a demanding job and all and I understand the correlation of these things to not executing as well, but cannot attribute it to nerves or dogging simple shots. I make the shots when playing with friends or leagues or in a generally casual environment, just dog in the tournaments. I haven't started gambling on pool again and won't if I don't fix this
 
DirtyJersey said:
I had pretty much an identical experience. I don't have that fire I used to have and thought it was from a lack of solid motivation, but I'm leaning towards it just being a result of lower testosterone production shift from 20's to 30's-40's. Love to hear others experience with this as I was just discussing trying to find some way to fuel a desire to compete like I used to.
Click to expand...

Good point......
 
PocketPooler said:
I'm 37. Quit around the age old 25. The usual "met a girl" story. Now, I have a family and a demanding job and all and I understand the correlation of these things to not executing as well, but cannot attribute it to nerves or dogging simple shots. I make the shots when playing with friends or leagues or in a generally casual environment, just dog in the tournaments. I haven't started gambling on pool again and won't if I don't fix this
Click to expand...

I'm 36 and also with family and full time job with overtime. The material I listed might touch on areas you arent thinking of.
How are your breathing patterns during tournament play? How is your pre shot routine?
So much has to be rock solid to get through tournament play.

on that shot on the five, were your practice strokes the same as your other shots? Did you shoot while holding your breath? There's a lot more on the check list to go through to find out whats your hang up in tournaments.
 
Have you considered taking a lesson from a local instructor, or professional player on tips to deal with choking?
 
Cardigan Kid said:
DVD "the secret art of pool" by Lee Brett
As for the age discussion-I don't believe determination and drive to succeed disappears with age. But like all machines, we have to learn to re-tool when limitations are met. Maybe your mental game just has to be recalibrated.
Best of luck!
Click to expand...
This "mental game" stuff is highly overrated.
First.....I am not concerned how much swag the other guy has, I don't care if he shoots 'em in like a bullet, NONE of that is going to affect me.
Most times, sooner or later I will get a turn at the table. Then all I can do is execute the mechanics that have been proven to work. My fear won't change a thing...I live in fear, I am scared of everyone, and so all that means nothing. If he pulls a gun, then it's just a matter of who fires first and more accurately because I have a smoker too.
I am ALWAYS scared of everyone, I am ALWAYS intimidated by everyone, but unless the opponent starts running his mouth on my shots or reaches up and grabs my stick, there is NOTHING he can do to keep me from performing.
As far as gambling "pressure" goes....if I couldn't afford to lose the money, I would not have bet it up in the first place
I do pretty good sometimes. I usually have the game won before the balls are broken.
His swag, or strutting, or showing how baaaaaad he is doesn't amount to a hill of beans.
Plus I am certifiably manic depressive.
 
I'll throw in another book recommendation: The Pleasures of Small Motions. I'm reading it for a second time.
 
All I can say is, don't feel like the Lone Ranger. I had to take the first half of league off due to health reasons. Just got back into it.

I get frustrated as well.

I went 2 and out in a small tourney today. 50 bucks entry and I would have been better off to buy an 18 pack and stayed at home.

Here is a little something that I had posted previously in the Funny Gif Thread.

Hope it cheers you up cause many players like us feel this way at times.
 

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IMHO, once you are down the "I don't have it anymore" road, you will prove yourself right. If you have doubt you will miss. For instance if you were worried about your safety leave if you missed you are predicting the outcome. Believe in your choice of shots. You know how to make them. You feel you are a good pool player. Plan your shot, believe that your choice is correct and do it. I tell the league guys that I play with to make the shot like you mean it. Make the shot and take your place at the head of the table waiting to break.

Also, new family really does make a difference how you play. Things like if you will have enough left over from your paycheck to pay the light bill and put gas in the car. Or, little Johnny is sick and your wife gave you "the look" as you walked out the door. At 25 you are pretty much the center of your universe. Now there is another universe that you have to take care of. It makes a difference in how you feel.

Play pool to enjoy yourself and get a bit of mental fresh air. If you miss the world won't stop. It won't even slow down a bit. Line up the shot, believe in your choice and make it.

Bob
 
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once you are down the "I don't have it anymore" road, you will prove yourself right.
Click to expand...

Ya know, this is not the first time I have read this re our game. Goes with anything else in life also.

I did play some good games today, but, now that you mentioned this, I got myself into a rut too early.

Like, if this is what you expect from yourself after missing a few shots, you won't disappoint yourself if you get negative.

I probably allowed myself to worry about missed shots when I was down on another, and should have been moving forward.

Anyway, if it didn't cheer the OP up, it did for me. Was a good memory jog.
 
Cardigan Kid said:
I'm 36 and also with family and full time job with overtime. The material I listed might touch on areas you arent thinking of.
How are your breathing patterns during tournament play? How is your pre shot routine?
So much has to be rock solid to get through tournament play.

on that shot on the five, were your practice strokes the same as your other shots? Did you shoot while holding your breath? There's a lot more on the check list to go through to find out whats your hang up in tournaments.
Click to expand...

I did the same thing it's hell to come back with a fraction of your game then you mind gets full of negative thoughts ,, I tried a many of books Terry Orlicks in pursuit of excellence is a good one , but by far and away the best thing I ever did was see a sports shrink ,, payed huge dividends,, I wish I did it many many yrs before

1
 
You really don't want to pursue this activity as 1st thought. Pool is a very simple game. Once a stroke and stance is common. You want to succeed but won't work hard enough at it. Just accept your present level or give it up!
 
Gap

I stopped playing around 1975/76 (20/21 years old)
I started Playing 2012 --
3 years of consistent playing I would say I am at about 35/40% of 75/76
Pretty frustrating but not looking for miricales just steady improvement.
As for performance anxiety -- I try and play for a few bucks at least once a week
Helps my focus and builds confidence which helps with anxiety.
We are all wired differently hang in there and try and let go of the result and play.
MCp.
 
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PocketPooler said:
I stopped playing 12 years ago, and started playing again a little over a year ago. I stuggled for the first month back at the table but things started getting back on track quickly after a month. Although I am not playing as well as I did in my 20s, I still see a lot of the same things, but fail to execute and drive home the win all too often.
For example, 4 hours ago.
8 ball, Opponent breaks dry, I go for the runout after two break out shots to set up my out. I'm on my last ball (5) with natural shape for the 8. The shot is comparable to a spot shot, fairly routine. The ball rattles.
My opponent caroms off my 5 sending it up table during his runout but gets out of line for his last ball. He misses leaving me an inch off the rail from left footrail corner pocket. My 5 ball is 6 inches of left rail, 6 inches above the side pocket. 8ball is on right rail middle diamond on head string. Very simple out, and I will be safe if I rattle the 5 in the corner. I take my time, focused on breathing, concentrated on pocketing the ball with slight stun/draw stroke, and absolutely shanked the 5 into the first footrail diamond. without cutting the ball to the left my safe position was no longer safe as the cue ball stopped nearly on contact leaving my opponent the simplest of outs. I raked the table and went on to game 2. Lost that one too.

This is happening way too often to me and need a fix. I understand that only I can make myself focus and clear my head, but I just feel like I have lost the Killer Instinct I had 10 years ago to send my opponents home. I play better than nearly all of my friends that I play with, but it seems that in any tournaments, I find myself going home first. I am at the end of my rope and need some motivation and a cure.
Click to expand...

First of all I'd like to clarify one thing: What you are describing does not seem like performance anxiety to me, only a failure to perform. There is a difference. I used to be a nervous wreck playing pool, to the point where I would visibly shake like a leaf. It's odd because I'm not like this in other areas of life, even in the few life or death situations I've been in. I used to be down over a shot and I'd get nervous thoughts that would escalate like an avalanche. Of the kind "what if I can't hit the rail here?", "what if I can't get out?", "what if my opponent think I'm bad?" What if he laughs? etc until it became basically a panic attack. Of course I would recognize that this was highly irrational, but I still couldn't stop it from happening.

I came up with something that helped me, trying to emulate someone that was completely opposite of what I was: Buddy Hall. So what I'm trying to accomplish is his stroke timing and steadiness and to always shoot the shot like I have plenty of power in reserve. I always watch a short clip of him playing before I go out to play and when I'm playing I try to make every shot, even the easy ones, look like he stroked it in minute detail. I will evaluate my shots only by this criterion: Did the stroke look, sound or feel like he stroked it. Of course I wouldn't know about the last part, but I imagine that I do. This allows me to shift my focus away from anxious thoughts and to focus on the process of performing. When I'm focusing on the process rather than the results, a bad roll or shot does not start the "runaway panic train" rolling. As the playing session goes on it feels to me like the strokes get more and more like his, the rhytm etc, until I get too tired of course. It's important to stress that I'm not actually really "thinking" about these things. It is more like a kind of meditation. My breathing slows down and I don't actually feel that I'm thinking about anything. I just "become" Buddy. There is a specific sound when I hit my shot the best (and most "Buddy-like"). And I'm always listening for it. When it arrives I know I'm going to have a good night of pool. It is quite a fickle thing to hold on to that sound, but when I can for just half an hour or so I know I'm in the zone. I wish I could describe it better. Of course I do not shoot the shots like he does to an outside observer, but to me it feels that way and it really heps me.

So my preshot position is: Commit to aim /tip position while standing up. Go down and purify tip position/aim. On the final stroke I'm only focusing of the feeling/sound of my own version of Buddy Halls stroke.
 
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