Nerves

T

Tex

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Can anything help this ?
I have never heard of anyone with a case as severe as mine.
If I am just hitting by myself I easily run rack after rack, any shape or shot
seems easy, I know I'm not going to miss.
I play the same if playing with a friend or playing someone I know I am going
to beat.
The problem comes when I play A player I know is strong or playing in a big
tournament where I know most players are strong.
My game changes completely, I tense up, I can feel my heart racing, and
totally cannot focus. It's like watching a complete differant player.
The only thing that has helped at all is a steady flow of beer, for a while
at least I relax a bit and am loose, for obvious reasons this does not last.
Is there anything that will help this?
I'm open to any suggestions.
maybe there is some kind of herbal supplement for nervousness.
 
Well, Tex, the best advice is is to play better players in match play and play in more touraments. Pressure is the key and the more times you put yourself under pressure the more you will get used to playing in that situation the better your game will improve. When you are playing under pressure focus and I mean FOCUS on pocketing the next ball you are shooting at. Play one ball at a time and concentrate only on that one ball you playing. Oh yeah, stop drinking the beer, your playing pool not trying to pick up women (LOL)!

It sounds like you can play real well. All the pros in that play the game put themselfs under pressure all the time BUT they learned to focus and concentrate and they don't let themselfs be distracted. When your game picks up in tournaments and you start being a contender for the hot seat, let us know how that feels!

Play your best, and good luck
 
Oh, yea, by the way, when you really focus on each individual ball (no matter how easy they are to pocket) when you are done, you probably will not remember much of what happened, because you were concentrating so much on each ball.

:cool:
 
I get nervous when older people are watching me because I feel that I need to impress them. I am getting over this and not trying to show off and just playing my game. Some advice maybe for you is before you face your opponent pretend in your mind that you know you can beat him if you play your game, so just do it!
 
Hustler08 said:
I get nervous when older people are watching me because I feel that I need to impress them. I am getting over this and not trying to show off and just playing my game. Some advice maybe for you is before you face your opponent pretend in your mind that you know you can beat him if you play your game, so just do it!
Click to expand...

I do something similar to this.
I was gambling with a player that shoots about my speed, actually I think
I play a little better, when Jeremy Jones sits a starts watching our match
and talking to the guy I was playing against when I was at the table,
My game dropped off by about 2 balls just because Jeremy watching.
My mental game is in bad shape.
 
I used to have the same problem and I discovered that as the nerves/pressure increased....i played faster and didnt stick to a routine. So, I do my best to just play my speed and stick to my routine, made a big difference for me. I believe Phil Capelle talks about this in his book "A Mind for Pool".
 
I had the exact same problem for such a long time. What Just Tex said is right on. Keep playing better people. When you play someone worse then you, give them huge spots so you still play under big pressure. Play for money. I was playing someone for 20 a rack once and When I was shooting on the 9, I was litteraly shaking. That goes away.
 
I think everybody goes through something like this.It's just part of the game.I use to be the same way.Just stick to your pre shot routine and have a positive attitude about your game.If you concentrate really hard and focus,it does not matter who is watching you.Don't let the negitive voices enter into your game! :D
 
I used to be the same way playing in tournaments for the first time. All the pressure builds up and you most likely want to impress all of those watching around you. However, I read some advice from a pro sometime ago and it has helped a lot. It went along the lines of: Keep a positive attitude and enjoy the game. Don't allow the game to take away your focus or concentration. When you are waiting to shoot, be patient, study the table while you opponent it shooting. You will get a shot and when you do, take care of business. I can now stress how many times I've seen players get extremely pissed when they missed a shot and completely forget about the game. Now, when I miss, I just sit down or stand back and study the table. Most of the time, I get another shot. I see top players miss on the nine and eight all the time.
 
HIt the ball

Have you ever seen a great player have a really BAD game? Even they sometimes do not play well. What if you play one of them on THEIR bad day? That might be the edge you need to get your confidence going!
Remember, you can't do anything about how they play...only think about one thing >>> hit the ball in the hole!!!
Your skill MAY impress others, but showing off will take the edge off your game because your thoughts of "showing off" take away the energy and focus of your job of "JUST HITTING THE BALL IN THE HOLE!"
 
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does this happened to you?

It takes lots of time and practice to get over that, tournaments, money game etc.
As for me, right now, when I'm playing in tournaments and I don't feel my nervs with the pressure going on my game is even worst. I need to be a little shaky, so I know that I have to concentrate and than i play better. Does this happenning to any of you guys?
 
mental game

I would like to add my opinion about FOCUS (you can tell me to shut up if wrong).

While focusing is essential, there is good and bad focus. There is a fucus you get from nerves that just adds to the problem. For example, I think we all suffer from this from time to time. You are nervous or in this "focus Zone". You want to make every shot. You want to win. You make the proper pre-shot routine. You get down over the ball and Focus. And you dog the hit. It as if you almost tried to hard. Or you were focusing with all your might and missed the shot, and were even more pissed off because you really gave it your all. This is bad focus. It makes you more nervous and since your mental game is off to begin with, you are just making the mental game play a larger role now becuase of it. You can not focus properly/play properly unless you are in a relaxed state. Period, focus or no focus.

Then there is the proper foucs. Where you concentrate in a relaxed state, yet in a hightened state of awarness. Cheesey but it is the eye of the tiger state. You see the ball's path to the pocket, you know the speed of the stroke and you excicute flawlessly. LIke a jet flying in the air. Smooth.

This is the state I want to be in. NOW for the big lesson..... You will say to me, well hello, if I could do this I wouldn't be nervous in the first place, and since I am nervous I can't get to this state.
Well remember the truism, bad practice is worse then no practice.
You are not nervous in practice. Practice in this state and level of concentration. You should see yourself getting tired at the table quicker. Good! It takes a lot of energy to concentrate. You will be less nervous come game time. Buya!!!!!! By practicing with towtowl cowncentwation (kentucky fried movie, Anyone?) you will be more intimate with your stroke and flaws, your limits and abilities, what needs to be improved on. Better practice.

Those that can't do teach......LOL....

Sorry if this is old news to some of you seasoned veterans out there, but I have been exploring this and it seems that 8 or 9 out of ten of my misses in practice come when I am being lazy and not concentrating.
CHeers,
Jordan
 
If nerves take over because of your opponent's skill level or maybe if there is a pro or respected old timer/hustler watching, you don't worry about your game at all, you start worrying about your status. Yes, we all have our status in our minds. Some of us have higher status in our heads compared to public opinion and some has lower status. The idea of status is that you start worrying how you look in front of your opponent/table-side pro/hustler compared to your status level inside your head. This leads to worries if you can play at your level of skill and if you don't, you become tense and angry to yourself. So, conclusion: why do you worry how you look/play, why you keep on blaming the table or claiming that you have a bad day ? You should realize that it's your status that is concerning you and you don't want to drop your status level in any case. If you realize this, you might get over it. At least knowing the problem might lead you overcoming it. Stop worrying how you look/play and concentrate on one ball at a time.

Bob Fancher has mentioned the concept of status in billiards....
 
Try this- Before you get down to shoot, take a deep breath through your nostrils. As you are getting down into the shot, just relax all of your muscles as best as you can. Ernesto D. told me this, and it helps alot. Aside from that, they only way to get used to pressure is by playing under it, alot. Being nervous doesn't really ever completely go away. Ernesto has been playing professional pool for decades, and he told me that every pro player gets nervous in big tournaments or playing for big stakes. The only difference between them and us is they are able to control themselves alot better than you're average un-seasoned player.
 
Tex: Someone said to read Bob Fancher. I completely agree. But be prepared for your game to go downhill before up! Ha ha ha. That's price to be paid for improving.

Every pool player suffers from what you're talking about. Some worse than others, but we all do it. Even the best pros in the world chump a 9 due to nerves every now and then.
 
So, you're playing Francisco Bustamante in front of 100 of your closest friends braodcast live on ESPN. You won the lag and broke. Your heart is beating fast, your hands are shaking, your mind is racing, your left foot is twitching. You keep dropping the chalk. It's your turn . You're hooked on the one and only see one shot - a long masse thin cut-jump-draw shot. What to do?

Pressure is not real. We create it ourselves by making this game or match more important than any other. Basically, the mind is experiencing the fear of failure and embarassment. The body takes this as a physical threat, so you get the adrenalin rush and everything goes out of whack.

This is an outside distraction you don't need. The goal is not to play better than you usually do. The goal is to just play your usual game. Your usual shots, shapes, safe, and misses.

Here's how to do it: S l o w D o w n. Walk the table. Look at the layout and the shot. Take a little extra time. Take a little extra time in your set up. Let you mind's eye see the shot. Take the cue back in slow motion, make the forward stroke in slow motion. This extra time will give you a chance to get more comfortable.

Everyone is better on the practice table because there are no consequences for mistakes. The key to playing better under pressure is to have a routine you can go to and a box of tools. The tools are visualizing the shots, a rock solid set up, excellent cue ball control, and a book full of safety shots you can go to when the going gets rough.

You can also turn these shaky hands and racing heart into rocket fuel by thinking positively. Look forward to your turn at the table. There is no better player than a player who is pumped with adrenalin and confident at the table.

The more matches you play and more tournaments you play, the better conditioned you will be to this and you will be able to perform better under pressure. Good luck.

Chris
 
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I agree with Chris, relaxation under pressure is a learned skill. Its interesting that many young golfers or pool players will imagine pressure situations while practicing (ie. this last 3 foot putt to win the Masters, etc.). What players should be doing is in pressure situations, imagine they are just practicing. If you can get to the point that you relax, and rely on your routine and technique, then muscle memory will allow you to make even the most pressure filled shots seem as easy as they do when you are practicing. Rely on your technique and get rid of all thoughts about outcome of the shot or outcome of the match. All you can control is the delivery of the cue tip through the cue ball, focus on developing the muscle memory of what a perfect stroke feels like and you can always fall back on this memory. An instructor like Jerry Briesath or Mark Wilson can get you a stroke like that in a hurry.
 
I think everyone on here gave excellent advice. If you're looking for a quick fix that truly works, tell your doctor what the problem is and have him write a prescription for beta blockers. It's used for a racing heart, nerves, anxiety, adrenaline rushes, fear, stage fright, and other things that will affect your performance. It's also used for high blood pressure treatment, that's why you don't want to take them all the time and the doctor can give you the right drug in the proper dosages. Unknown to many, there are in fact a number of pro golfers that have and do take beta blockers to calm their nerves especially for putting. The small muscles work a lot smoother without the flinches, yips, and jerks that occur under high pressure situations which is the same in pool.
 
Actually, according to Dr Fancher, Chris is wrong in this statement:

"Everyone is better on the practice table because there are no consequences for mistakes."

In fact, it has been proven that people perform better under pressure.
 
jer9ball said:
Actually, according to Dr Fancher, Chris is wrong in this statement:

"Everyone is better on the practice table because there are no consequences for mistakes."

In fact, it has been proven that people perform better under pressure.
Click to expand...

Some do, some don't. This is proven every day in the pool hall. YMMV
 
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