Out of Stroke and Playing a Big Match

[Wolven]

I had exactly the same thing happen to me yesterday in a RR tournament. Just before the tournament I didn’t practice but played a few games with some good players. Never got my rhythm going. I ended up in 2nd well 3rd on tie-break but I only played two good matches at the end the rest was terrible.

Here is what I do in a match when I’m off suddenly.
1. I look back at my elbow, sometimes it is off flaring out to the right. (I’m right handed)
2. I check my head sometimes it is slightly tilted to the right.
3. I make sure to step into every shot, cue is set first than the body.
4. I imagine and make sure the Mizerak recommendation is followed: the cue just sits in the palm of your hand and it is like tossing a beanbag. Because sometimes I will hold the cue too hard or twist my hand at the end of the stroke.
5. I make sure to follow because sudden jerking motion at the end of the shot will affect the QB.
6. Concentrate harder on the shot and not on the position, make sure I’m striking the QB in the center.
7. Change the cues, I did that yesterday and started shooting with my x-breaker. Later I went back to the predator but changed shafts.

Anyway hope this gives some ideas.

 

[TheBook]

I completely agree with you... I disagree. Way to many run outs only to choke in the end on something no harder than most of the previous shots...

Kelly

What they are stating in "Money Ball" is that the law of consistancy caught up to you.

To prove their point they used Reggie Jackson (Mr October) as the example. He did no better or worse during October than he would normally do in the same situation during any other ball game, but everone claims that he is a clutch hitter that comes thru under pressure.

The reason you missed is because you did not have confidence in the shot, that is why you hear those voices, or you were overconfident and took the shot for granted and did not follow your pre shot routine.

How many times can you make the same shot over and over with out missing. When you can do that shot 100% of the time in practice you should be able to do it in a game situation. If you miss once than you will eventually do it in a game because the vioce is telling you that you may miss.

 

[mapman72]

Get Sleep

I find that 99.8% of the time that I play poorly it's because I didn't get a good night's sleep the night before. Sure, there have been times where I have slept little and played really well, but almost every single time I play poorly, I didn't sleep much the night before. If you're a strong player, stroke, touch, accuracy; all those things stay pretty much consistent. So you can pick up your cue and play "normal" for you very quickly. It's when you don't sleep much, you eat poorly, or your in a fight with your girlfriend that your play suffers. When I am faced with these matches where I'm not in optimal condition, I tell myself to do whatever I can to just get through to the next day. Then I make sure I get home and get some sleep for day two of the tourney. Of course, if it is day two, you're pretty much screwed.

 

[MVPCues]

What they are stating in "Money Ball" is that the law of consistancy caught up to you.

To prove their point they used Reggie Jackson (Mr October) as the example. He did no better or worse during October than he would normally do in the same situation during any other ball game, but everone claims that he is a clutch hitter that comes thru under pressure.

The reason you missed is because you did not have confidence in the shot, that is why you hear those voices, or you were overconfident and took the shot for granted and did not follow your pre shot routine.

How many times can you make the same shot over and over with out missing. When you can do that shot 100% of the time in practice you should be able to do it in a game situation. If you miss once than you will eventually do it in a game because the vioce is telling you that you may miss.

They didn't prove their point by using Reggie Jackson, they proved Reggie Jackson wasn't affected either way by high pressure situations or when it came down to it in October. Some people are affected by pressure, some not. Some play better with the pressure, some do not. Had they used me to do research on there book, they may have found different conclusions and you may be arguing a different argument.

You gave me 2-3 reasons why I might have missed some theoretical shot, I had no confidence and was hearing voices, I was overconfident and took it for granted, and/or I did not follow my pre shot routine. Pressure can make people miss for different reasons, and those reasons may be clearly observable to bystanders, but if those manifestations are brought about more often under pressure situations, and the player does not learn to handle the pressure adequately, then he isn't playing the same under pressure, and the statement
"The same goes for choking on the money ball in pool. Basically it is a shot that you will make with the same consistancy no matter when you shoot it." sure isn't true for him...might be true for Reggie Jackson, but not for him.

Kelly

 

[JoeyA]

Mapman, I agree with you and believe that a good night's sleep is the most important thing I can do for myself. Like you when I deprive myself of good rest, my game goes down. Wioth a good night's rest I can focus better and for longer periods of time and the sharking is not much of a factor when I am rested.
JoeyA

I find that 99.8% of the time that I play poorly it's because I didn't get a good night's sleep the night before. Sure, there have been times where I have slept little and played really well, but almost every single time I play poorly, I didn't sleep much the night before. If you're a strong player, stroke, touch, accuracy; all those things stay pretty much consistent. So you can pick up your cue and play "normal" for you very quickly. It's when you don't sleep much, you eat poorly, or your in a fight with your girlfriend that your play suffers. When I am faced with these matches where I'm not in optimal condition, I tell myself to do whatever I can to just get through to the next day. Then I make sure I get home and get some sleep for day two of the tourney. Of course, if it is day two, you're pretty much screwed.