Out of Stroke and Playing a Big Match

C

cuetechasaurus

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Let's say you haven't been in a slump, and you play in either a big tournament or money match and you find that you are playing poorly. Do you have any methods of correcting yourself, or do you just ride it out without thinking about why you might be playing bad? Have any of your methods worked for you?

If I have been hitting balls for 10-15 minutes and haven't warmed up yet, this is usually an indication that I am going to have an 'off' day. I don't know where 'off' days come from, but they seem to appear out of nowhere. I attribute every aspect of my game to how my stroke feels and how clearly I am thinking. On an off day, I can't seem to get that steady and relaxed feeling in my stroke. My muscles seem tense and my stroke rythm is inconsistent. I don't think clearly, I feel somewhat lazy when looking at patterns. When I am in stroke, it's the exact opposite of course. Maybe it has something to do with what I eat earlier in the day, or if I haven't gotten a full night's sleep, who knows.

I'm sure that most of you experience something similar. Please discuss.
 
Usually if I am in a big tourney and I am playing bad, I dont have time to ride it our and think about it becuase I am already knocked out of the tournament. LOL
 
Sometimes you are the hammer, sometimes the nail!

Just do it!

Need another cliche? There is no magic button, you just need to do your best, some times it works and sometimes it does not.
 
The only thing that works for me is to deliberately try to slow the stroke, to make it smoother. It works. Then I have to keep doing it consistently. That's harder. If I was consistent I would not have had the problem in the first place.
 
cuetechasaurus said:
Let's say you haven't been in a slump, and you play in either a big tournament or money match and you find that you are playing poorly. Do you have any methods of correcting yourself, or do you just ride it out without thinking about why you might be playing bad? Have any of your methods worked for you?

If I have been hitting balls for 10-15 minutes and haven't warmed up yet, this is usually an indication that I am going to have an 'off' day. I don't know where 'off' days come from, but they seem to appear out of nowhere. I attribute every aspect of my game to how my stroke feels and how clearly I am thinking. On an off day, I can't seem to get that steady and relaxed feeling in my stroke. My muscles seem tense and my stroke rythm is inconsistent. I don't think clearly, I feel somewhat lazy when looking at patterns. When I am in stroke, it's the exact opposite of course. Maybe it has something to do with what I eat earlier in the day, or if I haven't gotten a full night's sleep, who knows.

I'm sure that most of you experience something similar. Please discuss.
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Here are a couple of ideas that may help.

First, when warming up, shoot a two or three racks of nothing but straight in shots, drawing the cue ball table length. Nothing will put you in stroke faster.

Second, it's possible you're not perceiving the center of the ball correctly, both on the cue ball and the object ball. Those straight in shots as above will help, as will straight in stop shots, and straight in force follows. When you perceive you're off, using shots during a match that you just know you can't miss are the ones to use to recalibrate your stroke and center ball perception. Easier said than done, but definitely the way to go. (This last idea is from Bob Henning's "The Advanced Pro Book")

Good luck!

Flex
 
Most often I have two things that go wrong: either I begin stroking the cue before I have properly aimed the shot; two, I don't feel the rhythm of my stroke.

To fix the first problem, I make sure I do not allow myself to move the cue until I am over the shot and fixed on my target. Only then do I practice stroke. Lastly, before I actually stroke the shot, I stop and check my aim again. If it is off, I don't correct. I stand up and start over again. This usually fixes my aiming issues pretty quickly. Sometimes, I will aim in two stages: stage one is while 1/2 way bent into the shot; stage two is fully down in my stance.

The second solution is for when my stroke just doesn't feel right. To fix it, I will do either of two things: one, I will make my backstroke slow and deliberate, while being sure to maintain my focus on my target. Two I will force myself to pause at the end of my backstroke, a la Allison Fisher.
 
Flex said:
Here are a couple of ideas that may help.

First, when warming up, shoot a two or three racks of nothing but straight in shots, drawing the cue ball table length. Nothing will put you in stroke faster.

Second, it's possible you're not perceiving the center of the ball correctly, both on the cue ball and the object ball. Those straight in shots as above will help, as will straight in stop shots, and straight in force follows. When you perceive you're off, using shots during a match that you just know you can't miss are the ones to use to recalibrate your stroke and center ball perception. Easier said than done, but definitely the way to go. (This last idea is from Bob Henning's "The Advanced Pro Book")

Good luck!

Flex
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I know exactly what you are talking about and have worked on those issues in the past. I am asking what others do when they are in the heat of battle and find themselves not playing well. I said that I attribute how well I am playing to how my stroke feels and how clearly I am thinking. When those two factors are working correctly, I play good. When my stroke feels tight and somewhat crooked, and my mind is fuzzy, I play bad.
 
tedkaufman said:
, I will make my backstroke slow and deliberate, while being sure to maintain my focus on my target. Two I will force myself to pause at the end of my backstroke, a la Allison Fisher.
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Good advice, but this shouldn't be the way to correct a problem. This should be the way you practice so it becomes second nature on every shot. I can assure you that Allison rarely, if ever, has to FORCE herself to pause. She practices that way so it is naturally there. In a match, you shouldn't have to think about or force yourself to pause. It should just be there all the time. The things you practice are the things that automatically happen in a match.
Steve
 
pooltchr said:
Good advice, but this shouldn't be the way to correct a problem. This should be the way you practice so it becomes second nature on every shot. I can assure you that Allison rarely, if ever, has to FORCE herself to pause. She practices that way so it is naturally there. In a match, you shouldn't have to think about or force yourself to pause. It should just be there all the time. The things you practice are the things that automatically happen in a match.
Steve
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There is a book out called "Money Ball". It states that there is no such thing as a clutch hitter or player. The shot or hit is one that you will always hit or miss with the same consistancy no matter what the situation is. It is about baseball and they say that if your are delivered a certain pitch you will get a hit a certain percentage of the time. The only difference is it is more noticeable at the end of a game.

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. Being at the end of the game just makes a bigger difference if you miss it.

As quoted "The things you practice are the things that automatically happen in a match."
 
pooltchr said:
Good advice, but this shouldn't be the way to correct a problem. This should be the way you practice so it becomes second nature on every shot. I can assure you that Allison rarely, if ever, has to FORCE herself to pause. She practices that way so it is naturally there. In a match, you shouldn't have to think about or force yourself to pause. It should just be there all the time. The things you practice are the things that automatically happen in a match.
Steve
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What we are talking about here are methods to overcome a slump or erratic shooting. I don't normally pause--at least not for long--at the end of my backstroke. But if my stroke begins to develop some kind of anomaly, such misalignment of plane or a twist to my wrist, the deliberate backstroke and pause help me to correct it unconsciously or notice where the error occurs so that I can then adjust.
 
TheBook said:
There is a book out called "Money Ball". It states that there is no such thing as a clutch hitter or player. The shot or hit is one that you will always hit or miss with the same consistancy no matter what the situation is. It is about baseball and they say that if your are delivered a certain pitch you will get a hit a certain percentage of the time. The only difference is it is more noticeable at the end of a game.

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. Being at the end of the game just makes a bigger difference if you miss it.

As quoted "The things you practice are the things that automatically happen in a match."
Click to expand...




I completely disagree with. "Choking" is very real and it happens quite a bit, especially on the money ball. When you get so tense and start worrying about missing the shot, your stroke gets affected in a negative way. No question about it in my mind.
 
I have been analysing why I have bad days at pool for several months and have come to the conclusion that my mood is the culprit. If I am in a very good mood I don't really care about pool, if I am in a bad mood I don't really care about pool either. Anywhere in between and I play great pool. I know it doesn't make sense but this is my conclusion. I have no suggestions because I can't fix my problem either, just fight through it is all I can do. I try to let my natural stroke come out and maybe slow down a little but some days I just can't get it together.
 
shooter777 said:
I completely disagree with. "Choking" is very real and it happens quite a bit, especially on the money ball. When you get so tense and start worrying about missing the shot, your stroke gets affected in a negative way. No question about it in my mind.
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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...
and most of the time you are thinking the whole time...damn...what if I miss...I might choke...while before you got to the money ball you had a plan and place to go and you only executed.

Here is a corny idea...
If you feel one of those times coming on at the beginning of your shooting, in between shots pretend that little voice in your head is Allen Hopkins, and he is saying everything you are doing wrong and telling the audience what you need to do better to execute...and then the next shot you shoot, during your pre shot routine, let that little guy in your head diagram the shot and say what needs to happen with the shot and cue ball rather than letting the little voice in your head be negative... then execute the shot, and make sure you say the word perfect to yourself at least twice after you shoot...

Kelly
 
Take a tip from Efren and change cues. Surprising what a difference that can make.

Try it, you'll like it.
 
Jay has a good tip about changing cues, ive done that before and it helped. Another thing i will do if things arent going well is i will try to figure out exactly why i missed a shot, and i will try to recall in my mind where my tip was pointing when i was done, what did the cueball do, what did the object ball do, and thats usually when i realise I didnt stay down on my shot. If i dont have a mental picture of my shot i didnt stay down and thats what i will concentrate on, and that usually gets me back into my game.
 
Kelly_Guy said:
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...
and most of the time you are thinking the whole time...damn...what if I miss...I might choke...while before you got to the money ball you had a plan and place to go and you only executed.

Here is a corny idea...
If you feel one of those times coming on at the beginning of your shooting, in between shots pretend that little voice in your head is Allen Hopkins, and he is saying everything you are doing wrong and telling the audience what you need to do better to execute...and then the next shot you shoot, during your pre shot routine, let that little guy in your head diagram the shot and say what needs to happen with the shot and cue ball rather than letting the little voice in your head be negative... then execute the shot, and make sure you say the word perfect to yourself at least twice after you shoot...

Kelly
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Interesting: I was thinking to myself "How Cool" it would be to hear Allen say "Perfect" on one of my shots just once..! No way can I do 8 or 9 "Perfect in a row. You bring up a great idea that little guy in your head has a big effect on every shot.
Look table over from more than one angle very important things look differnt from the other end or side. Decide on the shot while standing! Once you are in your stance no second guessing from the little guy about anything!! If he does go off stand up. This allows you to just think about delivery when in your stance give it your best and stay down.
Another tip that works for me is; When not In-stroke take easier shots and or go for the safety this works wonders!!! When all of a sudden he misses or better yet gives you ball in hand!! You confidance grows and his is muted. Now you will need to decide after a couple of easier shots when to resume you regular style because you need to get back to what you know and feel good doing. Because I feel this game has a ton to do with confidance. Don't no negitive on yourself and don't let your teamates do it either. It is so hard to belive in yourself when your teamate have just yelled out "You Suck" even while they are joking these are the exact wrong thought to have rattling around when you are going down on a hard shot, rather I can and have done it before and I am going to do it NOW! You know the shot that you need Slow down and Deliver it!
my .02
 
If I'm really stressed out about something, then not much of anything will help.

What does help is if I am relaxed. If I drive to the tournament by myself - nice relaxing drive, this is a big plus. If I go with a blabber mouth who is constantly talking and telling me about his personal problems, this is NOT relaxing.

Then get to tournament and sit and relax for a few minutes. Next warm-up by myself. Shoot progressive straight in shots. Then long progressive cut shots. Then about 6 of the most common cut shots. Then line up row of balls between side pockets and shoot them into to the corner pockets with draw, draw back further and further with each shot. This helps me tune into the speed of the table.

Then follow shots. CB 1 diamond away from OB, Shoot OB into corner pocket. Get CB to follow further and further with each shot. Again this helps me to get the speed of the table down.

Then with just cue ball, I shoot natural bank angles into a cornet pocket. This helps me to see if the table is long, short, or just right.

Then I'll sit and relax before playing.

Going into a quiet bathroom, sitting on the can for about 2 minutes, closing your eyes, and trying to relax can help to "unwind".
 
Bluey2King said:
When not In-stroke take easier shots and or go for the safety this works wonders!!! When all of a sudden he misses or better yet gives you ball in hand!! Your confidence grows and his is muted. Now you will need to decide after a couple of easier shots when to resume you regular style because you need to get back to what you know and feel good doing. Because I feel this game has a ton to do with confidance.
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tap, tap, tap.

also, on the topic of the 'little guy in your head', take advice from The Inner Game Of Tennis and tell him to STFU (shut up). if i catch that little bugger talking to me, there's trouble.

i don't have a 2nd cue to switch to, but i switch shafts (different tip width and taper) sometimes to find my stroke.

-s
 
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