Performance (sports) Psychology Literature Suggestions

[The_JV]

There is zero doubt that older people have more nerves, less inherent confidence, and less need to compete and dominate, and there is almost nothing that can be done about it. If I recall correctly my perception of your age is that you are around that age where things change (for the worse of course) much more rapidly in all those departments so pretty good chance it is at least in part if not fully age related.

I'm nearly 50... I am suffering from a lack of confidence but my drive to compete/dominate is as strong if not stronger than it's ever been. If I didn't have that desire to win, I don't know why confidence in doing so would be shaken.

The whole sentence that you only partially quoted went like this:

Not sure if it's an age thing, but more and more I find myself actively attempting to push through doubt and just general mental noise during play.

This noise is the result (to the best I can determine) of my continued drive to compete and dominate. Combined with the knowledge of my failing eyesight and a serious lack of table time. So I whole heartedly agree that I'm suffering from a lack of confidence. However if I take away the undue pressure, my mental fortitude is considerably stronger. ...and honestly, I'm not physically playing all that weak. Just that I find myself fighting through crap I never needed to before.

If I was playing more I don't think this would be an issue for me at all. The unfortunate truth is I don't get much table time. Regardless, what it has done is expose a weakness that would only be bandaided by table time. What I want is an actual tool to move passed the short coming.

I don't doubt for a moment that any and all players regardless of age would benefit from exploring sports psychology. (Dunning-Kruger)

 

[garczar]

I found The Inner Game of Tennis helpful. I also liked Pleasures of Small Motions.

Me too. I thought 'Pleasures...' has some really good stuff.

 

[Pin]

'Inner Tennis'. Maybe the greatest sports psych. book ever written.

Out of interest, do you mean 'The Inner Game of Tennis' or 'Inner Tennis: Playing the Game' (the follow-up book)?
Nobody ever talks about the latter, but I think there's gold in that one.

On the main question:
I recommend avoiding the whole rabbit hole!

If you're thinking about where your head is, you're not concentrating on what you're doing. There are real benefits to be had from sports psychology, but you could instead end up worse off overall, or have to work through a long downhill before you get the benefit.

If you want to go there, the Inner Game books are good.

The alternative quick fix is to accept that you're not going to be perfect, you will make mistakes, and that some days will be better than others. If you can accept doing your best and taking the successes and failures as they come, confidence itself becomes less important.

 

[Brookeland Bill]

'Inner Tennis'. Maybe the greatest sports psych. book ever written. Buy it. Applies to all games/sports. Another is a golf book by Bob Rotella called' Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect'. Great read on mental aspects.

Two good ones. You might also want to read ‘Every Shot Must Have A Purpose’ and ‘The Inner Game Of Golf’. Both are about golf which like pool there is a period between shots where you have time to plan your next shot unlike tennis where you are reactionary. In ‘Every Shot Must Have A Purpose there is a method described as a “think box” and a “play box”. I’m a big believer in the subconscious mind in sport. Think of how many times when you first start hitting balls preparing for a match and you make everything in sight just shooting without much thought.

 

[Poolplaya9]

I'm nearly 50... I am suffering from a lack of confidence but my drive to compete/dominate is as strong if not stronger than it's ever been. If I didn't have that desire to win, I don't know why confidence in doing so would be shaken.

The whole sentence that you only partially quoted went like this:

This noise is the result (to the best I can determine) of my continued drive to compete and dominate. Combined with the knowledge of my failing eyesight and a serious lack of table time. So I whole heartedly agree that I'm suffering from a lack of confidence. However if I take away the undue pressure, my mental fortitude is considerably stronger. ...and honestly, I'm not physically playing all that weak. Just that I find myself fighting through crap I never needed to before.

If I was playing more I don't think this would be an issue for me at all. The unfortunate truth is I don't get much table time. Regardless, what it has done is expose a weakness that would only be bandaided by table time. What I want is an actual tool to move passed the short coming.

I don't doubt for a moment that any and all players regardless of age would benefit from exploring sports psychology. (Dunning-Kruger)

Only you can probably ultimately diagnose yourself here, and even then it might take a lot of time to become clear. I'm just throwing out several things to consider that on average tend to start having more significant and noticeable impacts on people in their 40's, and maybe all three haven't dramatically hit for you yet. Also possible ones you think haven't actually have and you just haven't realized it yet. Time will tell but now you have some known factors for your age range to also take into consideration when trying to figure out just what all is actually going on.

 

[The_JV]

The alternative quick fix is to accept that you're not going to be perfect, you will make mistakes, and that some days will be better than others. If you can accept doing your best and taking the successes and failures as they come, confidence itself becomes less important.

It's not about being perfect, or even remotely close to performing as though. I have zero problem losing to a stronger opponent and/or missing a shot. That's life on a pool table. It's about managing the garbage bouncing around in my mind, which eventuallys spins into doubt if I should pull the trigger.

I really don't want to get into a discussion of how others think I should approach the game. Although I do appreciate the honest suggestions.

 

[rexus31]

The Mental Game of Baseball is by far the best book I have read on the mental game. In addition to covering mental aspects such as visualization, concentration, relaxation and mental discipline, it also explains how you build a foundation for your mental game by building confidence through learning and preparation (all separate chapters in the book). Plus there are many interesting stories about pro baseball players who struggled with those issues.

Agreed. I don't know how many times I read that book cover to cover during my four years of college ball. Great read.

 

[rexus31]

I'm nearly 50... I am suffering from a lack of confidence but my drive to compete/dominate is as strong if not stronger than it's ever been. If I didn't have that desire to win, I don't know why confidence in doing so would be shaken.

The whole sentence that you only partially quoted went like this:

This noise is the result (to the best I can determine) of my continued drive to compete and dominate. Combined with the knowledge of my failing eyesight and a serious lack of table time. So I whole heartedly agree that I'm suffering from a lack of confidence. However if I take away the undue pressure, my mental fortitude is considerably stronger. ...and honestly, I'm not physically playing all that weak. Just that I find myself fighting through crap I never needed to before.

If I was playing more I don't think this would be an issue for me at all. The unfortunate truth is I don't get much table time. Regardless, what it has done is expose a weakness that would only be bandaided by table time. What I want is an actual tool to move passed the short coming.

I don't doubt for a moment that any and all players regardless of age would benefit from exploring sports psychology. (Dunning-Kruger)

From a personal perspective, I've noticed the more prepared I am, the more confident I am. This is in all walks of life: my college baseball career, my professional career, pool, building a project, etc. If you know in your heart you didn't put in the work on the practice table there is no way you are going to meet your expectations in competition. You have to execute in practice the way you want to execute in competition so you know and believe you can do it. There's no magic bullet and no substitute for putting in the time. Like Ralf Souquet says (paraphrasing), "Practice like you compete or you are wasting your time."

 

[chefjeff]

Sports psyching. And a very old book called Psycho cybernetics
I should add, Sports psyching was indorced by snooker player Alex Higgins.

SPORTS PSYCHING: Playing Your Best Game... book by Thomas Tutko

Psycho-cybernetics is the nuts!!!

It actually jumped my game to a higher level. A better player than I recommended it to me.


Jeff Livingston

 

[chefjeff]

Two good ones. You might also want to read ‘Every Shot Must Have A Purpose’ and ‘The Inner Game Of Golf’. Both are about golf which like pool there is a period between shots where you have time to plan your next shot unlike tennis where you are reactionary. In ‘Every Shot Must Have A Purpose there is a method described as a “think box” and a “play box”. I’m a big believer in the subconscious mind in sport. Think of how many times when you first start hitting balls preparing for a match and you make everything in sight just shooting without much thought.

I like those box ideas.

I guess before I shoot, I'd better know what my goals are for this shot: play or practice or fun or whatever, so my mind isn't somewhere else.


Jeff Livingston

 

[The_JV]

From a personal perspective, I've noticed the more prepared I am, the more confident I am. This is in all walks of life: my college baseball career, my professional career, pool, building a project, etc. If you know in your heart you didn't put in the work on the practice table there is no way you are going to meet your expectations in competition. You have to execute in practice the way you want to execute in competition so you know and believe you can do it. There's no magic bullet and no substitute for putting in the time. Like Ralf Souquet says (paraphrasing), "Practice like you compete or you are wasting your time."

I really want to respond to this, but I rather not derail the intent of the thread. Just know that I appreciate your comment.

 

[chefjeff]

Blackjack, Dave Sapolis (sp), used to post here. He had the best confidence advice I've seen here:

You get confidence only from having done it at least once, so do it first, then use that for confidence in future shots.

Paraphrasing.


Jeff LIvingston

 

[rexus31]

I really want to respond to this, but I rather not derail the intent of the thread. Just know that I appreciate your comment.

I'm not sure how it derails the intent. It is a mental issue that is caused by lack of current physical repetition. Based on what I've read, you are indecisive in your decision making during competition and have disclosed you currently have a "serious lack of table time". I simply pointed out the two go hand in hand. More quality practice time will equate to more decisive decision making under the stress of competition. That is one of the purposes of quality practice time.

 

[middleofnowhere]

Psycho-cybernetics is the nuts!!!

It actually jumped my game to a higher level. A better player than I recommended it to me.


Jeff Livingston

The first time I saw it, it on the night stand of a billionaire. My friend was the son of a captain of a yacht and I was getting a tour. I said billionaire, this was when there were few in the country. My friend said yea, he always recommends that book to people. I got a copy not realizing it would have something relating to sports. The chapter on the experimenting done with students athletes directly related to pool. How the sub-conscious mind can't tell the difference between what is real or imagined.

Pool players and golfers do it all the time. Rehearsing shots in the mind before shooting. Your mind does not know you didn't just make the perfect shot and will learn from it almost like practice. That combined with actual physical practice produced the best results.
Interestingly enough many people do just the opposite not realizing it. They imagine/picture everything that can go wrong along with negative self talk in their head. It very likely may produce the results they imagine. Thus they dog something they can actually easily do. They were imagining a negative result and were rewarded.

I remember watching Mike Segal play, I saw him play quite a few times in person. I'm watching him very closely and I realized he probably doesn't see the same shot most players do. While we see a small pocket and are trying our best to make the shot. He may see a giant pocket and a shot he can't imagine missing. This probably takes place in his sub-conscious mind.

To him it is so easy he must wonder why everybody can't do it. I think it applies to most all sports. These great players are actually wired differently. We look for terms like talent or natural ability but what is that anyway? Are they born with it? Can it be taught or acquired? Yes, they are probably born with it. But that is not to say it can't be acquired to some degree with training. Meditation may be a good training tool. Playing perfect pool in your mind.

I remember an interview with a golfer. He said he sits in a comfortable chair and quietly plays perfect golf in his mind. He can vividly feel, hear and experience playing perfectly. That make sense, at least to me. I have often gone longs periods of time away from the game but I never stop thinking about it. I play in my mind. When I get back to it in no time it is as if I was never away from it. I don't know if this kind of thing maintains muscle memory to some degree or what happens but I can only tell you my experience. I know I may make a lot of mental mistakes but physical I can not have played for a year and pick up a cue and play. Maybe many have found they can do this I don't know,
I am just guessing. I'm no research scientist, but I find it interesting.

 

[rexus31]

The first time I saw it, it on the night stand of a billionaire. My friend was the son of a captain of a yacht and I was getting a tour. I said billionaire, this was when there were few in the country. My friend said yea, he always recommends that book to people. I got a copy not realizing it would have something relating to sports. The chapter on the experimenting done with students athletes directly related to pool. How the sub-conscious mind can't tell the difference between what is real or imagined.

Pool players and golfers do it all the time. Rehearsing shots in the mind before shooting. Your mind does not know you didn't just make the perfect shot and will learn from it almost like practice. That combined with actual physical practice produced the best results.
Interestingly enough many people do just the opposite not realizing it. They imagine/picture everything that can go wrong along with negative self talk in their head. It very likely may produce the results they imagine. Thus they dog something they can actually easily do. They were imagining a negative result and were rewarded.

I remember watching Mike Segal play, I saw him play quite a few times in person. I'm watching him very closely and I realized he probably doesn't see the same shot most players do. While we see a small pocket and are trying our best to make the shot. He may see a giant pocket and a shot he can't imagine missing. This probably takes place in his sub-conscious mind.

To him it is so easy he must wonder why everybody can't do it. I think it applies to most all sports. These great players are actually wired differently. We look for terms like talent or natural ability but what is that anyway? Are they born with it? Can it be taught or acquired? Yes, they are probably born with it. But that is not to say it can't be acquired to some degree with training. Meditation may be a good training tool. Playing perfect pool in your mind.

I remember an interview with a golfer. He said he sits in a comfortable chair and quietly plays perfect golf in his mind. He can vividly feel, hear and experience playing perfectly. That make sense, at least to me. I have often gone longs periods of time away from the game but I never stop thinking about it. I play in my mind. When I get back to it in no time it is as if I was never away from it. I don't know if this kind of thing maintains muscle memory to some degree or what happens but I can only tell you my experience. I know I may make a lot of mental mistakes but physical I can not have played for a year and pick up a cue and play. Maybe many have found they can do this I don't know,
I am just guessing. I'm no research scientist, buy I find it interesting.

Visualization is a strong tool and the backbone of the book The Mental Game of Baseball. You are right, the body will execute on what the mind sees or is telling it. If you are thinking, "Don't dog the shape from the 7 to the 8" you'l likely leave yourself tough on the 8. But, if you think, "Pocket the 7 cleanly with bottom right to come out two rails for the perfect angle on the 8" you'll most likely do just that. Even better if you can visualize it happening. It's also best to make up your mind and "see" the shot before you get down on it. I've found one of the hardest things to do in pool is to get up from a shot when you're down on it and still mulling over the execution in your head. I've played my best pool when all the thinking is done while standing, my decision making is clear and decisive and I have a quiet mind when addressing the shot. To me, that is "the zone". It sounds simple but it's not easy.

 

[The_JV]

I'm not sure how it derails the intent.

Thread title: Performance (sports) Psychology Literature Suggestions

I'm looking for suggestions on sports psychology resources. Not to discuss how I play the game and/or what other people think I should be doing. Again, I do appreciate your time in adding the insight but engaging in that conversation this time around isn't on my radar.

 

[middleofnowhere]

Thread title: Performance (sports) Psychology Literature Suggestions

I'm looking for suggestions on sports psychology resources. Not to discuss how I play the game and/or what other people think I should be doing. Again, I do appreciate your time in adding the insight but engaging in that conversation this time around isn't on my radar.

Starting a thread does not give you ownership of it. You got a lot of good answers. Threads always spawn other what seem to be off subject comments.

But they are also often more helpful then the original subject matter. I hope you have been writing down the information people have taken the time to share with you.

 

[phreaticus]

It's not a view, it is undisputed fact (this is basic psychology stuff), although as with everything else every individual is affected a little differently. I'm not sure on the precise age it starts on average but somewhere in the ballpark of very late 20's or 30 or so. In your 40's it is typical to notice much bigger changes in these things. Around that time either the cumulative affects have added up enough to make the changes more noticeable, the rate at which the changes are happening increases substantially, or most likely both.

You speak with such authority, impressive! Can you steer us less enlightened folks to some literature/urls which support your point?

Personally, I think you are confusing some physiological & psychological issues. Acquired cumulative wisdom & physical skills play a huge part in all this, as does physical health. A young fat slob in their 20’s may not hold a candle to a physically fit, mentally fit, disciplined, experienced dude/dudette in their 50’s. This is true from ski slopes to the boardroom, bedroom, and I think pool table also. Seen Laird Hamilton surf recently? Ever watch any competitive chess in a city park? Ever seen Jerry Miculek shoot?

Anyway, i’ve digested some of the better known books shared here. Useful stuff, but in the end, when it comes to confidence & focus, I’ve not found any shortcuts or tricks to work to get to high level anything. What really works best is to actually get better and become consistently good - and that takes time, discipline, hard work, and as much competitive pressure as possible. Aside from natural talent, it really depends on how far you want to go, and how much one is willing/able to invest to get there. The OP mentioned he’s not getting much table time. I don’t think any books are going to fix that.

Cheers

 

[fastone371]

Visualization is a strong tool and the backbone of the book The Mental Game of Baseball. You are right, the body will execute on what the mind sees or is telling it. If you are thinking, "Don't dog the shape from the 7 to the 8" you'l likely leave yourself tough on the 8. But, if you think, "Pocket the 7 cleanly with bottom right to come out two rails for the perfect angle on the 8" you'll most likely do just that. Even better if you can visualize it happening. It's also best to make up your mind and "see" the shot before you get down on it. I've found one of the hardest things to do in pool is to get up from a shot when you're down on it and still mulling over the execution in your head. I've played my best pool when all the thinking is done while standing, my decision making is clear and decisive and I have a quiet mind when addressing the shot. To me, that is "the zone". It sounds simple but it's not easy.

I think there is a lot more truth here than many will admit. Many times I would point my cue to the rail on the line I wanted the cue ball to stop at, many times that is exactly where the cue ball stopped, right on the rail. Since I now choose a spot on the playing surface away from the rail I find myself shooting a cue ball frozen to the rail much less often. I see other people do the same thing and Ill be damned if I don't see the cue ball stop right on the cushion for them too.

 

[Pin]

I'm looking for suggestions on sports psychology resources. Not to discuss how I play the game and/or what other people think I should be doing. Again, I do appreciate your time in adding the insight but engaging in that conversation this time around isn't on my radar.

It's about managing the garbage bouncing around in my mind, which eventuallys spins into doubt if I should pull the trigger.

Someone recommended The Chimp Paradox to me. I've not got round to it yet, but from their description and what you've said, it sounds relevant.