Relaxation techniques during a pool match?

Gogafem

Gogafem

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
There are times when you are disappointed at yourself, there are times when you are angry at yourself, there are times when you lose your confidence...
There are times when you're just sick of the game and don't wanna play so you just bash the balls.

How do you battle these obstacles in important matches?
 
If I had to form a list, I would put breathing at the top. I can hear the readers saying "duh" already, but I am serious. Taking slow deep breaths can really help in several ways. Many times in pressure situations our breathing gets short and fast. Slowing your breathing down can help to calm yourself down and increase your concentration.

Another tip is to focus on the table when you are in your chair. Don't look around the room or talk to other people, keep your mind where it needs to be. I would go a step farther and say pick a ball and stare at it. Keep staring until it almost begins to get blurry. This can help to get your mind off of everything it is trying to think about and just focus on the game.

I'm sure others will have their own tips and suggestions, just wanted to throw a couple out to get things started.

Woody
 
There was once a time when a couple of shots of Quervo would calm things down. But, that was then and this is now.
A few deeps breaths, some pleasant thoughts of something other than what's at hand, and begin to feel the energy flow. :)
 
The deep, slow breathing is a great start to "re-center" yourself. I like that idea of focusing on a ball on the table. Not just staring through something, but actually focusing your attention ON something. If you're just staring off into space, then your mind will wander...mostly to the negative events that got you there in the first place.

When my wife is around during my matches, she is really good at changing the subject. She'll come over to me and ask me what I want to do tomorrow or remind me of something cute the kids did that day. I find that that works the best, but she's got to sell it as genuine conversation and not some desperate attempt at distraction. I'll tell you what, though, she didn't just naturally begin to use this tactic, I had to request it of her...and then she had to practice.
 
I've gotta second deep breathing. I also try to just watch the table for a few minutes without thinking about the game, just watching.
 
For me it's also being mindful of the thoughts in your head... Got to drive out the negative thoughts like self-doubt and helplessness, and do your best to think positively...
 
I was listening to CJ one time and he said look at the CB, just look at it and nothing else. no distractions. I tried that and i like it.
 
rellek said:
I've gotta second deep breathing. I also try to just watch the table for a few minutes without thinking about the game, just watching.
Click to expand...

This works great for me.....until my opponent and the ref start yelling "it's your shot moron":o
 
Focus your attention on the cue ball, follow it with your eyes and OBSERVE

Fatboy said:
I was listening to CJ one time and he said look at the CB, just look at it and nothing else. no distractions. I tried that and i like it.
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Yes, this was what I stressed on the last day of the Mosconi Cup with the players to overcome the stress and the crowd pressure. There's many ways to overcome adversity and pressure and this one, from my competitive experience is the most effective......

Focus your attention on the cue ball, follow it with your eyes and OBSERVE, with no judgment, just "notice" your breathing, feel the temperature of your breath going in and out while you observe the cue ball....this is actually a high form of meditation and will put you into a zone if you do it properly. It will, like anything else, take practice, and patience.

used22.jpg
The Game is the Teacher
 
Life choices, changes & discoveries......

This thread right here is what makes this forum priceless. I just wish there were more priceless threads over the "keep moving, nothing to see here" threads (sadly, most of my threads and posts fall under that category as well). Thanks for the link to Mika Immonens' blog post, another priceless read.

Dopc.

Edit: removed way to much unrelated material
 
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One of the greatest lines I've ever read is in Phil Capelle's book "A mind for Pool":
"You have to forgive yourself".
This line is about losing a match where you didn't perform as you were supposed to, I believe it stands for missing a shot during a game that was supposed to be made.
You can't do anything about it, letting yourself be angry makes it even worse.
You may analyze what went wrong with the shot but it won't work if you just won't let it go.

Another thing about concentration is that you have to prepare yourself before the match, like in pre-shot visualization. You have to "see" yourself being calm-relaxed-concentrated, especially in high pressure matches, before the match. Avoiding any eye contact and keeping your eyes on the table when you are there is good but you have to prepare yourself against anything before.

Some USA members last year at the Mosconi cup did not prepare enough for this, it was obvious.
When you know the type of crowd and and you know that it makes Mosconi cup what it is you have to prepare more about it, you cannot let yourself interact with it.
This is not any kind of judging any players, coach or your team as a whole, they did a fine job doing the best that was possible under tough conditions, just an observation.
Petros
 
woody_968 said:
.... I would go a step farther and say pick a ball and stare at it. Keep staring until it almost begins to get blurry.
Click to expand...

This is what I am trying to overcome now. I have to wait until the balls are not blurry. Bought an eye patch to cover the offending out of alignment eye. Haven't tried it yet.

I found that chewing gum makes a big difference in relaxing. One tournament, I was in a tough match, losing the first two games over 45 minutes. While the opponent was on a bathroom break and I am trying to figure out what is going on, I remember the gum. I end up running the next five racks to win the match.
 
While deep breathing (in through the nose, out through the mouth and using your belly to breath) is effective there is a better way. Learn Deep Muscle Relaxation. It takes four to six weeks to learn well. When it has been learned you can truly calm yourself down in less than 30 seconds. It can be used at any time before or during a match and will promote your best game better than just about anything else that is legal.

Deep muscle relaxation is used by therapists in the treatment of several different problems. It is also an effective technique to use in anyone's life.

You can purchase books and audio tapes that will guide you through the process but it does take some dedication during the time needed to learn to use it. It is like learning to ride a bicycle, once learned you can use it for a life time. The technique is subtle and no one will know you use it as needed.

A reasonably complete description is given at the end of this rather lengthy article kindly republished for me by Dr. Dave. See Below.

http://billiards.colostate.edu/PBReview/Competitive_Anxiety.htm

Here is a quick link to a general description of the procedure. Note that you must do these exercises twice a day for about one month until the muscle relaxation is automatic. I give some practice exercises that are useful for pool players in the article.

http://www.wikihow.com/Perform-Progressive-Muscle-Relaxation

The technique is also known as "Progressive Muscle Relaxation."

The most powerful way to learn these techniques is through the use of bio-feedback and under the guidance of a professional. However the basics, that will change your life are easily learned.

For those who don't know me,
Joe Waldron, Ph.D., psychologist (retired).
 
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I have seen a lot of techniques for "relaxation" during high stress matches,,,."Buggs Rucker" used to use ROBITUSSIN and a couple of 40 oz. malt liquors to get the desired effect.
 
Petros Andrikop said:
One of the greatest lines I've ever read is in Phil Capelle's book "A mind for Pool":
"You have to forgive yourself".
This line is about losing a match where you didn't perform as you were supposed to, I believe it stands for missing a shot during a game that was supposed to be made.
You can't do anything about it, letting yourself be angry makes it even worse.
You may analyze what went wrong with the shot but it won't work if you just won't let it go.
Click to expand...


Even in our daily lives it's good advice for all of us, huh Petros? :)
 
Thank you for sharing, I've always enjoyed watching Mika play, it's nice to be able to pick the Ice man's brain a little.
 
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