Self image

[jcpoolgod]

Its been a while since i have been on...maybe im playing more pool....well im glad that im actually improving....i went from being the middle of the pack to in the running for the ttop five.....

But anyway....there is a player who i feel is better than me..and he is in my head...so every time weve matched up i lose...even when i have multiple chances....

How do you get over this vision of yourself. Maybe im a much better player than i was.....

Maybe this player is better than my former image of my self....I just need a little help on this topic...

 

[deadnutz]

This is an easy one....... Play the table not your opponent. Forget who is sitting in the chair watching you shoot! When your at the table, your in control of the game. What you do with that is entirely up to you. Once you break the ice and beat him once......the mental tables might turn depending on how focused he is. If you keep reminding yourself he's gotten the better of you in the past.....he will continue to.

 

[DelaWho???]

Its been a while since i have been on...maybe im playing more pool....well im glad that im actually improving....i went from being the middle of the pack to in the running for the ttop five.....

But anyway....there is a player who i feel is better than me..and he is in my head...so every time weve matched up i lose...even when i have multiple chances....

How do you get over this vision of yourself. Maybe im a much better player than i was.....

Maybe this player is better than my former image of my self....I just need a little help on this topic...

Even if he is better than you, it doesn't mean you cannot win. Know your ability and use it to your best advantage. You play these people all the time, you should be able to see weak areas and exploit them. Wits can overcome skill.

 

[jackiestax]

Sigmund Freud to the rescue

your friend is the dominant male in this relationship, he's the alpha, in the words of Sigmund Freud himself, yo his bioatch.

 

[lfigueroa]

Its been a while since i have been on...maybe im playing more pool....well im glad that im actually improving....i went from being the middle of the pack to in the running for the ttop five.....

But anyway....there is a player who i feel is better than me..and he is in my head...so every time weve matched up i lose...even when i have multiple chances....

How do you get over this vision of yourself. Maybe im a much better player than i was.....

Maybe this player is better than my former image of my self....I just need a little help on this topic...

This may not be what you want to hear, but it is possible that he is still the better player.

Currently I am regularly playing a gentleman that I hadn't played in many years. Back then we would play and I felt, in my mind, I was supposed to beat him. I never did. So flash forward a few years and he comes out of the woodwork and we take up where we left off. But, during those years, I have become a much better 1pocket player. And so we play and now I consistently win, but he won't quit because, I believe, in his head he thinks he's still the better player. I'm sure he goes away thinking that it is just a mental thing.

But here's the thing: what I see as our matches play out, is that he does, often, have an opportunity to win. I am not any Efren Reyes, and so I screw up and do give him opportunities. But he can't always cash in on them because he misses, just like we all do and I can see on his face that he is blaming himself for losing and not attributing my winning to anything I am doing.

So what I've learned over the years is that amateurs like us always screw up and always give the other guy all kinds of shots. Of course the flip side is that amateurs like us, a lot of times, miss the straight ins or the shots that we think we're supposed to make, just because we've made them sometime in the past. And these misses are what separates us from the pros. And what separates one amateur from another is just how often they miss the easy ones or what they think are easy shots.

So maybe it's mental... but then again, you've come far up the ladder, maybe you still have a little ways to go.

Lou Figueroa

 

[DallasHopps]

You've learned to lose to him. Just like the odds of missing a shot go up if you go into it thinking you'll miss. Mix up how you play him... If you normally play balls-out, try playing safe more. If you're normally conservative, maybe let it hang out a little. Just change your routine enough to get off of autopilot. The first time you win and realize it can be done, if there's a mental block and not a skill deficiency, you'll be able to shake your learned failure. It's worked for me with a couple guys... well, that and a good bit of table time. Good luck!

 

[Black-Balled]

Sometimes you're the hammer, sometimes the nail.

He's nailin you.

 

[JoeW]

You do not have to tell him or anyone else you are doing this but it will help in several ways. Look for his mistakes. Find his problems with fundamentals, pocketing, and positional play. Then look at how he gets along with others. Look for the problems he has that he is not aware of. Now you have humanized him and know that he can be beaten. BTW, you can also use his pool playing weaknesses against him and know that you have tools to use that will help you win.

If you review any major pro player you will see that among the best of them they have about one in four wins at major tournaments. They may place in the top ten often but they place fourth through tenth far more often than you might think. This means that any player can be beaten on any given day.

Of course you have to play the table but you also have to play against your opponent’s weaknesses. How often have you lost to some guy you should have beaten because he got the rolls and maybe played against your weaknesses?

 

[peteypooldude]

Its been a while since i have been on...maybe im playing more pool....well im glad that im actually improving....i went from being the middle of the pack to in the running for the ttop five.....

But anyway....there is a player who i feel is better than me..and he is in my head...so every time weve matched up i lose...even when i have multiple chances....

How do you get over this vision of yourself. Maybe im a much better player than i was.....

Maybe this player is better than my former image of my self....I just need a little help on this topic...

You have got to play the GAME not the player

 

[michael4]

Assuming you and he have similar ability, you should be winning at least some of the time.

If you have a mental block against him, you're probably not "playing to win", but rather "playing not to lose", which is a lack of confidence issue.

Do you play him better in "practice" situations? If so, another sign.

Try NOT caring who wins, just go for your best game, swing for the fences, make the goal be to play great, win or lose.

 

[peteypooldude]

Nah. I play better when I want to beat the person.

Maybe YOU have to play the game, don't presume to know what the OP or I need to do.

dld

As for the op....He was looking for opinions (hence...... Thread question)
and as far as you go I could give a rats a$$ less what you think about,
you werent looking for opinions.Go get you another cup of coffee and try not
to be such an a$$ iiIii

 

[elvicash]

Nah. I play better when I want to beat the person.

Maybe YOU have to play the game, don't presume to know what the OP or I need to do.

dld

Why do you act like this. Offer the OP something helpful if you got something to add but dont attack others for no reason

On this thread play the game one ball at a time you against the table pay attention to how innings end for you and your opponent. Did it end usually on a miss or did you return the table intentionally. Score your match on paper with notes to yourself it might open your eyes about what really happened

 

[Bambu]

Its always easy to give good advice, but harder to actually use it. (I'm one of those guys.) When youre up there against a guy who you know has your number....youre done because you play scared. All you can do is keep trying, and eventually it wont be such a big deal anymore. You will have lost so many times, you dont even care so much anymore. One day the pressure fades, and you play your game with confidence. Soon you start walking out knowing you played well, win or lose.

 

[Matt_24]

You just have to keep battling him. He's human. He bleeds like you do. He makes mistakes like you do. Play your game and torture him. Remember, this is war. Kill or be killed. Quit giving up and feeling sorry for yourself. I want you to battle this guy every time you go in the pool room. I want this guy to dread seeing you coming.....You keep playing him until he can't beat you anymore..

You know...that kind of thing.

 

[ShootingArts]

become the pace maker

Its been a while since i have been on...maybe im playing more pool....well im glad that im actually improving....i went from being the middle of the pack to in the running for the ttop five.....

But anyway....there is a player who i feel is better than me..and he is in my head...so every time weve matched up i lose...even when i have multiple chances....

How do you get over this vision of yourself. Maybe im a much better player than i was.....

Maybe this player is better than my former image of my self....I just need a little help on this topic...

Something that has always worked for me is a shift in perception. Instead of thinking I have to beat someone or a small group of competitors I think I have to play 90-95% of my very best, everybody else has to try to beat that.

You are no longer chasing anyone else's game but there is a subtle difference between this and playing the table. You are playing yourself and you also have the mental image of everyone else having to match your standard. Possibly a little egotistical and self-centered but all winners are to some degree. You don't have to talk about these things, just think them. One warning, while you don't have to talk about these things, don't say things that contradict these thoughts either. Speaking and hearing are two very strong ways of learning and it is very possible to "learn" things we don't want to!

Hu