Shaking your head and sighing when you miss position

[walrus_3d]

Some overreactions I've benefitted or lost from

League matches are a great place for overreactions. Here's a couple:

My opponent plays a safety, and because he's playing a safety, I don't even think to look if I have a shot at the next ball, I immediately start lining up the kick as I walk to the table. He looks at the line, and exclaims that he left me straight in on the ball. Sure enough, I'm straight in! If he hadn't said anything, I'd have kicked at it and at least left him another shot if not ball in hand.

My teammate, playing 8 ball, is on his last ball before the 8, 8's three inches from the side pocket on the center string. He plays for shape to get straight in on the 8, and misses his spot by six inches on an otherwise open table. Visualize this. It's a 30 degree cut in the side. He misses an easy shot on the 8 because he's still upset that he "missed his position". Talking to him afterwards, I realize that he was still visualizing the shot from the place he'd intended to be shooting from rather than the spot he was actually shooting from.

I'm playing a length-of-table shot straight into the corner, hit it too hard, object ball rattles out. I cuss, very much loudly, turn around, and slam my cue into the cue holder. Pause for effect. My opponent says "nice shot", 'cause the ball rolled into the opposite corner. I ended up rattling myself and giving away the rest of the match.

Reactions are fine, just not overreactions. You can't allow yourself to give your opponent more information or more confidence, and you can't give yourself a reason to doubt that you can come back from a mistake.


Another thing I've noticed from league pool is that the higher your skill level, the lower your margin of error for overreacting. Low-range players complain about missing shots. Mid-range players complain about hooking themselves or failing to hook their opponents. High-range players complain about missing the quarter inch they were trying to leave for. It takes all kinds.

 

[whitewolf]

Hey Psychobabble,

This is true of anything. When things happen, good or bad, you should show no emotion--least of all, negative emotion. When you show negative emotion, your opponent (or coworkers, or boss, or client, or spouse...) sees weakness.

I have worked for many years to force myself to either show nothing or to laugh when I do something wrong. It has served me well. Like a few weeks ago at league, I missed position for my break-out and heard everybody on both teams (except for my buddy) exclaim in either joy or despair. I had a tougher shot, but didn't drop my shoulders, scowl, curse or anything. I just made the tougher shot. The shot left me a hard out, which, again, I could have gotten upset about. The fact that I didn't let myself go through the rollercoaster of emotions on missing my shape or making the shot gave me the steady mental state to finish the rack in great form.

I will admit that I shook the guy's hand and turned to my buddy and grinned afterward.

But seriously, enough with the freshman psychology book.

dld

Well Mr. advance psychology major, how do you explain how Earl played so well? Mika Immonen gets over excited, as did Mike Sigel.

"I had a tougher shot, but didn't drop my shoulders, scowl, curse or anything. I just made the tougher shot." Well, aren't you something.

 

[Cdryden]

I have noticed that an amazingly large percentage of players will do something along the lines of shaking their head when they get out of line. It could come along with a sigh, grunt, or other visible frustration. Even some professionals are guilty of doing this.

A wise piece of advice: When you get out of line, you must not allow ANY negative thoughts to enter your mind. Do not allow yourself to commit any sort of head shaking.

You must release the last shot from your memory. Simply get down and shoot the next ball. If you do not do this, your chances of making the next shot decrease as a direct result from the negativity that is creeping into your mind.

This is an extremely important topic, and will raise your playing level instantly once you learn to control it.

Good advice. I didn't read all the replies so this may have already been said but, I think, when you shake your head in disgust or moan and groan you give your opponent some added confidence and that is something that nobody wants.

Keeping a even keel on your emotions will also help you with what I call the hic-ups. Have you ever made a really great shot and amaze everybody including yourself only to miss the next shot that's a hanger? If you had a better hold on your emotions you might not have missed it.

Getting too happy or too mad raises your adrenalin levels and makes your muscles tense up which can ruin your stroke.

 

[Island Drive]

Though what you say is true, I was actually talking about when they are still at the table, always clucking about over running, or coming up short on position. It's like they (we) have this need to let you know they didn't really mean to play position that way.

Lou Figueroa

To overcome this attribute during match play, I've walked away somewhat, turned my back on my opponent while they are shooting/clucking. As we know chickens, are birds and "birds spend there life time watching" (I've had em for 35 yrs and still do) this type of player allot of times is watching to see the pain your going thru dealing with their ''clucking''. I love that expression CLUCKING :thumbup:, and by walking away it bugs em and distracts em'....try it some time, results are pretty amazing.

 

[Houstoer]

I have noticed that an amazingly large percentage of players will do something along the lines of shaking their head when they get out of line. It could come along with a sigh, grunt, or other visible frustration. Even some professionals are guilty of doing this.

A wise piece of advice: When you get out of line, you must not allow ANY negative thoughts to enter your mind. Do not allow yourself to commit any sort of head shaking.

You must release the last shot from your memory. Simply get down and shoot the next ball. If you do not do this, your chances of making the next shot decrease as a direct result from the negativity that is creeping into your mind.

This is an extremely important topic, and will raise your playing level instantly once you learn to control it.

I normally shake my head up and down and smile; really keeps them guessing what I'm up to !