Should I just Quit Playing ?

[gerard soriano]

Thanks for all the feedback!

 

[danny turner]

should i quit

sounds like the only problem your having is thinking while you are shooting.all you need to do is do all your thinking while standing. then just shoot the shot,if you begin to think while down on the shot,stand back up and restart the prosess

 

[donuteric]

I play pretty good I would say B+ or A . I have ran over 100 7 times so I can shoot.My problem is as soon as i get in any type of tournament I second guess myself so much I play like a D- .I know its all in my head . I dont know what I can do.
Any Advise Please Help

I know this is unorthodox, but would you mind entering some local tournament and just shoot your way out of it? No safeties unless it's utterly obvious to play one, and with the expectation to lose the tournament, loosen up yourself and ease up a bit with the whole decision making process. You reward yourself with a get-out-of-jail free card to just shoot most of them that come your way. Screws the spectators, just shoot. While many of your actions can raise questions from your opponent and the people who might be watching you, screw them. You realize you're a good player, you DON'T need to further prove that point to other people. Trust me, your friends and people that regularly watch you play already acknowledged your skill set.

I posted this a week ago (http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=230614), and somebody asked me to try it out. I did, and my arm was very loose throughout the tournament, and I finished money. Now the task is to remember emotionally what happened during the tournament and find the balance point between offensive and defensive choice making to not ruin the emotional balance.

If you decide to do so, let us know how you perform.

 

[Kickin' Chicken]

Never quit because you feel that you're not good at something.

Terry;

Are you free this Friday night?

You've given me hope and reason to enter our local Karaoke contest.

Wanna come listen to me? :thumbup:

Best,
Brian kc <-----and possibly the Sunshine Band...

 

[inside_english]

I play pretty good I would say B+ or A . I have ran over 100 7 times so I can shoot.My problem is as soon as i get in any type of tournament I second guess myself so much I play like a D- .I know its all in my head . I dont know what I can do.
Any Advise Please Help

You should never quit playing.

Life is too damned short.

Play until you can't anymore.

 

[inside_english]

I play pretty good I would say B+ or A . I have ran over 100 7 times so I can shoot.My problem is as soon as i get in any type of tournament I second guess myself so much I play like a D- .I know its all in my head . I dont know what I can do.
Any Advise Please Help

To directly answer your question...you are probably in the top 20% of pool players nationwide with your skill level.

Perhaps you're just not a tournament player.

It really could be that simple.

 

[duckie]

I have competed at many different things, successfully. The key for me is to have a bit of an ego and let everything and everybody else form around me. Your task is to play 90%-95% of your best game. Anybody that wants to win has to beat that benchmark. Since you are playing against yourself it really doesn't matter who you are playing or what they do. This isn't to say don't attack another player's weaknesses but don't care who others think is supposed to win. Play to your expectations and that should be good enough. If somebody else has a better day, so be it. They may beat you but don't beat yourself because you are concerned about what other people think.

Do focus on what you will do. Be careful how you mentally phrase what you are going to do while you are standing up too. "Seven in the side, hit the rail there, there, and there, to come back to the eight is far stronger than seven in the side, don't scratch, get shape on the eight. I often trace the path of the cue ball with my eyes all the way to the stopping point before shooting. Get in the habit of phrasing everything in positive terms all of the time too. Don't focus on what you don't want to do or you will do exactly what you are focusing on not doing.

To repeat the main point, focus on playing your game to your potential. Measure yourself only against the yardstick of the performance you should be able to deliver. Not winning or losing or where you should place in an event but just the level of skill you should demonstrate on the table. Play very close to your best game on demand and you put the pressure right where you want it, on the other player.

Hu

This should be a sticky.

Thanks for sharing this. This is what I consider the heart of pool.