Slump problems............

the6ballkid

the6ballkid

H8-2-LOSE
Silver Member
i am sure that someone out there can help with advice or something.........anything would be appreciated..............

i have gotten to a point where my game has dissapeared........im not talking about a speed bump or a trip and fall......it packed up and left town. an the funny thing is that in the past two weeks, Zeus would need the eight.....but one day it just fell off...........i know my concentration is not helping, but i feel it may be something else.....my buddy told me to just take a break for a while (he quit playing for about a year).........but taking a break seems like a cop-out....getting away from the game delay's your problems not dealing with them..................Any one have any advice or experience..........??

thanks

" da-6 "
 
Try just throwing 15 balls up on the table and start shooting them in not worrying about making them or not. Concentrate on feeling the stroke. Look at all your fundamentals to see if they seem to be sound such as stance, line to the shot, grip, bridge and if any other part of your body moves when you shoot a shot. Good luck!
 
If you are either physically or mentally drained, time off may be just what you need. Still, I'm of the opinion that neither explains the typical slump.

Usually,an extended slump is due to one or more of the following:

a) a lack of commitment in planning your shots, poor shot conceptualization
b) a lack of commitment to executing the shot you've selected
c) a breakdown in stroke fundamentals and mechanics
d) failure to stick to your pre shot routine
e) poor equipment and or playing conditions

The simplest way to work it out is to take a lesson to find out which of these problem(s) you have and to gain insight into overcoming problem(s) identified. As you suggest, most of the time, taking time off merely delays solving your problems.

Good luck.
 
the6ballkid said:
i am sure that someone out there can help with advice or something.........anything would be appreciated..............

i have gotten to a point where my game has dissapeared........im not talking about a speed bump or a trip and fall......it packed up and left town. an the funny thing is that in the past two weeks, Zeus would need the eight.....but one day it just fell off...........i know my concentration is not helping, but i feel it may be something else.....my buddy told me to just take a break for a while (he quit playing for about a year).........but taking a break seems like a cop-out....getting away from the game delay's your problems not dealing with them..................Any one have any advice or experience..........??

thanks

" da-6 "
Click to expand...

I do have adiise. Hardcore advise - SWEAT AND PAIN - You need to RUN RUN RUN! Go to a GYM swim ...anything ... get SWEATING HARD for 30 minutes at leastl Stay awy from booze, smoking and "TRASHY FOOD" - Carrot Juicek RUN RUN RUNL
When I'mdown - is soley due to my mind<->body connectionl. We need that sweat to put our referenced into perspective. WORK HARD LABOR - LIFT HEAY THINGS FOR PEOPLE - SCRAPE THE ROADS, DIG TRENCHES ....

Fresh green veggies - fresh fruits ...
The payback is HUGE - You'll be 'deslumped' in no time.

No drugs, no beer - just SWEAT
 
the6ballkid said:
i am sure that someone out there can help with advice or something.........anything would be appreciated..............

i have gotten to a point where my game has dissapeared........im not talking about a speed bump or a trip and fall......it packed up and left town. an the funny thing is that in the past two weeks, Zeus would need the eight.....but one day it just fell off...........i know my concentration is not helping, but i feel it may be something else.....my buddy told me to just take a break for a while (he quit playing for about a year).........but taking a break seems like a cop-out....getting away from the game delay's your problems not dealing with them..................Any one have any advice or experience..........??

thanks

" da-6 "
Click to expand...

you said "in the past two weeks, zues would need the 8" well, thats good. how were you playing before the two weeks? were you playing pretty close to how you are now?

a few things could have happened. sjm has a good list up there. and its almost ALWAYS something with your mechanics. you've changed something. something in your stroke or your pre-shot routine. you're probably playing "lazy pool" getting down on the shot and assuming you have the correct aim and firing away.

focus on your fundamentals.

also.........you could have a common case of thinking your BEST game is your REGULAR game. alot of people will play at a certain speed, then for a night, a few days, or maybe even a couple weeks, they will play WAY over their head. now that person thinks thats their real speed when its not.

its probably a combination of the two, you played real well for the past few weeks. so........you got a little over confident, which can lead to lazy pool.........coupled with the fact that you've seen yourself play better, which creates a very screwed up state of mind if you're not careful.

take a few days off, a week even (none of that whole year shit) then start back focused on your fundamentals........when you're focused on that the balls will start falling again.

VAP
 
my story

believe me when i say that i have been there. i feel like it hits me WAY worse than anyone else and i struggle harder than others. i am just coming out of a pretty bad slump. lasted close to 2 months. i know that CONFIDENCE had a big part of my sump. i just wasnt stroking through each shot. before, every shot felt smooth and natural and i would always get shape, but while i was in the slump, EVERY shot was tough to make, and getting shape was SOOO much of a burden.

how i got out of the slump:

Go over fundamentals! I read capelle's chapter on fundamentals OVER AND OVER everyday. loosen your grip, let your stroke loose. and remember to follow through. when you are not confident, your grip tightens and you poke at the shots. I also started shooting a tad bit harder and faster, this helped me get used to hitting balls again with confidence. throw some balls around and just start firing them in.

i wouldnt take a break if i were you. you have to play through the slump. that way when you get over it, you will see improvement!!

i almost went insane in the last 2 months. i was getting VERY frustrated and angry. but i just kept playing and trying to work out the kinks.



the6ballkid said:
i am sure that someone out there can help with advice or something.........anything would be appreciated..............

i have gotten to a point where my game has dissapeared........im not talking about a speed bump or a trip and fall......it packed up and left town. an the funny thing is that in the past two weeks, Zeus would need the eight.....but one day it just fell off...........i know my concentration is not helping, but i feel it may be something else.....my buddy told me to just take a break for a while (he quit playing for about a year).........but taking a break seems like a cop-out....getting away from the game delay's your problems not dealing with them..................Any one have any advice or experience..........??

thanks

" da-6 "
Click to expand...
 
DeadStrokeMan said:
I do have adiise. Hardcore advise - SWEAT AND PAIN - You need to RUN RUN RUN! Go to a GYM swim ...anything ... get SWEATING HARD for 30 minutes at leastl Stay awy from booze, smoking and "TRASHY FOOD" - Carrot Juicek RUN RUN RUNL
When I'mdown - is soley due to my mind<->body connectionl. We need that sweat to put our referenced into perspective. WORK HARD LABOR - LIFT HEAY THINGS FOR PEOPLE - SCRAPE THE ROADS, DIG TRENCHES ....

Fresh green veggies - fresh fruits ...
The payback is HUGE - You'll be 'deslumped' in no time.

No drugs, no beer - just SWEAT
Click to expand...

Pity the man who rarely does hard labor.

Great idea.

Jeff Livingston
 
In nature, we have seasons. Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall.

And so it is with pool. Summer will be here soon (but there will be another winter after that).

Last night I saw the *best* player in my area go two and out at a tournament. He is the best, but he does not always win.
 
da-6:

I have also experienced what you've described: a major slump that occurs right after a period of time when you're shooting exceptionally good pool (or as you describe it so eloquently "Zeus would need the eight" from you). When this has happened to me, I've discovered that the slump was a precursor to an overall improvement in my game. In other words after I shot through the slump, elements of my game that I'd been trying to improve upon would come together, everything would just click, and bam!--I was suddenly and permanently a ball better than before.

I went through the first of these slumps when I was shooting pool in San Diego. An exceptionally good player there (whom I will not name to preserve his action) told me that when he was on the cusp of improving that's what would happen to him. He'd be playing particularly well for a short while, above and beyond his normal game, and then suddenly hit a slump. But he'd continue to shoot through it, not spending any more or less time on the tables than he had been spending, and after another short while, he would emerge from the slump a better overall player, kind of like the phoenix from the ashes.

So he gave me this advice: just keep shooting; the slump's a good sign. I suppose the real question is what causes the slump. In retrospect, I think it might go something like this: First off, you figure out how to do something new, let's say hypothetically--how to use inside english; so now, armed with this new ability, your position play improves, you're running out more often, and you think your game has improved. But then because you've been trying hard incorporate this new knowledge into your overall game (to make it a permanent addition to your arsenal), it starts bleeding into the rest of your game. You start overanalyzing your other shots, the ones that you've always been able to do, because you're confusing yourself with all the nuances of how to execute inside english shots because that's what your brain's been spending a lot of effort trying to perfect. Your brain makes you second guess yourself on the shots that don't require inside english at all. These mixed messages are confusing enough to make you start missing those shots that you could always make. And there's your slump. If you keep at it though, eventually, your brain will successfully integrate the new knowledge into your game in relation to everything else; the rest of your game will return to normal, and you'll have a new weapon.

Anyhow, that's just my thought on what might be going on with your game.
Sometimes though, a slump is just a slump.
Regardless of what it may be, good luck getting your game back on track.


sdtonyc
 
I agree 100% with sdtonyc on this. This has happened to me recently actually. I was really playing excellent and then went into a bit of a slump. I continued exactly as I had been and didn't try too hard to make any adjustments (I really didn't know what to adjust). I'm coming out of the slump playing better than ever. The slump only lasted about a week or maybe two, but I do play every day.

-shiny
 
Getting better...

A few thoughts.... If you spend the majority of your practice time just pocketing random balls you are wasting your time. Structured drill practice is the only way to go. If you spend alot of time playing recreational games with friends that present no challenge you are wasting your time.

Also be realistic about the true quality of your game. I have fallen victim to dillusions of grandure about my own game. If you are serious about getting better quit your job, break up with your girlfriend and practice drills with the cue ball, one object ball and one 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper.

Hope this helps,
Marcus
 
mnorwood said:
A few thoughts.... If you spend the majority of your practice time just pocketing random balls you are wasting your time. Structured drill practice is the only way to go. If you spend alot of time playing recreational games with friends that present no challenge you are wasting your time.

Also be realistic about the true quality of your game. I have fallen victim to dillusions of grandure about my own game. If you are serious about getting better quit your job, break up with your girlfriend and practice drills with the cue ball, one object ball and one 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper.

Hope this helps,
Marcus
Click to expand...

Structured drills and practice are good only to a point. During practice, we must be able to create and environment that mimics actual competition. That way, we can experience thoughts, emotions and reactions just as we would in competition.I believe that most of the time players don't think about their mental game until its too late. The mind and body must work together. Drills will nly take care of the physical, not much of the mental.
 
I Myself went through 1 or 2 slumps in the past yr, just got into a funk, and couldnt figure out what was going on. So i took a break from shooting pool. I think the first break was about two weeks long, but it felt good :) the second time was from about mid-December and lasted about a month.

And both times i have come back with more confidence and a re-charged passion for the game. Now obviously i was probably getting burned out on shooting pool since i was playing almost everyday. But taking a couple days off is always a nice time to let your brain and body just re-charge.


dave
 
thanks to everyone

just wanted to say thanks to everyone for all their help...........just relaxing a llitle......matter of fact..............i might even hit the beach mfor a little while..............

thanks again to all............

" da-6 "
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top