slump

deadwhak

deadwhak

whatcha lookin' at???
Silver Member
ive been in such a slump latey i just wanna quit this game...for those of u that play golf..its like having the YIPS!!..im missing ball so badly it just makes me sick and right now there in no cure for it..just wondering if anyone else has gone through this...im goin to cry now.....:=(
 
Getten outta the Slump!

deadwhak said:
ive been in such a slump latey i just wanna quit this game...for those of u that play golf..its like having the YIPS!!..im missing ball so badly it just makes me sick and right now there in no cure for it..just wondering if anyone else has gone through this...im goin to cry now.....:=(
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deadwhak: the "dreaded slump" happens to us all, it comes and goes with me too, sometimes I get to playng too much pool and go into a slump.

What works for me is to just get away from playing pool for a week or so, pool is very stressfull and you need to relax your mind for awhile.

Me living in the country I go fishing, 4 wheeler riding, or maybe go camping for a weekend, when I get back to the "Game" my mind is refreshed!, and I wanna play pool, if you have to force your self to go play pool, your not gonna play well, at least I don't.

Go ketch a movie or something , just take a short break, I think it will do wonders for ya!:)


David Harcrow
 
deadwhak said:
..just wondering if anyone else has gone through this
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Yes. That would be EVERYONE!
Go back to the basics and simplify your practice shots. It's most likely a mental issue you are dealing with. Once you start making shots you will get your confidence back. Slumps are temporary.
 
Bob,

All you need to do is get in the box with me and you will be back in dead punch instantly!

I turn bangers into world beaters in a heartbeat. LOL
(Not that you're a banger. Far from it.)

Stones

(and quit playing Bumpshape. He'll take anyone out of stroke!! LOL
 
Nope, i believe you are the first person to go into a slump in the history of pool. We at az don't believe in missing shots. I would go to the shady side of town and find a slumpbuster, that should fix everything. Ok honestly, simplify your thinking and shots. Play one shot at a time, stay as close to center ball hits as possible, and stay down on your shots. That will be 20 bucks. Good luck.
 
I applaud your "prescription" POCKETWOLF
 

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Been there-----you know the rest

deadwhak said:
ive been in such a slump latey i just wanna quit this game...for those of u that play golf..its like having the YIPS!!..im missing ball so badly it just makes me sick and right now there in no cure for it..just wondering if anyone else has gone through this...im goin to cry now.....:=(
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I know what you mean in a big way Bro.I have struggled with a shank so bad in golf,that I really wanted to cry.Seriously,it was soooo frustrating.But I really do think we go through these funk periods for a reason.It causes us to work harder and realize that we're not superhuman.
However,sometimes it is a good idea to lay off for a while,provided you have a job and don't play for a living.I have benefitted from laying off for a period of time in the past.
Most importantly is this.It's just a game.Keeping that perspective is important for a few reasons.One being that it makes you have more fun when you play.Putting too much pressure on yourself is NEVER fun.....;)
 
Seriously though....

Slumps are often the "self-fulfilling prophecy" - After a missed shot or bungled position leave, we sometime beat ourselves up by "proving" how bad we "think" we are. Some people play through it, some quit playing for a while to cool off.

I took last year off from league play. I said I wouldn't miss it, but I did! Sometimes you can only appreciate something from a distance. So I came back this year with a different team, a different philosophy, moved up a division...and finished first place!
 
pooltableproCP said:
Slumps are often the "self-fulfilling prophecy" - After a missed shot or bungled position leave, we sometime beat ourselves up by "proving" how bad we "think" we are. Some people play through it, some quit playing for a while to cool off.

I took last year off from league play. I said I wouldn't miss it, but I did! Sometimes you can only appreciate something from a distance. So I came back this year with a different team, a different philosophy, moved up a division...and finished first place!
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Touche,my friend......touche.
 
POCKETWOLF said:
Nope, i believe you are the first person to go into a slump in the history of pool. We at az don't believe in missing shots. I would go to the shady side of town and find a slumpbuster, that should fix everything. Ok honestly, simplify your thinking and shots. Play one shot at a time, stay as close to center ball hits as possible, and stay down on your shots. That will be 20 bucks. Good luck.
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does that mean i have to go find a fat girl to get out of slump...heard that term in past for that reason..(guess coincidence?)
 
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POCKETWOLF said:
Nope, i believe you are the first person to go into a slump in the history of pool. We at az don't believe in missing shots. I would go to the shady side of town and find a slumpbuster, that should fix everything.Hey - It worked for me! Ok honestly, simplify your thinking and shots. Play one shot at a time, stay as close to center ball hits as possible, and stay down on your shots. That will be 20 bucks. Good luck.
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TOO MUCH INFORMATION POCKETWOLF!!!!
 
Stones said:
Bob,

All you need to do is get in the box with me and you will be back in dead punch instantly!

I turn bangers into world beaters in a heartbeat. LOL
(Not that you're a banger. Far from it.)

Stones

(and quit playing Bumpshape. He'll take anyone out of stroke!! LOL
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now that i think about it..it started with him and that straight pool session that bastard!!!!
 
As others have noted, we all go through slumps...amateurs and pros alike. Without knowing your speed or error tendancies, it's hard to recommend a "cure" but here's what I do.

I have a set of "swing thoughts" that I think are crucial (FOR ME...others will have different ones).

Among them are:

1. SLOW back stroke...like an archer pulling back on the bow.
2. FULL back to a definite PAUSE on final back stroke.
3. SMOOOOTHLY accelerating forward stroke. HUGE KEY!!!
4. Definite eye pattern.
5. Light (actually zero) applied butt grip pressure.

OK, then I set up TOTALLY EASY shots...I take missing ENTIRELY OUT OF THE EQUATION and concentrate on my "check list" of key stroke mechanics.

The only shot precision I go for is CB management such as stop shots and playing for different CB roll distances...but MAKING THE SHOT is a non-issue.

I will shoot ONE HUNDRED such shots...no fair getting bored and quitting at 50 to get back to running racks. And BORED you will be but you need to decide which you hate worse...a half hour of boredom or being out of stroke.

And I mean EASY shots...with the ob a diamond from the pocket.


Finally, run the 3 ball run out drill AT LEAST 10 times....You should succeed at least 8 times but be sure not to quit until you have succeeded 3 times in a row...i.e. if you fail on run #8, you'll have to play 3 more etc.

THEN QUIT!!!!! That is IMPORTANT. You will have completed a 45 minute to an hour session and will have made practically every shot...so QUIT.

Then, next session, start out just as before but shoot only 20 EASY shots...attempting precision only with the CB and then have at it.

Your confidence should be restored and you will have you crucial stroke mechanics back.

Try it and let me know what you think.

Best,
Jim
 
Generally my journey into a slump goes something like this: I'll have a bad day where I start off missing shots I usually make. I'll try to identify some problem in my form to "fix" my game, and when I think I'm making shots with more accuracy I'll try to retain whatever the "fix" appeared to be.

This whole process is constructive and can allow me to fine-tune my technique. However, sometimes I find myself focusing so much on whatever the "fix" may be, that I begin neglecting other parts of my (physical) game.

Nowadays I've learned to curbe this pattern by reminding myself that form follows function. If I get to the table and feel that I'm playing crappy, I go waay back to just making sure I'm standing still and the cue is traveling in a smooth and lever plane. I ignore my mechanics and how I'm accomplishing this, I just focus on the relatively simple task at hand: I know approximately where to hit the cueball, so I just make sure the cue goes smoothly through that point.

If I focus on delivering the cue through the cueball with a smooth, level, controlled stroke, I find my technique falls in place around this goal, and I don't get bogged down by distracting details of my own game.
 
I agree with the majority, when I get like this I liimit my time at the table to one hour at a time.. I will play for an hour, relax for an hour or two, then play another hour then quit for the day....I do this for a week, and most often by the end of the week Im actualy playing better than before the slump...

It is all in what you practice, and how you do it... otherwise at times you could go on for weeks in a terrible slump..

SPINDOKTOR
 
I won't slump where I can't make a ball, I will slump where I don't run out a rack I think I should have.....nah I got nothin.
 
I find that I usually go into a 1 to 3 week slump when my mind has learned something new that it's trying to teach my body. 9 times out of 10, I come out of them shooting better then I did before the slump.

As others have said, focus on the basics, work on easier shots during practice, and keep shooting. Believe that it will end and don't let yourself drown in despair.
 
I feel your pain, my game has been slumping for months but I know why because it has happened before. My slump has been brought on by outside concerns eating on my mind, once I fix (or try to fix) those things my game will be back. If my focus is not on my game it just ain't as good, I get the "I don't give a ****" attitude and it shows.

It will go away! I guarantee it.
 
Baseball hitters have slumps. Golfers have slumps. Quarterbacks have slumps. And yes, poolplayers have slumps. The one thing they all have in common is how they deal with it. As we advance in the game, we tend to learn more and more. Obviously, that is a good thing. But we need to be careful not to forget the things we truely need. When I am struggling with my game, I go right back to the fundamentals. Is my bridge solid? Is my stroke smooth and straight? Do I do the same things the same way every time? Are my personal eye patterns solid?
All the fancy stuff we learn is great, but if we slip in our fundamentals, we stop moving forward. Remember that basic goal of the game...move the cue forward in a straight line to propel the cue ball to the correct aiming point. The only two ways to miss a shot...poor stroke mechanics, or aiming at the wrong spot.
Back to the basics in your practice sessions will get you over a slump quicker than anything.
Steve
 
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