Slumps: Myth or Reality?

peteypooldude said:
Joe I don't really consider life's trials and tribulations a slump. I may be wrong but I myself see that for what it is. If you go out to play and you know they are cutting your lights out in the morning, then it would be more of a reason such as a crooked stroke than a mystical "slump". I think if you recognize and not depend on blocking it out , I truly believe your better off to know your not likely to have your"a" game with you than you r to label it like a disease. I know you have credentials and respect that
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I don't think that you have to label it. It is just a sign, like the 3/4 empty pointer on your gas gauge. When you see it, do somethng about it. Usually there is no need to accept the slump if you deal with it rather than have a bad attitude.

Men, in general are good at ignoring their own problems, pull up your socks and all that. It is better to identify the problem and deal with it rationally than to have a bad attitude, lack of concentration or whatever.

When playing pool we say that if your girlfriend is flirting with a guy at the bar, deal with it and get back to what is important, playing pool :wink:
 
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JoeW said:
I don't think that you have to label it. It is just a sign, like the 3/4 empty pointer on your gas gauge. When you see it, do somethng about it. Usually there is no need to accept the slump if you deal with it rather than have a bad attitude.

Men, in general are good at ignoring their own problems, pull up your socks and all that. It is better to identify the problem and deal with it rationally than to have a bad attitude, lack of concentration or whatever.

When playing pool we say that if your girlfriend is flirting with a guy at the bar, deal with it and get back to what is important, playing pool :wink:
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I find out through my more than 30 years missing with pool, is your style of play that cause some to slump, if you are fast player use to go down and shoot you will slump, much more than a player that used to focus and only fire the shot when he or she finds that sweet aim spot, regardless of what goes in their mind, and if the do not find it, they get up and adjust, stroke then only effect speed of the shot.
 
PGHteacher said:
This could be the cause very easily, unfamiliar surroundings are very unnerving for some. Give yourself some time.


I think Bob Jewett's whole point is that since it is impossible to measure it can't be real. I might be wrong but I think the "slumpometer" is something for you to say to yourself "ok that's absurd" so as to "snap you out of it".
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Again, thanks to all of you who have continued to contribute.

LOL PGH, I know that the "slumpometer" is fictional but it would be quite interesting to actually put numbers to it and see the outcomes.

Joe W. also points out that it could be a concentration factor. Possibly so. I am still trying to adjust to the DC area. Always uncomfortable wherever I go.

What I can allude to is that insomnia is not helping lol.

CreeDo: Yes. I miss being in GA. That one you have nailed and you've become a really close and good friend up here.

What's amazing is that CreeDo and I played a little this weekend and I seem to be working my way out of it (or at least I think I am). Though I'm not really sure what my "A" game is supposed to look like, most of everything I did at the table seemed to work well.

Following up, On Sunday,I went back to the same place CreeDo and I played at Saturday. Several times there has been a local BCA instructor there giving lessons or just playing around himself.

I generally just get a table and play by myself and stay to myself but never object to anyone who comes over and asks me to play. This guy is one who will continue to beat them around by himself for a while, then he will come over and ask to play.

We started off with 10 ball, went to 9 ball, and from there to 8 ball. I keyed in on something interesting. Playing the rotation games, I seemed to be playing pretty decent. When it came time for 8 ball, that's when I saw a difference.

Evidently, I have become too tentative when it comes to shooting. Way too soft for some of the positions. While trying to come out of this tentativeness, I get a little aggressive and over cook some positions and end with more difficult or longer shots than what should be acceptable. Add to that it also appears that I have "forgotten" how to properly read the patterns.

Now, ironically, CreeDo and I also played some 8 ball. CreeDo is a stronger player than I am but I seemed to hold my own against him.

So perhaps this slump is self induced and a prophecy that is self fulfilling. I do not know with all certainty whether it is or it isn't but tonight I will put it to the test again when I play TAP 8 ball tonight and see what happens. What I do know with all absolute certainty is that I have dropped a skill level in TAP again and my winning percentage is hovering around the 45% mark which I find unacceptable.

So, could it actually come down to me expecting to perform at a competent level that has put this pressure on me to succeed? Yet I fail because I've simply added an unnecessary pressure from just trying to get things right?
 
Neil said:
I do believe "slumps" exist. I also believe they are caused by one or both of two things. 1. Mental attitude- usually, if your mental attitude is in the dumps, your game will be also. 2. You have unknowingly changed something. Usually, that something actually is nothing more than laziness. You aren't doing something you should be doing, such as approaching the shot correctly to get the correct sight picture. You don't feel good about the shot, but shoot anyways (too lazy to get up and fix it), and then blame it on a slump instead of putting the blame where it really belongs. On your own lazy self. You can't ever take a shot for granted. You want the shots to flow, but at the same time you have to pay attention to what you are actually doing.

SOMETHING has changed to cause the slump. You have to work to find it, and then work to fix it. If you have a very solid preshot routine, you will seldom if ever find yourself in a slump.
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Good post, Neil. I'm in a "slump" right now. I'm reading some books and trying to get back to fundamentals. Been there before and it always gets better. :-)
 
naji said:
Not sure if you are one pocket player or not. Slump in one pocket does not involve pocketing balls, it is a change in one's state of mind and thinking, and making very bad costly decisions in one pocket. Patience and endurance seem to run out , but there is a peak and valley to slump. In 9 ball, 10 ball, 8 ball, maybe banks it is not slump it is just simply lack of knowledge of which cause you to change fundamentals in middle of a game, example, look at pro players if they are down by many games, they still come back, pressure does not bother them, one good example Darren Appleton, and Dennis O solid players, no slumping in their game only luck factor. Efren for example, he lost confident in his stroke, not sure if it is vision, bad back, health!! very disappointing his match in China open
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Every player has dogged it reguardless of who they are, that doesn't mean they are in a slump. No one is excempt from pressure, some just handle it better than others, and that includes Darren and Dennis. I have seen Efren very weak and helpless. Playing bad a few times in a row can lead to a slump which means you loose confidence.
 
Bob Jewett said:
I think that would be the article about the "hot hands" myth at basketball.

I notice that no one seems to have actually measured a slump at pool. Just general feelings about not playing well. It would be interesting to see some numbers.
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Here is another general unproven feeling:

I think the worse you play, the more you believe in slumps. Very few people that I run into actually properly assess their own skill level. Of course, as the self-appointed keeper of all the assessment ratings - I know how everybody plays:grin:. The vast majority of them think they play quite a bit better than they do. It's not until you approach the shortstop range that guys actually realize where they stand.

So when you consider most people don't properly gauge their own speed, with the fact that most matches, no matter what the format, are statistically insignificant due to the very short races, it's easy to talk yourself into the idea that you're in a slump.

So, do slumps exist? Maybe, but even if they do, they aren't always the reason you lose to better players. [Insert another emoticon here]
 
Six Shooter said:
So perhaps this slump is self induced and a prophecy that is self fulfilling. I do not know with all certainty whether it is or it isn't but tonight I will put it to the test again when I play TAP 8 ball tonight and see what happens. What I do know with all absolute certainty is that I have dropped a skill level in TAP again and my winning percentage is hovering around the 45% mark which I find unacceptable.

So, could it actually come down to me expecting to perform at a competent level that has put this pressure on me to succeed? Yet I fail because I've simply added an unnecessary pressure from just trying to get things right?
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This is a probable state of affairs. I have seen the same thing in other areas of life.

Bob's idea about some sort of self assessment when you think you are in a slump is a good idea. I like ten games with the the ten ball ghost. Ball in hand following the break. One point per ball. This is a relatively easy way to determine your average run. For those who can regularly beat the ghost perhaps the average number of games you win is a better indicator.

Then too Bob's progressive drills yield a good assessment and help break down the various types of shooting.
 
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