So I went 0-4 in league last week...

M

mrpool06

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I had thoughts afterwards of just quitting pool, or taking next year off....or just accepting that I'll never be more than an average player. It was my worst night of pool this year (although against the #2 team). I had a bad day at work, & had trouble focusing & concentrating that night. I was missing shots I normally make, making poor decisions, etc...

I decided to make this night a learning experience & grow from it. I'm trying to figure out why I can play so good when practicing, but tense up (or lose focus) during league, and not shoot as good.

I only am able to practice ~3-4 hrs per week (have kids, wife, home, job)....so maybe I should just accept that I will not be one of the top players in the league. Frustrating, because I've been playing for 10 yrs now, & it seems that if I don't practice alot, my skills slip. :(
 
I thought I'd mention...I went & practiced on Sat. for 2 hrs, and was shooting hotter-than-hell. Was very focused & concentrating on what I was doing.....I wish I could carry this over to my league play!
 
Hang in there.

Sounds like you hit a dry patch. When was your last dead stroke night? Try to re-live that match where you shot your best. Compare the bad with the good match to develop a checklist of things to correct/watch out for. Even short practice periods will help if you focus your efforts.

Best of luck!

David.
 
This is a pretty good indictaion that you are letting yourself lose concentration on league night. It could be nerves or distractions. You need to figure out what it is and find a way to overcome it. One problem I have is that it takes me a little while to settle down and shoot like I know I can. This isn't possible on league nights most times, so I have to just deal with how I'm shooting when my match comes up. I have worked on relaxing myself and mentally removing any pressure to do well. On APA night, it usually takes a couple of games to get settled in. On the other nights, you sit until it's your turn, so I just try to relax prior to my game and come to the table with no expectations other than to not worry about the outcome. I just play my game, however good or crappy it happens to be at the time. In APA, I finished the season 10-2. In our fun league (2-3 games randomly played over the course of the evening) I'm 12-9 after one match past the half. When you are only playing a game or two at a time, it is much more likely that anyone can win. If you are a pretty decent player, you should have a winning percentage over the course of the season. If this isn't happening, you probably need to practice more against players that are as good or better than you on a regular basis outside of league. If you can pinpoint what the difference is between your practice sessions and your league play, try to maximize the time playing when you feel like you do during league play (tense, nervous, distracted, etc.) so that you can work on overcoming it.
 
bsmutz said:
This is a pretty good indictaion that you are letting yourself lose concentration on league night. It could be nerves or distractions. You need to figure out what it is and find a way to overcome it. One problem I have is that it takes me a little while to settle down and shoot like I know I can. This isn't possible on league nights most times, so I have to just deal with how I'm shooting when my match comes up. I have worked on relaxing myself and mentally removing any pressure to do well. On APA night, it usually takes a couple of games to get settled in. On the other nights, you sit until it's your turn, so I just try to relax prior to my game and come to the table with no expectations other than to not worry about the outcome. I just play my game, however good or crappy it happens to be at the time. In APA, I finished the season 10-2. In our fun league (2-3 games randomly played over the course of the evening) I'm 12-9 after one match past the half. When you are only playing a game or two at a time, it is much more likely that anyone can win. If you are a pretty decent player, you should have a winning percentage over the course of the season. If this isn't happening, you probably need to practice more against players that are as good or better than you on a regular basis outside of league. If you can pinpoint what the difference is between your practice sessions and your league play, try to maximize the time playing when you feel like you do during league play (tense, nervous, distracted, etc.) so that you can work on overcoming it.
Click to expand...

There are alot of great pointers above I have to agree with. Well written. :)
It could also be your style of play as well or something as subtle as your team captain or fellow team member throwing you off during your match.

When I am practicing or playing outside of league, it's always on big tables and I am either by myself shooting an array of shots over and over or playing with friends where my style is pretty easy going and admittingly flamboyant. I noticed that when I first started league play I would tense up because all the other players on my team or opposing team were quiet rail birds, not my style so the energy was not there for me. I quickly changed and started singing, whistling and talking while I play and bam I was winning as usual. I would suggest finding out what makes you play well when you practice and carry those habits/good feelings over to league night. And trust me, nobody on your team will care how goofy you look as long as you feel good and win. Consistancy in your approach to each match is just as important as the consistancy in your approach to each shot. Not many people practice this step, especially in league.

Another thing could be at what point you play in the night. I found out that if you let me shoot first, I won almost all the time. If you let me be cleanup on night deciding match, I won almost all the time. But if you left me to shot in the 2,3,4 spot, I would be bored and not shoot as well.

Lastly, don't give up. I have heard alot of players say they can't play on big tables if they started on bar boxes and vice verses. That can be over come easy. If you are playing in an 8-ball league, when you practice play more straight pool. It will get your mind off 8-ball and stop your mind from thinking about league. Straight pool though, is a very similiar game to 8ball and will develope many unknown strengths. One of my common sayings when someone is playing me safe alot in league is "Ohh so we have a lil straight pool game going, I love it but you won't".

Confidence, consistency and laugh
ez
 
Here is something that i will pass on to you and anyone else that wants to learn something...im not a awsome pool player but i am better than average player with the talent to be an incredible player so i have been told by pro and road players. I just dont have time to "Practice" just yet. You said you practice sat for 2 hours. Good for you .but here is where i find i make my mistakes...when i "shoot pool" for practice I usually play very well but when i go either play for money or league..i am off by just a hair....but when i really practice..i mean...Burt Kinister 60 min work out or I will put joe tuckers third eye trainer on and shoot 50 to 80 cut shots in one pocket and then shoot another 50 to 100 straight in shots..I CRUSH who ever i play and my run out percentage is high... i have told this to some below average and average players and they will swear to the same results...there is an inherent diffrence in playing pool and practice ..give it a try set and see if it helps you. just my 2 cents
 
excellent advice already

The actual details aren't critical but the general advice is great. With little time to practice, make sure that you are practicing effectively, not just hitting balls. The other thing is to learn what it takes for you to execute in competition and do it.

The vast majority of time, I not only match my play in practice and recreation in competition, I exceed it. The dual goals are to constant strive to shrink the difference between my best and worst game, and to shoot at least 95% of my best game in the most important competitions, at least 90% in any competition.

When the competition is done you should be able to look back and say honestly that you played as good a game as you could reasonably expect to play. Win or lose, if you did that you had a good night. If you performed at less than reasonable expectations, you had a poor night, win or lose.

Hu





mrpool06 said:
I had thoughts afterwards of just quitting pool, or taking next year off....or just accepting that I'll never be more than an average player. It was my worst night of pool this year (although against the #2 team). I had a bad day at work, & had trouble focusing & concentrating that night. I was missing shots I normally make, making poor decisions, etc...

I decided to make this night a learning experience & grow from it. I'm trying to figure out why I can play so good when practicing, but tense up (or lose focus) during league, and not shoot as good.

I only am able to practice ~3-4 hrs per week (have kids, wife, home, job)....so maybe I should just accept that I will not be one of the top players in the league. Frustrating, because I've been playing for 10 yrs now, & it seems that if I don't practice alot, my skills slip. :(
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top