Check your PM's
Mike,
Please check your PM's when you have time. Maybe something of interest for you.
Hu
JXMIKE said:
Mike,
Please check your PM's when you have time. Maybe something of interest for you.
Hu
Sports pyschology.
- Thread starter JXMIKE
- Start date
JXMIKE said:
Here is something that deals with that subject:
Dealing With Pressure - Thought Process After A Miss
By
David Sapolis
(excerpt only - to read the entire book excerpt entitled Dealing With Pressure click this link - CLICK HERE)
Thought Process After a Miss
The trick is putting missed shots and mistakes behind you and moving forward. Don't let one bad shot ruin the entire match. What you think, and what you say to yourself while you are sitting in the chair can affect your performance when you get out of the chair. I have a three thought process that I use, and I believe that if you start to apply this you will start to see a major difference in your attitude.
1) Stay positive
2) I will win regardless
3) Push it aside and win
If you go back to the chair disgusted, chances are you'll start mentally battering yourself with statements like, "why did you do something so stupid?" or "I always screw up!" When you say things like that yourself, you increase the odds of repeating the process. If you return to the table and you are still fuming over the last error, chances are you will make further errors. Put it behind you, and NEVER allow your misfortune to be the key to your opponent's victory. If he is going to win, let him earn it. If you self destruct, you will hand him the victory on a silver platter.
Now lets look back at the times I mentioned earlier for Francisco Bustamante. It takes him 1:45 to 2:00 on average to break and run a rack of nine balls. Does this mean that he concentrates fully for 2:00 straight? No it doesn't. Remember I said that he sets up for 12-15 second between shots and then the shot actually takes 1-2 seconds? That's an total of 17 seconds per shot. That means he is applying his concentration for approximately 17 seconds at a stretch, give or take a few. Between racks, he shifts his concentration away from the balls, but it remains in the match. He wipes down his cue, examines his tip, gets a drink of water, whatever. Then he is able to reapply that concentration when he sets up for the break, and then reapply it to run out.
Many players make the error of trying to stay completely focused for the entire match with no breaks in concentration. Think of it like a rubber band. The more you concentrate, the more we stretch it. Well if we continue to stretch it, sooner or later it will snap. What usually happens is that our rubber band snaps during competition, then we get frustrated. Frankly, we just ran out of gas mentally. I firmly believe that if you practice your mental game, you can develop it in much the same way that a bodybuilder builds a muscle group. The more you exercise your mental skills, and the greater the resistance, the stronger it will get. It needs to be fed correctly, tested, pushed, and then relaxed.
We nourish our mind with the thoughts we allow in. We test our mind by using it in competition to overcome obstacles, which can be compared to bodybuilder lifting weights. We push our mind by overcoming the resistance to negative thoughts. We relax our mind by taking rest periods. If we don't work out, chances are we will become lazy. Going into competition without being mentally fit is like trying to run a marathon without preparing for it. After running the first 50 yards, you'll get out of breath. After the second 50 yards you'll start asking what you got yourself into. Shortly after that you'll probably stop. I guarantee you will never see the finish line.
A lot of pool players do the same exact thing. They don't prepare, and usually they don't realize that until after they are already running the race. By then it's too late. Laugh if you want, but there are many players out there that expect to win the marathon yet they don't have the energy required to make it around the block.
Many players shift their attention to technique. All the technique in the world will only get you so far. It does not assist your endurance. Mental endurance is the key to winning tournaments. Champions understand this. Champions use that to their advantage.
The Growling Point
Copyright 1995 Blackjack David Sapolis
Personally, I think (know)a lot has to do with the power of positive thinking. Normally before a tournament I keep telling myself I am going to win, seeing how I am going to win, and what I am going to do with the cash. Of course I am in the pool room running drills, in small action and playing every day for a couple hours. I envision all aspects of my game. I see myself how I would play certain shots, safeties and overal strategy. Also I make sure I keep reminding myself that I keep the routine and fundamentals. I know in Pleasures of Small Motions they say you have to get beyond that, but it's always on my mind.
Christian
Christian
I totally agree, this is the best book evr written for improving your mental game in sports!TX Poolnut said:
Jeremy