The Dark Place

[wpolkjr]

Why is it that I can only shoot pool well when I desend into this dark place in my mind where I truly hate my opponent. I want to kill them on the table and nothing matters but to win. I put extreme pressure on myself, my attitude is not pleasant to be around, and I become this person whose soul focus is to win.

This session I am the captain and have a lot less stress. Thus, I am now struggling to help the team. My play has suffered, but I'm a lot less stressed and I don't care about winning as much as I was originally. Nevertheless, I want to win, but I don't like being in that dark place where is seems I have to be in order to play at the level I know I can play at.

Is there anyone that has had this experience? Also, are there any suggestions on what I can do to raise my game and still have a good attitude about my matches?

- Really looking for answers.

 

[Ratta]

1.) You want to win- most important point, if you play in a team!
2.) Pressure: we all re creating ourselves the things that re causing pressure, think about it!
3.) Pressure is a good thing-helps to keep focus.

think postive! no time for negatives! Keep it simple-mentally and physically!

And the most important part: Enjoy it!

lg from overseas,

Ingo

 

[SpiderWebComm]

Bobby Fischer thought Karpov and Kasparov were scumbags. Many times he felt as though his opponents didn't even deserve to be playing him.

I guess one could say he held his opponents in contempt (or, hated them, whichever you prefer).

I don't see anything wrong with hating your opponent if it makes you focus. Doesn't mean you HATE them after the match (or treat them badly during the match). Do whatever pumps you up.

 

[krupa]

Why is it that I can only shoot pool well when I desend into this dark place in my mind where I truly hate my opponent. I want to kill them on the table and nothing matters but to win. I put extreme pressure on myself, my attitude is not pleasant to be around, and I become this person whose soul focus is to win.

This session I am the captain and have a lot less stress. Thus, I am now struggling to help the team. My play has suffered, but I'm a lot less stressed and I don't care about winning as much as I was originally. Nevertheless, I want to win, but I don't like being in that dark place where is seems I have to be in order to play at the level I know I can play at.

Is there anyone that has had this experience? Also, are there any suggestions on what I can do to raise my game and still have a good attitude about my matches?

- Really looking for answers.

I'm a little the same way. I'm sure my teammates would tell me if I was actually unpleasant about it. If I'm sociable and joking around while playing (not while shooting, just during the match) I tend to lose. I think it breaks my concentration early on and makes me complacent on the easier shots. If I'm more focused, I take each shot the same way.

If winning is the only thing you're trying to achieve, I think you're going to have to keep going to the dark place. For me, winning is nice and sometimes that's my primary goal, but usually I'm looking for noticeable (to me) improvements in my game: better position, better cue ball control, was my strategy good or bad, etc. If I lost, why? Did I choose a bad pattern, did I take an easy shot for granted and my opp ran out, did I not play conservatively when the table made a run-out unlikely, etc...

Or I'm looking for things I need to work on, bridging over a ball, shooting with the CB frozen to a rail, those damn side pockets, etc...

In other words, winning is only one of many things that can be taken away from a pool match and when I'm not totally on my game I look for one of those other things.

(These ideas are not mine originally, I've been reading Pleasures of Small Motions by Bob Fancher.)

 

[rrick33]

You are not the first person to rely on contempt for their opponent, to trigger the proper competitive, state-of-mind. Unfortunately, you have programmed your mind to use this negitive emotion as a tool to get there.

There are several key elements that must be present to reach the deeper levels of focus and concentration. One of them is desire. You simply need to re-program your motivation so that your desire is driven by a stste-of-mind other than contempt.

There is nothing wrong with your current approach if it gets the results you need but since it sounds like it cheapens your pool playing experience, I would look for another "trigger" to put you into the proper state-of-mind.

Perhaps you can establish personal goals to motivate your performance. Tell yourself you must beat your opponent by a 2:1 margin to meet your goal. In this way, your desire to achieve the goal, is the dominating motivation. Also, when you achieve your goal you must reward yourself and you must know what the reward is before attempting the goal. The bigger the reward....the greater the motivation.

I think you may find that once you transfer your motivation from a state of anger or contempt to your own shouders of accountability, your performance will improve as well. Make sure you give the new programming time to take hold.

 

[FranCrimi]

Yes, I've been there. It works somewhat, but it will eventually drive you mad and make you unlikeable to others.

It's intensity that has been misdirected.

Think about how great you would play if you took all that intensity and redirected it to making 100 percent effort into each and every shot.

I remember a time when I was doing really well in regional events, either winning or coming in 2nd. I also remember that I barely remembered who I played right after the match was over, win or lose, because who they were and what they did had no impact on me or my game. It was all about putting balls in pockets for me.

And guess what --- I had a blast.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with being intense when you play. Just make sure you don't waste it on something that won't make you shoot better, or will marginally help, at best. What makes you shoot better is focusing on putting the ball in the pocket.

That's what you should encourage in your team as well.

 

[Neil]

................

 

[wpolkjr]

Thank you very much! No, I never talk when I'm playing in that frame of mind. It never carries over after we're done playing. However, at that time I want to play so perfectly. Not miss shots that I know I can make. I like your advice about training that focus on the object ball in that "it is going in the damn hole." I really like that.
I just want to be able to enjoy this game that I passionately love in a way that enjoyable to me, and not a task for others. Thanks very much for your advice.

 

[RWOJO]

Dark Place

I don't go to a Dark Place, but I know what you mean.

When I play it doesn't matter if I'm playing in a tournament against a teammate, friend, student, teacher or someone I don't like. I try to always play my best and I've had friends get really frustrated at my play because at times it seems they never stood a chance in the match. One friend jokes and says "I cheat" because I tend to play too good against him. Other friends will joke that "they hate me and we can't be friends" because of the air-tight safeties and games that they really don't get a good shot at the table (of coarse after we have a beer and everythings ok).

You do not have to hate your opponent to play well. Years ago in an APA match I broke and ran 4 racks in a row on a good friend (who was the captain of my other team) and it is not any sort of hatred that fueled me, but focus and determination to play this game better than I ever have before.