The Mental Game

twal

twal

"W"
Silver Member
I asked this question to few of my fellow players.
Some of the responses were expected and some were out of the ordiany.
I think it is great for discussion.
I a tight match hill-hill - one win away from first place or getting into the money and the pressure is on and it is VERY intense. Your opponet just missed:

"What is the single most important idea/thought that should be going through your mind?"
Another way to ask it is: What is the most important mental thought one should have to be successful at pool regardless of the situation?
 
Have a consistant pre-shot routine in which you shoot one ball at a time the same way every time. Analyze what you are going to do before you step up to the cue ball and while you are over the cue ball have NO thoughts. And, if you are having thoughts while you are about to shoot -- step back, reload and try again until you have NO thoughts while shooting.
 
You have the best of it

I was talking to an old time player "Boston Shorty" and asked him when do you really become a player. He stated that when you get to the table with a tough shot on the 8 ball and you are 4 games behind in a race, "YOU KNOW YOU HAVE THE BEST OF IT!"
 
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twal said:
I asked this question to few of my fellow players.
Some of the responses were expected and some were out of the ordiany.
I think it is great for discussion.
I a tight match hill-hill - one win away from first place or getting into the money and the pressure is on and it is VERY intense. Your opponet just missed:

"What is the single most important idea/thought that should be going through your mind?"
Another way to ask it is: What is the most important mental thought one should have to be successful at pool regardless of the situation?
Click to expand...




"What do I have to do from HERE to win?"
 
Just always enjoy what you re seeing when you re *sitting in your chair*- and even more enjoy it if your opponent let s you again to the table- no matter what s on the table. Just make it right like you did in in training-sessions hundreds of time. Get your infos on the table, go down- shoot- thats all :-)
Like the guy before shown up- if it s your turn- start your pre-shot-routine- and do your job! Everyone try to handle stage-fright different, but one thing is sure; you have to live with all.

Your question reminds me to several discussions in the past- i always recommend that you have to act in training exactly like in tournament/league; it is so often that some players just trying to shoot atomic-potatoes in training-session....never understodd and will never understand this. If you act like this, you ll never be able to train seriously and learn
Especially your pre-shot-routine should be exactly and always the same.
League is just a difference in your mind- just do the things like you learnt it and trained it.

and of course...have fun :-)
 
You have to be able to give 100%, but not care about the results. I'm NOT saying you shouldn't be trying to win. But on any given shot you have to be able to analyze the shot, decide what you are going to do, go through your routine and deliver your best effort. Then you must understand that you have done all that you can do and what ever happens happens. Looking at it this way will help lessen pressure and allow you to really learn from your mistakes by viewing it objectively.

Another thing players have to learn is to enjoy the nervous feeling you WILL get when your in a match like you are describing. The competition is the reason that you play and practice, and you will get a "rush" when your playing matches that mean something. Feeling nervous just means you care. You have to learn to enjoy the process instead of worrying about the outcome.

Woody
 
woody_968 said:
You have to be able to give 100%, but not care about the results. ... you will get a "rush" when your playing matches that mean something. Feeling nervous just means you care. You have to learn to enjoy the process instead of worrying about the outcome.

Woody
Click to expand...

Well said. :thumbup:
 
twal said:
I asked this question to few of my fellow players.
Some of the responses were expected and some were out of the ordiany.
I think it is great for discussion.
I a tight match hill-hill - one win away from first place or getting into the money and the pressure is on and it is VERY intense. Your opponet just missed:

"What is the single most important idea/thought that should be going through your mind?"
Another way to ask it is: What is the most important mental thought one should have to be successful at pool regardless of the situation?
Click to expand...

No expectations of winning. No expectations of losing. It's those types of situations which make the game fun.

But really speaking, I try to not talk to myself except affirmations which I say in particular certain situations and have a personal collection.

Try to put your conciousness into your breathing.
 
Actually, you have 2 questions here, but they bothhave the same simple answer. "What are my options?";)
 
The first thing that comes into my head whenever a match goes hill-hill is WOW, this is a great match. The way it SHOULD be. One game for the cheese.

The second thing I say to myself is: "Tony, just stay within yourself and think things through and everything will be all right.

Maniac
 
Lets not try and fool ourselves. The very moment does mean something to you and the reasons are multiple. That makes the pressure cumulative to those reasons as well. So in a nutshell your nervous. Trying to act like its not there is is foolish. Trying not to touch on that fact is equally as foolish.

Announce to yourself and someone else how nervous you feel. That is verbalize it briefly. Then take a deep breath...let it out slowly as you go into your preshot routine and let it happen.

You are in essence releasing some of the added pressure and are no longer playing the game in your head but strictly with your bodies learned motions.
 
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