When bad rolls happen to good players...
I used to have a list of about 10 things I would carry around in my cue case and read to motivate me when I was doing poorly, but I lost it.
I do agree that there are really horrendous rolls that you don't have control over - breaking, parking the cueball and then having it kiss into a scratch, an opponent that constantly hooks you when they miss, the opponent that should have scratched and it just barely hits the tit, or it hangs in the pocket without falling, or when your opponent inadvertantly breaks something out or nudges a ball over and doesn't even know he did something right to make it easier to run out later, or the one where they are not going to have any shape on their given trajectory, but it hits a tit and goes the opposite direction, or they slop in a ball to continue a run, or their cueball is stopped by another ball they didn't know they were going to hit and it slows down or re-directs it in the right direction.
Even Sigel had some really bad rolls against Efren in the IPT tourney. Every time Efren came up dry on the break, there was absolutely nowhere for Mike to shoot or he was jacked up over a ball for a long scary shot. Once, Mike did it to himself by freezing on a ball which took away shots on every one of his balls...it was amazing. 1/8" either way and he would have had a shot.
Anyway, one of the best things I ever heard was when I watched Sherry Ahola win, being down against Julie Nogiec 1-8, and Sherry came back with the heart of a lion to win 9-8. She said she figured that if her opponent could win 8 in a row, she could too. That was a paradigm shift in my thinking.
I have lost twice being up 8-1. Once to Ming Ng at the Bar Table Championships when all I had to do was cinch the 8 with automatic shape on the 9. Instead, I put inside to hold it and on the bar box, there was nothing over there but pocket and I scratched. Then I went on tilt. Another time was when I was up against a guy and just knew it was a matter of time before I won. I made a costly mistake, he ran out, broke a couple 9's in, ran a few racks, and before you know it, the noose tightened and my butt was dust.
So back to my list. One of the things was just to remove myself from the moment and take a break. People don't use their breaks effectively -sometimes you just need to look at something other than the table. Splash some cold water on your face. Shake yourself mentally.
One time, I wanted to really win the finals badly, and she'd already beaten me the first set. So between sets, I went outside, saw the most gorgeous fiery red sunset and felt God's presence. I took some deep breaths, closed my eyes and thanked God for that beautiful moment. I also left it up to Him. I thanked Him for giving me my beautiful children, my loving husband, our health, and my happy life. I knew that it was already decided and that if I didn't win, I would still have what was important to me. Sometimes, I would even carry a picture of my kids to my matches, because that was what was really important to me. I didn't need a pool match to validate me. Being a good mom was what validated my existence. Sounds corny, but at a certain point, you just have to let it go. Btw, I did win.
Another thing I will do sometimes when I am scared and tentative, is to pick someone out of the crowd. Usually someone who has nodded or smiled. And I imagine that I have to turn it on for them. So I 'show off', just really try to make an impression and dazzle them with my play. I have only done this a few times (not sure why not more!) and it has really worked. If you are single, pick out a cute girl or guy and just pretend like you are the best player in the room and that they will ask for your autograph later. It's weird how it can turn things around, because now your mindset is not about being angry or whining about rolls, or thinking about losing. It's really not even about winning, but about making an impression on a certain someone and before you know it, you will be making spectacular shots and great decisions. Guess I will need to use that one for the IPT tourneys! lol.
Hope a couple of these help you.
