to push through or take a break

poolguppy

poolguppy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hey what do you guys do in this situation, say those who have a table at home and time to play it. If you play most evenings, and usually do good, then you have a day where you get home wanting to shoot around, but get to the table and can't seem to make anything. Probably related to stress level, would this be a good opportunity to work at giving your game more focus and continueing until you find your shot, or do you take the night off, or even a couple nights off and come back when less is on your mind? Off nights have been happening a lot lately because of big changes at work that amim stressed about no doubt.
 
I love this topic (because of my psych background).

With pool, or anything you have tremendous skill at I'd recommend becoming state-independent so you can do well regardless of mental state, or even better develop a system to put you back in state or in the zone (which is entirely possible).

For me, as a psych major, I've done a lot of reading on the subject and there are numerous ways to immediately create a new state of mind to help you feel great and play at your peak.

-Richard
 
poolguppy said:
Hey what do you guys do in this situation, say those who have a table at home and time to play it. If you play most evenings, and usually do good, then you have a day where you get home wanting to shoot around, but get to the table and can't seem to make anything. Probably related to stress level, would this be a good opportunity to work at giving your game more focus and continueing until you find your shot, or do you take the night off, or even a couple nights off and come back when less is on your mind? Off nights have been happening a lot lately because of big changes at work that amim stressed about no doubt.
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Take a 9 ball rack, break them as hard as you can. Then, each shot hit it rather hard. That will relieve the stress. Then, take a moment to clear your mind. The table is your friend, you don't want to bring stress to it. Leave the stress with the release you just did. No matter what is happening in the outside world, except for earthquakes and the like, it does not effect what is happening on the table. The table is your release from the stress. You can't do anything to alleviate what is causing the stress while playing, so why even bring it there? The table is your stress-free zone for a little while. Relax, and just give it the attention it deserves.
Don't associate that first rack with playing pool. It's just a stress reliever.
 
First, I'd try to identify how I felt before playing and then see how it plays out. If you played bad - did you have a tough day before hand and vice versa. Were there times where you had a bad day and played well? By tracking this you might be able to pin some things down. I've played in league, when people were counting on me to play, at times when I had a crappy day or didn't feel all that well and did just fine. Other times I played lousy but had a good day beforehand. I haven't figured it out either!
 
I recommend a little drill to get your mind right before starting out each night so that you are able to leave everything else at the door. I set up and fire about 100 shots in from all over the table. What this does for me is it gives me the mindset that my focus needs to be on the table. It really helps me forget about everything else.
 
Hi Richard, I'm interested in these immediate remedies as I like the OP find myself with these same problems sometimes, also I've put a lot of work into my game these past 5 years and am wondering if my skill level has surpassed my mental game any recommendations? Books, strategies, maybe the SVB DVD on mental game? Any thoughts appreciated

Thanks, Ben
 
Wally83 said:
Hi Richard, I'm interested in these immediate remedies as I like the OP find myself with these same problems sometimes, also I've put a lot of work into my game these past 5 years and am wondering if my skill level has surpassed my mental game any recommendations? Books, strategies, maybe the SVB DVD on mental game? Any thoughts appreciated

Thanks, Ben
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Ben,

If I was to recommend any single book it'd be Unlimited Power by Anthony Robbins. But, the remedy is changing the meaning of the situation.

I've noticed that when people are stressed or there game is off, they start to feel like lousy players after missing shots, and the stress continues to stack.

We derive meaning (of anything) through the stories we tell ourselves, and through a triad system of language, focus, and state.

If your story when you miss a shot is that you're a lousy player and you bash yourself for it then you'll never play better. But, if you change your story or tell yourself something new like "Hmm... the balls just aren't dropping tonight, my shot must be off... I wonder where I'm falling short. Is it my stroke, etc?"

Think back to a time where every shot was dropping, and your game seemed tight:
-What did you tell yourself in your head? (Language)
-What were you thinking about? (Focus)
-How was your body composition? (State)

Think back to a time when every shot went wrong, and you couldn't even pocket balls hanging on the brink:
-What did you tell yourself? (Language)
-What were you thinking about? (Focus)
-How was your body composition? (State)

I guarantee you they will be different.

Because these three things affect one another, if you change one you change all three which finally brings me to the immediate remedy: changing your body composition.

There's a direct relationship between your body and your mind. If you slouch in your chair as you read this, tilt your head down, and breathe shallowly: how do you feel? Sad, depressed, upset. You'll notice players who aren't pocketing their shots have body compositions similar to this - so their mental state is affected.

However! If you stand up straight, puff your chest out, pull your shoulders back, and deep breathe: how do you feel? CONFIDENT! =P If you approach the table full of confidence, your game changes instantly.

I know it may sound like BS - but I teach this same thing to guys struggling with women (I'm a date coach) and you'll notice the effects immediately. Hell, you could try it in your seat as you read this. Put yourself into both positions (confident and depressed) and notice the difference.

In summation, the immediate remedy is to change your body composition (also known as your physiology).

-Richard
 
Thank you, I can instantly become a mental midget and get pretty down on myself for performing poorly in anything I do, might check out that book thanks again, Ben
 
poolguppy said:
Hey what do you guys do in this situation, say those who have a table at home and time to play it. If you play most evenings, and usually do good, then you have a day where you get home wanting to shoot around, but get to the table and can't seem to make anything. Probably related to stress level, would this be a good opportunity to work at giving your game more focus and continueing until you find your shot, or do you take the night off, or even a couple nights off and come back when less is on your mind? Off nights have been happening a lot lately because of big changes at work that amim stressed about no doubt.
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At times like that I'll just pocket balls and work on my PSR, my stroke, and on CB control.
I don't try rotational play. I'll alternate shape on a stripe, any solid, any stripe, solid.... etc.

I think practicing that way will keep you focused and reinforce your playing skills. Again IMO.
 
I also agree that practicing while frustrated yields negative results. Whatever you are practicing, put it on hold for a bit and try something else. Go back to a drill you are very comfortable with and start pocketing balls to gain some confidence back. Even work on the strategy side of things if your stroke isn't cooperating and just toss out 4 balls and think of 2 practical ways you could run through them.

Do anything other than beating your head against the wall and frustrating yourself further as that won't help at all. Once you feel more comfortable and confident, go back to what was giving you problems and casually run through it if you can... even if it means making the drill a bit easier to get through it. I don't like to feel defeated by a drill or my stroke so I always like to feel as if I was able to get through what I was having troubles with when I started to feel frustrated. It lets you end on a positive note and keeps you from being afraid of some shots. The last thing you want to do after practicing is leave the table thinking "I just can't make those types of shots" ... that is the reverse point of practicing.
 
It makes sense what others have said about not wanting to practice with negative feelings. On the other hand, what if this comes up before an important match? Maybe it could be useful to learn how to play your way out of a funk.

It reminds me of a debate over what you do when you have a crying infant in the crib. Some say you shouldn't leave the kid to cry because then they learn to associate bad feelings with the crib. On the other hand they have to learn to comfort themselves to sleep and if you pull them out every time they cry, they'll never lean to do it.

I'd suggest sticking to it, maybe slowing down and going back to fundamentals and easy drills. Learn what works for you to get into stroke when you're feeling off.
 
BRussell said:
It makes sense what others have said about not wanting to practice with negative feelings. On the other hand, what if this comes up before an important match? Maybe it could be useful to learn how to play your way out of a funk.
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This is indeed the conundrum. I guess it would depend on if you are practicing with competing in mind or using pool to relax after a day. Though I would like to compete eventually, at the moment pool is supposed to be my happy place lol maybe if I'm having an off day I'll take the advice of some and go back to the basics and try drills and not try to break and run racks and continue to frustrate myself, and if I'm not improving after that point, to take others advice and step away from the table for at that point I'm just hurting my game. Live to fight another day so-to-speak.

However when I start practicing with competing in mind, I will search high and low for ways to get out if a funk, I've tried switching to shooting left handed for awhile, so that when I switch back to right handed it feels like I own the table, kind of resetting your brain. It's worked a few times.
 
If it's not your livelihood relax and enjoy the game. Good nights and bad nights. That's the way it goes. You'll be back.
 
Depends on your motivation and why you play. If it's for fun, take the night off. If it's too be the best you can, than you need to push through and find what is causing the issue. Usually when I am in a little slump, I am on the verge of mastering something new or learning something about myself and how I play.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
 
Dead stroke

When you are in dead punch do you
practice or not. I know some people
want to save it for games that they
care about, as if there is a limited number
of strokes available in dead stroke. Other
guys feel as though a little practice helps
them stay there.

Which are you?
 
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