Tournament mental game problems (long)

P

predator

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hi!

Is there anyone out there who considers his mental game to be solid and can help? I'll listen to anything...

I've read "Mind for pool", "Pleasures of small motions" as well as many threads here on AZ, but nothing worked for me...
I mean it did work, I realized what happens to me during competitive play...

- i get a lot of adrenaline kick...way too much...
- which causes my shooting hand to be shaky
- in critical moments i can feel my heart rate go up...way up...
- stroke quality deteriorates...instead of long smooth one, sometimes it becomes pokey, jerky...just awful...i'd like it to be as good as the one i have in practice sessions, but it just isn't...the hand becomes either too stiff or too alive (shaky)...
- thoughts about missing get into my mind...can't get rid of them
- my confidence is completely ruined...

I'm writing all of this after yet another terrible tornament performance of course.

Can good mental game be learned? Or is it something you are born with? Was there ever a real good pool player who was choking a lot in his past?

Thanks.
 
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Very good post Predator. I think everyone "suffers" from this at some point.

The only reason you're getting nervous is you realize that you really are good enough to beat the players you play. Think about it. If you thought you couldn't win, there would be no reason to get the shakes.

My suggestion is to recognize that you are a good player and not try to get caught up so much in the moment. Relax and have fun. Deep relaxed breaths help me sometimes.

I hope this post serves as some sort of encouragment for you. :)
 
There have been

several related threads to this.

How do you learn confidence?

By the right knowledge and by doing!

Confidence isn't an overnight thing, it comes step by step.

Being confident comes from being self-assured. How are you self-assured?

By testing your limits in many areas, physical and mental, and knowing what you can do and what you can not do. Not only in Pool but in every area of your life. I do know that physical activities can build confidence, such as exercising, lifting weights, Karate, almost any sport. I have alwasy believed in Mind-Body-Spirit being in Harmony for best results.

It is also good to know your opponent too, what they can do and what they can not do. Then you can develop the best strategy for being able to defeat them.
 
Very good advice so far. Though it has been mentioned, I would pay particular attention to your breathing. Force yourself to slow down and take deeper breaths. Do it as often as necessary. As you breathe out, you'll notice your body feeling calmer. Thereafter, whenever you feel yourself getting hyper or your stroke sharp and jabby, it will likely be because your breathing has also become short and quick too.

For long-term gains, I think working on your self-assurance, in pool and other areas, is a great suggestion.

But no matter what other steps you take, proper breathing will always be a fundamental.
 
predator said:
Hi!

Is there anyone out there who considers his mental game to be solid and can help? I'll listen to anything...

I've read "Mind for pool", "Pleasures of small motions" as well as many threads here on AZ, but nothing worked for me...
I mean it did work, I realized what happens to me during competitive play...

- i get a lot of adrenaline kick...way too much...
- which causes my shooting hand to be shaky
- in critical moments i can feel my heart rate go up...way up...
- stroke quality deteriorates...instead of long smooth one, sometimes it becomes pokey, jerky...just awful...i'd like it to be as good as the one i have in practice sessions, but it just isn't...the hand becomes either too stiff or too alive (shaky)...
- thoughts about missing get into my mind...can't get rid of them
- my confidence is completely ruined...

I'm writing all of this after yet another terrible tornament performance of course.

Can good mental game be learned? Or is it something you are born with? Was there ever a real good pool player who was choking a lot in his past?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

In these tournaments, are you playing for your life? No.

If you are playing them to get better, then they are really just an extension of your practice. You had to learn how to practice better. Now you have to learn how to practice this part of your game better.

One of the mistakes I made was thinking of every tournament as an end in itself. Really they're just practice. Really, it's ALL just practice.

When I made this leap, my tournament performance jumped dramatically because I was looking at situations in tourneys as an opportunity to get better and play better.

If you have your ego involved (and we all do) and set expectations about the event, then if you fail you will suffer embarrassment, feel like a loser, etc..That is what you're really afraid of. Let go of your ego.

All that said, keep the competitiveness, it will help you challenge yourself to do better like you do in practice, but it's constructive instead of destructive.

One other thing that helped me was something a professional golfer said once when asked about pressure/nervousness. She said that really, no body cares how you play. You're the only one. So there's no pressure. If you win, you win, if you don't, you don't. Everything else you put on yourself.

Cheers,
RC
 
nice answer TX Poolnut!

I loved your answer - it really makes sense to me - thanks for sharing!
I can't wait for my next tournament to try it
 
Re-Read "Pleasures of Small Motions". I swear the book changed my life. If you're not just missing something from there, then I don't know how to help you.

Address every problem you're having (the shakes, everything) and DEAL WITH IT, don't try to just get over it right there, work out the problem in your head... you know shaking won't help you, you know WHY you're nervous - just realise that you play the way you play, keep in mind that you're not supposed to make every ball, mistakes happen, know your speed... I'm not really good at getting into detail on this, just read the book.. I'm tired..

HOLLA!
 
It helped me when I separated the mental and physical part of the game. It doesn't sound like your choking to me, it sounds like you just need to find some relaxation techniques. If you said you couldn't concentrate, or screwing up easy runouts, were distracted, then I would say mental. Like you, I get WAY ramped up during some tourneys, but other times I'm totally fine. Watch the caffeine, drinking the night before can give you the shakes, make sure you don't let the blood sugar get too low....etc.

GREAT info here about letting go of the ego. If you start worrying about what if I lose?....or worse...what if I WIN!....screw all that. Get into your game and preshot routine, 1 shot at a time, FEEL the next shot, get a nice clear picture in your head and let it fly......good luck man!

Gerry
 
Do you have a physical problem with the shakes? I ask, because I do, and it seems to manifest itself when I'm under physical and/or mental stress. My little problem is called "essential tremor." If you've ever seen Kathyrn (sp) Hepburn, the actress, she had it. Not serious, but definitely annoying.

I overcome it by recognizing when I'm shaking (I must be just a little out of the subconscious mode to make this recognition, so deadstroke can actually make this problem worse!) and, even if I'm about to squeeze the trigger, I stand up and restart my shot, with emphasis on breathing properly to calm down myself somewhat. Sometimes early in the session, I even violently shake my grip arm to make it looser (some think I'm nuts when I do this, I suppose).

You might want to get an opinion from a doctor, as physical problems sometimes have better solutions than just attempting to think them away.

fwiw,

Jeff Livingston
 
Read

The Art of War, by Sun Tzu, considered one of, if not the best, strategists that ever lived. It will help get your mind right.
 
predator said:
Hi!

Is there anyone out there who considers his mental game to be solid and can help? I'll listen to anything...

I've read "Mind for pool", "Pleasures of small motions" as well as many threads here on AZ, but nothing worked for me...
I mean it did work, I realized what happens to me during competitive play...

- i get a lot of adrenaline kick...way too much...
- which causes my shooting hand to be shaky
- in critical moments i can feel my heart rate go up...way up...
- stroke quality deteriorates...instead of long smooth one, sometimes it becomes pokey, jerky...just awful...i'd like it to be as good as the one i have in practice sessions, but it just isn't...the hand becomes either too stiff or too alive (shaky)...
- thoughts about missing get into my mind...can't get rid of them
- my confidence is completely ruined...

I'm writing all of this after yet another terrible tornament performance of course.

Can good mental game be learned? Or is it something you are born with? Was there ever a real good pool player who was choking a lot in his past?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

It sounds to me like you're just getting nervous. Everybody gets nervous, from pros to bangers. Part of the separation between pros and bangers is their ability to deal with anxiety/pressure. You have to find a way to deal with the pressure. Proper breathing is paramount - you can find various resources on the Internet regarding proper breathing. Yoga is also an excellent way to practice breathing. Most sources agree that belly breathing is better than chest breathing. One of the things which happens when we get nervous is that we switch to chest breathing (shallow breathing). If you're chest-breathing when you're nervous, belly-breathe. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, just Google "stress breathing techniques" or some variation and you'll see a ton of sites.) Just like everything else, breathing under stress must be practiced until it's second nature - but you don't have to be under stress to practice it.

Visualization, a pre-set routine, and triggers are also ways to lessen the effect of nervousness. Visualize yourself performing positive (definitely not negative) actions. Physically-manifested nervousness can be a sign of fear - in your case, fear of failure. Don't allow negative thoughts (failure) into your mind - stay positive. Tell yourself you can, and you will. Develop and stick to a pre-shot routine. Triggers (what some people call "switches") help the mental game as well. Triggers are specific to an individual. Some triggers are: sliding the cue back and forth in the hand, placing the chalk on the table a certain way, checking the grip, tapping a toe, etc. A trigger is usually a physical act which tells the brain "Hey, we're ready, let's go!"

Finally, you must learn to accept your nervousness. It isn't always bad. A small bit of nerves usually aids in concentration, as it can force you to utilize your full mental powers. When nervousness physically manifests (as it does in your case, in the form of shaking), then you need to take some steps (breathing, visualization, triggers).

-djb
 
I went through similar problems years back. In fact, there was a weekly tournament I would frequent. Every week, I would undoubtedly GET A FEVER prior to my first match. I mean, my face would turn red and my temperature would actually rise. I was incredibly nervous and ironically, I played lots of competitive sports throughout my youth. You could not create a baseball situation that would have made me as nervous as a local pool tournament. It really took me years to learn how to handle my emotions.

I read all the books too. All the mental books and read a few that were not pool-specific, as well. I cannot say exactly with author clicked with me. I will tell you that eventually, I learned to "let go". This is a term that should be applied to EVERYTHING and for any control-freak (like myself) this is incredibly hard to do.

The fact is, the more you think about it, the easier it gets. You really have no control over the outcome of any set. Your opponent can play lights-out or the balls could roll really funny; you never know. Winning and losing are going to happen. Your goal shouldn't be to win all the time but to focus on giving yourself a winning opportunity as often as possible. The same holds true for pocketing. You are going to miss. Everyone misses. I've seen Johnny Archer play HORRIBLY in tournaments that he's won. He started off one tournament playing very amateurish and ended up playing like a demon by the finals. He told a few of us, "I just get up there and hit 'em until they start to drop." He basically told us that he was detached from the outcome. He was just letting go.

Once you cut yourself a little slack and allow the occasional error, you can allow your brain to focus on the things you actually CAN control. You can control which shot to shoot, how hard to hit it, what spin to use. Just keep hitting them until they drop.
 
I agree with Jude

I get the shakes when I play lesser players in leagues and tournaments. I know I'm suppose to win, and sometimes even dominate, but I end up with a shaky win or loss.

I do much better when I "let go" of winning and losing and just focus on making shots and executing strokes that are within my control. I often take more time and work on breathing between shots. This has helped me greatly in these circumstances.
 
I think one of the most helpful concepts I've encountered to to ask yourself what you are playing for in the tournament. Do you want to show the other players how good you really are? This is pretty common. It is part of human nature to want to establish yourself and your powers in the society. However it is also a huge source of pressure. Most people do not think deeply about this stuff, so it might be there subconsciously. Give it some thought.

One of the best solutions I've found is to go into the tournament with a questioning attitude. For example, "I wonder how I will do", or "Let's see how this goes". The more you can let go of your expectations, the easier it will be to get back to that "practicing by yourself" mindset. I find personally that I thrive on the pressure. The problem I run into is that I get tired and my focus tends to wane towards the end. I simply forget to bear down on every shot. I don't have that "lasers shooting out of my eyeballs" intensity that I start off with. I am very good at finishing 3-6 in a tourney. But I always seem to drift away towards the end.

Don't know if this helps?

KMRUNOUT
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
The same holds true for pocketing. You are going to miss. Everyone misses.
Click to expand...
Good point. That is a good thing to learn, when watching the top players. Pay attention to how they deal with misses and mistakes. The one's that get all upset, often don't do as well. Watch Efren, he seems to laugh at himself and shruggs it off. Just going through the motions of acting like it isn't a big deal, doesn't work. You have to actually believe it, that is the hard part to learn.

Tracy
 
DoomCue said:
It sounds to me like you're just getting nervous. Everybody gets nervous, from pros to bangers. Part of the separation between pros and bangers is their ability to deal with anxiety/pressure. You have to find a way to deal with the pressure. Proper breathing is paramount - you can find various resources on the Internet regarding proper breathing. Yoga is also an excellent way to practice breathing. Most sources agree that belly breathing is better than chest breathing. One of the things which happens when we get nervous is that we switch to chest breathing (shallow breathing). If you're chest-breathing when you're nervous, belly-breathe. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, just Google "stress breathing techniques" or some variation and you'll see a ton of sites.) Just like everything else, breathing under stress must be practiced until it's second nature - but you don't have to be under stress to practice it.

Visualization, a pre-set routine, and triggers are also ways to lessen the effect of nervousness. Visualize yourself performing positive (definitely not negative) actions. Physically-manifested nervousness can be a sign of fear - in your case, fear of failure. Don't allow negative thoughts (failure) into your mind - stay positive. Tell yourself you can, and you will. Develop and stick to a pre-shot routine. Triggers (what some people call "switches") help the mental game as well. Triggers are specific to an individual. Some triggers are: sliding the cue back and forth in the hand, placing the chalk on the table a certain way, checking the grip, tapping a toe, etc. A trigger is usually a physical act which tells the brain "Hey, we're ready, let's go!"

Finally, you must learn to accept your nervousness. It isn't always bad. A small bit of nerves usually aids in concentration, as it can force you to utilize your full mental powers. When nervousness physically manifests (as it does in your case, in the form of shaking), then you need to take some steps (breathing, visualization, triggers).

-djb
Click to expand...

Excellent post. These comments were key to my recent tourney win against players far better than myself. I had the best cueball control I have ever had during this tourney. Keeping focused on my three balls ahead (more if clusters), exactly where I wanted the cueball to end up, which english/speed/angles would make me get the desired result, and most importantly my pre-shot routine getting me in the proper frame of mind to enact the shot. Keeping focused intently on the match without saying a word or noticing/talking to the spectators/friends. I became tunnel visioned in the "zone" and before I knew it the table was cleared one time after another. The "visualization" is imperative to know the proper routes the cueball should travel. If you have an open table and you pick out which pockets early each ball will end up in, it takes the guessing out and normally you stay in line. A friend of mine said that my cueball control was so perfect for the matches that it was like having ball-in-hand on every shot. I only shot a handful of banks the whole tourney, but that was also due to focusing on the possible safety prior to deciding a bank was the best option.

Develop your own consistent time-after-time preshot routine. Once I have my plan of attack for how to shoot the shot, I get down take three strokes and fire. Any more than that I find myself out of rhythm or doubting the shot. Confidence is a big key. Obviously shot making and cueball control are part of it but are secondary to mentally getting youself through the rack.

Being in a pressure cooker during this tourney my head was sweating alot and I was hot. I made sure to have a couple bottles of cold water there to calm me down after a miss or an opponents lucky mistake. Water alongside a stack of coctail napkins to wipe the sweat from the brow. Take some deep breaths for a relaxing measure. Good luck.
 
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My shakes dissapeared with time. I usually have them early in the tournament / match, then they go away after I warm up a bit (both game and temp). Shotgun about 2-3 Miller lites and you will be just fine.
Oh yeah, so what if you miss, that fear can hurt you more than it helps. Repitition will give you the confidence you need to know you can make that shot that make 100's of times in practice. When it falls and you get in line with the next shot, then you develop a rythm that will eliminate the shakes.
 
RSB-Refugee said:
Good point. That is a good thing to learn, when watching the top players. Pay attention to how they deal with misses and mistakes. The one's that get all upset, often don't do as well. Watch Efren, he seems to laugh at himself and shruggs it off. Just going through the motions of acting like it isn't a big deal, doesn't work. You have to actually believe it, that is the hard part to learn.

Tracy
Click to expand...


Yes, whenever someone says, "I want to be consistent", I tell them they should miss every single time. THAT is the only consistency they can definitely attain and even then, occasionally you won't miss even when you try.
 
I don't have a lot of experiences with tournaments, but I've developed a list of 5 things to meditate about prior to competition (let me see if I remember them since I just went through a lengthy break up with my girlfriend and haven't played in a while):

1. Remind yourself why you play the game - it is not because of winning or losing, but because you love the game itself;

2. Integrate yourself with the audience - we all essentially have the same fears/needs. When you make a bad mistake, wink at someone sweating your match on the rail. It works for Efren and it should work for you;

3. Thank your opponent for being there and welcome the toughest possible challenge. That's what makes winning valueable! The challenge is a goal in-itself;

4. Surrender control of results. Similarly to what Jude (by the way, I STILL get fevers though less often!) said, you can't control what you can't control. The balls will do what they are going to do, all I can control is my pre-shot routine and my stick;

5. Each time you make an error (reconcile yourself with the possibility of failure!) ask yourself what you could have done better;

Added to that, I would think of a pre-match routine and a chair routine. When I'm in the chair for instance, I just watch the cueball, focus a little bit on breathing properly, watch my posture so I don't slump in the chair, drink a little water, and sometimes stare at the cealing to rest my eyes. Most importantly, I ROOT for my opponent, and I think the table for him (though never watching his body or stick, only the table). Why? Because I want the toughest possible challenge...

Prior to the match I just keep reciting the afore-mentioned mantra, and shoot a lot of power shots. If I can't get a warm-up table, I just go for a stroll and think of all the fascinating things life has to offer aside from pool.
 
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I know my post was too long, but I'm going to add:

a) think of what you're going to do, instead of could, should, would;

b) enjoy it while doing it;
 
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