What brings out your best game?

A

Ak147

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Is it - playing better or weaker players, crowd support or the lack of, money game, tournament game, alcohol, playing for team, opponent on hill or leading way ahead, playing with opposite sex, cocky opponent?

Guess for me it is must win situation and cocky opponent can get my adrenaline going and make me more focused.
 
When playing strong player and he's in the lead and shooting lights out... that's when I get going and step my game up and meet him head on. Don't know why but I always play my best when coming from behind.
 
I play my best when I get a few shots and some lucky rolls and i feel like i have the best of it

conversely i break down when the other guy gets the rolls and i get so far behind that i lose hope
 
Best game when we're playing cooperatively, meaning that we try to find solutions together and also a Snooker style redo is allowed.
This will greatly help to calibrate your stroke in tough situations.

No money, no counting and always cheering for good shots.

Cheers!
 
In the corner

I play my best when I'm stuck in the corner, the snakes are biting at me and I know there is no other way out than make the right decisions and execute. That eliminates all other issues and I usually come out ahead.
 
When my mind is clear from all the "clutter". Meaning, I'm not thinking about anything...pool related or otherwise. When I can stop the wheels turning and just "play". Those times when no thought about the game is necessary and I'm just on "autopilot"...those are the times I cherish!!! :)

(Kinda like Kevin Costner in For Love Of The Game..."Clear the mechanism." --- Great movie by the way!)
 
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One of mine is a cocky opponent. If I can find that perfect state of pissed off, it somehow seems to make me play better.
 
Being behind..and angry! When I hate the guy I'm playing with I play A LOT better. Playing friends I tend to let up a bit.
 
Wish I knew. Comes and goes. If anything it's positive thinking but if I knew for sure then I could duplicate it at will.
 
Having a bit of resentment, for what ever reason, towards my opponent has always made me bring focus and determination to the table.

A little anger is a great motivator. :angry:
 
I think anger is a poor motivator. It can lead to Intermittent Explosive Anger (road rage) which can cause problems on the way home from the pool hall. While at home, anger can increase the risk of stroke, or heart attack, and potentially contribute to child or spousal abuse. It can lead to excessive alcohol consumption both at the pool room and at home, exacerbating the a fore mentioned attacks on family members. Anger can destroy personal relationships with friends and family, and can contribute to poor performance at work and potential loss of income.
All of this just because you were pissed at the guy you were playing pool with? What the hell is a matter with you people? :smile:
 
I played some of my best pool at large team tournaments on like new equipment.

My focus was really good at a vendor tournament after playing racquet ball the morning of the first day. My whole body hurt, and it hurt to get into position so my concentration was at a high level. I do not believe joint pain would have had the same effect.

Finished fourth, beat several of the top players in the tournament. Lost my last match after opponent ran three racks.
 
I focus my attention and play better when my opponent does something that p!sses me off, usually of the unsportsmanlike variety. I'm not sure it rises to the level of Anger, but it certainly increases the adrenaline flow (the trick is to learn how to "flow" the adrenaline instead of letting it "surge" as it naturally wants to do). I guess it feels like Revenge for him being a jerk.

Adrenaline makes your entire body more aware of its surroundings: sharper vision, instinctive body-awareness (is my stroke straight?) and enhanced strategic thinking. It kept our ancestors alive in the wild.

Since I'm relatively new to the game I've only played a handful of cheap money sets, but I suspect money would not be as big a motivator for me as Revenge.
 
Ak147 said:
Is it - playing better or weaker players, crowd support or the lack of, money game, tournament game, alcohol, playing for team, opponent on hill or leading way ahead, playing with opposite sex, cocky opponent?

Guess for me it is must win situation and cocky opponent can get my adrenaline going and make me more focused.
Click to expand...

My best playing is when things are going well in my life.
In other words, I have little stress elsewhere.

When I'm playing well, it rarely has anything to do with the game itself.
It's whether my mind is clear.

All these other external minutiae that people claim are reasons for better playing
are, IMO, not relevant. Ask any professional in their craft and they will more often
than not tell you that they do their best work when their own mental game is at
its best.
And so there you have it.
 
Ak147 said:
Is it - playing better or weaker players, crowd support or the lack of, money game, tournament game, alcohol, playing for team, opponent on hill or leading way ahead, playing with opposite sex, cocky opponent?

Guess for me it is must win situation and cocky opponent can get my adrenaline going and make me more focused.
Click to expand...

Competition, competition, competition !!!!!
 
I play my best when I have nowhere to be. I hate playing and then knowing that you have to leave at a certain time. Makes me feel rushed. If I've got nothing on my plate, I can relax and enjoy the game. Because that's what it's all about, enjoyment. Winning is nice too... ;)
 
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