what to do about stress

acousticsguru said:
"...you've just seen David's 15%." That was very, very mean of him, but it sure was hilarious… ;)

Greetings from Switzerland, David.i]
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Which is a great point- against a player of close ability, a small% of drop in quality will actually make a great difference in the outcome.

It is estimated that performance enhancing drugs such as EPO enhance physical abilities by less than 5%, but there are cheaters who have been caught who've won many titles.

A great analogy is racing: if your top speed is 20kph and you race someone whose top speed is 17kph...how often are you going to lose? "...you've just seen David's 15%."
 
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acousticsguru said:
Also, maybe the one thing to remember about fear is that it's about something that (usually) hasn't yet happened. In other words, it may be worth imagining the worst case scenario, recognize it's (usually) not very powerful (more like a kid's dream that it went to school and forgot to dress). I don't know of anyone who won't blunder or lose occasionally.

I remember many years ago, after I'd just won a match in which I played brilliantly, my opponent complained that he could play that well, too, but that as soon as the pressure was on, his game dropped to about 15% of what it he could do in practice. Before I could say anything to console him, my team mate Tom said: "Well, you've just seen David's 15%." That was very, very mean of him, but it sure was hilarious… ;)

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti
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I agree. I also think most fear, stress, anxiety, call it what you want -is delusional because chances are your not being chased down by a lion fighting for your life. It comes down to coping skills and im sure there are a few simple things people can do to calm down some better than others. Some people, smoke, drink, eat, think positive thoughts, visualize, hum songs, etc etc.

My advice to the op is to find out what your afraid of and work on that. Losing, missing balls, being dissappointed in yourself, expecting more from your self, people judging your game, etc, etc, are all part of pool. If you can learn to surrender and accept these things, it may help with your nervousness. Good luck.
 
ALL PRESSURE IS SELF INDUCED.


An old trick I use is, if I find myself stressing, to relax a little (not completely) and take about 10% off the speed of the shot.

Hey, it works for me.

Stones
 
I would suggest reading the Pleasures of Small Motions. It really helps address the mental side of pool. It may give you something to focus on while shooting so you won't dwell on the pressure you put on yourself and turn it into pressure to motivate yourself.
 
DoubleD said:
Read 'Sports Psyching'. The book takes a lot of time looking at player personalities and what motivates them. Also raises a lot of valid points on why a person will get stressed during competition.

For instance, I found out that I tended to think that if I beat certain players or won a tourney, I would suddenly be perceived as a different (better) player, while also fearing that everybody would think less of me if I lost to other players.

I also found out that I was most concerned about the style of my play and less concerned about winning.

Once I figured these things out, most of my stress went away.

dld
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I just ordered "Sports Psyching".

Couldn't hurt. My mental portion is the weakest part of my game. I've seen my potential.....and to both extremes. Playing out of my mind......and playing like a complete beginner. I know my average game is my average game.

I just think getting past some mental obstacles will raise the level of my average game.
 
I don't care what anyone says: it's innate.

No easy answer will help when that stun grenade goes off in your head, or when your eyes can't see the ball, let alone the potting angle, or when your arm feels like it is someone else's and your legs are like jelly.

What do you do THEN?
 
TheThaiger said:
I don't care what anyone says: it's innate.

No easy answer will help when that stun grenade goes off in your head, or when your eyes can't see the ball, let alone the potting angle, or when your arm feels like it is someone else's and your legs are like jelly.

What do you do THEN?
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The same as always: concentrate on a single aspect of your pre-shot routine that you've learnt over the years works like the glue that holds everything together. It's a bit like pressing the reset button, only that I believe one must learn to do it in such a way that it's not mind over subconscious/body, rather, handing the responsibility back over to where it belongs in a "non-mental"/"non-psychological" way.

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti
 
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TheThaiger said:
I don't care what anyone says: it's innate.

No easy answer will help when that stun grenade goes off in your head, or when your eyes can't see the ball, let alone the potting angle, or when your arm feels like it is someone else's and your legs are like jelly.

What do you do THEN?
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That's me just shooting a duck! :(
Unfortunately I agree with you again. :embarrassed2:
 
If when it's your turn at the table, would it be cosidered "sharking", if you curled up in the corner in the fetal position and sucked your thumb?:o
 
Some things like fear are learned and can be "un-learned", simply by placing yourself in the same situation over and over until you come to realize the old adage, that there is nothing to fear except fear itself.

I'm positive there are people (other than myself) who never feared losing in a pool tournament but after getting a stiff dose of reality, they developed a fear of opponents who run out like water. They weren't born with that fear of high caliber opponents, they learned to fear in competitive circumstances and they can "un-learn". At least that's the way it with me.
 
TheThaiger said:
I don't care what anyone says: it's innate.

No easy answer will help when that stun grenade goes off in your head, or when your eyes can't see the ball, let alone the potting angle, or when your arm feels like it is someone else's and your legs are like jelly.

What do you do THEN?
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The answer lies in proper preparation, so that when it happens, and it will, you will know how to get yourself back into the game.

Not everyone can afford private tutoring sessions from sports psychologists, but there are loads of books on the subject. Anyone who wants to be a competitor must do their homework. That includes off the table as well as on the table.
 
Stress doesn't exist but in our heads.

Stress is a resistance to what IS plain and simple.
Don't resist and the stress won't eat away at you.
 
TheThaiger said:
I don't care what anyone says: it's innate.

No easy answer will help when that stun grenade goes off in your head, or when your eyes can't see the ball, let alone the potting angle, or when your arm feels like it is someone else's and your legs are like jelly.

What do you do THEN?
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I would take a deep breath and summon up the heart and courage to proceed and succeed regardless of whatever reality is skewing my perception.

If I fail...I will go back to the practice room and hit a few thousand more balls and get ready for my next run.

If I succeed...I will go back to the practice room and hit a few thousand more balls and get ready for my next run.
 
TheThaiger said:
There are, which is why they don't work. Just give me ONE that actually works.
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I don't believe much in "calming down" - I believe in doing what needs to be done.

It's bit like at the doctor's or dentist's, getting a painful treatment, and being told to relax. What for? What comes next is inevitable anyhow, and especially in a pool billiards competition, it's unlikely to be fatal. Best to accept it as it is, embrace the situation as a moment of intensity, where life makes itself felt. Isn't this is why we're competing in the first place, so that what we're doing feels like it really counts?

Personally, I find it worse if it no longer felt as if it made a difference one way or the other. At that point, one might as well stay at home, or do something else.

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti
 
Repetition is key

If you don't have the time/money to put yourself in uncomfortable pool situations often enough they will continue to be uncomfortable. This means playing different players in different situations often enough that it's no longer different. There are no books you can read to substitute for this. Jumping in against the best players you can find can really help no matter what the outcome. You will never swim with the big fishes if you stay in a tiny pond.

JC
 
When you feel a case of the nerves coming on it's a good thing. It means that this match is important to you and your mind is preparing you to perform flawlessly.

If your mind fixates on reasons negative to your game these reasons need to be addressed. Acting like the pink elephant never appeared doesn't make it disappear. The negative problem is still there. Ask your yourself why is this a problem? Then answer yourself truthfully what the worst and best outcomes could be. Now play out that best outcome like a movie in your mind.

(This way if you lose you can lose gracefully as you have already had the taste of defeat experienced in your mind. Like a missed shot you know its not the end and that it's not going to drastically change your life. It reconfirms to you the level of importance it means to you and keeps you grounded.)

When thinking about the negative side of the coin it should be very brief. Your competitive spirit would naturally rebel against this notion of defeat. This is when you start the cycle of the movie in your mind of playing the game your capable of at its highest level. The best possible outcome. Perfect position playing out as planned in your best playing rhythm. Your preshot routine is to be your guide as the outcomes, the consequences, and and distractions have all been addressed. They are behind you...just play.
 
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I just go into these with a fatalist attitude. "Well, who knows what's gonna happen. My entry fee is probably just lost money. But I guess I'll go and hit each ball like I care, and see what the outcome is."

It is comforting to me to know that if I give every shot my best try, then nothing is really my fault. The only thing that's your fault is when you don't try.

Also, part of stress is that feeling that others are gonna judge you if you let them down and don't play perfectly. Or you'll feel like you let yourself down. Remember that most people just don't really care about anyone except themselves, at least the ones who are playing in the same tournament :P ...all eyes are not on you. As for beating yourself up, be honest about the difficulty of each situation. If it's a difficult situation and you don't make the shot or you miss the kick, just acknowledge it's hard and get over it. You were "supposed to miss".

I don't think alcohol is a good solution. In fact, some of what you say sounds weirdly like that old movie the hustler. Eddie gives himself an excuse to lose... the alcohol. You're using the same excuse. "I need a little to calm down, but then I went overboard and being drunk caused me to miss". Maybe you should do everything possible in the tournament to avoid excuses... don't eat a lot before, don't drink alcohol, take your keys out of your pocket, make sure you have a good cue, bring your own chalk and use it constantly, don't wear uncomfortable clothes, take off your watch, ignore your opponent, etc... take away every possible problem that you could use as an excuse.

Then, if try your best and still screw up, there's no 'reason' for it except lack of practice, or lack of tournament experience. If you allow other things to be the 'reason' you failed, you will constantly be chasing after the wrong thing, the quick fix... and avoiding the real fix: practice and enter more tournaments.
 
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