What to focus on when in a slump before a big match?

D Player

D Player

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I know there have been plenty of threads about dealing with slumps before, but I'm curious about what some of you focus on when going into a big match at a time when you're not playing anywhere near your top speed.

I have been struggling with my game for several months now, and I have been trying to break out of my slump through structured practice and regular matches -- but I haven't turned things around yet.

Anyway, I had an important match last week and I wanted to get myself as sharp as I could beforehand, so I found the time to go the pool hall for 3+ hours a few nights of the week to work on stroke drills, shotmaking, position, etc.... Well, I ended up playing well in my match and I felt pretty good about things.

Now I have another match tonight, and I haven't been able to put in much time at the tables this week because of work/family -- the usual stuff. So I finally get to the pool hall last night and start working on my drills and I was having really erratic results...my stroke felt pretty awkward and my aiming was off too. I tried to figure out what was wrong with my stroke/alignment but I couldn't get it figured out. Finally, I just decided to call it a night after 2 hours with little improvement -- I was concerned I might just be reinforcing whatever bad habit I had picked up in my stroke.

Long story short....can anyone offer some advice for what to focus on before/during my match tonight to try and forget about my poor play last night???

Thanks in advance for any help...
 
I purposely speed my play way up and try to just have fun, if I can get my focus back on having fun I can break out of a slump but that's just me.

Another thing I like to do is shoot in about 50 -100 short straight in shots right before the match, total gimme's , even though the shots are easy it sort of gets my brain and attitude reset to the expectation of making balls.

Something else I've had great luck with is positive visualization, especially at night when falling asleep, I picture a table in my mind and watch myself running rack after rack, never missing, making every shot both easy and hard.

Years ago I used hypnosis tapes and positive visualization techniques and my game rose to a whole new level in about a week, other players could not believe I was the same guy they had played for years.

Sounds like weird stuff but it works for me.
 
This has been discussed several times in the past, and here are some of my suggestions.

1) Make sure you are going through the same pre shot routine every time at the table- this will help with consistency

2) Try and play alot of safeties to get ball in hand- running balls helps with confidence.

3) Treat every shot the same...no "hard" shots or "easy" shots- this helps you focus.


Hope this helps.

Southpaw
 
sounds odd but...

I play best when I focus on nothing.

simply say to myself before hand, in a very matter of fact way... I'm a very strong player anytime I get the table Im a danger to run out.

then no more thinking, flow.
 
Good luck tonight.

I would suggest what Bigshooter said. Shoot a bunch of "gimme" shots. They help with your confidence tremendously. It will help get your mind out of the slump. As it gets closer to ur tourney, start to run racks to get you focused on position.

Cyrex let me borrow "The pleasures of small motions". its a great pool book. No drills, just thought process. its helping me out of my slump and making me remember that its a fun game. you should try and get a copy

james
 
I've spent the last year or so in a slump due to lack of play time...which eroded my confidence. I finally feel like I'm coming out of it due to three things:

1) relaxed: my shooting arm muscles were tight due to lack of confidence (I was trying to steer the shots in). Johnny Archer went thru a short slump in the 90's, which he attributed to tension in his upper arm (bicep area). As a test, I like to pause mid-stroke and see if I am comfortable. I literally hold the cue in the rearward position for a few seconds. If I am not comfortable, there is tension somewhere (or my alignment is bad). When I am in stroke, I can pause anywhere in my stroke and feel good.

2) shortened my bridge & stroke: I played a little 14.1 recently and realized how long my bridge & stroke had become. 14.1 always forces me to shorten my bridge & stroke for those nip & tuck position plays. Too much backswing gives me too much time to steer the cue around as it comes forward.

3) picked up the pace: I'll take my time looking over the shot, but once the decision is made...I like to act quickly, which equates to confidence to me. This shouldn't negate your pre-shot routine though. I like to take two quick practice strokes, pause, 1 slow practice stroke, pause, pull back, pause, stroke thru the ball. That is what is comfortable for me...YRMV. Here's a VID to illustrate what I am talking about...ignore the other stroke issues (I'm working on those).

As Jeanette Lee once said...if your confidence is low, just play like you are confident. Pretty soon you will be.
 
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Thanks for the replies so far!

I will try to set up some easy straight in shots after work to get loose. That's kind of where things went south for me last night...I was starting off with some half table stop shots -- then moving to draw shots and follow shots (think Pro Book shots one, two, and three); and my results were just too inconsistent.

I will definitely make sure to stick to my preshot routine and I was thinking about focusing on a slightly longer pause after my backstroke. I fear that if I consciously THINK too much about my mechanics, I'm going to get into trouble.

I know I'll get over this eventually, but I hate having low confidence before an important match. Thanks for the advice and allowing me to vent!
 
I take a few days off, if there is time. If there isnt I just play lose like I dont care and sometimes that takes me back to where I was before the slump.

now if I'm out of stroke like now there isnt much I could do, so when I do play I dont expect much so i'm happy when I play good and its ok if I dont because I dont expect much.


for me the breakdown is expecting too much of myself before a big or small match, I just go do my thing some times it works some times it dosent,
 
Slumps happen because we carry what happened yesterday (or in the last rack) into today (the current rack). Past is past, done is done. It is a new game every time you walk to the table. If you believe you are in a slump it will become a self fulfilling prophecy.

I had a terrible Tuesday night. Lost my first league match this session. I couldn't get comfortable over the ball, everything felt out of whack. I'd identify and try to fix something and something else would go wrong. I was up 2-0 struggling with every shot, and I just fell apart. I began to focus more on what I was doing wrong instead of what I was doing right, dwelling in the past rather than focusing on the task at hand. I did lose, but my poor play didn't carry over to the next day, because I was able to look at what I did right and recognize where I went wrong.

Focus on the positive and a good outcome, and you will get it. The same holds true on the other side of the coin. Tell yourself you are in a slump and playing poorly, low and behold you are...

Banger
 
D Player said:
Long story short....can anyone offer some advice for what to focus on before/during my match tonight to try and forget about my poor play last night???

Thanks in advance for any help...
Click to expand...

Go back to the basics, focus on your stance, grip, bridge and stroke, walk into the shot... just focus on all the fundamentals that most advanced players take for granted. And keep it simple :D
 
skor said:
Go back to the basics, focus on your stance, grip, bridge and stroke, walk into the shot... just focus on all the fundamentals that most advanced players take for granted. And keep it simple :D
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Yes, what he said. Keep it simple - you've seen the shot before, so just go with it. Only two outcomes are possible: you either make it or you don't.
 
Loosen your rear (butt) hand and let the weight of the cue do the work instead of guiding the cue. Trust your instincts after you have gone through your routine.

Gene
 
skor said:
Go back to the basics, focus on your stance, grip, bridge and stroke, walk into the shot... just focus on all the fundamentals that most advanced players take for granted. And keep it simple :D
Click to expand...

I agree with Skor with the caveat that EVEN the advanced players go back to basics when they start to slide. I happen to know of several big name pros who are working with an instructor on their basics. Allison never stops concentrating on them.

Someone else said that if you go to the match thinking that you're in a slump you will be. I agree. The Law Of Attraction says that you should go thinking about all the good things that are going to happen to you while you are there. Develop those thoughts to an extreme and they will happen.

At the simplest and most basic level, when I feel pressure and begin to feel like I may dog a shot, I tell myself to just stay down and watch the cueball contact the object ball before moving. Sometimes that is all it takes to get me in the zone. Even if I don't get in the zone I KNOW that I play better as a result of staying down, so it doesn't hurt a thing. I also force myself to pick an exact spot for position, not just a zone, being sure to think 3 balls ahead and getting on the right side of the ball. If I concentrate hard enough to successfully put these limits on my play I cannot choke ! I'm too busy :o . Hope something here helps. We all go through this kinda stuff...Tom
 
This might sound too simple but try focusing on relaxing. Rellay focus on relaxing nothing else. Start with breathing deep in the nose exhale slowly out the mouth focus on just that! You will be surprised if you can keep your thought there on the brething you will releve your mind from the stress that you are putting on yourself. Your brain will remember how to shoot. It is much harder than it sounds.
Give it a try
 
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