[mcdermottpoolcues]

Hi! I am Kevin i have a few questions.(1)i need to find a way to lose my attitude b/c i shoot so bad when i get mad.(2)i need alot of help with control(3)i need some help finding the right videos to watch and help my game(4)last thing for now i was wondering if i should try to find a class close to me to attend?thanks alot.

[TryingHard]

For what it's worth, I allow myself to get mad at myself, and give myself about 10 seconds to get over it. I can do this without effecting my game by just making sure that I can shut it off after a brief period of getting mad, then thinking about what I did wrong and making a note of it mentally.

I tried just blowing off mistakes, but it started effecting my game because I didn't think about what I did wrong.

Not that this will help you any, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

[mcdermottpoolcues]

it is worth alot thanks for the time.i will try my self to let it out after it happens.i normally go rack a few balls and hit hard and hit around and then miss and lose it .so maybe i can let it go after a few minutes ill work on it this weekend ill post and let u know how it goes.

[paco1076]

That is some great advice above. DO NOT ignore something that is bothering you while you shoot. All you allow to happen is for your subconscious mind to be distracted by what is bothering you. If you take a couple of minutes to address what is bothering you, you can than more forward with shooting your game. If you try to ignore it, you are allowing something to interfere with your subconscios mind (which is the part of the brain that best controls your pool stroke). You conscious mind should only come into play when you have to plan a shot that isn't a normal shot, path, and leave for you. Pick up a copy of "Pleasure of Small Motions" (second addition) it does an incredible job of describing the mental process of shooting pool. It has helped me out a ton lately as I too had lost my mental edge while playing, but am definitely getting back into my old self. Good times my friend, good times...

Good luck,
Craig

[mcdermottpoolcues]

Paco(craig) thanks also.you know that has been a BIG i mean BIG part of my game going bad is b/c of my mental game.thanks again for all info and ill check out "pleasure of small motions"once again i have a tournament this weekend only about 25-30 people in it.i am going to try to use yalls advice this weekend.ill let yall know how it went.if it works and i get my mental game under control i feel ill finish 1,2,or 3rd.well ill see yall later thanks again. Kevin

[paco1076]

Kevin:

Best of luck to you this weekend. Let us know how you do.

Craig

[Smartnick]

First and most importantly, you need to be mentally stable before you can even play the game and be better than average. I find myself out of rythem and i pick up a bad glitch in my stroke when something around me is not right. There is nothing i hate more than going to pool league after an argument with my wife. I find it hard to place that in the back of my mind and try to play pool. I have taken a break from pool twice, and in those 2 years i believed i got more mature , more responsible , and i ultimately grew out of being the LOUD, OBNOXIOUS, pool player. When i was on , people heard me, wheni missed a shot i made sure people knew it. I learned that if you conduct yourself properly around the pool table, you will shoot better.

When you find yourself getting mad, you need to step back take a few deep breaths, and await your fate. If you should get another shot , it is very important to fall back on fumdamentals. Step into your stance properly, look sharp , and make a nice stroke on your next shot. When i step into my shot i repeat in a low enough voice for me to only hear, TAKE YOUR TIME, IVE DONE THIS A MILLION TIMES BEFORE.

Hope this helps, It works for me.

[paco1076]

Good advice. I used to tell my lower rank players to "shoot a ball, make a ball". It is that simple. It is a simple game with a simple out come. We complicate it by trying to look fancy and make the incredible shot. If you have a good cue control it is amazing how few incredible shots you have to make.

Craig

[Billy_Bob]

This may or may not help with the getting mad issue....

When I have had problems with something like scratching, cue ball following object ball into pocket, etc., I have fixed it by intentionally trying to do whatever I don't want to do.

So I would practice intentionally scratching. Or practice intentionally getting the cue ball to follow in the object ball. Then when I know what to do to cause these things to happen, I also learn how to keep them from happening!

So if losing makes you mad, then intentionally lose for one week. Or if missing shots makes you mad, then intentionally miss shots for one week.

For myself, I find that growing older has mellowed me out quite a bit. But I assure you, I have been known to get quite ticked off when I was younger. (So maybe I am not the best person to be giving advice on this subject?) :-D

[paco1076]

Interestingly enough what you are saying helps in a couple of ways. It teaches you to be able to handle yourself when those things happen (scratching, missing, etc), but it also teaches you how to do those things so you can avoid them. In a simplistic sense, if you know that you have to follow to the object ball into the pocket to scratch, then all you have to do to not scratch is not follow the object ball. Kind of reverse learning.

Good luck,
Craig

[Smartnick]

Very good advice. When me and the wife play, i will try to get crazy english on the winning ball wether it be 8 or 9 and i call the scratches. As much as i like to practice my break, I've done it a million times.

[halhoule]

Without a reliable and consistent aiming system, you have no chance at all to be a good player. Aiming is the name of the game.

Hal

[zcat27]

What aiming system do you use Hal?

[WebDude]

Sorry to disappoint, but Hal no longer posts here.

[paco1076]

Sorry to hear about Hal.

Just my 2 cents worth, I don't use an aiming system. Most of the systems I looked at are very very complex with lots of exceptions to rules, etc. That just seems like a tough way to learn how to play. I simply practice a shot till I know how to shoot it. I see where I must hit the object ball to make the shot, then take into account cling, throw, english, speed, etc. and take the shot. Now I must admit that most of this minor adjusting takes place in my head and rather rapidly since I already feel comfortable with most shots. Just a matter of shooting balls till you are comfortable shooting the most common shots on the table. Short shots (straight and cuts), long shots (straight and cut), some backs, and some reverse and running english shots. Then I practice my draw and follow and make sure those are shooting as predicted, then I am ready to go. Just get familiar with the game and you won't need to think about a system while you are shooting. I find that if I think too much while shooting, I get myself into trouble.

Good luck,
Craig

[TryingHard]

Quote

paco1076 wrote:
I find that if I think too much while shooting, I get myself into trouble.

Geez, ain't that the truth. The more I think about a shot the more likely I am to miss it. I've really applied this to banking lately (after a lot of practice), and I'm better off if I just let my "gut" do the talking if I'm familiar with the shot to be taken.

[vince]

i have tried several differant aiming systems,none seem to work should i give it up

[seymore15074]

Here is what I do:

1) I get my contact point. (You could walk behind the object ball & pocket and look at the center of the ball and imagion a small dot, like I used to, but nowadays I see it from anywhere...maybe that's what they mean by no longer using an aiming system...)

2) Hit it.

If I hit my contact point, I make the ball. I do not think about ridiculous physics-like forces, I just hit the spot.