[Pelican]

Excellent observations Laura. I too wonder about people that shoot for 'fun' but act like they are going to be executed if they lose. I am very glad to have reached a point in my life that other than wife and children there is not a damn soul I really care to impress.

Later, Pel

[Pin]

That makes a lot of sense.

To me, I guess recently I've been caught somewhere between the two -
I've learned a lot about the mental approach from Fast, and I think it's really starting to work for me now.
I think I'm getting to be pretty un-meltdown-able.

However, I guess I do take the game too seriously, and whenever I look at taking it less seriously, relaxing a bit, it's always in the context of doing it to make me play better, which is completely contradictory.
(And so tends not to work, for my overly analytical mind).


Perhaps I just need to decide how important pool really is to me, then if it brings any improvements to my play, they should just be a happy bonus.

The only problem is that I have to admit I have a slightly obsessive nature, and when I take something seriously, I usually throw all my efforts into it.
Perhaps then I should find something better to pursue...

[paco1076]

Thank you for the kind words Laura. It was great to meet you too and I hope that we can get together again sometime.

As for the mental aspect of anything competitive (even pool), it is about being self aware and self confident. It is about knowing that pool is something you do and not who you are. It is not judging yourself as a person by how you play at the table, but how you conduct yourself and what values you hold yourself too. That is the difference for me. I refuse to allow myself to drop/stoop to a level of performance and conduct that I would be ashamed of at some later date. I know what kind of man I am in my core and I don't want there to be any doubt to everyone else in the pool hall. Their thoughts of me don't control me or what I do, but confirm who I already know I am. Anyone who has been around me knows that I take my performance at pool seriously, I want to win, but not at the expense of my values or at the detriment of someone else. If I play well and lose, I am still satisfied. You can't win every match, game, or shot. Some nights it is someone else's turn to win and I accept that. If I play poorly and win, I know that I dodged a bullet and need to work on my game. But I will always maintain my core values and my personal belief in who I am and what I will do. That is the difference for me.

The mental meltdown is best controlled by having complete and unwavering faith in one's self. Unreleting pursuit for what is true and real and not having unrealistic goals and putting pressure on one's self. Always remember, no one can put pressure on you accept yourself. The reverse is also true, no one can remove pressure from you accept yourself.

[FASTLARRY]

Hows that draw coming along we worked on, has it fully kicked in yet, I assume it has.

:-D :-o :-o :-P

[paco1076]

Yeah, I am getting more and more consistant with it the more I use it. Heck, I used it last night a bunch and even got it to stop where I needed it. Thanks a ton for the help and for being so patient with me. I knew I was screwed up before you came up. The draw saved my ass last night.

[Pelican]

Quote

bluewolf wrote:

We have to play on 7fts and most of my experience is 9fts. Any suggestions?

laura

Yup, just cut 24" off yer cue and it will feel the same.......................................................................................................... :-D

[Pelican]

OK, I'll get serious, damn I hate to do that.

Beside the obvious difference in distance between end rails and side rails you will find that the balls tend to cluster more on the 7's simply because there is less room for them to 'roam' around. If you are used to shooting on a good 9' with pro type pockets the bar-box pockets will seem quite large and forgiving. Shots that would not get far enough in on my Diamond to 'rattle' will fall on a Valley bar-box

By the way, our APA team is going to the 8 ball team event 8-23/28. If you follow the results we are the RACKATEERS from Robertsdale, Alabama.

Later, Pel :-)

[paco1076]

My best advice for shooting on a 7' vs a 9' is that it is harder to get shape. The balls do cluster a lot cause there just isn't enough room. As for the pockets/tables in Baltimore, the tables are in decent shape and shoot fairly true. However, Sports 2000 has a very leaky roof so the room gets humid if it rains. Just keep an eye out for that. Your angles won't feel the same on the 7' either. It is because you are a lot closer to the other end of the table, make sure you shoot some practice games before you have to shoot your match. Or just shoot some practice balls, nothing fancy, just enough to get a feel for the table.

[paco1076]

I don't think that the side shots are any harder on the smaller tables. I think that anyone that believes that has it engrained in the record set (things that have happened to them in the past). I think that you just have to believe that you can make them and it won't be a problem. If you have a good straight stroke (which if you like long shots on 9' tables I can't imagine you don't) you will be fine on the 7's. Just work on the speed of your shots and controlling that. Too much speed on the 7's will get you into trouble more often than not because of the clutter.

[9BallroadPro]

Sure, on 7's, the lesson players will break poorly and you will get more congestion and balls clumped togeher and rack leaves nobody runs out from. Learn to play safe more.

Bar boxs usually have poor cue balls hard to draw. Dont set up shots which require a draw, leave everthing to follow. Pratice making a ball and coming up to the middle of the table, no rails, 1 and 2 rails. You will be shocked if you do this how often you will have a shot, just keep the cb out of the clusters or from being down below the rack.

[bostonbillypat]

' date='Jul 18 2004, 02:42 PM said:

The break was easier because there is less distance for the cb to travel, therefore whereas my 9ft breaks bust up the balls, but a ball rarely drops, on the 7ft, the balls ssplit up and balls dropped too. But, of course, this was a tournament so regular balls were used, not the heavier cb. The shots I imparted draw to, drew like a mother. For some reason, I can practice the draw in practice and do not well at it, but in a match, the draw is somehow better, so must be doing it by feel or mental control. It is like,'the shot is there, the cb needs to draw back to here'. The mind makes it happen, sort of.

The cloth was a bit slower than the one on my table at home, but the side pockets were much more generous than the ones in most of the bar tables, so side shots were very makeable. of course the end pockets were bigger than the 9ft ones in relation to the table size, which allows a sloppy shot to drop.

Laura

Man, who has not had a total melt down during a match. it's just real hard to admit it.

[IROCK]

I think there will always be pressure and choking in this game. I think sometimes you just have to win ugly matches, and it usually comes down to who handles the pressure best. Watch the Pros, sometimes the best in the game choke. Although you never know when it is coming, I think you have have to learn how it feels so you can deal with it better than your challenger when it comes. You may play an entire tournament and never feel it, but it can always show up to mess with you. I think the only way to never feel pressure is to never put yourself in pressure situations. I think it is part of life, and you will never erase it, just accept it for what it is, deal with it the best you can, and move on.

I think anyone going from a 4 1/2 x 9 to a 3 1/2 x 7 ft. table will do very well, and really enjoy playing on them once they get use to it. It will take a little while, but you will get use to it. I did. My whole stroke seemed to change and the tables have an entirely different feel. I relly enjoy playing on the small tables. And I love side pocket cut shots on them.

[onebigred51]

' date='Jul 10 2004, 11:27 PM said:

I have looked around me and have seen so many meltdown during their match. Their emotions get the best of them, they get angry , lose confidence on those not too good shooting days,miss shots they would not if they were not in a meltdown. As a not great player, this is when I have beaten better players. It was not so much what I did, but what they did to themselves.

At the same time, I realized that I do not break down this way. And I have had some superior players try to do it. When i realized what they were trying to do, whether to break certain shots, my confidence, my stroke, my reaction is:why are they doing this and it seemed kind of ridiculous and even if I lost a little confidence, it never lasted a whole match, and usually not even for a whole game because once I determined what the other player was doing, I just became determined to come back stronger. I may start missing shots, but they are usually ones that are hard for me anyway, or I am out of stroke that day. I just accept that I am going to miss some shots and will lose sometimes, but my emotions do not consume me, nor does my confidence break. I wondered what makes me different from these other players.

I could only conclude that my self concept, what I really believe about myself, does not depend on what I do on the table. It did not even depend on what I did for a living. It came from somewhere deep inside.There is inside of some of us, this steel (eastern thought would call this like a reed in the wind that bends but does not break), for lack of better words. There is no ego in winning, loosing, playing well. It is just a game and a chance to compete.

Pool is not what I am, it is something that I do and I guess that is the principal difference. So I figure the solution to not breaking is to build up that inner self, to believe in one's inner self and to sincerely like one's inner self. I also believe that I am not a victim of anyone's devices and my pool or other things can only be affected by me. I am responsible for all that happens inside of me, it is never something that someone else did to me.

It is the only answer I could come up with. I have seen some players who do not go into mental meltdowns and wonder if it is the same way with them.

It is all so mental really, this ability to not be affected by one's play or shots missed or made, games won or lost. Competition is wonderful but I guess that 'it is not whether you win or lose, it is how you play the game'. For me, having the ability to stay strong, to have courage and confidence regardless of the outcome of the game, is what is the most important to me.

I guess, too, I have enough zen and other eastern thought in me and the concepts of not having ego, being flexible, having the 'beginner's mind' where a person can always learn from others and have a sense of humility regardless of how proficient at a certain thing that they are, is part of that too.

On this path called life, we can lose everything of material value, our reputation, talent , loved ones and health. There is only one thing that we cannot lose, that being the inside sense of self.

i have to say that, in meeting Craig this last week, I met a kindred spirit. A true competitor who is excited about learning and proud of how he is improving but without ego and therefore teachable. I have to think that there are many 'Craigs' out there that I have yet to meet.

How do the rest of you feel about this or does this make sense at all?

Laura

First, how did this thread get from meltdown to table sizes?
Second, this is a very good subject to discuss. I assume by your description that the meltdown that you are referring to is the outwardly antics of a player that is disgusted with their play, playing conditions of their opponent; such as Earl S.
But I experience a different sort of meltdown. One where I lose focus (of what the game is about) and that affects my concentration on my play. I experience this way too often. And just when I really don't need it; during qualifiers in the APA league. This is where the game is not just for fun but an opportunity to gain some personal accomplishment and cash. The individual qualifier’s opens up the opportunity to go to Vegas and play in the nationals for $15,000 (8ball) or $10,000 (9 ball). Now that is way beyond playing in a league game or a local tournament.
So I have been attempting to figure out, read and learn, about what goes on and how to avoid, or deal, with it. I have read “The Monk’s” books; I Came To Win and others. I didn’t find his advice very helpful. I am now rereading the book “Pleasures of Small Motions” Mastering the mental game of pocket billiards by Bob Fancher, Ph.D.. Since he is a psychotherapist if figure he may have some authentic enlightenment. I have gotten about 1/3 through the book but I think it will really help my game.
When I first started reading your post I was wondering if you played competitive sports in high school. Then I saw that you were a girl and my first thought was no; that was the mean chauvinistic male in all of us. But I do wonder if playing competitive sports in high school does prepare us for competitive conflicts later in life; I did not play competitive sports in high school. By the way that chauvinistic attitude was only momentary; I do think females are as good as males in sport and pool is certainly an example.
My quest for "Pooldum ***" continues.

[biglouieone]

onebigred51, on Dec 17 2007, 11:44 PM, said:

First, how did this thread get from meltdown to table sizes?
Second, this is a very good subject to discuss. I assume by your description that the meltdown that you are referring to is the outwardly antics of a player that is disgusted with their play, playing conditions of their opponent; such as Earl S.
But I experience a different sort of meltdown. One where I lose focus (of what the game is about) and that affects my concentration on my play. I experience this way too often. And just when I really don't need it; during qualifiers in the APA league. This is where the game is not just for fun but an opportunity to gain some personal accomplishment and cash. The individual qualifier’s opens up the opportunity to go to Vegas and play in the nationals for $15,000 (8ball) or $10,000 (9 ball). Now that is way beyond playing in a league game or a local tournament.
So I have been attempting to figure out, read and learn, about what goes on and how to avoid, or deal, with it. I have read “The Monk’s” books; I Came To Win and others. I didn’t find his advice very helpful. I am now rereading the book “Pleasures of Small Motions” Mastering the mental game of pocket billiards by Bob Fancher, Ph.D.. Since he is a psychotherapist if figure he may have some authentic enlightenment. I have gotten about 1/3 through the book but I think it will really help my game.
When I first started reading your post I was wondering if you played competitive sports in high school. Then I saw that you were a girl and my first thought was no; that was the mean chauvinistic male in all of us. But I do wonder if playing competitive sports in high school does prepare us for competitive conflicts later in life; I did not play competitive sports in high school. By the way that chauvinistic attitude was only momentary; I do think females are as good as males in sport and pool is certainly an example.
My quest for "Pooldum ***" continues.

Man, I have had some meltdowns that were too ugly to watch. I go out and get drunk after one then I fell better about it. I get too drunk to fish and then it doesent matter any more.