Well of all the rotten luck! You just did it again! You missed an easy shot that would have set a beautiful run up! You’ve sold out now to your opponent! You should be sweeping the floor, not walking it with people who actually know how to play this game! Jeez, are you ever going to hit that shot right for a change?
Does this ever sound like a voice in your head? Or how about…..
Well, big match today…..man I hope I don’t screw this up. Ok…..remember everything you know and ever did. You can do this, I hope…..Don’t be nervous, nothing to be nervous about…..man those nails of yours look a little long and perfect for biting……
If either of these are you, congrats! You are a human being like the rest of us who sometimes feels pregame jitters or loves to self punish as a way to atone for misses. Most of us would probably also say, that neither of these attitudes is very healthy, does us much good to recover from misses, or get ready to actually play even decent pool. So how do you change from being down and out to up and coming? Here are five tips to help you get out of those pre game jitters and negative reactions during matches.
1. Practice like you intend to play. This is probably the most obvious of all the tips. But so many players in practice sessions just throw balls up on the table or lackadaisically play through racks like they haven’t got a care in the world. Is it any wonder then when it’s game time and you’ve done nothing to prepare yourself that you are nervous and shaky? Personally, I try to treat every practice game and drill like I’m preparing to go up against a player like Ralph Souquet or Efren Reyes when I play my next league night or tournament. Take it serious and pay attention to your details, because how you practice will be reflected in how you play.
2. When practicing, work on the stuff you hate the most. I remember when I was in grade school, and my mom was my grammar teacher. I hated prepositions. I don’t know why, but it took me forever to learn how to make a full sentence with the proper prepositional phrases in to enrich it. Today it’s easy, but that’s because my mother made me constantly work on learning how to write those phrases and memorize the list of prepositions. I hated it, but became a much better writer and student. Pool is no different. Don’t do drills on stuff you already know or can do pretty often. Work on that one shot you always miss under pressure. Work on that shot that you always fall just a little short on that costs you your run. If you only work at what you are good at, you’ll never get better, and start to fall behind everybody else.
3. A little practice a day goes a long way. Are we sensing a them here yet? Most of these jitters and nerves and negative attitudes are the result of not being prepared. While it’s true that we all have busy lives, I want you to think about this. The human brain learns best by repetition over an extended period of time. Muscle memory results not in shock treatments, but day after day exposure to correct form and principles. An hour or two of drills spread over six days will go a lot further toward making something stick than just one day a week for five hours. It’s great when you can get the five hour day in, but spread the work each day so you have to keep coming back to it rather than going cold for an entire week before it’s drill day again.
4. Keep a notebook in your case. If any of my readers have checked out my facebook profile, one of the items I carry in my case is a notebook. Inside this notebook are written several zen sayings to center me, drills I feel I need to work on, shots that continue to plague me, shots that make me nervous, goals for where I want to end up, and anything in general related to pool While we live in a digital age, the power of written word can truly drive home a point where a visual diagram or video may not. Carry a notebook around with you and hold yourself accountable to what you write in it. Even if you aren’t perfect, the book will give you a record to go back to when in trouble.
5. Learn to live on each shot rather than get lost in the big picture. My coaches continue to preach this, and so will I in just about every post when people ask how to overcome certain things. Give each shot your ultimate attention. Whether you have to tell yourself all that matters is the shot in front of you, or you have to imagine each shot made is a dollar, treat each shot like it’s the most valuable thing in front of you. There are not hard shots, there are no easy shots, and there are no trick shots or gimmes. There are only low percentage shots, high percentage shots, and the shot in front of you. Focus on what you need to do to make it in practice, then when in the game, you will already know what to do, and can get out of your own way.
Hope you found these tips helpful, and good luck to all shooting this week!