Frustration

[lbs]

....
(ive heard of some people who bed in new tips at home with a spare ball playing it on surfaces like a kitchen worktop(covered with a towel). practises cueing at a similar height to a table, and also saves table light time to bed the tip in)

the best ways to bed the tip in is the compress the tip (by using a vice, placing it under the bed for weeks or whatsoever).
Some claim that covering the tip with a cloth and knocking it with hammer works, but I tried it and the effects aren't as good as the slower vice/bed methods.

after fixing the tip on, take a spare (spare because this exercise does take away some of the polish) cue ball and use it to hit against the tip--side ways, dead center--firmly for a few minutes.

my personal opinion

[lbs]

Thanks for your responses.

The most surprising thing I've found is not so much that I'm going through a bad patch (at the moment, that's all I'm putting it down to), but how depressing it seems to be.

Usually if I have a bad patch I obviously don't like it, but I can tolerate it with a sort of "Oh well, it'll be better in a week or two."

But I seem to be extremely exasperated at the moment even though it is nowhere near a week or two that it's been going on!

I will keep you posted about how (or if) things improve.

statman, i am having the same problem as you.
I can't even hit 20s nowadays, but i am battling.

hope to hit the half century somewhere next month.

[elvaago]

That's the first time I've heard anyone give the advice: Play like Peter Ebdon!

I went through exactly the same thing about a year ago.

I just couldn't play.

The way I got out out of it (which might help you) is by going down to your club and in practice, play every shot reaaallllly slowly.
Think about the spin you'll be appliying, the power of the shot, the angle you should be hitting it at, and once you're very sure you'll sink it in the heart of the pocket, strike through, keeping your head down.

It worked with me, and it might work with you. Just remember to take every shot very, very slowly, and make sure you leave yourself an easy next shot.

Good luck

[Semih_Sayginer]

the best ways to bed the tip in is the compress the tip (by using a vice, placing it under the bed for weeks or whatsoever).
Some claim that covering the tip with a cloth and knocking it with hammer works, but I tried it and the effects aren't as good as the slower vice/bed methods.

i completely disagree. id still say the best way, and almost certainly the quickest without risk of damaging the tip, is to have a hit with it.

the tip will bed in (compress) quite uniformly, especially if you spin the cue around to ensure all the tip is bedded in and it doesnt get sided.

if your way works for you, and your happy with it, then excellent, but id still do it the "old fashioned way" as ive not had any problems doing so, and its far quicker than talking to the cue under the bed in your sleep telling it to hurry up and bed in.

each to their own.

[lbs]

i completely disagree. id still say the best way, and almost certainly the quickest without risk of damaging the tip, is to have a hit with it.

the tip will bed in (compress) quite uniformly, especially if you spin the cue around to ensure all the tip is bedded in and it doesnt get sided.

if your way works for you, and your happy with it, then excellent, but id still do it the "old fashioned way" as ive not had any problems doing so, and its far quicker than talking to the cue under the bed in your sleep telling it to hurry up and bed in.

each to their own.

semih, my second part of the reply is exactly what you say just that instead of using the cue tip to hit the cueball, its having the cue ball in ur hands and hitting it firmly against the tip, all the while rotating it to ensure a uniform bed in

[Semih_Sayginer]

semih, my second part of the reply is exactly what you say just that instead of using the cue tip to hit the cueball, its having the cue ball in ur hands and hitting it firmly against the tip, all the while rotating it to ensure a uniform bed in

id say thats completely different.

no matter. youre happy doing your way, and ill stick to the traditional swift and easy way. everyones happy.



Edited to say thanks for the good rep received in this thread

[Erwan_BZH]

No kidding folks but this must be contaigious! lol I am joining the group of the depressed/frustrated guys! I play like sh*t for 2 weeks now, it's incredible.
Three weeks ago, I knocked in a 93 break on a lineup (best break ever, even on a lineup)...then 2 days after, I couldn't pot a 30!
My grip is rubbish, I just don't have any feelings with it, I'm not at ease with my stance, with my sighting...grrr.I wish I had a coach here....
As I am quite a nervous guy, it tends to frustrate me so much, far beyond what I should do. And of course, once you're irritated (to say the least), you can pot even less balls...

Deadly circle...

[The Statman]

...I wish I had a coach here...

To drive you as far away as possible, by the sound of it!!!

[Mitsuko]

I haven't played "well" since I got my new cue, yesterday my highest break was 18 Not that bad for me, but it was easily my best of my session, I could hardly pot 2 balls in a break. I was rubbish

[cueman]

Its a very tough game to stay consistent at, I play to a pretty good standard so imagine how frustrated I get when I can't make a 50 break!
I always find there are two ways to cure bad form, play through it or have a break from the game for a while. Depending on the type of person you are will depend what works for you. If you get easily frustrated then I would suggest having a break, then when you come back don't expect too much from yourself and hopefully you will come back determined to play well.
If you are a determined type that hates to play bad or lose then I would play through the bad form, chances are you know this works best for you.

As for Statmans original problem, a change of tip isn't always nice to go through and they usually play different to the last one you used. I have played with new tips in the past and couldn't pot certain shots and the cue ball control was awful. Some take a while to bed in whilst others can play pretty well straight away. With experience you can usually tell if a tip will bed in quickly or not. I tend to give it about 2-3 hours and if I'm still getting no joy I take it off and try a new one.
I don't have this problem now because I use the talisman pro soft tips that take very little time to bed in and last for ages. They are quite expensive though and are quite hard which doesn't suit everyone. The thing is to try and find a tip you like and use no other brand.

[The Statman]

Thanks for your helpful and interesting responses, ladies and gentlemen (and the four stars for the thread – I'd depress myself more often if I knew that I'd be rewarded for it )

You'll be disappointed to know that I have not had amy better joy this last week. I played terribly, but with OK patches, on Saturday, only winning the first-round match in the club comp because my opponent played even worse, and proceeded to lose in the second round to a middle aged lady to whom I concede 63 points a frame. I wasn't so much bothered by the fact that she beat me 2-0 but by the fact that, on aggregate, she beat me by more than the start I gave her!

Wednesday showed a little light at the end of the tunnel, but alas it was an oncoming train. It came off the rails. I played OK in small patches, but awfully on the whole, and my team captain (which is me) agreed that I should not play this week (Thursday) because coincidentally I had an ungetoutofable engagement.

I will be missing the Saturday and Sunday tournaments on both the 2-3 and 16-17 December because of the Premier League and UK finals, so am determined to enter the remaining ones to get me in the top-16 of the club end-of-year rankings, which would put me into the new year play-offs for a handy £400 top prize (or at least, £20 for going out in the first round!).

So I will report back after tomorrow evening. I think I have come to the conclusion that it is really just a bad patch, albeit a long one.

In January 2005 I set myself a target of making a 40+ break every calendar month, and to date I have done so with ease (except March 2005 when I made an exact 40 on the 31st) but November 2006 may come to be a sticking point now that it is the 25th and the closest I have got is to miss an easy straight pink with guaranteed position when on 34.

[hegeland]

Seeing that this thread has developed into a place where you can write out your anger and frustration, I'll join the department for complaints too.

Since I first touched a cue some 11 months ago, my standard of playing has quickly improved. So quickly that more than one person has called me "a natural". Now that is of course very nice to hear, but it can be acting as a obstruction just as well. During the summer I was able to practise a lot and everything was flowing so to speak. But since then, and especally these last few weeks, due to my commitment to get top grades I have not been able to practise more than, at most, twice a week. And I now start to feel that I am not improving as frequently as before, if at all. I don't know if it's the poor aiming or the lack of straight cue delivery, but I suspect it's a bit of both. I play so poorly the thought of quitting and go back to record collecting has crossed my mind more than once, but then again that would be like giving up. And I'm not a person that gives up easy. But I, just as everyone else (?), sometimes think: is this the best I will get? Have I reached my limit? I would like to think not, but I'm not sure any more. Maybe cue sports just isn't my thing? But it gets so depressing thinking that, so better don't. It's just seem impossible for me to improve any more. I guess I just have to hang in there, and sooner or later it will take off again.

But the most frustrating thing is that I see a shot and feel that I just don't have the energy to concentrate and think about all the things: stance, where to aim, where the cue ball will go, what pace is best to use, etc. I just sort of get down and swing my arm and hope the ball will go in. I know it sounds stupid saying that I don't have the energy to concentrate, but that's the best I can describe it right now. When I'm playing it seems to me as if I'm doing it just like I used to, with the difference that the ball no longer go in the pocket! Am I too tensed and need to relax more in my arm and mind or am I careless and need to play more Peter Ebdon style so to say?

I'm thinking about videotaping when I'm playing, but the boys would be laughing like madmen seeing me put up the camera and tripod and stuff at the table.

[MrRottweiler]

I used to film myself on my home table to identify problem areas and to try and get a maximum on tape! After a few years of trying I finally got a maximum on the line up (10 reds so 107 total)

Typically, I wasn't filming at the time.

[missneworleans]

Maybe you need some fun, holidays...

[The Statman]

... But since then, and especally these last few weeks, due to my commitment to get top grades I have not been able to practise more than, at most, twice a week. And I now start to feel that I am not improving as frequently as before, if at all. I don't know if it's the poor aiming or the lack of straight cue delivery, but I suspect it's a bit of both. I play so poorly the thought of quitting and go back to record collecting has crossed my mind more than once, but then again that would be like giving up. And I'm not a person that gives up easy. But I, just as everyone else (?), sometimes think: is this the best I will get? Have I reached my limit? I would like to think not, but I'm not sure any more. Maybe cue sports just isn't my thing? But it gets so depressing thinking that, so better don't. It's just seem impossible for me to improve any more. I guess I just have to hang in there, and sooner or later it will take off again. ...

Well I guess everyone DOES have a limit (given their circumstances – opportunity to practice, financial constraints etc. as well as plain ability), and I guess you can never be sure if you've reached it.

I must admit I am more concerned with enjoying the game than improving mine. I would class myself as a 'social' player despite having played in the league for about 12 years. I have certainly no signs of giving the game up until I really don't enjoy it, and that position has, thus far, never been even close.

I still look forward to trips to major finals, it is not yet a faff to get dressed up and travel a couple of hundred miles to referee at a large amateur tournament ... and I haven't yet been known to turn down a game without a prior engagement! And that, to me, is the most important thing.

However, it does get frustrating, naturally, when you can't produce the form you know you are able.

Hegeland, having been playing less than a year, I think you can safely put the downturn in your game down to your lack of ability to play as regularly, because of your college work. It will soon return, I'm sure.