close to quiting

[snooks1000]

i've been toying with the idea of knocking the game on the head for some time now and becoming purely an armchair snooker fan. the problem is, i dont think my game has progresse since i was around 21/22 years old and i'm now nearly 28. its almost like the harder i try/practice the harder i'm finding it and in the last few months the level of frustration i've been experiencing is paramount to toture!

i love the game, but at this moment in time it feels like it would be a big weight lifted if i hung my cue up and lifted the pressure off myself of trying to improve. what adds to the frustration is i visited Nigel Bond last week for 2 hours coaching and because i played pretty well on his table he changed very little with my game as he said my basics were fine, yet even 30 breaks the last few months have been an uphill task. my games going backwards.

sorry for anyone who is unlucky enough to read this rant haha, but thought it might help to get it off my chest

much love...

[mick 142]

It happens to us all mate i think you are trying to hard and punishing yourself when you miss .tweeking this and that just remember the basic things and pot the balls leave off the practice for a week are two then play again .Your better off with no practice than bad practice .

[spike]

If I were you, I would take a break from the game for a month or two, and then see how you get on. It can really help some cases, especially if you're frustrated and in dispair with your current form.

Just a thought..

[wildJONESEYE]

If I were you, I would take a break from the game for a month or two, and then see how you get on. It can really help some cases, especially if you're frustrated and in dispair with your current form.

Just a thought..

Some has to admit its not in them to play to a high enough standard that frustration kicks in.....

dont expect to much you might enjoy it more and play that touch better.

[snooks1000]

Some has to admit its not in them to play to a high enough standard that frustration kicks in.....

dont expect to much you might enjoy it more and play that touch better.

thanks for the replys folks. the thing is, 3/4 years ago i was getting regular 40/50 breaks and just got on the table and played. my brain gets fried when i play these days with thinking too much and i just come away from a session feeling mentally drained and down...

[Gerry Armstrong]

You don't have to either play every day or quit completely. As was suggested earlier, just take a break and see how you feel in a week or two.

[DWOT]

i've been toying with the idea of knocking the game on the head for some time now and becoming purely an armchair snooker fan. the problem is, i dont think my game has progresse since i was around 21/22 years old and i'm now nearly 28. its almost like the harder i try/practice the harder i'm finding it and in the last few months the level of frustration i've been experiencing is paramount to toture!

i love the game, but at this moment in time it feels like it would be a big weight lifted if i hung my cue up and lifted the pressure off myself of trying to improve. what adds to the frustration is i visited Nigel Bond last week for 2 hours coaching and because i played pretty well on his table he changed very little with my game as he said my basics were fine, yet even 30 breaks the last few months have been an uphill task. my games going backwards.

sorry for anyone who is unlucky enough to read this rant haha, but thought it might help to get it off my chest

much love...

Pretty much exactly the same as me fella, however I'm going to keep playing the game, I know I need to give myself a break and sort my head out when things aren't going as I'd like, however I'm possitive that one day it will all click into place and I'll get past the 50 break milestone and be free of it!

I too have been to see Mr Bond, after every vivsit my game improves loads but then seems to go backwards after a while!

[Andrew Green 1303]

It's a feeling that so many people have, but really the answer isn't to give up the game! Taking a break is a good idea as you'll come back to it fresh and hopefully motivated having not played for a few weeks. The answer to your problem is probably a very simple one. It could be that a slight change in your eyesight has meant that you need to adjust the way you sight the line of the shot. You're clearly a good player and you don't lose that overnight!

Keep the faith!

[nrage]

thanks for the replys folks. the thing is, 3/4 years ago i was getting regular 40/50 breaks and just got on the table and played. my brain gets fried when i play these days with thinking too much and i just come away from a session feeling mentally drained and down...

What is the cause of feeling 'down'? I suspect it's because you have an expectation, and after the session you haven't achieved it. So, why not go into a session with no expectations at all for a change.

I know people say you have to have goals or you will never achieve anything, but truth is I have never had any sort of concrete/specific goal and I have achieved plenty of things. My goals tend to be more long term and less clearly defined. My primary goal has always been "to be happy". It's the sort of goal you cannot finish, as there is no time frame. It's the sort of goal you cannot use as an excuse to punish yourself or feel bad, because it cannot be held up as a measure of progress or failure.

For snooker my goal is simply "to get better at it". So, after a single session of snooker I can't say I have achieved or failed vs this goal, as its more long term than that, therefore playing badly in a single session does not get me down. I know that I'll go back another day and play better. And gradually, over months I will slowly "get better at it"; My good sessions will get better and my bad ones will be less bad.


What is the cause of your feeling 'drained'? How much thinking are you doing? For a change, stop thinking about breaks, stop thinking tactics. Instead, for every ball you play, think only about that ball, and making position on the next. Nothing else, don't attempt to break build any further ahead than that ball, and position on the next. Don't keep a count of your break, ask you playing partner to do that (in their heads), or don't do it at all. If you miss, immediately forget about it and take the next ball as it comes. Don't let the state of the game affect your choice of ball, or shot, just play the shot you're most comfortable playing i.e. if the pot is a 1 in 5 sort of pot, play safe instead.

The idea here is to play snooker in the "now" ignoring the past and not looking into the future beyond the next position. It will focus your mind, relieve the strain of thinking too far ahead, and avoid disappointment in cases where you miss after thinking "the balls are perfect for me to make a break of 50" (don't ever think that).

The amount of thinking you should be doing on any given shot is therefore, before getting down to the pot, something like...
- is there a good probability ball to pot?
- how would I make position off that?
- is there another option?
- do I need top/stun/bottom to make position?
- how hard do I hit it?

Once you have the pot (or safety) selected, with tip position and power get down on the shot and play it as planned. If once down you change your mind, get back up, re-decide the shot/safety, tip and power and get down again.

Once this style of play becomes natural, you will find you have a lot more confidence, simply because in pressure situations you're not under any pressure. Only once you get to this stage should you start building game state tactics and other tactical or break building thoughts on top, and they will become easy to manage because the rest is natural.

Sorry for the long post, I can ramble once I get started. It just seemed to me that if Nigel Bond thinks you're technique is ok then the only thing left is the mental side of the game and perhaps my advice might give you a new way to look at/think about snooker and life in general, or not, feel free to ignore it all as mad ramblings

[wildJONESEYE]

You don't have to either play every day or quit completely. As was suggested earlier, just take a break and see how you feel in a week or two.

yes just enjoy it it seems to me your putting pressure on yourself to turn those 40s and 50s in to 70s and 80s and its back firing.

the difference at the top end of the scale between players isnt ability but mentally some cant deal with that as well as others hence the ranking differences.

don't stop playing just enjoy playing again.

[snooks1000]

What is the cause of feeling 'down'? I suspect it's because you have an expectation, and after the session you haven't achieved it. So, why not go into a session with no expectations at all for a change.

I know people say you have to have goals or you will never achieve anything, but truth is I have never had any sort of concrete/specific goal and I have achieved plenty of things. My goals tend to be more long term and less clearly defined. My primary goal has always been "to be happy". It's the sort of goal you cannot finish, as there is no time frame. It's the sort of goal you cannot use as an excuse to punish yourself or feel bad, because it cannot be held up as a measure of progress or failure.

For snooker my goal is simply "to get better at it". So, after a single session of snooker I can't say I have achieved or failed vs this goal, as its more long term than that, therefore playing badly in a single session does not get me down. I know that I'll go back another day and play better. And gradually, over months I will slowly "get better at it"; My good sessions will get better and my bad ones will be less bad.


What is the cause of your feeling 'drained'? How much thinking are you doing? For a change, stop thinking about breaks, stop thinking tactics. Instead, for every ball you play, think only about that ball, and making position on the next. Nothing else, don't attempt to break build any further ahead than that ball, and position on the next. Don't keep a count of your break, ask you playing partner to do that (in their heads), or don't do it at all. If you miss, immediately forget about it and take the next ball as it comes. Don't let the state of the game affect your choice of ball, or shot, just play the shot you're most comfortable playing i.e. if the pot is a 1 in 5 sort of pot, play safe instead.

The idea here is to play snooker in the "now" ignoring the past and not looking into the future beyond the next position. It will focus your mind, relieve the strain of thinking too far ahead, and avoid disappointment in cases where you miss after thinking "the balls are perfect for me to make a break of 50" (don't ever think that).

The amount of thinking you should be doing on any given shot is therefore, before getting down to the pot, something like...
- is there a good probability ball to pot?
- how would I make position off that?
- is there another option?
- do I need top/stun/bottom to make position?
- how hard do I hit it?

Once you have the pot (or safety) selected, with tip position and power get down on the shot and play it as planned. If once down you change your mind, get back up, re-decide the shot/safety, tip and power and get down again.

Once this style of play becomes natural, you will find you have a lot more confidence, simply because in pressure situations you're not under any pressure. Only once you get to this stage should you start building game state tactics and other tactical or break building thoughts on top, and they will become easy to manage because the rest is natural.

Sorry for the long post, I can ramble once I get started. It just seemed to me that if Nigel Bond thinks you're technique is ok then the only thing left is the mental side of the game and perhaps my advice might give you a new way to look at/think about snooker and life in general, or not, feel free to ignore it all as mad ramblings

insightful nrage, thanks for the tips i will give it a go...

[DWOT]

What is the cause of feeling 'down'? I suspect it's because you have an expectation, and after the session you haven't achieved it. So, why not go into a session with no expectations at all for a change.

I know people say you have to have goals or you will never achieve anything, but truth is I have never had any sort of concrete/specific goal and I have achieved plenty of things. My goals tend to be more long term and less clearly defined. My primary goal has always been "to be happy". It's the sort of goal you cannot finish, as there is no time frame. It's the sort of goal you cannot use as an excuse to punish yourself or feel bad, because it cannot be held up as a measure of progress or failure.

For snooker my goal is simply "to get better at it". So, after a single session of snooker I can't say I have achieved or failed vs this goal, as its more long term than that, therefore playing badly in a single session does not get me down. I know that I'll go back another day and play better. And gradually, over months I will slowly "get better at it"; My good sessions will get better and my bad ones will be less bad.


What is the cause of your feeling 'drained'? How much thinking are you doing? For a change, stop thinking about breaks, stop thinking tactics. Instead, for every ball you play, think only about that ball, and making position on the next. Nothing else, don't attempt to break build any further ahead than that ball, and position on the next. Don't keep a count of your break, ask you playing partner to do that (in their heads), or don't do it at all. If you miss, immediately forget about it and take the next ball as it comes. Don't let the state of the game affect your choice of ball, or shot, just play the shot you're most comfortable playing i.e. if the pot is a 1 in 5 sort of pot, play safe instead.

The idea here is to play snooker in the "now" ignoring the past and not looking into the future beyond the next position. It will focus your mind, relieve the strain of thinking too far ahead, and avoid disappointment in cases where you miss after thinking "the balls are perfect for me to make a break of 50" (don't ever think that).

The amount of thinking you should be doing on any given shot is therefore, before getting down to the pot, something like...
- is there a good probability ball to pot?
- how would I make position off that?
- is there another option?
- do I need top/stun/bottom to make position?
- how hard do I hit it?

Once you have the pot (or safety) selected, with tip position and power get down on the shot and play it as planned. If once down you change your mind, get back up, re-decide the shot/safety, tip and power and get down again.

Once this style of play becomes natural, you will find you have a lot more confidence, simply because in pressure situations you're not under any pressure. Only once you get to this stage should you start building game state tactics and other tactical or break building thoughts on top, and they will become easy to manage because the rest is natural.

Sorry for the long post, I can ramble once I get started. It just seemed to me that if Nigel Bond thinks you're technique is ok then the only thing left is the mental side of the game and perhaps my advice might give you a new way to look at/think about snooker and life in general, or not, feel free to ignore it all as mad ramblings

That made good reading for me too, my expectations of myself are way too high and I deffo allow myself to get down on myself way too quickly!

Andy G mentioned "The Pleasure Of Small Motions" to me too, looking forwards to that arriving and reading that, might be of use to you too fella?

[snooks1000]

That made good reading for me too, my expectations of myself are way too high and I deffo allow myself to get down on myself way too quickly!

Andy G mentioned "The Pleasure Of Small Motions" to me too, looking forwards to that arriving and reading that, might be of use to you too fella?

sounds interesting mate. let me no how you find the book?

[DWOT]

sounds interesting mate. let me no how you find the book?

Will do, not sure I used myself enough in that last post!

[nrage]

insightful nrage, thanks for the tips i will give it a go...

That made good reading for me too, my expectations of myself are way too high and I deffo allow myself to get down on myself way too quickly!

You're welcome, I hope something I've said helps. I was lucky to have been raised by a mother who was also a psychologist. She helped me to be more aware of my thoughts and the effect they have. I have noticed in all the sports I play that the right attitude and environment can have a big impact on performance.

Anyone who has played a team sport will likely recall making a mistake and having half the team come down on them for it, this never ceases to amaze me because it's so counter productive. The person making the mistake is clearly not doing it on purpose, clearly knows they've made a mistake and will try twice as hard next time, so why do people think they have to tell them? But, people do, and it creates a terrible atmosphere where more mistakes are almost inevitable.

Getting down on yourself is almost exactly the same, only you can be absolutely sure you tried your best and absolutely sure you didn't do it on purpose. So there is no reason to dwell on it, just learn what you can from it and move on.

For example, last night in my weekly comp I got down to a shot without having fully thought it through, the end result was fouling the black and giving away 7 points. Instead of getting down on myself, I thought; next time I'm in that situation, or one like it, I'll chose a safer option. Then I forgot about it, and played my two best shots of the evening to pot a long pink and then the black for the win.

So, don't get mad with yourself, get even.