How To Calm Match Nerves????????

[147 Club]

i feel like i am a pretty solid practice player, however when i am playing a match i get incredibly nervous which in turn makes me shaky on the shot and makes me quicken up from my normal tempo. i feel that if i could calm my match nerves, i could be a more competitive player. i dont feel as if im doing myself any justice on the match table after the hours of practice i put in during the week
any help would be greatly appreciated

[denja]

i feel like i am a pretty solid practice player, however when i am playing a match i get incredibly nervous which in turn makes me shaky on the shot and makes me quicken up from my normal tempo. i feel that if i could calm my match nerves, i could be a more competitive player. i dont feel as if im doing myself any justice on the match table after the hours of practice i put in during the week
any help would be greatly appreciated

1/ Dont concentrate to much on on the person your playing try and distance yourself from how well or how bad he is playing 2/ Treat each visit to the table as a PRACTICE SESSION 3/ Try to ENJOY the match no one is going to take you out and shoot you if you lose.4/ Remember nerves are natural and you are not the only one who suffers from them 5/ Just imagine playing for £175.000 quid and a world championship now thats real nerves and think what have I GOT TO WORRY ABOUT 6/ Think of a slow tempo relaxing piece of music and sing it to yourself (In your head) between each visit to the table. (This may sound a bit way out but it works) Best of luck.

[denja]

i feel like i am a pretty solid practice player, however when i am playing a match i get incredibly nervous which in turn makes me shaky on the shot and makes me quicken up from my normal tempo. i feel that if i could calm my match nerves, i could be a more competitive player. i dont feel as if im doing myself any justice on the match table after the hours of practice i put in during the week
any help would be greatly appreciated

1/ Dont concentrate to much on on the person your playing try and distance yourself from how well or how bad he is playing 2/ Treat each visit to the table as a PRACTICE SESSION 3/ Try to ENJOY the match no one is going to take you out and shoot you if you lose.4/ Remember nerves are natural and you are not the only one who suffers from them 5/ Just imagine playing for £175.000 quid and a world championship now thats real nerves and think what have I GOT TO WORRY ABOUT 6/ Think of a slow tempo relaxing piece of music and sing it to yourself (In your head) between each visit to the table. (This may sound a bit way out but it works) Best of luck. SORRY I POSTED THIS TWICE JUST NERVES !

[liquidsymphony]

don't sleep before playing matches and smoking pot could help a bit as you'll be to broken to get nervous !!!!

[Vex 147]

don't sleep before playing matches and smoking pot could help a bit as you'll be to broken to get nervous !!!!

This is one of the best advices i have ever heard LOL :-D, and sing in your head a Marley song ''...every little thing, it's gonna be allright''

[denja]

This is one of the best advices i have ever heard LOL :-D, and sing in your head a Marley song ''...every little thing, it's gonna be allright''

LIFE OF BRIAN "Look on the bright side of life" works for me.

[liquidsymphony]

+1
marley songs could help a lot

[Terry Davidson]

147Club:

Seriously...try deep breathing when not at the table. I mean those yoga deeeep breathing exercises which can really help calm the nerves.

Terry

[denja]

147Club:

Seriously...try deep breathing when not at the table. I mean those yoga deeeep breathing exercises which can really help calm the nerves.

Terry

The singing a song in your head part was meant seriously ! in yoga they recite in the mind what I think they call a mantra a rhythmic sort of poem. It helps to concentrate and bring down stress level.

[denja]

147Club:

Seriously...try deep breathing when not at the table. I mean those yoga deeeep breathing exercises which can really help calm the nerves.

Terry

The singing a song in your head part was meant seriously ! in yoga they recite in the mind what I think they call a mantra a rhythmic sort of poem. It helps to concentrate and bring down stress level.

[ace man]

Deep breathing and water. It will calm you down a little, but do not expect miracles like normal 60/70 bpm heart rate on every frame ball. It won't and can't possibly happen. No matter what, practice matches and competitive matches are not the same and never will be. Experience is the key word here. Some guys learn to compete quickly without many issues, while others require a lot of seasoning. Other than that you might consider sports psychologist or better still a good coach with plenty of competitive experience and knowledge.

I know some (many?) players like to (ab)use alcohol or pot, and yes, those things could temporarily help and give you false sense of confidence, but what happens when the effect wears off?
If you really want to be Mr. Cool at the table at any cost, including risking your health, there are some very powerful medical drugs out there that really lower heart rate and blood pressure. Some former pros used to take beta blockers. They are prohibited in sports nowdays by Olympic committee for obvious reasons.

[stewart31]

the thing about nerves , heart rate up etc, tends to make you speed up, so concentrate on keeping the backswing slow and smooth,and you should still pot, and as terry says breathing very good, in through the nose deeply slowly out through the mouth, it works

[vmax4steve]

Pot doesn't work, as the late great Bill Hicks said, "You can do everything that you normally do on pot, you just realise that it's not worth the effort."