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This article seems interesting and I wanted to share it with you. The author, Pete Lindsay, acts as a sport psychology consultant to the Snooker Academy based in Rushden, Northants and he also delivers lectures and seminars at Sheffield Hallam University whilst providing sport psychology consultancy to amateur and professional sports people through the Centre for Sport and Exercise Science at SHU.
( For enquiries relating to sport psychology consultancy within snooker, contact Pete at pete.lindsay1@btinternet.com or call 07904 979736. )
LESSON 1
Improving your mental game
The mind is widely acknowledged to play a fundamental role in how a player performs in competition. It’s often interesting to ask players how much of the game they believe to be mental – ask yourself now:
In percentage terms, how much of snooker is physical, how much is technical, how much is tactical, and how much is mental?
Whilst the physical, technical and tactical aspects of the game should not be underestimated, we often find that the mental side of the game is thought to be of massive importance. This is interesting, and often in stark contrast to the amount of practice time spent on the mental game. If you’ve decided that 40% of snooker is mental, can you honestly say that you spend 40% of your practice time developing and refining your mental game?
The mental game is similar to the technical game - you’ve got to practise it with the correct form and technique if you’re going to see the corresponding improvements in performance. To improve your technical game you might read books or articles from coaches, ask knowledgeable friends or listen to the pros discussing their approach. The most effective approach is obviously to work with a qualified coach who can analyse your current technique, understand your aspirations, and tailor the coaching to your tastes.
Similarly, you can approach the mental game through further reading, self-reflection, or by working with a sports psychologist. Often misunderstood and misrepresented, the role of the sports psychologist is essentially to help you work on your mental technique, alongside developing your mental toughness. Imagine how a footballer might work with a fitness coach – it’s not a one-off quick fix, instead it’s a progressive training package used to gradually improve upon baseline fitness. In the same way, a sport psychologist will work with you to develop a training package to systematically help you develop your self-awareness and improve upon your current performance.
This series of articles will provide you with the understanding of how you can improve your mental game, and we’ll start at the beginning by helping you develop a professional attitude:
Step 1 – Control the controllables
Firstly, I want you to make a list of every aspect within snooker that is within your control. As you do this, it’s imperative that you really question whether these aspects are 100 per cent within your control. Make the list now. Alongside this list, write a separate list of those factors which are outside of your control:
For example, “Winning a match” is not 100 per cent within your control – if your opponent plays the game of his life, the chances are that you’re going to lose the match.
Short example list:
Controllable
Maintaining a smooth cue action.
Keeping a winning attitude throughout the game.
Having a consistent pre-shot routine. T
Keep my focus in the present.
Approaching the table with confidence every time
Uncontrollable
My opponent’s behaviour.
The result of the game.
The quality of the table.
The reaction of the crowd.
Other people’s comments
Now look at the factors that you’ve identified as being 100 per cent within your control and score yourself out of ten for the degree to which you currently control each factor. Are there any that you’re not controlling completely? The aim is to try to score ten out of ten for everything on your “controllables” list.
Taking one factor that you’re not controlling fully, create some strategies to help you bring it further under your control. It’s important to not overload yourself so you should address these factors one at a time within your training.
Secondly, look at the list of factors that you have determined to be “uncontrollable”. You should strive to fully accept that they are outside of your control and therefore there is nothing to be gained by worrying about them. Many players find this easy to say but difficult to do, especially in the heat of competition, but by not wasting precious mental energy on factors that you cannot influence you’ll see a definite improvement in your overall game.
They key is to realise that you CAN control how you react to the uncontrollables! You must begin to take ownership of your own internal emotional climate – start taking responsibility for your managing your mindset on a consistent basis.
As a final note, here’s a quote from Ed Moses (the famous 400m hurdler) when asked how he had managed the pressure of being unbeaten in 122 consecutive races over a period of nine years, nine months and nine days:
“Ain’t no use worryin’ bout things beyond your control, cos if they’re beyond your control, ain’t no use worryin’."
“Ain’t no use worryin’ bout things within your control, cos if you’ve got them under control, ain’t no use worryin’.”
( For enquiries relating to sport psychology consultancy within snooker, contact Pete at pete.lindsay1@btinternet.com or call 07904 979736. )
LESSON 1
Improving your mental game
The mind is widely acknowledged to play a fundamental role in how a player performs in competition. It’s often interesting to ask players how much of the game they believe to be mental – ask yourself now:
In percentage terms, how much of snooker is physical, how much is technical, how much is tactical, and how much is mental?
Whilst the physical, technical and tactical aspects of the game should not be underestimated, we often find that the mental side of the game is thought to be of massive importance. This is interesting, and often in stark contrast to the amount of practice time spent on the mental game. If you’ve decided that 40% of snooker is mental, can you honestly say that you spend 40% of your practice time developing and refining your mental game?
The mental game is similar to the technical game - you’ve got to practise it with the correct form and technique if you’re going to see the corresponding improvements in performance. To improve your technical game you might read books or articles from coaches, ask knowledgeable friends or listen to the pros discussing their approach. The most effective approach is obviously to work with a qualified coach who can analyse your current technique, understand your aspirations, and tailor the coaching to your tastes.
Similarly, you can approach the mental game through further reading, self-reflection, or by working with a sports psychologist. Often misunderstood and misrepresented, the role of the sports psychologist is essentially to help you work on your mental technique, alongside developing your mental toughness. Imagine how a footballer might work with a fitness coach – it’s not a one-off quick fix, instead it’s a progressive training package used to gradually improve upon baseline fitness. In the same way, a sport psychologist will work with you to develop a training package to systematically help you develop your self-awareness and improve upon your current performance.
This series of articles will provide you with the understanding of how you can improve your mental game, and we’ll start at the beginning by helping you develop a professional attitude:
Step 1 – Control the controllables
Firstly, I want you to make a list of every aspect within snooker that is within your control. As you do this, it’s imperative that you really question whether these aspects are 100 per cent within your control. Make the list now. Alongside this list, write a separate list of those factors which are outside of your control:
For example, “Winning a match” is not 100 per cent within your control – if your opponent plays the game of his life, the chances are that you’re going to lose the match.
Short example list:
Controllable
Maintaining a smooth cue action.
Keeping a winning attitude throughout the game.
Having a consistent pre-shot routine. T
Keep my focus in the present.
Approaching the table with confidence every time
Uncontrollable
My opponent’s behaviour.
The result of the game.
The quality of the table.
The reaction of the crowd.
Other people’s comments
Now look at the factors that you’ve identified as being 100 per cent within your control and score yourself out of ten for the degree to which you currently control each factor. Are there any that you’re not controlling completely? The aim is to try to score ten out of ten for everything on your “controllables” list.
Taking one factor that you’re not controlling fully, create some strategies to help you bring it further under your control. It’s important to not overload yourself so you should address these factors one at a time within your training.
Secondly, look at the list of factors that you have determined to be “uncontrollable”. You should strive to fully accept that they are outside of your control and therefore there is nothing to be gained by worrying about them. Many players find this easy to say but difficult to do, especially in the heat of competition, but by not wasting precious mental energy on factors that you cannot influence you’ll see a definite improvement in your overall game.
They key is to realise that you CAN control how you react to the uncontrollables! You must begin to take ownership of your own internal emotional climate – start taking responsibility for your managing your mindset on a consistent basis.
As a final note, here’s a quote from Ed Moses (the famous 400m hurdler) when asked how he had managed the pressure of being unbeaten in 122 consecutive races over a period of nine years, nine months and nine days:
“Ain’t no use worryin’ bout things beyond your control, cos if they’re beyond your control, ain’t no use worryin’."
“Ain’t no use worryin’ bout things within your control, cos if you’ve got them under control, ain’t no use worryin’.”
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