Mental Approach

[crabman]

Hi all

My first post in this forum, so here goes....

I've been playing league snooker on and off now for a couple years. i've moved up form the playing in our leagues D section when i first started to the B section and so far I've had a pretty sound playing record - played 18 won 13.

The problem i'm facing more than anything is how to make sure I play 'flat out' against poorer players.

I'm only an average club player myself but out of the 5 frames i've lost this season 4 of them were against, quite frankly, players who couldn't hold a cue. I don't want to sound cocky when I say that but I always seem to perform when playing 'better' players.

Example being is that I haven't lost a frame to any A section players when we've been playing cup matches (where teams from all sections play against each other in a knockout etc) but I've lost 2 matches to +50 handicap players (the highest in the league) I play off +35, +30 or +35 is about what the average player plays off in our league.

I don't take liberties with these +50 men - trying to be flash etc or going for daft pots, i just can't seem to get fired up to play them.

Any ideas as to how I can get 'psyched' before I play a player like that?

Thanks

[reverse_side]

Crabman.... hi, quality post monsieur.

Been there, done that... know exactly what you mean. In the 20 years of League snooker now which spans 3 counties and hundreds of matches, the days when I say, "I can't believe I lost to that muppet", have long since gone. The main reason is that while you tend to feel respect for your opponent, you can internally lower your standard because you feel like you know what it'll take to win and then assume if it's not, you'll be able to pull it back and break the tape shaking hands with a win.

The problem arises when you say to yourself, "I should beat this guy", or, "woamn", and you've no idea that they may have been practicing 3 hours a day, or they've been playing a lot better or your standard is inconsistent enough to be dragged down to their level. Such a phrase for me was relatively common in years-gone-by, but after being humbled by higher handicapped players enough times, it becomes a personal mission of how to improve your standard of pay so that playing badly is restricted to just a couple of shots in a frame. Play the right shot the right way and respect your opponent at all times..... havin a lash only now and again, but rarely in a match..... I'm thinking of one I did last Sunday but the guy wouldn't acknowledge he was having an ABSOLUTE purple patch of flukes which included a 3 ball plant using the yellow where all the balls were at least 2 feet away and the white to pocket was 11 feet in total!

A worthwhile tactic is not to say to yourself, "I should beat them"

..... sorry, goin off to a snooker match now so I'll have a go after several sherberts and shandies! My lift's here.... hope what I've said make sens so far... make the most of it for when I might have a go after midnight! BEEEEERYmonster the 2econd.

[Stunrunthru]

Learn to 'win ugly'.

Against poorer players the balls will often go safe. Don't let this frustrate you and always remember a win is a win.