Nerves!

[DWOT]

Hello all, anybost got any good advice on how I can control my nerves?

I've joined a local league for the first time ever and somehow have ended up being the captain of the second team. (We're doing well considering most of us have never played in competitions before) I've been getting in plenty of practice and my game is coming on nicely, however when it comes to the matches I'm a complete bag of nerves and as such my game falls apart and with it any confidence I might have with it.

As an example, on Monday of this week we had an interclub doubles match where the seeded players play each other, then the unseeded before a doubles game, after the seeded game we were 70 points down but I reduced that to 50 in my singles frame and then produced more goof stuff to win us the match (Which was against 2 good players!), however the very next night we had a league match and despite going into it feeling hugely confident after my previous nights performance the nerves kicked in and I was next to useless and despite some great pots I played woefully bad....

I'm goign to be getting some tuition on Sunday from a guy who was the area coach for 20 years and will be picking his brains but wondered if any of you had any advice?

I tried to calm myself with a beer and whisky but it didn't really help....

[DWOT]

That should read reduced to 20 not 50..........

[Terry Davidson]

First of all, don't fall into the trap of using booze to calm the nerves as it works for a short time but you need to keep feeding it until you ruin your coordination altogether.

Nerves comes from a lack of confidence in your technique and then thinking about that while you are at the table, and that always comes out as a negative thought, which makes it worse when you do miss a shot or two.

Try deep breathing while you are not at the table and then when you get to the table concentrate on just one swing thought, something like 'keep my head still and chin on cue' or 'drive the grip hand through to the chest'.

Keep the swing thought as simple as you can and be certain to do all your aiming and how you're going to hit the cueball for position while you are standing behind the shot. Only after you have that clear in your mind should you get down onto the table.

Terry

[DWOT]

Cheers for that, some good avice there on other things that I'd never even though about before.

I have another match on Monday so will let you know how I get on!

[Luke Hooper]

to be fair, its good to try and think about something ie, your back swing, or concentrate on the object ball and just keep thinking that, but its not going to completely calm your nerves...

what you have to realise is this, your playing in a local league, it doesnt matter if you win or lose, all you want to do is pot the ball your going for..dont play the player, play the balls. I used to suffer a lot when it comes to league matches, and i must say i still sort of suffer, but its only because i slow myself down and just make SURE i dont leave anything IF i miss...but ill be hoenst with you, when im on form, im not thinking about what i leave if i miss, im not thinking about missing at all, and every ball i hit, i know is going to hit the back of the pocket...play a percentage game in league matches and your confidence will rise..

one thing i have to say increased my confidence so much in league matches...is entering a competition which is so much bigger than what you really are.. and playing someone who you know will smash the living day lights out of you...

i know it sounds stupid and suicidal, but qualifying for the pink ribbon tournament and palying Dave Harold has done me a world of good...he must of thought i was an absoloute idiot...but my point is, i was so nervous, but i still potted balls against him, and when i go back to my minor league, it makes me laugh that i used to get nervous about a thursday night when ive played someone like dave harold in front of a small crowd...now thats nerves...and the same goes for the english amateurs, i know im not going to win...but i go there for the experience, and it makes me feel better about myself when i play in my league matches because i think, whats the point in being nervous? just get down and paly the shots you want to play and forget everything else..

ive just sort of typed this as i was thinking it, so if it doesnt make sense i apologise, it makes sense in my head!

[checkSide]

That is some good advice from Luke.

It's you against the balls. The same as it is when you practice.

The other thing I find helps is just to trust yourself to play the shot. If you are thinking too much, you will find your mind pulling the cue offline.

[CueAntW147]

Steve Davis said something like " play as if it means nothing, when really it means everything " good advice if you can master it, at least if your thinking about this statement whilst your playing you'll forget about nerves.....

[themayorofflair]

Wise words indeed from Mr. Hooper.

Nerves can absolutely kill your game if you are not careful, something that I have always suffered from & prevented me from possibly becoming a pretty decent tournament player.

For me it is probably more a lack of self confidence. That lack of self confidence leads to a little voice inside my head repeatedly telling me that I cannot do things, that I am going to miss & everyone must think that I am crap & all that. The voice is pretty much relentless & when I play in tournaments my game feels like a car that is misfiring or that I am playing through a mental fog. Occasionally I can pierce the gloom but it is not long before it descends once again, thicker than ever.

It is a real vicious circle as the more it happens the worse it gets, a bit like a cat chasing it's own tail if you like. I am currently spinning around like a good 'un at the moment in any competitions I enter !

I am currently trying to set up a days coaching with Nic Barrow as I think he may be able to help as he seems to deal with the mind as well as the games mechanics but am struggling to tie him down to a date at present (appreciate that he must be a busy man).

What really frustrates me is that in practice I am a reasonable player & can quite easily make lots of 60, 70 & 80 breaks with the occassional breaks of 90 & 100 plus against a variety of opponents.

Total clearances on the line up are relatively easy for me also.

This is not a boast (exactly the opposite as I think it really shows my total lack of mental fortitude during tournaments) but just goes to show that a lack of self confidence can really harm your game during the heat of battle & significantly lessen your enjoyment to boot even if your technique is relatively sound.

The swing thought from Terry (if only you were not so far away in Canada I would take some coaching in a shot) sounds like a great idea but I do not know if I am mentally disciplined enough to pull it off as the negative voices are extremely persistent.

I seem to remember Nick Faldo commenting that when he was bang under pressure in the Ryder Cup he used to recite the 37 times table to himself to calm himself down.

I would assume that this would silence the negative thoughts (distraction) & let his subconscious take care of playing golf (which is pretty much what happens when you are in the zone in any artistic endeavour). Trouble is, I am no good at my 37 times table !

This goes to show that nerves & anxiety are not unusual but we each need to find a way of dealing with them effectively (even for top performers such as Mr.Faldo).

I wish you every success in dealing with your nerves DWOT, you are truly not alone & have the support of all us fellow sufferers on TSF.

Go get 'em !

[snookergr]

Personally, I use the "keep your chin on the cue" swing thought (aka dummie) and it worksr me in order to keep my self focused; despite the funny fact that I do not really keep my chin on the cue at all times :-)
A very good book that should help you regarding focus and sport phsycology is:
"The Inner Game of Golf" by TimGallwey

[DWOT]

Again some good stuff there, will try and implement some of this on Monday night.

Had a good session with a coach today too, all moving in th eright direction and I'll soon be making centuries, lol!!!!!!

[rebound]

Hi all. New here but played snooker for a long time. Never got any good. I choke bad. Really bad. So, I'm all ears for advice as well.

[Luke Hooper]

great post by tmof as well...i hope nic can sort you out..

i seem to SOMETIMEs have the same problem, although it only happens really when im playing bad, in practice included..

if im playing well, then i dont care about matches or anything i just play...i know im not in the same league as tmof but i now believe im capable of knocking in a 20-40 break everytime i get to the table...and i only really need two of those in a game and ill win most, if not all!

one day ill learn to control my nerve and knock in a frame winning break everytime! i know im capable of doing it...

[Gargon]

Ed Grimshaw goes into some detail about nerves in Snooker on his site: http://147Snooker.com worth a read

[AndyG]

Personally, I use the "keep your chin on the cue" swing thought (aka dummie) and it worksr me in order to keep my self focused; despite the funny fact that I do not really keep my chin on the cue at all times :-)
A very good book that should help you regarding focus and sport phsycology is:
"The Inner Game of Golf" by TimGallwey

"The Inner Game of Golf" really is a brilliant read - don't be fooled by the title and the fact that they swing in an arc; the inner game is all about the stuff you say to yourself while you're playing, and as others in this thread have testified, sometimes we're pretty harsh on ourselves!

[themayorofflair]

AndyG, thanks for the reading suggestion, just ordered it from Amazon, sounds like just the ticket !
Gargon, will take a look at Ed's info soon, thanks for posting the link.
LuHo, you are going to be a fine player m8, don't fret it just takes a little time.