under pressure

[toupihiggins]

always when i'm playing snooker or pool i get several frames ahead and then suddenly when i'm getting closer to win the match i lose myself..i lose one frame after another...
i was once leading 9-6 and lost 10-9
the same thing happened again a few days ago..when i was leading 4-0 and lost 5-4....
the problem is that if i lose one frame i get nervous and then frame after frame ...and in the final the pressure is so much that my shots aren't right.and those are only matches with my friends i'm not talking about tournament or stuff like that.i get involved too much in the game...probably because i love it soo much



any advise you can give me?

[davis_greatest]

To borrow the words of the snooker philosopher S. Davis, you need to play as if it means nothing, when it means everything.

It sounds like, in the matches with your friends, you are playing as if it means everything, when it means nothing.

So I think you are probably closer to solving the problem than you think. So, good luck, and keep trying (but not too hard).

[cueman]

Yes you have just got to stop thinking about the scoreline, play each frame and each ball at a time and forget everything else. Easier said than done but its something you will probably get better at over time.

[dantuck_7]

You need to play as if it means nothing, when it means everything.

I've got to say I think thats one of the greatest sporting quotes ever. It applies to practically every sport you can think off. Surely, it wasn't Steve Davis that came up with it.

Another quote that I like - I think attributed to Frank Callan is "to be in control of your cue, you have to be in control of yourself. "

It just epitomises what snooker is all about.

[toupihiggins]

Yes you have just got to stop thinking about the scoreline, play each frame and each ball at a time and forget everything else. Easier said than done but its something you will probably get better at over time.

i try to do this..to play each frame and ball but i can't concentrate for a long time i mean if i get advantage i get a bit relaxed and that's not good at all..and the when my opponent reduces the difference i get under pressure and can't pot my usual balls...i need to improve that aspect..to stay focused all match long...i just hope in time i will defeat this problem

about playing against my friends i should be relaxed...but i don't know..i want to know that my game has improved and i wanna have results...it's really frustrating when playing a best of 19 pool game...leading 5-3 then loosing 5 in a row and then in the decisive frame at 9-9 my opponent leaves me the black near the pocket and i being under pressure miss and let him the same easy final black

[moondan]

Its very hard to give practical advice in this area, because whatevers in your mind is soon transferred to your cue.
Some extra deep breaths can help, if the game is important, a slug of something you dont like if your near a bar can help, sometimes just taking your mind off the table even for a few saconds can just release the tension.
I hated straight whisky and the foul taste just seemed to sharpen me up.

[dantuck_7]

I find with snooker that if it's quite a close frame - then it can help just not to look at the scoreboard towards the end of the game.

It might get to the situation, for example, where you know you need roughly yellow to blue or pink for frame ball. This way you are treating every shot the same and taking added pressure away from the shot.

With pool it's a bit different - but you've got to find a way of getting into then mindset where you somehow forget everything thats irrelevant and just concentrate on the shot in front of you.

[sunny3909]

To borrow the words of the snooker philosopher S. Davis, you need to play as if it means nothing, when it means everything.

It sounds like, in the matches with your friends, you are playing as if it means everything, when it means nothing.

So I think you are probably closer to solving the problem than you think. So, good luck, and keep trying (but not too hard).

Very well said davis greatest!

[Deano82]

i dont find i really have that problem but the other day i was 7-4 (at pool) down so went to the loo and washed my face those few minutes calmed me down enough to win 13-7

even playing for money dont really stop me in 4 games won £30 £5 per ball left on table
also won £10 after winning 24 games out of 30

[ADR147]

pool for money on each ball left on the table is a bit of a lottery - way too much luck involved for me to play that!

as for the method to get over the line i am not sure how i do it but i have always found that bit easy, i enjoy the kill as it were! i enjoy the adrenalin that comes where you get to the table with a chance to clear up and win. i guess the trick is play the table not the man and know your own game well enough to be confident they are all on for you?

[Deano82]

well touch wood ive not lost any money in the last 2 months

as for playing for money per ball left i was not worried as the guy i was playing is crap b4 we started to bet i was winning 6-1 and he only one that cause i potted the black and white he then started to get mouthy so i offered £1 a ball he put it up to £5

1st game i won £5 (1 ball)
2nd game £10 (2 balls)
3rd game £10 (2 balls)
4th game £5 (1 ball)

the most ive lost is a pint here and there playing pool in my local
the most ive won on 1 game was £25 in a doubles match we got £25 each the people we played wont play us anymore though

[ADR147]

lol maybe its a different standard where you are but here if you play 5 games at least one of them, either for you or against you, will be leaving you with 7 balls on the table! ergo the money would rack up one way or another!

[snooligan]

I personally try to block eveything out and keep thinking to myself that the scoreline is still 0-0. It's a different kind of pressure but when applied properly, it can do you good whether you're leading or trailing. It somehow forces you take the correct shots and neither play carelessly when you're leading nor let go totally when you're trailing!

I somehow think if you get used to the concept, you will win more often than you lose.

[The Statman]

Further to a couple of replies about not looking at the scoreboard and that kind of thing, it amazes me how many youngsters down our club look at the scoreboard all the time, almost literally.

If you look at the scoreboard and you need up to the pink, then whatever happens, until your opponent pots a ball, you'll still need up to the pink.

Or if I'm catching up and I'm now only 30 behind insteaad of 40, the chances are you still need only a red and a colour (or whatever) to make the frame safe. So don't worry about anythinig else.

Also, be patient. There is a tendency to push the boat out; if you only need a couple of balls and your opponent needs a clearance, just go for pots that have a safety aspect; there's no need to go for a pot every single shot. The frame is at your advantage – keep it that way. And put safe a ball that your opponent will need but that you won't.

[ADR147]

yes pushing the boat out has always been my downfall, not content with a simple frame winning snooker and going for a silly pot has always been my game hence i sell cues rather than play snooker for a living!