I may not like it, but I gotta do it.

wincardona said:

How do you beat pressure? That's a question most people would like to know the answer to. I'm not saying that I can teach you how to rid yourself from the pressures in playing pool, but what I have to say can't possibly hurt you.

How many times have you heard knowledgeable people say to you that the best way to learn something is to experience it? Plenty. How about this one. To play better against better players is to play them more often. What do these two things have in common? You need to experience and familiarize yourself with your adversary, to relax yourself, or condition your self to succeed. That's my point when I say that shooting the correct shot for you is a necessity, regardless of how daunting it can be. You must trust yourself in order to believe in yourself. Of course you will experience losing on your way, but losing will become more of an infrequent thing as you start believing in yourself. Plus you'll enjoy life much more. It's not going to happen overnight, so roll up your sleeves and go to work. There's no elevator to success, you gotta take the stairs. That's right, no pain, no gain. Hopefully you will not look at this as just another clich'e and view it as another trite saying.

I guess i'm talking too much, think about it the next time you play.

Dr. Bill

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wincardona said:

Clare, I think you also adhere to my way of thinking, and then go on in your eloquent way.

Dr. Bill

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wincardona said:

My point was , understanding what the right shot is, and not get frightened to shoot it because of the penalty it carries. The right shot is a shot you know how to execute, that's what makes it the right shot for you. And when you look at the shot you understand the possibilities that the shot carries(good and bad) so if in your gut you still know it's the right shot, then focus and shoot it. I was referring to the shot on the 7 ball that Piggy eventually shot.


Dr. Bill

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fred bentivegna said:

I am in total agreement with your critical dissertation. But I am not comfortable with using the 7 ball, Piggy thing as a good example. It is close, but no cigar.
If the rail first thinly option wasnt available than I would concur completely with your logic. If you gotta, you gotta. Eliminate the 3 rail path of the cue ball and I'm with you all the way. That's where you're going astray.:sorry I'll explain. The shot on the 7 ball carried more pressure than the rail first option, but in actuality the hit on the rail first shot was more difficult. But since the rail first option is perceived as hitting and leaving the scene, it's an easier shot to convince yourself to shoot. (carrying less pressure) Where as the shot on the 7 ball straight in necessitates hitting and sticking around (more pressure) as opposed to hitting and running. (less pressure)
Reminds me of a story. Back in Florida I spent some time with a lunatic pool hustler who had done time in the Florida Road Gang system, Raiford Farm. particularly. He was an incorrigible kind of guy, and that trait followed him even into prison. He got into trouble and wound up in the "Box." That was a contraption about 4 ft square, open at the bottom like a public toilet. No place to lay down, just a wooden board across,and clothed only in a hospital gown and barefoot. Had to sleep during the day because at night the creepy crawlies would take over. His sentence was only a year, but he wound up spending 6 months of it in the Box.

With my jaw dropping in awe, I asked him, "How the hell could you stand that?" His answer, "I just had to get down with it!"

I never forgot it. He summed it all up realistically --- he had no other choice! Every time I find myself in some kind of nearly impossible type situation I think of my friend and his advice.

Beard

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wincardona said:

Good story but really not relative to our discussion. He had no choice to do something different, he just had to come to terms with the inevitable. But in our discussion there are options, it's up to us to decide what the best thing to do is, and do it. Not "the in our mind easiest thing to do", because our mind will often persuade us to do the things that carry less pressure, even when it's not the best thing to do.

This is the reason my concept is fundamentally sound, you are training (or programming) yourself to be a stronger more efficient player.


Dr. Bill

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jrhendy said:

Ronnie Allen has sweated my one pocket game many times over the years, if only because he knows he is in for some jelly if I win (he told me to quit playing you, JK).

He might have been the best for choosing the most optimum shot for him at the moment. He always made up his mind in seconds and won more games where you thought he was in a mortal trap than any other player I can think of.

I often grumble about shooting a stupid shot, but it is usually a result of poor execution.

Ronny had his way, Artie and the rest of us have our own, but the time we do choose that tough shot under high pressure and succeed is one of the things that make one pocket such a great game.

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beatle said:

pressure really only comes from doing something you are not accustomed to. like betting a certain amount or playing certain players.
if you bet at a level for awhile it is no longer pressure to make those shots as long as you are bankrolled for the game.

those players that people say are great pressure players are ones that play under those conditions regularly. after awhile you get desensitized to the amount you are betting and play like it is of little concern.

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learningonepocket said:

Well to get back to the thread.
Billy This is truly a great thread.
I think you hit the nail on the head.
I just started hitting the balls again and I am real serious about playing.
I am finding myself doing exactly what you are saying.
If its the right shot I am staying down and pulling the trigger.
Honestly I don't always like the out come, But its getting better a lot faster.
Its nice to be playing with out the fear aspect of it.
I must give thanks to Freddy as well Because it was his post on his site that I read first, and it really hit home.
When you can shoot with the blinders on, and not worry about what if.
I feel like you hit a better form of concentration, and what was once tuff actually becomes easy.
Anyways Great Post, and I hope my gibberish makes sense.

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Cowboy Dennis said:

Steve,

You know that I don't care what anyone on this planet thinks of my opinions and that's never going to change. I gambled more on a pooltable than you ever have or will and bet my own almost everytime. I never saw you do anything gamblingwise unless trying to cheat Petey out of his cash at the Golden Key was gambling for you.

Before you knock my gambling and what I've done why don't you tell me who you've played and what you bet? I played games you know nothing about.

Dennis

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Cowboy Dennis said:

P.S. I'm on my 7th beer right now so I reserve the right to explain this post at a later date without being called a liar.

Dennis

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Islandeddie said:

Metacognition comes naturally to you.

Clare

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wincardona said:

I may not like it, but I gotta do it.:help

This thread apply's to the times when we as people/players are confronted with situations where there really aren't any good options other than a tough one. I'm sure we all know and have been confronted numerous times in life, or playing a game with a situation where we only had one good option, and that really sucks. But the reality of it is...pay me now, or you figure to get charged double later. I'm sure we can relate to what i'm referring to, many times in our life experiences. The point i'm trying to make is, we would serve ourselves best if we prepared ourselves to make tough decisions when they surfaced.

Playing pool, particularly one pocket there will be times when we are confronted with a situation where there is actually only one good option available. We will try our hardest to find a simpler solution, and settle for a compromise, just to avoid playing the shot we know is the right shot, but were scared to do it. Does this sound familiar? I'll bet it does, i've been guilty of dogging it many many times, and yes avoiding the right thing to do just because it's tough, and looking elsewhere is a form of dogging it. So how do we break this habit? The easiest way to break this habit is to develop our game and build confidence as a player, or we can just say screw it I gotta do what I gotta do, and go for it. By adopting this mindset we now are prepared to accept the challenge, but more importantly we are feeling good about the way we are feeling about ourselves, because we realize we are going into a danger zone with no help, and it's ok. Once we familiarize ourselves with this type of pressure we will feed off of it and feel that we are a better player for it.

I'm bringing this up because of a thread that I participated in, in the bank pool forum. There was a shot that came up where there were a few options other than the best option, and certain players were trying to avoid shooting a shot that was clearly the right shot because it was a little daunting. Well the player shot the right shot and benefited from it, but in spite of that certain people still argued against the decision the player made, with shooting the shot.

Pool just as in life there are going to be times when we need to do something that is difficult, and if we prepare ourselves for the inevitable we will be training our heart and gut to make the decision for us. And it doesn't ever get any better than that. Ask any champion.

Dr. Bill

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