Makes so much sense. So would you advise, when I am playing a league match & feel pressure building up before & during the match, to just remind myself that it is all just 'process', and all I can do is execute the shots one at a time, and that, essentially, me worrying about winning or losing is irrelevant & distracting me from executing each shot at a time? Brilliant insight, cheers!
Thank you for the comment and yes absolutely. Worrying about winning or losing isn’t going to help you win, for starters you are not in control of that. Your opponent might break dish or in snooker knock a long red in and make a frame winning break. When we start playing the occasion and not the shot itself nothing good ever comes from that. Tension creeps into our cue arm, we start second guessing ourselves and self doubt creeps in. Thinking like this takes practice from a mental standpoint but that is the trick.
@Cuesporthub1 it worked for me last night, had a great league match with a top player in our club and lost on the black. But I played well enough & concentrated on each shot, tried to just think of the process of pre shot routine & executing the shot as I would in practice. I think just forcing myself into the mindset of "this is no different from when I'm doing the line-up", that in itself almost relaxes my cue arm. Fantastic podcast, keep it up lads.
Makes so much sense.
So would you advise, when I am playing a league match & feel pressure building up before & during the match, to just remind myself that it is all just 'process', and all I can do is execute the shots one at a time, and that, essentially, me worrying about winning or losing is irrelevant & distracting me from executing each shot at a time?
Brilliant insight, cheers!
Thank you for the comment and yes absolutely. Worrying about winning or losing isn’t going to help you win, for starters you are not in control of that. Your opponent might break dish or in snooker knock a long red in and make a frame winning break. When we start playing the occasion and not the shot itself nothing good ever comes from that. Tension creeps into our cue arm, we start second guessing ourselves and self doubt creeps in. Thinking like this takes practice from a mental standpoint but that is the trick.
@Cuesporthub1 it worked for me last night, had a great league match with a top player in our club and lost on the black. But I played well enough & concentrated on each shot, tried to just think of the process of pre shot routine & executing the shot as I would in practice.
I think just forcing myself into the mindset of "this is no different from when I'm doing the line-up", that in itself almost relaxes my cue arm.
Fantastic podcast, keep it up lads.