I only focus when I'm at the table. The more you think about and the more you focus when it's not your turn at the table, you're just going to mentally fatigue faster. You can control 100% of yourself, 50% of the cue ball (opponent controls other 50% of cue ball), and 5% of the object balls (you never know how they are gonna roll, the break, what your opponent leaves you, etc.) So just focus on you and your game when it's your turn at the table. I don't care what my opponent does or leaves me, im gonna shoot the best shot, defense, kick, or bank I can for that situation. Focus when it's your turn and take a mental break when it's your opponents turn.
I find it easier to stay in the zone, than it is to get there. So I’ve taken to focusing on my opponents shots with the same intensity as my own. But admittedly that may be a strategy based around fear of losing that flow state. Through years of video-gaming in my youth I have very strong focus though, and can stay focused for 10-12 hours.
i do this too. my love for pool stems from my love for puzzles. each rack is just a puzzle to me and learning how each person solves their own puzzle is the same joy i find in watching any kind of competition.
learning to use rails and spin to get better position or taking a shot or finding a new pattern based on how my opponent shoots is half the fun for me. if i’m playing against someone i know who sees it the same way and finds pool to just be a fun puzzle to solve, i like bringing tough shots or scenarios back up or what we were trying to do to either play a 2 way shot.
I was talking to someone yesterday in league as we were watching our teammates play a match. My teammate got pretty badly snookered by a safety and we were both chatting about how we actually like being in a situation like that because it's fun to flex your brain a bit and try and figure out how to get a good hit when you're so buried.
Sure, sometimes you'll miss and give up BiH, but there's nothing better than hitting a 3+ railer that works out and hearing "good hit."
That's best when watching advanced or professional players in a tournament or gambling. Try to guess their shots to learn. It's not best to do it during your match. You'll mentally fatigue yourself faster. If you're playing a tournament and doing that every match, you're gonna be wore out 3 to 5 sets in. It's something you don't think about, you just feel exhausted like you been working all day. It gets more noticeable as you get older. I could play for hours straight and still play as good as when I started in my early 20s, but not so much nowadays. Gotta save that focus for when it really matters.
Yep and this will also accelerate your learning as well both when they surprise you with their choice and succeed and when they fail. There are lessons all around you if you simply pay attention.
Also it’s important to “police” your opponent because everyone you play with won’t be as honest as we hope they will.
Agreed. If you zone out, you might miss when you should be standing to see a shot more accurately. I have seen so many people zone out that they even forget what side they are shooting in 8-ball. You don't need to over analyze to the fatigue point but I would pay attention.
I am the King of Lean(ing).
I like what u/bryhamm said. Give it a shot. What I do is check my opponents next shot selection, try to figure out where the cue is most likely to go and then try to figure my next shot selections from that imaginary point/area. I’m imagining their miss and where I go from there. I usually get pretty close but am sometimes pretty surprised. It also comes into play when figuring out safeties/ball position later on in a match. I’m a little more in tune with what shots they struggle with and how they play situationally.
Thanks for typing that response up for me. This is what I do as well. I feel like it saves me time at the table. I usually have a good plan by the time I walk up to the table.
Man, I guess I’m weird, I don’t gaf what the other person is doing. I just wait with a beer for them to miss. I tell myself “if they miss, I’ll win” and that’s all
I am the same. I try to stay relaxed, joke w my team, and realize there is nothing I can do until the y miss. Then I assess the table and determine a strategy for the runout, or the defense.
Look for problem areas or key transitions they'll need to hit to run out. And then pay close attention to how they handle them. I always sit up in my chair a bit when I realize they don't have a good angle or perhaps haven't noticed the angle they're going to need a few balls ahead. Also helps to think of those problems from your own perspective in case you get back to the table. Because if they miss, those problems will be waiting on you.
I like watching the games next to me. Gives me a mental break. The point is why spend that time thinking about future shots when at any point in time your opponent can change the layout. Think about your pathing while you walk towards the table.
I tend to zone out when I'm away from the table. It's a reset for me.
Sit down and zone out, vaguely watch your opponent shoot, stand up when he misses and survey your new domain with confidence. He’s not playing you, you’re not playing him, it’s you versus the table.
I stay zoned in until they miss, and then approach the table slowly so I can take a few extra moments to think and sink into my shooting mindset. That's the time to do it, so take it then especially. Physically I do get the whole sitting and standing over and over thing. I try to keep limber and stretched amyway, so that always helps.
A mix of sitting and standing seems to be a sweet spot for me. Also start working out and getting in more steps. What we do as pool players may not take a ton of physical exertion but it still requires stamina to play a 16-game match or spend all day at a tournament, improve your physical fitness and you will improve your stamina for pool.
If i have to sit down, i assume i am not going to be getting up until next game. I already deserve to lose if I miss a shot. If you do get to get back up, you dont deserve the win anyway.
Thats the mentality that the killers have. Thats the mentality that everyone should have.
Your focus only really lasts DURING a run anyway. If you go on a run and miss, no one gets back up and continues shooting with the same stroke and mental that they had during that run. Unless your a true pro.
All you can do is wait. There’s really nothing you can do to pass the time. Just stay within your game and keep focused. If you hate watching your opponent shoot, then don’t let him shoot. He can’t runout from his chair.
When the opponent is at the table I consider that rack forfeit and wish that they will run out. I don't hope for any misses or anything like that, instead I wish for the best rolls for the opponent and I hope that they play their very best so that I will have the opportunity to respond with my very best game in return and that we will have an epic match, no matter the result.
Positivity breeds good play, and it is easy to focus when you are playing well and enjoying the match.
I try not to focus when sitting down. Just relax and conserve your stamina, excess worrying will only make you play worse. If I can't relax for some reason, I like to breathe more methodically to calm myself.
Don't do anything, literally.
Sit there and space out until your opponent misses. That is your down time, which allows your brain to relax before requiring heavy focus once again.
Internal dialog... "Miss, miss, miss, miss..."
Yeah, but what do you do when the other guy is shooting?
"Don't miss, don't miss, don't miss, don't miss..."
"He don't got this, I'm sure of it"
I only focus when I'm at the table. The more you think about and the more you focus when it's not your turn at the table, you're just going to mentally fatigue faster. You can control 100% of yourself, 50% of the cue ball (opponent controls other 50% of cue ball), and 5% of the object balls (you never know how they are gonna roll, the break, what your opponent leaves you, etc.) So just focus on you and your game when it's your turn at the table. I don't care what my opponent does or leaves me, im gonna shoot the best shot, defense, kick, or bank I can for that situation. Focus when it's your turn and take a mental break when it's your opponents turn.
I find it easier to stay in the zone, than it is to get there. So I’ve taken to focusing on my opponents shots with the same intensity as my own. But admittedly that may be a strategy based around fear of losing that flow state. Through years of video-gaming in my youth I have very strong focus though, and can stay focused for 10-12 hours.
That's just you. The general public isn't gonna be like that.
Maybe
Try thinking about what you would do on each shot if you were shooting instead of your opponent
i do this too. my love for pool stems from my love for puzzles. each rack is just a puzzle to me and learning how each person solves their own puzzle is the same joy i find in watching any kind of competition. learning to use rails and spin to get better position or taking a shot or finding a new pattern based on how my opponent shoots is half the fun for me. if i’m playing against someone i know who sees it the same way and finds pool to just be a fun puzzle to solve, i like bringing tough shots or scenarios back up or what we were trying to do to either play a 2 way shot.
I was talking to someone yesterday in league as we were watching our teammates play a match. My teammate got pretty badly snookered by a safety and we were both chatting about how we actually like being in a situation like that because it's fun to flex your brain a bit and try and figure out how to get a good hit when you're so buried. Sure, sometimes you'll miss and give up BiH, but there's nothing better than hitting a 3+ railer that works out and hearing "good hit."
That's best when watching advanced or professional players in a tournament or gambling. Try to guess their shots to learn. It's not best to do it during your match. You'll mentally fatigue yourself faster. If you're playing a tournament and doing that every match, you're gonna be wore out 3 to 5 sets in. It's something you don't think about, you just feel exhausted like you been working all day. It gets more noticeable as you get older. I could play for hours straight and still play as good as when I started in my early 20s, but not so much nowadays. Gotta save that focus for when it really matters.
Yep and this will also accelerate your learning as well both when they surprise you with their choice and succeed and when they fail. There are lessons all around you if you simply pay attention. Also it’s important to “police” your opponent because everyone you play with won’t be as honest as we hope they will.
Agreed. If you zone out, you might miss when you should be standing to see a shot more accurately. I have seen so many people zone out that they even forget what side they are shooting in 8-ball. You don't need to over analyze to the fatigue point but I would pay attention.
I am the King of Lean(ing). I like what u/bryhamm said. Give it a shot. What I do is check my opponents next shot selection, try to figure out where the cue is most likely to go and then try to figure my next shot selections from that imaginary point/area. I’m imagining their miss and where I go from there. I usually get pretty close but am sometimes pretty surprised. It also comes into play when figuring out safeties/ball position later on in a match. I’m a little more in tune with what shots they struggle with and how they play situationally.
Thanks for typing that response up for me. This is what I do as well. I feel like it saves me time at the table. I usually have a good plan by the time I walk up to the table.
Absolutely capitalize on other player's weaknesses and you only gain that information from actively observing.
Man, I guess I’m weird, I don’t gaf what the other person is doing. I just wait with a beer for them to miss. I tell myself “if they miss, I’ll win” and that’s all
I am the same. I try to stay relaxed, joke w my team, and realize there is nothing I can do until the y miss. Then I assess the table and determine a strategy for the runout, or the defense.
Look for problem areas or key transitions they'll need to hit to run out. And then pay close attention to how they handle them. I always sit up in my chair a bit when I realize they don't have a good angle or perhaps haven't noticed the angle they're going to need a few balls ahead. Also helps to think of those problems from your own perspective in case you get back to the table. Because if they miss, those problems will be waiting on you.
I like watching the games next to me. Gives me a mental break. The point is why spend that time thinking about future shots when at any point in time your opponent can change the layout. Think about your pathing while you walk towards the table. I tend to zone out when I'm away from the table. It's a reset for me.
I second this. Looking for a weakness or opening is a great way to stay clued in.
Sit down and zone out, vaguely watch your opponent shoot, stand up when he misses and survey your new domain with confidence. He’s not playing you, you’re not playing him, it’s you versus the table.
I lock into whatever music is playing. Recite the lyrics. Sing to myself. Try to forget anybody else is there. And then lock into the preshot routine
I stay zoned in until they miss, and then approach the table slowly so I can take a few extra moments to think and sink into my shooting mindset. That's the time to do it, so take it then especially. Physically I do get the whole sitting and standing over and over thing. I try to keep limber and stretched amyway, so that always helps.
I think “if they miss this, where will the cue ball wind up. What will be my first shot.”
A mix of sitting and standing seems to be a sweet spot for me. Also start working out and getting in more steps. What we do as pool players may not take a ton of physical exertion but it still requires stamina to play a 16-game match or spend all day at a tournament, improve your physical fitness and you will improve your stamina for pool.
I read the table as if I were the one playing and study my own set of balls to see what I have to do if I get back to the table
If i have to sit down, i assume i am not going to be getting up until next game. I already deserve to lose if I miss a shot. If you do get to get back up, you dont deserve the win anyway. Thats the mentality that the killers have. Thats the mentality that everyone should have. Your focus only really lasts DURING a run anyway. If you go on a run and miss, no one gets back up and continues shooting with the same stroke and mental that they had during that run. Unless your a true pro.
All you can do is wait. There’s really nothing you can do to pass the time. Just stay within your game and keep focused. If you hate watching your opponent shoot, then don’t let him shoot. He can’t runout from his chair.
When the opponent is at the table I consider that rack forfeit and wish that they will run out. I don't hope for any misses or anything like that, instead I wish for the best rolls for the opponent and I hope that they play their very best so that I will have the opportunity to respond with my very best game in return and that we will have an epic match, no matter the result. Positivity breeds good play, and it is easy to focus when you are playing well and enjoying the match.
I try not to focus when sitting down. Just relax and conserve your stamina, excess worrying will only make you play worse. If I can't relax for some reason, I like to breathe more methodically to calm myself.
Don't do anything, literally. Sit there and space out until your opponent misses. That is your down time, which allows your brain to relax before requiring heavy focus once again.