Today I chatted a little bit with a fellow student who's struggling with closing out matches. I gave him some mental advice for his next tournament. Maybe it's also intersting for some of you, so I am going to share it here:
"So of course our goal when playing matches is to win, that's why we play matches and tournaments. But since you're having the problem of closing matches, you should not think about winning or losing. And as every mental advice, this is easier said than done.
What I want you to do for the duration of the whole match is to just concentrate on the table. Suck the information your senses receive up, just focus on what is in front of you, the table and the task that is given to you - to solve the puzzle.
It doesn't matter who you are playing against, it doesn't matter if you're 4-0 up or 0-4 behind. It doesn't matter if it's the 1 ball, the 2, the 8 or 9 ball. The beauty of the game is, that it's more or less everytime the same: You want to make the ball and continue the run.
Developing this mindset takes some time, so you might will again end up in the situation where you start to think about that stuff. But thoughts (positive or negative) prevent you from your task. Pool is such a difficult game, if you have any thoughts that distract you from your job, you will have a hard time.
So if the first advice doesn't work and you face the same situation, I want you to accept it. Don't try to suppress it, because then you can never really let go of it and concentrate on the game again.
So accept your fear or whatever it is at the moment that concerns you. If I end up in a similiar situation my thought process is something like this:
"Okay, I know this is now a crucial situation and I know that I have the chance to close the match. I know that I am afraid of messing up, and that's okay. I am aware of that. But now let's put this aside for a moment and just concentrate on the table again. Let's see what I can do."
While you're in that process of getting aware that you're currently thinking, accepting it and putting the thoughts aside, take your time to walk around the table. This is the only way to get out of a situation like that.
And if you're still feeling the pressure, which of course can happen, try to convert this into positive energy and see it as a task of your mental development.
My mindset is something like this: "Yes I am feeling the pressure, I am getting nervous. Let's see what I can still do with all those thoughts."
The main message is: Accept your nervousness, accept your thoughts. That's the only way of letting go of it. Convert this into positive energy, see it as a nice little challenge you're having in front of you.
And hey, if it doesn't work. It's just a game of pool. You will learn out of it and be happy to face the same situation next time, to surprise yourself how it will turn out this time."