The Mindset for Winning & Losing in Pool

I recently gave advice to a "Become The Student" Patron who currently struggles with his mental game. I think the answer I gave could be interesting for you aswell.

Patron: think it is my unwillingness to compete with people I care in general. I am not sure how much it is because of peer approvals and/or how much it is about fear of failure. What is the nature of competitive games? Is it always about being the best and measuring it by beating everyone else? What is your mindset when going into a match? Do you see the opponent as an enemy or you don't consider your opponent at all, just focusing on yourself?

Of course when you are playing against people you care, you want to play well and show them that you can play und want to win - that's human nature. And of course one needs the will to win. But if the will to win is caused by the fear to lose, you will have a problem. 

Losing is not something terrible that will hurt or threaten you. It's just part of the game. Everyone loses. So don't be afraid of it. Have the will to win, but not the fear to lose. 

There is a technique that you can use before a tournament or match. Imagine and visualize what it would be if you lose. Of course, you would be angry / sad / .. but that's everything. Nobody will point with the finger at you, nobody will harm you, you just lost a match of pool. Learn from it and then go on. 

A mindset you can use to avoid that fear of losing is that you are not concentrating on winning or losing. You will concentrate on your game and what you want to do with your game. Examples: 

• Today I want to shoot no ball if I know I will probably miss it.
  
• In this match I want to focus on not showing any negative emotion to my opponent
  
• In this tournament I will try to do in every game and every match my same pre shot routine.
  
• Today I will always play a safe, if I am not convinced that I am going to make the shot.

And if you can achieve that, then you won (no matter if you lost or won the game). And ff course I also care about winning and of course want to win every match. But often I use exactly those mindsets. The one is use most often is: 

"Today I am not going too play too fast. I will be focused and concentrated. If I am not sure of what I am doing or of its the right thing, I won't shoot the ball, stand up and recollect. I will not rush and make any stupid things. And I won't care who my opponent will be or what he does on the table. I will focus just on my game."

And the great thing about having those mindsets is, besides the mental advantage they will automatically ensure that you will be doing everything that's necessary to win And if you lose because your opponent was better, or because you just weren't strong enough - it's not a big deal. You did what you promised yourself to do with the mindset. 

And one important thing at the end: Why are we playing pool? Because we like the game and because we want to have fun. So never forget that and don't think about all the bad stuff too much. You are not a pro who has to make a living out of it, so just enjoy the game - no matter which opponent you're playing. Concentrate on your game and enjoy this beautiful game. Time is too valuable to always be worried and in a bad mood.

Best regards,
Sharivari