Anthony Beeler
DON’T GET FRUSTRATED! ANTHONY BEELER
How does frustration affect your pool game? Is there anything you can do to overcome it? These are common questions players ask themselves.
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earning to deal with frustration in the correct way will allow you to make great strides with your overall pool game. The first step in overcoming frustration is to know when it’s time to “move on.” For example, you started the tournament playing your very best and you never felt mechanically stronger or more comfortable at the table. You were so sure this was going to be your tournament. In your second match your opponent ran out the set lucking in the 9-ball twice. Then
8 | Billiards Buzz • November 2021
frustration set in. You lost your next match 7-2 because you just couldn’t rebound from your first defeat. You worked so hard practicing before the tournament, and now you feel everything is lost. You thought your efforts were wasted. You even had thoughts of never wanting to pick up a pool cue ever again. However, at some point, you must decide what to do. Your decision will have a significant impact on you as a player. Do you stay stuck with a negative mindset? That is, will you focus on everything that went bad? That
kind of mindset will keep you down and out. Furthermore, this will hinder your future performances and keep you out of the money in other events. Your confidence will take a dive. With this mindset, you may never fully recover mentally, physically or regain your full composure. The other choice, when faced with frustration, is to look for an active present-oriented response. This choice answers the question, “What can I do right now?” All negativity stems from negative memories from the past or fear of the future.
