Walk with Swagger

Mind of Steel

Walk with a Swagger

Dr. Christopher Stankovich

www.drstankovich.com

As most pool players already know, confidence is a really big thing when it comes to pool success. With confidence, players “play to win” and are able to control their nerves, improve their focus, and keep their emotions in check when they get stuck and miss a couple shots. On the other hand, when players do not have much confidence the result is usually “playing to avoid losing,” which includes defensive and conservative play, poor focus, poor concentration, increased anxiety, and usually a few emotional blow ups along the way after missing shots.

 

Confidence is know as self-efficacy in the psychology world, and literally hundreds of research studies have consistently shown that athletes with confidence play to their best ability, while athletes with little confidence ultimately play below their maximum ability.

So how do you develop confidence in yourself? One way is to put time in the pool room and practice, practice, practice. Obviously the better you play, the more your confidence will improve, and the cycle will likely continue as long as you put in the work. But what can you do along the way as you are still developing your confidence?

One thing all pool players need to learn to do is what I call “walk with a swagger.” I am not saying you should be cocky and arrogant, but instead I am suggesting you carry yourself at all times as though you have been in these situations before and are sure you can come back and win at any time. There is a fine line between arrogance and confidence – while arrogance is rude and obnoxious, confidence is very controlled and refined.

For example, rather than standing just off the table and giving off the impression you are terribly nervous and cannot wait to get back to the table, take a moment to sit down and have a drink of water. Instead of looking around frantically at the bracket sheet, calmly prepare your cue and begin warming up on a table. Even when you approach the table, rather than racing up there, take a moment to stand back and evaluate the lie of the table, then move into your position and execute the shot.

The beautiful thing about prompting yourself to “walk with a swagger” is that others will notice and begin to believe you are a confident player. Whether you really are confident doesn’t matter – they will believe that you are and in all likelihood that image will be in the back of their mind while playing against you. Who knows, maybe your opponent will then begin to “play to avoid losing” and end up choking because of it, while you gain more confidence by witnessing his errors and realizing you really can beat this guy!

The difference between average and good, as well as good and great, is often a very fine line – and in my opinion just as mental as it is physical. Take advantage of the things you can control (like the way you carry yourself) and watch what happens. Sure, it won’t be a substitute for practice, but it can be the difference between two nearly equal opponents. Mental toughness is a huge part of pool success, so be sure to work on the mental side of the game as much as you do your shot making!

 

Dr. Christopher Stankovich is a nationally acclaimed expert in Sport Psychology and the Founder of Advanced Human Performance Systems. For more information on performance-enhancement products, including the exclusive “Mind of Steel for Pool Success” and the world’s first Sport Performance Assessment for Pool, please visit www.drstankovich.com