Topic: Confidence Lost

[MR.STEVE]

What do you do when you loose your confidence and cant seem to get it back...

[deadbarfoos]

change a few things,,,or,,,take a break, come back to it, do some other things that you enjoy for the time being (itll get some confidence going again) or practice/work on the problem a little harder so its not an issue anymore

are you talking about foosball confidence???

work on your shots/passes a litle more,,, or learn another shot or pass options (it brings out a new cool thing to your game and sparks new life.. and confidence!) ,watch the Inside foos videos ,(those spark new ideas in my foos game that clears up some problems with my game)

doing the same ol same ol hoping it will fix itself ,,will just make things worse

take up some psychology (its a facinating field) ,lots of good reads out there that will fix the mind game ,since its 90% mental

[BradLaurine]

Do what I do... get a new girl friend. This always restores my confidence.
Nothing like having someone new to listen to my old stories and reliving those Foosball shots.

OR

Buy a new table and FEEL the POWER return... Fireball baby!!!

Shoot faster, longer and harder on a new table for your Xmas present to yourself.

Good Luck, Brad Laurine

[Buckshot]

Try Viagra, see if that doesn't do the trick.

[scottguy]

This seems to happen to me a few nights during our league season.  For me it always seems to be over thinking.  If you lost your confidence you obviously used to be confident in your game.  Don't beat yourself up over failing to pull of a shot you know you used to be great at.  Work on something else and come back to that shot when your head clears.  Focus on what you are doing right not what you are doing wrong.  There a hundred upon hundred of things you can screw up in any shot/defense/game and if your focus on not doing something wrong you cant focus on what to do right and your going to screw it up.  As Nike says just do it, let it be natural and it will come back.

[deadbarfoos]

watch any of those confidence motivating movies where someone goes from learning to kick someones ass and finally gets the courage and wins the whole tournament (karate kid for one) ,then go foos ,

youre  cured for the time being!


its just mental

[jagiar]

A couple of things on this.  A very well known, top-ranked player said 'it happens to all of us.  The things we do on a regular basis sometimes we just can't execute' (I'm paraphrasing).  Take solace.

Second, there must be a reason for lack of confidence.  It usually comes from losing games against players you believe you should be beating.  This happened to me after a substantial amount of practice and I was about to throw in the towel and give up the game.  But my love of the game wouldn't let me.  So, since I couldn't give up, and I hated to lose against players I KNOW I should be beating, I decided to use the losses as a stepping stone.  I took a very analytical look at my game against this one player.  Why was he beating me.  What was he executing or what was I failing to execute that was deciding the game.  I made mental notes and wrote them down.  I kept the paper with me and referred to it before I played him.  Today I beat him regularly and my game has grealy improved because of it.  Confidence regained in spades.

[crazy8]

So - why did you previously have confidence?  And, and was it deserved? 

Were you playing better in the past against the same players?  Maybe they've adjusted and you need to respond.  Step up your game.
Were you previously so confident that you've switched to auto-pilot?  Perhaps spending more time at the practice table will help you rebuild confidence while you sharpen and improve your skills.
Are you smoking more/better?  Paranoia is an well-known side-effect.  Either cut-back, or realise that it's an induced paranoia - in other words, you can perform but you just don't think so.  Instead of smoking before playing - play awhile, get into a groove and then partake.
Are you playing a pro-style game, or more of a hack-attack?  Playing a slower, more controlled game can give you time to assess the immediate situation and make you more likely to 1) choose the correct option and 2) execute it correctly.
If you are worrying about this during a game what's the point in playing.  Get your mind back on your game - one ball at a time.

Good luck,
Paul

[crazy8]

Also, I meant to include two other suggestions:

Breath - correctly.  In through the nose, out through your mouth.  Slowly, deeply.  Lower your diphragm, instead of expanding your rib-cage.
Drink more water - it helps keep you alert and functioning smoothly.

[papafoos]

It could just be your opponents getting better.  Everybody goes through it.  Just don't let it get to you.  Learn to work the hole.  Change your timing, adjust your stroke.  Watch how others play against the guys giving you trouble.  You'll come out of it, and then it will happen again.  It's the Murphy's law of foosball.  Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug.  (And when you get like Tony, you're the rock that smashed the bug while it shattered the windshield.)

I've been through it so many times that lack of confidence is no longer a problem.  Funny thing is, I'm confident even though my game sucks now.  It comes with age.  Enjoy yourself.

[thebodygroove]

Read this. It will help you.

[deadbarfoos]

BELEIVE!!!!! ,theres some free confidence for you! ,,even whtn the goings rough ,BELEIVE ,,,,take a little more time ,and think to yourself ,they CAN be beat if you play your cards right ,,,,mental and physical

its a puzzle ,,work it out!

u can do it!

[foozkillah]

Over the decades of foos... players who've lost the confidence in either their passing or shooting or defense AND GOT IT BACK, were those crafty ones who tinkered with their game and figured out... really figured out what was happening to make that pull lose its steam in closing to the hole, or why their rollover wasnt getting out there or why their brush or stick wasn't biting.  If you can break down an aspect like shooting or passing and see where it goes wrong... you can then force yourself to concentrate hard hard hard on executing like you do when you're supremely confident.. forget the previous screwups and just single-mindedly execute what you're trying to do...   And you really need to have tinkered and analyzed your shot or pass or defensive motion... 
;
Defensive motions also have a double whammy in that you may be executing a rollover D series perfectly, but it just happens that the forward locked into yours.. and that's where you need options.. a 2nd or 3rd series..  Also helps in practicing alternatives in passing or shooting.... where you might have to say goodnight to that topside passing series for the night, or forget forcing a push side roll or a pump or tuck off the rolling pull. The more weapons you have the better... This is where I've seen a lot foosers really miss it... they're on that rough life journey of keeping looking out for that perfect pass or shot which will theoretically never be stopped.  Better that they find something they are executing well in that game, that match, even if shooting or passing that way seems weak and ungainly compared to your favorite method.
;
Analyze and use your options.. forget going long happy or straight happy or quickset pass/shoot happy... You have to survive that game and that match ... get your groove back later.. but you have to win somehow to advance.

[Old Meister]

I like what 'killa says, sound advice! I also think you should understand that you are probably on the cusp of becoming much better. We practice those things that we deem necessary to get to where we want to be and thus expect to reap rewards. Sometimes we go generic and tell ourselves we are doing enough but then see that we aren't quite as polished and wonderful as we thought. Thus we need a reality check. Nothing wrong with that at all. What do you expect of yourself and are you willing to put in the work to get there? Break it down and work on those things, small or big, that you internally know needs work. If you really want it and do the work you will get there. Be true to yourself,,,

[Tyler Foos]

Mr. Steve,

Good topic and some good advice in this thread.

I know that feeling when I am playing well, get in a zone of confidence where everything/most everything I try tends to work well and I execute some things, even what would typically be low percentage shots/passes, with ease. No matter what I try, it seems to be working. Then, for whatever reason, I start getting blocked on the 3 or 5, the passes I usually do well with start getting blocked, and I start trying to execute things from more of a safe mode than a confidence mode, and often that still doesn't work.

Along with the suggestions above, what I try to do is the next time I practice I work on those basic muscle memory drills. 10 wall passes in a row, 10 lane passes in a row, 10 pull shots, 10 whatever else etc. For me, when that feeling of confidence is lost it becomes difficult to do even some basic things, which in turn hurts the confidence even more. That confidence starts coming back after re-committing to the basics so I can start layering other options on top of that.

Hope this helps....................................Tyler