How do you snap yourself out of playing badly?

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Avatar of Em-m

Merci! I wish I know french but I don't lol I'll check these english vids first.

Avatar of Chrismoonster

I wish I knew, if I ever stop playing badly I'll let you know.

Avatar of ninjaswat

I just close my eyes for a few seconds then take a deep breath. Works mostly.

Avatar of Em-m
Mr-Mudd wrote:

I review my losses to see where I go wrong and try not to repeat mistakes.  I know that sounds simple but that's what helps me.  Many of my mistakes are simple fundamentals (like losing control of the center or missing opportunities to fork my opponent).  

No, I agree with you. I know this is actually very effective, it's just I'm both lazy, and it makes me feel bad looking at games where I lost. Need to get over the ego too

Avatar of Em-m
ninjaswat wrote:

I just close my eyes for a few seconds then take a deep breath. Works mostly.

Thanks, sounds simple enough.

Avatar of forkyougently

When it's no longer fun, it's time too be done. I think taking a break, or taking it a little less seriously, is good practical advice. I was playing too much, & got on a sloppy losing streak - mostly from being bored with it. Lately, I'm getting over the bordom of it by being not so much concerned with "ratings" & winning, etc. I have sacrificed pieces simply too make the pace faster, or the strategy more interesting, etc. This quirk in my style of play might change eventually, yet again I say, "When it's no longer fun, than it's time too be done." Peace...+

Avatar of Em-m
forkyougently wrote:

When it's no longer fun, it's time too be done. I think taking a break, or taking it a little less seriously, is good practical advice. I was playing too much, & got on a sloppy losing streak - mostly from being bored with it. Lately, I'm getting over the bordom of it by being not so much concerned with "ratings" & winning, etc. I have sacrificed pieces simply too make the pace faster, or the strategy more interesting, etc. This quirk in my style of play might change eventually, yet again I say, "When it's no longer fun, than it's time too be done." Peace...+

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I feel like I'm playing a little stale too, lately. Hope we can play again, you keep kicking my butt haha

Avatar of Em-m
YoungGirlNotReal wrote:

Why snap yourself out of playing badly instead of improving?  Too much concern with what and why.  That is a distraction in a real In-game Environment when you should be focusing on execution,  performance and leveraging what you know.   

 

The best and most tilt proof players in any games are the ones who are comfortable enough in their own skin to not do a play by play commentary or worry about feedback.  If you do a lot of result based analysis,  and interpret your accomplishments / failures or indicators of either / both too much that seems very exhausting and can not only lead to big dips in performance but also burnout.

 

For winners,  it's less about snapping out or coming back and more about changing gears / growing up.  

I get what you are saying, but this more on the psychological approach to the game. What to do when something is clouding your judgement and affecting your game.

 

For me, it's not about instant gratification or worrying about the results, it's more of learning from those better than me. How they approach certain problems they faced and learning by standing on the shoulder of giants.

 

I get your emphasis on skillset which I also think is important. But I also believe that like all things, a good skillset must be complemented by a good mindset. There are moments where even the best players (on a GM level) blunder a completely winning position or miss a one move tactic which isn't because they lack practice but because their mind slipped. Like a good skillset, it also takes work to build a good mindset; a cerebral approach in sharp positions, and an open-mind when the position changes in character.

 

As such, I made this post to ask people their tricks and tips on how to get back to the moment when they know they're not playing upto par to their usual play.

Avatar of ninjaswat

Another thing I use is just focused anger. If I lose/tilt (yes I'm tilted rn) then I will simply vow to crush my next opponents' spirits through the chessboard. It helps a bit. tongue.png

Avatar of jr12211

This is a great thread.  There's some really thoughtful input in here.  Right now I relate most to Chrismoonster (great line).  Not sure I have much to offer.  One thing I can say, for myself, is pretty often I tend to react to threats I think are there, but aren't actual threats.  I miss some pretty strong moves that way, and play some pretty bad ones.  It's changing how I deal with fear that will help me a lot I think.

Avatar of DrSpudnik

Focus.

Avatar of Em-m
ninjaswat wrote:

Another thing I use is just focused anger. If I lose/tilt (yes I'm tilted rn) then I will simply vow to crush my next opponents' spirits through the chessboard. It helps a bit.

Haha unfortunately, I suck at focusing when I'm angry.

Avatar of Em-m
blitz2009 wrote:
I can fully relate to this some days I feel like I’m playing like a GM and then some days I feel like I am plying like a 1200 it’s kind of annoying

Woah since you are over 2000, what would be the one tip you can give a 1400 to improve?

Avatar of Em-m
jr12211 wrote:

This is a great thread.  There's some really thoughtful input in here.  Right now I relate most to Chrismoonster (great line).  Not sure I have much to offer.  One thing I can say, for myself, is pretty often I tend to react to threats I think are there, but aren't actual threats.  I miss some pretty strong moves that way, and play some pretty bad ones.  It's changing how I deal with fear that will help me a lot I think.

I can relate too, especially OTB where my vision isn't used to as it is in 2D. Plenty of times, I become reactive instead of going ahead with my plan.

Avatar of DreamscapeHorizons

Take a break from chess and don't think about it for a while. How long? That's probably different for everybody. When u return ur probably gonna be more motivated.

Avatar of Hikaru75

I would not recommend my way, I usually curse at myself and get really mad. I then somehow play better.

Avatar of TheHuntedWumpus
I watch this for inspiration and a reminder of what I am trying to do… I hope it helps!

https://youtu.be/v_fDb5TNWRg
Avatar of Optimissed
Em-m wrote:
Optimissed wrote:
Em-m wrote:

Have you ever experience playing badly in a game where you are aware you're playing bad but can't snap yourself out of playing like crap? Like you miss simple tactics, play hope chess, and revert back to bad habits. What are some tricks you do to get your senses back in the game?

You have to learn to focus. Sometimes I might lose four or five and then win six. One trick is to alter the speed at which you make moves. Another is to alter the opening.

Thanks, I think I get what you are saying, doing something different at some stages of the game to get your head back

I used to play dominos with my mum and dad quite a bit in the evenings when I was spending time with them helping them build a house. My mum was a witch, in the nicest possible sense, and my dad was an arithmetic savant. Each of them used to go on winning runs. If I'd lost ten or twelve in a row I used to go outside in the dark, climb onto a big heap of muck and jump up and down on it for about ten seconds. I would inevitably win the next six games. Really just anything to get a new mindset and sharper focus (and to break the witch's spell). Playing chess, I've been known to slap myself over the face or even go for a short walk in a park when it's my move. What I try never to do when I'm playing is to drink fluids, because being a  bit dehydrated helps me concentrate, whereas drinking even water alters the electrolyte balance, which defocusses the brain.