You have just played a very good, difficult shot.
You know it was right and required concentration and control.
On the very next ball, one you usually pot and expect to make, you make a mistake.
This does not happen because the next shot is technically difficult.
It happens because your attention system has not yet disengaged from the previous situation. Attention remains “stuck” on the intense event that came before, and the next information is processed less clearly.
Cognitive neuroscience describes this as an attentional blink: a brief gap in attention immediately after a significant or intense stimulus. During this small window, even something you normally execute easily is more likely to go wrong.
The solution is simple and mechanical: do not play the next shot immediately.
Deliberately create a small gap in time so this attentional blink can pass.
In practice, without thought or analysis:
– go to your chair and take a sip of water, or
– take an extra walk around the table.
A few seconds are enough. Not to “calm down”, but to bring your attention back to the present and the next shot.
If you find this useful, keep it. If not, move on.