Johan Ruijsink Returning as MC coach
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Winning the lag is the most important of all the drills I've seen so far on this thread! It's a Race to Five!
Well your numbers on the hill hill alone show a 50-50 margin. That is only hill hill matches.
Let's consider another factor loosely associated with winning the lag. Momentum. The European team has consistently won the first day. That gives them a huge advantage in my opinion. If winning the lag even a few times helps them gain an advantage it is an edge for them. It's much more difficult to come from behind so even the slightest edge can be the difference between winning and losing a match..
The inside tract was Oscar was getting married he wasn't picked so the others wouldn't go , but having first hand knowledge it went deeper than that ,
We just don't have that heart and we don't stick together , if you haven't been paying attention look at Roys Basement FB page He's bringing players in to get in action big action and spar at his house ,those guys are hungry they live eat and when they can sleep pool get up the next day and do it again, thats how you get it done
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Momentum is not critical. Except in double hill matches, you need only defend your break as often as the opponent, something Team USA fails to do whether they win or lose the lag. You need to watch the last Mosconi again if you think it was decided, in any way, by the break. Team USA had more than enough chances off the break to be successful but failed to execute effectively in virtually every key area of the game.
How would a coach measure "ability to deal with pressure" and point the way for improvement?
You and I have always been on the same page on one point, Jay ---- American failure to participate in so many of the very top events on the world pool calendar has reduced the competitive pedigree of most of the top American players for nearly a decade now. We've always agreed that the way you learn to deal with the pressure is by regularly competing against the most elite players in the world. The fact that the top Americans don't do so is not Johann's fault, and he can't force anyone to change their ways in this regard.
Johann can, however, point the way for improvement in the skills in which the top American players have been deficient in Mosconi Cups past. If he does that and nothing else, his renewal as coach will have been more than justified.
Also a 5th hill/hill -- Hatch & Dominguez 5-4 over Souquet & Shaw. The team that won the lag won all 15 matches in 2017. It has been quite different from that in other years.
Here is some info about lags in the Mosconi Cup for the past 5 years: http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=6036183&postcount=3
Stu, I'm talking about the necessary mental preparation for a high pressure event like this and you won't find it in any book and there are no drills you can do to improve this aspect of your game. In my opinion proper mental preparation for competition like the Mosconi Cup is just as important as finding ways to improve your safety play, kicking etc.
I've been down this road with countless players over the years and there are methods to get a player in the right frame of mind to compete at the highest level. My contention is that the best American players have the skills to compete on equal ground with the top European players, but for some reason they fail to perform when the time comes. Take Shane for example. No one can tell me that he isn't as good as any other player out there and yet look at what's happened to him in the MC. Both Mark and Johann did stellar work with their team by working with them on all the fundamentals described here and on other threads. I contend that alone is not the answer!
One last thing Stu. You can't "measure" a players ability to deal with pressure but you can damn sure see it. Watch Dennis Orcollo play sometime and you will see a player who handles it well.
Why do you think the top golfers and tennis players have mental coaches? They're not there to help them with their swing or their serve!
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It was 2014. Wilson was announced as the captain in January, and the announcement mentioned that he was already interviewing potential team members. In March, a squad of 8 was announced, from which the final 5 would be selected. When the final 5 (SVB, Deuel, Schmidt, Bergman, and Hall) were announced after the US Open in October, it was also announced that the other 3 (Dominguez, Sossei, and Shuff) would also travel to Blackpool in special coordinator/coach/instructor roles. But that plan collapsed, and the non-playing 3 stayed home.
So, yes, Wilson apparently had the same sort of flexibility in 2014 that Ruijsink will in 2018, with no one qualifying automatically by way of points events.
I agree 100% with this post. Consistent mental preparation is a MUST at the top level. Last year I started to compete at the Eurotour + many other big european tournaments because I could finally afford it financially. At first I had hard time coping with the pressure, basically my mind sabotaged my efforts to play my game. I realized then I had to improve my mental game a lot. I worked with sport psychologist who was able to teach me how stress works, what it basically is and how it influences ones mind and body. And most importantly he taught me how to deal with it, how to prevent the stress to impair my game, how to practice mental calmness.
In the first two Eurotour stops I played last year my game was basically in the 600-650 fargorate range, I just couldnt get out of my way and shot myself in the leg many times. At the third Eurotour event I was finally able to find my own game and present it to the others thanks to mental techniques I learnt. It brought me through the set of tough opponents into the last 32 where I finally lost to Ralf Souquet 8:9 after tough battle (Ralf won that ET event in the end). my Fargorate from that event was probably around 740-750 if I should guess.
Mental preparation really DOES make a big difference in the end
P.s.: You can ask John Schmidt about that topic as well, he knows first hand how strong that knowledge about mental game is
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Make it fun.
Lets make it fun and let the players rack their own and play Shaw against Hatch.
Why can't we have illegal's on Team USA, make it a sanctuary team, be progressive.
See if we can talk Dennis, Big Ko, Wu and Chang into being part time Americans.
Why limit Team USA to one country, lets have fun!
Lets make it fun and let the players rack their own and play Shaw against Hatch.
Why can't we have illegal's on Team USA, make it a sanctuary team, be progressive.
See if we can talk Dennis, Big Ko, Wu and Chang into being part time Americans.
Why limit Team USA to one country, lets have fun!
You don't have to look any further than the Olympics going on right now to see this very thing in action. Athletes frequently move to a new country and become naturalized citizens so they can compete under that countries flag. I know you were just having fun, but the reality is that it's already happening! :thumbup2:
I agree 100% with this post. Consistent mental preparation is a MUST at the top level. Last year I started to compete at the Eurotour + many other big european tournaments because I could finally afford it financially. At first I had hard time coping with the pressure, basically my mind sabotaged my efforts to play my game. I realized then I had to improve my mental game a lot. I worked with sport psychologist who was able to teach me how stress works, what it basically is and how it influences ones mind and body. And most importantly he taught me how to deal with it, how to prevent the stress to impair my game, how to practice mental calmness.
In the first two Eurotour stops I played last year my game was basically in the 600-650 fargorate range, I just couldnt get out of my way and shot myself in the leg many times. At the third Eurotour event I was finally able to find my own game and present it to the others thanks to mental techniques I learnt. It brought me through the set of tough opponents into the last 32 where I finally lost to Ralf Souquet 8:9 after tough battle (Ralf won that ET event in the end). my Fargorate from that event was probably around 740-750 if I should guess.
Mental preparation really DOES make a big difference in the end
P.s.: You can ask John Schmidt about that topic as well, he knows first hand how strong that knowledge about mental game is
Can you maybe recommend some books/articles that were helpful to you regarding that, or describe your approach more in depth if you could. I would be very grateful, since i'm struggling with that part of the game (but recently started working hard on it).
It's all just window dressing really.
Let's be honest -- these players are given peanuts by Matchroom but they are now being asked to jump through hoops throughout the year to impress a coach?
If Matchroom really wanted to see improvement on the US side they would throw a bit more cash into the equation by adding some money to all the Mosconi Cup points events. It wouldn't even have to be a lot of cash either. Add some cash to 6 events in return for all the free press they get during the March towards Mosconi.
Matchroom is taking the easy way out in hoping that a single person can do what only a competitive US tour can achieve.
Let's be honest -- these players are given peanuts by Matchroom but they are now being asked to jump through hoops throughout the year to impress a coach?
If Matchroom really wanted to see improvement on the US side they would throw a bit more cash into the equation by adding some money to all the Mosconi Cup points events. It wouldn't even have to be a lot of cash either. Add some cash to 6 events in return for all the free press they get during the March towards Mosconi.
Matchroom is taking the easy way out in hoping that a single person can do what only a competitive US tour can achieve.
I would love to get paid 10K for LOSING a tournament....
Your comment that the lag is trivial seems at odds with your next statement that it is important at times.
Then you make a similar statement about momentum. Stating it is not important except certain circumstances.
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IMO any area of the game that causes a loss is a key area, be it lags or momentum on that we can probably agree.
AlienObserver said:
"I would love to get paid 10K for LOSING a tournament."
Sure you would but....
If someone who you didn't work for said that if you do A, B, C, and Z --that you may be selected for a one time job that would either pay you 10k or 20k at the end of the year, how much energy would you expend on this? I know I wouldn't give it much consideration.
We as pool fans expect way too much out of our players. Justin Bergman has the right perspective on the whole Mosconi Cup thing, or at least he did last year. These guys were expected to travel all over the US in an attempt at collecting enough points to play in this and what did and do they get in return? A check that doesn't even cover their expenses.
I'm sure the experience is memorable. I just think that what they are playing for is sad.
"I would love to get paid 10K for LOSING a tournament."
Sure you would but....
If someone who you didn't work for said that if you do A, B, C, and Z --that you may be selected for a one time job that would either pay you 10k or 20k at the end of the year, how much energy would you expend on this? I know I wouldn't give it much consideration.
We as pool fans expect way too much out of our players. Justin Bergman has the right perspective on the whole Mosconi Cup thing, or at least he did last year. These guys were expected to travel all over the US in an attempt at collecting enough points to play in this and what did and do they get in return? A check that doesn't even cover their expenses.
I'm sure the experience is memorable. I just think that what they are playing for is sad.
Thanks. I will follow those links. I think he is absolutely correct on those statements. Bar size tables is all we have in my area. I wish I could play on 9 footers.
And I never understood the emphasis on gambling. It is argued and promoted on this forum. If I want to gamble, it will be by paying my money to enter a tournament. Gambling is almost always a 1 on 1 endeavor. There is no team mentality involved.
A previous poster said we need work on the lag, and winning safety battles. He is correct. To add to that, we need work on playing like a team. As an example, do you remember when Justin Bergman and Skyler Woodward played doubles matches at the Mosconi? They were so in tune with each other. And I loved it when they handed Appleton and Shaw an ass whoooin In 2016.
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