Last month I had the opportunity of standing near the table, holding my cue, watching one of the greatest players in the world (James Aranas) run several racks as smooth as silk. It was a friendly $50 "challenge" race to 5, and, having already watched him put a 4-pack on another guy, I figured for my $50 I'd be watching him play more than he'd be watching me. So I found myself playing in a lackadaisical mode, given the likelihood that I had little chance of winning.
I learned a couple of things for that $50, but the greatest lesson was learned after watching the video of the match. My expectation of losing guaranteed my loss. By expecting to be totally outclassed, I lacked determination and focus.
I half-assed the break, as if I was thinking...."What difference does it make?". I think Aranas missed one shot in the entire match, the 1 ball in the first game, which was one hell of a back cut. He left the ball in the hole, and that's the only game I won, though he did give me a couple of opportunities to win more. I ended up missing two shots the entire match, both simple shots. All I needed was to focus on the shot at hand, using whatever aiming tools I prefer, and I could've spent more time playing than watching. Instead, I just stepped up and thought, "Yeah, that looks good enough", only to end up missing a slight backcut on a 1 ball by 3in or more.
Had I been a little more determined and spent 3 or 4 seconds to ensure that 1 ball was lined up correctly, the score of the match could've been much closer. I could've used Poolology and nailed that 1 ball, but I wasn't focused, determined, willing to apply the effort this game requires. I was also playing a BCA 8ball league match, so my head wasn't entirely involved in the 9ball set with Aranas. I won 5-0 in the 8ball league, but lost 5-1 in that 9ball set. But it was still a good lesson for 50 dollars.
This is where a consistent PSR, one that incorporates your aiming and alignment process, must become habit. It doesn't matter what aiming system you use, or what aiming method you doublecheck yourself with, the most important thing is doing it with 100% deliberate focus on every shot, despite simplicity or complexity, and regardless of who you're playing. This gives you the greatest opportunity to play your best pool as often as possible. This doesn't mean to "try" to do it. Typically, the harder we try the worse we play. It must be automatic, as far as the psr for every single shot, which means paying attention to every shot so that you just do it, habitually, without really trying to make it happen.
I learned a couple of things for that $50, but the greatest lesson was learned after watching the video of the match. My expectation of losing guaranteed my loss. By expecting to be totally outclassed, I lacked determination and focus.
I half-assed the break, as if I was thinking...."What difference does it make?". I think Aranas missed one shot in the entire match, the 1 ball in the first game, which was one hell of a back cut. He left the ball in the hole, and that's the only game I won, though he did give me a couple of opportunities to win more. I ended up missing two shots the entire match, both simple shots. All I needed was to focus on the shot at hand, using whatever aiming tools I prefer, and I could've spent more time playing than watching. Instead, I just stepped up and thought, "Yeah, that looks good enough", only to end up missing a slight backcut on a 1 ball by 3in or more.
Had I been a little more determined and spent 3 or 4 seconds to ensure that 1 ball was lined up correctly, the score of the match could've been much closer. I could've used Poolology and nailed that 1 ball, but I wasn't focused, determined, willing to apply the effort this game requires. I was also playing a BCA 8ball league match, so my head wasn't entirely involved in the 9ball set with Aranas. I won 5-0 in the 8ball league, but lost 5-1 in that 9ball set. But it was still a good lesson for 50 dollars.
This is where a consistent PSR, one that incorporates your aiming and alignment process, must become habit. It doesn't matter what aiming system you use, or what aiming method you doublecheck yourself with, the most important thing is doing it with 100% deliberate focus on every shot, despite simplicity or complexity, and regardless of who you're playing. This gives you the greatest opportunity to play your best pool as often as possible. This doesn't mean to "try" to do it. Typically, the harder we try the worse we play. It must be automatic, as far as the psr for every single shot, which means paying attention to every shot so that you just do it, habitually, without really trying to make it happen.
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