Don't just practice pool, practice taking falls!

[BlueRaider]

Great post as always.

I think for a lot of us, it's hard to even find or manufacture situations that are as pressure-filled as you talk about. I've certainly experienced them, but with pool becoming firmly a hobby in my mind (albeit a highly competitive/obsessive one) due to other obligations, the stakes just aren't high enough in most of my matches to truly test my mettle like that. I mean, I'd probably be shaking like a leaf if I ended up on a TV table somewhere with big money on the line, but that's not going to happen anytime soon.

Not to say I don't get nervous at all in ordinary play, of course. But I know the nerves you're talking about and I definitely miss them at times.

I will say that some of the most intense pressure I've ever felt playing pool didn't come from league, tournaments, or even gambling, but instead from matches where I was playing a "rival." I've had two over the course of my pool career. One I ended up surpassing to the point where the rivalry is essentially dead, and the other quit pool during COVID. But I wanted to beat them so badly, and they me, that the rivalries temporarily spilled over into actual bad feelings towards each other off the table.

 

[Guy Manges]

To all the hot shot players out there that would like to do better sometimes and aren't over the hill, Listen to this Tin Man... One of the hardest things to do in sports is to Instruct a young player and teach, If that person doesn't really care one way or the other about the sport... Guy

 

[app4dstn]

this is similar to high level skating where learning how to literally take falls will get you further than learning all the hard tricks right away.

Learning to escape situations that would otherwise cause you great peril is paramount in being able to perform the trickier stuff later on where any mistake can cost you your life. in those situations the adrenaline and anxiety that you have to overcome and work with are probably similar to what you might feel in high stakes or high level pool.

i’m not good enough to gamble or compete in pool but i’ll give any man the 7 in s.k.a.t.e. ! good post Tin Man thanks for sharing

interesting post. In a past life I had a conversation with a great friend about what is differentiating in ability and skill as you go up the pyramid with skaters. The ability to fall, to fail. To be able to in the there-then moment, and also being able to, over the long term, frame/visualize falls and beefs as confidence builders and embracing that (the injuries and deformities).

In the last year I’ve been listening to TinMan on YouTube and the fundamentals series in particular. It challenged me to ask myself, what are the fears when playing pool? I went through my past experiences with other activities, and when I compared skating and pool, a light went off in my head. See/be more like a skater, less like a golfer when zooming out and reviewing while away from the table. I’m in awe of backyard pool skaters. Not so much the ones who go down stair rails. That’s just too much insanity. Yeah truckhorn for Demi. You got a way of shining a different light and promoting thought. Appreciate these posts.

 

[DynoDan]

The racing thing is different. Almost to a person if you asked the racers they don't see any risk in what they are doing, it might happen to the other guy but nothing will happen to them. I'm not sure why that happens, I raced for 25 years and that's how I always felt.…

Interesting. The difference between ‘the killer instinct‘ (displayed by those who MUST win, regardless) and the ‘lack of fear’ (those immune to pressure?).
I did some drag racing as a teenager, and fancied myself naturally capable of circle track also, until I ran into a guy like you. We once raced on an unofficial dirt track that narrowed between parked vehicles, wide enough for only one car near the end of the circle (one lap grudge race). When we approached the narrow, full bore & side by side, one glance at the determined expression on his face was enough for me to decide that ’living’ was more important than ‘wining’! (BTW: My opponent in that race eventually spent a year in the hospital when he broke his back after wrecking his super-modified on an asphalt track. He was also a skydiver who survived after his chute failed to open).

 

[ShootingArts]

To all the hot shot players out there that would like to do better sometimes and aren't over the hill, Listen to this Tin Man... One of the hardest things to do in sports is to Instruct a young player and teach, If that person doesn't really care one way or the other about the sport... Guy

"What hill? Where? When? I don't remember any hill!"(Wording on small plaque on my desk before retirement!)

Then there was my mom's wall sign. "I am over the hill but on my way up the mountain!"

Sometimes the will to win overcomes all the handicaps.

Hu

 

[Tin Man]

Thanks for the thoughtful replies.

Half of my posts are directed to myself. I've been hitting the balls well in practice but haven't been in enough competition this year. My bootcamps have been very busy (thank you for the support to those who have come and trained with me!) but I overbooked and didn't prioritize competitive opportunities on my calendar. As a result I got a bit ring rusty and had a lackluster performance at Turning Stone last week. So I'm irritated with myself for taking my eye off the ball. The ball being getting more pressure sets logged. It's too easy for it to be like working out, where it takes special effort to make it happen and it is the first thing to slip when you get busy.

I am budgeting more time in 2023 for competitive situations. More tournaments if possible, but also some challenge matches and some live streams. With technology there is no reason to not have enough pressure situations.

I have most of my former students in my private facebook training group where we do video reviews for ongoing training. My students have unanimously told me that the most pressure they have ever felt was recording a set to send to me for review and to post in our group. I am no different. I just recorded a race to 7 against the 9 ball ghost. I made it a little tougher by playing with the matchroom break rules and a 30 second shot clock (trying to get ready for the Open next month) and my table is a little tough. I played really tight, got ahead 5-0, then found a way to lose 7-6. Even most of the racks I won were a bit choppy.

My point is for those looking for more pressure spots (or those who 'don't feel pressure') I suggest you flip on your camera and play a livestream ghost set in front of an audience. No travel costs or gambling losses, and it is tough action.

So while it's not easy to get to big tournaments or line up a big challenge match with a tight schedule, being busy isn't the real answer. It's too easy to use that as an excuse to stay comfortable. I look at it this way: If someone told me they'd pay me $50,000 at the end of 12 months if I was able to get myself in a high pressure situation once a month for the next year, would I find a way to make it happen? If so the question isn't ability, it's motivation and focus.

I'm motivated. I've got to keep my focus and keep putting myself in these spots. I enjoy the intrinsic rewards of playing pool win or lose, but competition is meaningful to me because it holds you accountable. I have had many hard ass managers in my life, but nothing is a harder driver than looking in that mirror.

 

[Fatboy]

Great post as always.

I think for a lot of us, it's hard to even find or manufacture situations that are as pressure-filled as you talk about. I've certainly experienced them, but with pool becoming firmly a hobby in my mind (albeit a highly competitive/obsessive one) due to other obligations, the stakes just aren't high enough in most of my matches to truly test my mettle like that. I mean, I'd probably be shaking like a leaf if I ended up on a TV table somewhere with big money on the line, but that's not going to happen anytime soon.

Not to say I don't get nervous at all in ordinary play, of course. But I know the nerves you're talking about and I definitely miss them at times.

I will say that some of the most intense pressure I've ever felt playing pool didn't come from league, tournaments, or even gambling, but instead from matches where I was playing a "rival." I've had two over the course of my pool career. One I ended up surpassing to the point where the rivalry is essentially dead, and the other quit pool during COVID. But I wanted to beat them so badly, and they me, that the rivalries temporarily spilled over into actual bad feelings towards each other off the table.

You raise a good point.

It’s hard to find places to play or gamble these days.

Best
Fatboy

 

[Fatboy]

"What hill? Where? When? I don't remember any hill!"(Wording on small plaque on my desk before retirement!)

Then there was my mom's wall sign. "I am over the hill but on my way up the mountain!"

Sometimes the will to win overcomes all the handicaps.

Hu

I’m not on the hill, just the back 9

 

[Guy Manges]

Thanks for the thoughtful replies.

Half of my posts are directed to myself. I've been hitting the balls well in practice but haven't been in enough competition this year. My bootcamps have been very busy (thank you for the support to those who have come and trained with me!) but I overbooked and didn't prioritize competitive opportunities on my calendar. As a result I got a bit ring rusty and had a lackluster performance at Turning Stone last week. So I'm irritated with myself for taking my eye off the ball. The ball being getting more pressure sets logged. It's too easy for it to be like working out, where it takes special effort to make it happen and it is the first thing to slip when you get busy.

I am budgeting more time in 2023 for competitive situations. More tournaments if possible, but also some challenge matches and some live streams. With technology there is no reason to not have enough pressure situations.

I have most of my former students in my private facebook training group where we do video reviews for ongoing training. My students have unanimously told me that the most pressure they have ever felt was recording a set to send to me for review and to post in our group. I am no different. I just recorded a race to 7 against the 9 ball ghost. I made it a little tougher by playing with the matchroom break rules and a 30 second shot clock (trying to get ready for the Open next month) and my table is a little tough. I played really tight, got ahead 5-0, then found a way to lose 7-6. Even most of the racks I won were a bit choppy.

My point is for those looking for more pressure spots (or those who 'don't feel pressure') I suggest you flip on your camera and play a livestream ghost set in front of an audience. No travel costs or gambling losses, and it is tough action.

So while it's not easy to get to big tournaments or line up a big challenge match with a tight schedule, being busy isn't the real answer. It's too easy to use that as an excuse to stay comfortable. I look at it this way: If someone told me they'd pay me $50,000 at the end of 12 months if I was able to get myself in a high pressure situation once a month for the next year, would I find a way to make it happen? If so the question isn't ability, it's motivation and focus.

I'm motivated. I've got to keep my focus and keep putting myself in these spots. I enjoy the intrinsic rewards of playing pool win or lose, but competition is meaningful to me because it holds you accountable. I have had many hard ass managers in my life, but nothing is a harder driver than looking in that mirror.

Demetrius, I don't know your age, but your knowledge is good... Thank you for what you do, And for your games the best to you... Guy

 

[fastone371]

Interesting. The difference between ‘the killer instinct‘ (displayed by those who MUST win, regardless) and the ‘lack of fear’ (those immune to pressure?).
I did some drag racing as a teenager, and fancied myself naturally capable of circle track also, until I ran into a guy like you. We once raced on an unofficial dirt track that narrowed between parked vehicles, wide enough for only one car near the end of the circle (one lap grudge race). When we approached the narrow, full bore & side by side, one glance at the determined expression on his face was enough for me to decide that ’living’ was more important than ‘wining’! (BTW: My opponent in that race eventually spent a year in the hospital when he broke his back after wrecking his super-modified on an asphalt track. He was also a skydiver who survived after his chute failed to open).

I wouldn't say that I have a lack of fear and I certainly don't have a death wish. I don't know what it is about having that attitude where something might happen to another guy but it wont happen to me, I have talked to a lot of other racers and for the most part they all feel the same (could be a lack of brains ). As far as pool goes I absolutely want to win every time I step to the table but that probably just comes from being competitive. I would say that the competition gets my adrenalin going but it also adds a fair bit of pressure to my nerves. I can tell you after a day of tournament play that I am worn down, I feel the same as if I had just spent the last 24 hours working. If its a 2 or more day tournament the first match of the next day is always brutal.

 

[tomatoshooter]

If failing helps then I got a LOT better last night!

 

[ShootingArts]

Thanks for the thoughtful replies.

Half of my posts are directed to myself. I've been hitting the balls well in practice but haven't been in enough competition this year. My bootcamps have been very busy (thank you for the support to those who have come and trained with me!) but I overbooked and didn't prioritize competitive opportunities on my calendar. As a result I got a bit ring rusty and had a lackluster performance at Turning Stone last week. So I'm irritated with myself for taking my eye off the ball. The ball being getting more pressure sets logged. It's too easy for it to be like working out, where it takes special effort to make it happen and it is the first thing to slip when you get busy.

I am budgeting more time in 2023 for competitive situations. More tournaments if possible, but also some challenge matches and some live streams. With technology there is no reason to not have enough pressure situations.

I have most of my former students in my private facebook training group where we do video reviews for ongoing training. My students have unanimously told me that the most pressure they have ever felt was recording a set to send to me for review and to post in our group. I am no different. I just recorded a race to 7 against the 9 ball ghost. I made it a little tougher by playing with the matchroom break rules and a 30 second shot clock (trying to get ready for the Open next month) and my table is a little tough. I played really tight, got ahead 5-0, then found a way to lose 7-6. Even most of the racks I won were a bit choppy.

My point is for those looking for more pressure spots (or those who 'don't feel pressure') I suggest you flip on your camera and play a livestream ghost set in front of an audience. No travel costs or gambling losses, and it is tough action.

So while it's not easy to get to big tournaments or line up a big challenge match with a tight schedule, being busy isn't the real answer. It's too easy to use that as an excuse to stay comfortable. I look at it this way: If someone told me they'd pay me $50,000 at the end of 12 months if I was able to get myself in a high pressure situation once a month for the next year, would I find a way to make it happen? If so the question isn't ability, it's motivation and focus.

I'm motivated. I've got to keep my focus and keep putting myself in these spots. I enjoy the intrinsic rewards of playing pool win or lose, but competition is meaningful to me because it holds you accountable. I have had many hard ass managers in my life, but nothing is a harder driver than looking in that mirror.

I can relate to pressure, it is meltdowns that I am having trouble relating to. Pressure should enhance function, not hinder it.

Hu

 

[Tin Man]

I can relate to pressure, it is meltdowns that I am having trouble relating to. Pressure should enhance function, not hinder it.

Hu

As I've said, my best pool has been under pressure, as has my worst.

I've seen every top player from Varner and Sigel and Strickland and Reyes to Soquet and Alex and SVB and Albin and Dennis melt down at times due to pressure.

Either you are better than them, or you don't compete in as high of pressure situations as they do. I don't know you so it's not my place to say.

 

[DeeDeeCues]

I believe it was Titanic Thompson who said "Put a balance beam one foot off the ground and anyone in this room can run across it. Put that same balance beam fifty feet in the air and no one in this room can walk across it." He was referring, of course, to how competitive pressure can drastically change one's ability to perform.

There are many skills needed to play a competitive game of pool, but one of the most neglected is handling serious pressure. No one likes the feeling of falling apart in a meaningful match in front of a crowd.

Many players conclude the answer is practicing their physical game. And to a point they are right. Of course you have to put in hours working on your game, rehearsing the techniques and skills you will use under the lights.

The problem is that too often they stop there. That isn't enough. Because while you can practice all of your physical skills in your basement, you can't simulate the experience of being out of your comfort zone in the comfort of your own home. You know the feeling when you start feeling short of breath, your arm starts shaking, your stroke feels weak and wobbly, the pocket openings shrink up, and all you can see are ways for balls to jaw up or for the cue ball to be sucked into a pocket.

Many people hate this so much they try to avoid it. So they stay in their comfort zone with the plan to keep running drills with the belief that they will develop their physical game so strong that it will become impervious to this type of pressure. But there is no amount of comfortable practice that will develop your ability to manage through excruciating circumstances. The only way to improve this area of your game is to get out of your comfort zone again and again.

Going back to our analogy of the balance beam. Someone who intends to walk a fifty foot high balance beam is doing themselves a disservice if they are so afraid of falling that they work on their moves one foot off the ground exclusively. The best thing to do would be to keep moving it higher and higher and practice taking falls. Eventually those falls will start looking less and less daunting until, at times, the heights won't disrupt their performance.

I work with many players that are serious about improving their pool game. I often ask my students "When was the last devastating loss you experienced? When was the last time you were so nervous you totally broke down?" Those who have to reach back in their memory bank for matches long ago are on the wrong path. I tell them I can teach them, I can train them, but they have to set themselves up with a steady diet of adversity if they want to truly experience success in their pool career.

So if you want to be a competitor, it's time to stop looking at meltdowns as a negative thing to be dreaded and avoided. It's time to embrace those experiences as the practice you need most to reach your goals. True competitors collect losses. They understand the road to victory is paved with failure, and to become a player that achieve meaningful accomplishments there must be many attempts that end with heartbreaking setbacks.

Read the book, 'sports psyching'. It goes through different types of competitors and gives a person insight on what drives them. I found that I was actually less concerned about winning than I was about looking good playing. I wanted to win, but my internal motivation didn't allow me to accept anything that didn't work out as I expected. I reconciled those and started playing my best more often.

To your exact point, I've written about leaving pool and playing foosball. I was a complete rookie playing against world class players with no handicap, usually in doubles. I had no chance at winning a game, much less a match. The stress was huge and at first itt was a hindrance. Soon I realized that since I couldn't win even playing my best, I could focus on the game and actually just play my best. In a year I was high mid level and sometimes did win games and matches...even a few tourneys.

When I went back to pool I took those lessons with me and I was immediately a much better competitor despite losing a lot of my skills.

 

[jay helfert]

Another great thread started by the Tin Man. Thank you sir. This thread brought up so many things about me, some good and some not so much. I grew up gambling at pool, usually betting all the money I had on me. For the first three years I got beat on unmercifully. Then the tables turned and pretty soon the guys who had been beating on me would no longer play me. From that point on I was always fairly comfortable when gambling at pool, only getting a bit queasy as the stakes went up. But I discovered that even then, after a game or two I settled down and just played, and forgot about the money. And it usually worked out okay. I never played in a tournament until I was in my late 20's. It felt so much different and I didn't do well. In fact I rarely if ever played my best in a tournament setting. Even though I often got in the money with two wins and even beat a few good players I never felt comfortable. I only played maybe two or three tournaments a year, keeping busy running my room and gambling on the side. It was only years later I realized I never gave myself a chance. To get better I needed to play in more tournaments and put myself in the heat more often, and I never did. By the time I figured this out it was a little too late.

Like some others on here I also enjoyed racing as a young man. I was never afraid of crashing and like someone else said on here, didn't think it would happen to me. My recollection of being on the track was staying 100% focused on hitting the right point on each turn and getting set up for the next one. There was no time to think about anything else.

Pool has helped me immensely in other pursuits, most notably poker. Pool taught me to keep my cool at all times and don't let my emotions show. I could be like a statue if I needed to be and my opponent(s) couldn't read me. Pool taught me the value of controlling my body and remaining perfectly still. There was often immense pressure playing poker. Playing a big hand with your poker life (All-In whether in a tournament or gambling) at stake is a rush like no other, especially when you're bluffing! I bluffed many good players off superior hands by keeping my cool.

Someone mentioned being in dead stroke and I can also relate to this. That is nirvana in pool when you feel nothing and experience everything. Your body takes over and conscious thought is merely a blink of the eye as your unconscious mind takes over and determines how to hit the next shot. That entire process can be measured in fractions of a second. You see it and you know instantly what you need to do to execute the next shot. That fast, and you hit the shot perfectly, just like your body told you to. That includes the correct amount of english, the right speed and the proper stroke. All these calculations are done in an instant, one glance is all it takes and you know what comes next.

I'd like to show you something now about your unconscious mind and how fast it works. Please entertain me by listening. Have you ever kicked a stone along the sidewalk while you are walking? Probably you have. Do you remember how you lined up for the next kick? Probably not. I'd like you to do that again. Kick that stone a little way along your walk and keep walking towards it. Somehow your mind will instantly calculate how many and how big your steps must be to line up to kick the rock again! Don't even think about it. Just kick the rock and start walking towards it, and think about kicking it again. Your magical brain will do the rest! To this day I have no idea how that works but it does. Enjoy!

 

[Guy Manges]

There's many good writers on this forum, Thank you all... Guy

 

[ShootingArts]

Read the book, 'sports psyching'. It goes through different types of competitors and gives a person insight on what drives them. I found that I was actually less concerned about winning than I was about looking good playing. I wanted to win, but my internal motivation didn't allow me to accept anything that didn't work out as I expected. I reconciled those and started playing my best more often.

To your exact point, I've written about leaving pool and playing foosball. I was a complete rookie playing against world class players with no handicap, usually in doubles. I had no chance at winning a game, much less a match. The stress was huge and at first itt was a hindrance. Soon I realized that since I couldn't win even playing my best, I could focus on the game and actually just play my best. In a year I was high mid level and sometimes did win games and matches...even a few tourneys.

When I went back to pool I took those lessons with me and I was immediately a much better competitor despite losing a lot of my skills.

You learned other skills, how to compete, that were more important than the physical skills you had temporarily lost.

This is what I have been trying to get across, knowing how to compete is a skillset in itself. It can be ported from fooseball to pool to the next thing and the next.

My other point is that I see no value in engraining failure over and over. I come to win. I don't come to lose or even not lose. My beef with The Pleasure of Small Motions. The first part was great, the second part seemed bogged down and focused on not losing. If you focus on not losing instead of focusing on winning you will lose, it just takes a little longer.

Hu

As I've said, my best pool has been under pressure, as has my worst.

I've seen every top player from Varner and Sigel and Strickland and Reyes to Soquet and Alex and SVB and Albin and Dennis melt down at times due to pressure.

Either you are better than them, or you don't compete in as high of pressure situations as they do. I don't know you so it's not my place to say.

Tin Man, I have beaten some of the best in the world, on a pool table, other places. While unofficial and ultimately meaningless, I have bombed a world record with a rifle. That did show I had my ducks in a row building, tuning rifle and loads, and handling the rifle. I have handled pressures that can't be found on a pool table. I have also bet more on a single game of pool than probably any pro today has bet of their own money in a single bet.

A gang stole my niece's purse. My brother and I tracked the gang for several miles before losing the trail. One place it led to was one of the eight by forty steel shipping containers with doors slightly ajar. Excellent hangout! I had a .45 and extra magazine ready and knew that fire both ways would be pure hell if the gang was in that can. I told my brother to swing the door open while I stood there ready to deal with whatever happened. Pressure on a pool table? Try risking killing or being killed. That was the fourth time I have done something similar in my life, fifth or sixth depending on how you count. Nothing compared to some cops I know including the outstanding Terry Ardeno who once graced this forum. Still, compared to most people it is far more pressure than they have ever faced. A few armed confrontations were pretty hairy too.

Pool can't put much pressure on me, I have won far more than I can ever lose if I lose every match I play for the rest of my life. That isn't to say I don't face pressure. Try facing a surgery that can help you or cripple you for life and wait months to have it scheduled and done. Let that grind in the back of your mind every waking hour. There are a hell of a lot of more places to find pressure than a pool table. I control pressure on a pool table by how I breathe and by going off in a quiet area by myself sometimes. I did the same thing to set a local record with a pistol in my second year of competition. Others including an over twenty times world champion had chased that record in the last fifteen years. Was I better than Jerry Miculek? Not even in my wildest dreams. For a few hours one wild and stormy night I was though. I will put my mental game against anybody's.

Hu

 

[LC3]

Many years ago, I noticed about myself that I tended to avoid play that I thought I couldn't handle. Once the risk got too high, I wasn't interested. Then I realized a couple of things:

• It's only a game of pool. I don't play for the sake of money, so the only thing I'd lose is the game. Even if I were to play in a tournament with a big prize, that prize would be bonus money. It would be wonderful to win it, but wouldn't hurt me if I lost it. For me, it's more about winning the tournament through solid play. If I do lose, it's an opportunity to learn.
• Running drills and playing recreationally won't by themselves make me good enough to be a strong, competitive player. Drills and non-stakes practice are important, but the only way to be a strong, competitive player is to come up through competition.

My biggest challenge is not letting self-doubt ruin my game. As is so often said, the game is 90% mental.

 

[galipeau]

In judo you practice falling correctly so you don't get injured. It's hard to practice this in pool most players recreate tournament play with gambling, but it's not the same. Tournament match is do or die. You gotta come with the shot, there is no next set to recoup.

 

[DeeDeeCues]

Many years ago, I noticed about myself that I tended to avoid play that I thought I couldn't handle. Once the risk got too high, I wasn't interested. Then I realized a couple of things:

• It's only a game of pool. I don't play for the sake of money, so the only thing I'd lose is the game. Even if I were to play in a tournament with a big prize, that prize would be bonus money. It would be wonderful to win it, but wouldn't hurt me if I lost it. For me, it's more about winning the tournament through solid play. If I do lose, it's an opportunity to learn.
• Running drills and playing recreationally won't by themselves make me good enough to be a strong, competitive player. Drills and non-stakes practice are important, but the only way to be a strong, competitive player is to come up through competition.

My biggest challenge is not letting self-doubt ruin my game. As is so often said, the game is 90% mental.

I don't like the 'it's only...' argument. You've chosen to play. Fully experience that. Deal with loss in a healthy way.

I was a part of a pool league team (cash, no handicap) that had a reputation for mounting incredible comebacks. We once rallied from 9-0 in a race to 11 to get into the finals (which we eventually also won). I guarantee that nobody on that team ever thought that it was *only* a pool game. Each of us embraced the pressure and used it to focus.

In most situations we have no control over anything except our reaction.