Agreed! Playing well in the MC is all about being strong mentally. There are definitely things you can say and do to help prepare your player(s) for the contest ahead. Being able to do just that when I was staking a player made all the difference in the world. Plus made me many thousands more!We should be able to win with these short races. Hanging out for a few days before the MC doing some practice doubles matches together is not coaching. The coaching we need is not in how to play pool, it is in how to handle the pressure and how to win. The mental side of the game is killing us. We did win when we had a real coach. Hate to say it, but JJ has got to go, there is nothing he can teach these guys.
My favorite story was when Keith played Mike Lebron in the finals of the BC Open back in 1987 I believe. It was 25K for first and only 10K for second. Big money back then. Lebron wanted to make a deal and split the money. Keith called me and asked what he should do. I asked him how he felt and he told me he'd like to play for the whole thing. I told him to go back and tell Lebron exactly that. He did and Lebron got white as a sheet (Keith told me afterward his reaction) to our proposal.
That was all it took. Lebron fell dead and Keith annihilated him 11-2. We got the 25K! The match was over before it started.
There are things (many) I would say to all our players the night before the Cup started, and not one of them has to do with making balls or team strategy. I've been in the trenches with many great players (including Orcollo, Biado, Kiamco, Tang Hoa, Bobby Hunter, Keith, Cliff, Medina, Schmidt, Parica and more) and the right words at the right time did make a difference. You must be able to read your horse (player) and have a feel for what he needs to hear.
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