advice on tournament play hour after hour

oldplayer

oldplayer

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
i had a lesson on thursday and it improved my game nearly 50% so i decided to enter an eight ball tournament on friday. started practicing at 4 pm and the tournament started at 8:30pm (30 minutes late). at this point i had been both practicing and playing for 4 hours. i won the first 2 matches and had no "rest time" between matches. when i got to the third match at 11 pm my brain and body seemed to just shut down. seemed to be screaming, "i can't lay anymore"! my usual play/practice is 3 or 4 hours. after 7 hours of play i just could not concentrate and lost miserably. does anyone have a method or any hints on playing hour after hour like a marahton? a nap between matches is not an option! :wink:
 
Put yourself in that position more often (practice that situation). If you have issues with focus, I suggest some form of meditation (meditation can be eying a focal point to OHmmmmm... OHMMmmmm).

In between matches, you need to find your own repeatable routine (repeatable because you don't know how long in between matches) that can keep you in the "zone".

Things I used to do, which will not work for everybody...
Pace outside out of view of others visualizing random run outs
Calculus (weird, but keeps the problem solving part of the brain working)
Visioning 3 dimensional banks off of the walls in the pool room (you've all done it)

You get the idea. As the old adage goes... "Idle Hands..." You just have to find your own comfort zone and stay there.

Other than that... Drugs.
 
Yah, im the type of person who doesnt practice before a big tournament like that (Practice doesnt affect me and sometimes when i do practice it causes more head games then if i didnt). You gotta find your reasoning factor, like dont sit there and think about all the stuff that you could be doing other than playing in a pool tourney.. like being home in bed, or with family, or just not having to be forced to play pool anymore. You gotta make it fun at all times. Some people even shoot better if they do put pressure on themselves about the money or just the braggin rights to other players or just in their heads lil wall of trophies you dont forget about.

Also if youre taking a munchie break which u should, dont overload on food and stay away from heavy foods and pop or caffeine, not good for the senses or blood pressure.

Some people cant ever get into the marathon tourney mode though, i have friends who would rather sit out and just play cash games and "not be tied down."
 
L. Salazar said:
Things I used to do, which will not work for everybody...
Pace outside out of view of others visualizing random run outs
Calculus (weird, but keeps the problem solving part of the brain working)
Visioning 3 dimensional banks off of the walls in the pool room (you've all done it)
Click to expand...

You're spot on with this post. I agree, you have to keep the brain working.

On the day of a tournament, I stop somewhere and pick up a couple of inexpensive (but challenging) crossword puzzle books. I don't open them until the first time I have a "break" between matches.
And I do them in pen instead of pencil (I can't erase a shot on the table, so why have that option with the crossword puzzle ?).

At least, that's what seems to work for me :thumbup:
 
oldplayer said:
i had a lesson on thursday and it improved my game nearly 50% so i decided to enter an eight ball tournament on friday. started practicing at 4 pm and the tournament started at 8:30pm (30 minutes late). at this point i had been both practicing and playing for 4 hours. i won the first 2 matches and had no "rest time" between matches. when i got to the third match at 11 pm my brain and body seemed to just shut down. seemed to be screaming, "i can't lay anymore"! my usual play/practice is 3 or 4 hours. after 7 hours of play i just could not concentrate and lost miserably. does anyone have a method or any hints on playing hour after hour like a marahton? a nap between matches is not an option! :wink:
Click to expand...

It sounds like you left your game on the practice table. Don McCoy taught me to avoid the problems with that.

It seems to work best (for me) to practice just enough to get the stroke ALMOST in gear. It might work for you, too. But on the flip side, maybe practicing for 8 hours would increase your endurance in tourneys?

Play well,

Jeff Livingston
 
thanks guys. i think a combo of what has been posted might work. i have 9 ball tournament this afternoon and will only practice an hour or so before it starts.......take a outside break between matches (they can wait)......i also like the meditate part......need to zone out and then back in.........have a great day everybody! what would we do without the forum? :scratchhead:
 
oldplayer said:
i had a lesson on thursday and it improved my game nearly 50% so i decided to enter an eight ball tournament on friday. started practicing at 4 pm and the tournament started at 8:30pm (30 minutes late). at this point i had been both practicing and playing for 4 hours. i won the first 2 matches and had no "rest time" between matches. when i got to the third match at 11 pm my brain and body seemed to just shut down. seemed to be screaming, "i can't lay anymore"! my usual play/practice is 3 or 4 hours. after 7 hours of play i just could not concentrate and lost miserably. does anyone have a method or any hints on playing hour after hour like a marahton? a nap between matches is not an option! :wink:
Click to expand...
Wait a minute, a 50% improvement in one lesson? Can you elaborate on that?

Regarding long sessions. In a gambling session you may play 20 or 30 hours at times. During long sessions of play your game will go up and down sort of coasting at times then making another hard push what you feel you can. This is not really a problem because you are playing a player that is just as tired as you are. In a tournament you may be playing a player that is pretty fresh while you are exhausted. Not much you can do about that. If there are long breaks between matches creating the time frame all you can do is relax and put pool out of your mind. Don't dwell, relax.
 
oldplayer said:
i had a lesson on thursday and it improved my game nearly 50% so i decided to enter an eight ball tournament on friday. started practicing at 4 pm and the tournament started at 8:30pm (30 minutes late). at this point i had been both practicing and playing for 4 hours. i won the first 2 matches and had no "rest time" between matches. when i got to the third match at 11 pm my brain and body seemed to just shut down. seemed to be screaming, "i can't lay anymore"! my usual play/practice is 3 or 4 hours. after 7 hours of play i just could not concentrate and lost miserably. does anyone have a method or any hints on playing hour after hour like a marahton? a nap between matches is not an option! :wink:
Click to expand...

WOW a 50% improvement with one lesson?? That is pretty incredible.
As far as stamina? Don't be to rough on yourself, that improves with time and conditioning.
imagine you are running the marathon? How long would you warm up then? I think you might have some faulty expectations right now. Just how much can you realisticly ask of yourself at this point? The mind gets as tired as the legs do.
 
good point, i did not eat during the match, only an hour before. only "hydration" was 3 beers..........but the beers were over a 3 hour period........are you suggestioning something other than beer? "jack" with or without water? ;)
 
My biggest issue is balancing food intake throughout events. I normally get headaches in the late evenings if I am not careful. This can be a challenge if you have the breaks between matches early in day and then late in day start playing back to back. I normally plan on eating a full meal off the location menu at some point during the day. In my case I will have a couple fiber bars, peanuts, and gum. The later helps me try to spread it out during the day.
 
stamina can be found in many ways. food, hydration, rest, exercise and RELAXING.


And of course some over the counter enhancements :)
 

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oldplayer said:
good point, i did not eat during the match, only an hour before. only "hydration" was 3 beers..........but the beers were over a 3 hour period........are you suggestioning something other than beer? "jack" with or without water? ;)
Click to expand...

Water without the Jack. Alcohol will not hydrate you, in fact, just the opposite.
 
Pushout said:
Water without the Jack. Alcohol will not hydrate you, in fact, just the opposite.
Click to expand...

So very true, but it can make a bad day much more tolerable plus makes excuses so much easier.
I haven't had a drink in 17 months and not sure which I miss more, the booze or my ex. Well come to think of it, the booze is far more predictable.
 
prematch routine

This is a great thread, I am often guilty of this as well. Tournaments aren't won by the highest average level of play or by the player with the best overall score, they are won by the players that win matches consistently. How many times have each of us won 7-1, 7-2, 7-0, only to get fatigued and turn in a poor performance?

One thing that I do that helps is that I put my cues away in between matches. That may sound stupid, if they call my match right after I report my win it seems like I could just carry my cues over and be ready to go. But by putting them away I have to take them out again. This is part of my "pre-match routine".

We use a pre shot routine to make sure we're ready on each shot. I do the same thing before a match. Something about screwing my cues together makes me feel like I'm just starting out, and gives me another burst of energy. It gives me a moment to focus on my next task, playing another great set.

I'm glad you posted this, I got away from this lately and have paid for it. I have a good tournament this next weekend and will make sure I resume this habit, it has treated me well.
 
What to do?

Slice a apple and keep it in the car, Zip lock a bag of grapes or pineapples and a pack of peanut butter crackers, even in the heat of Houston it wont go bad and walking to the car to get them between matches will give you a mental break.

Take a break when you or your opponet gets half way to through the race, at five or six games. Drink a bottle of water per set and sit down when its not your shot. Make a phone call to someone for a break in the action.., good luck, good shooting!
 
oldplayer said:
good point, i did not eat during the match, only an hour before. only "hydration" was 3 beers..........but the beers were over a 3 hour period........are you suggestioning something other than beer? "jack" with or without water? ;)
Click to expand...

The EU says water can't be said to help relieve hydration.

The govt can't be wrong!

Jeff Livingston
 
oldplayer said:
i had a lesson on thursday and it improved my game nearly 50% so i decided to enter an eight ball tournament on friday. started practicing at 4 pm and the tournament started at 8:30pm (30 minutes late). at this point i had been both practicing and playing for 4 hours. i won the first 2 matches and had no "rest time" between matches. when i got to the third match at 11 pm my brain and body seemed to just shut down. seemed to be screaming, "i can't lay anymore"! my usual play/practice is 3 or 4 hours. after 7 hours of play i just could not concentrate and lost miserably. does anyone have a method or any hints on playing hour after hour like a marahton? a nap between matches is not an option! :wink:
Click to expand...

Many pros, and instructors tell you to play at same rhythm all the time; in another word, if you are a fast shooter, it is expected to shoot the same speed during all your games and any time. Well if we are tired it will take longer to focus; so i find it advantageous to take a little more time on focus (especially long shots), but shoot with same follow through stroke.

All i ask you to try it, and let me know what you think, also others try it and let us know. Thanks
 
ironman said:
WOW a 50% improvement with one lesson?? That is pretty incredible.
As far as stamina? Don't be to rough on yourself, that improves with time and conditioning.
imagine you are running the marathon? How long would you warm up then? I think you might have some faulty expectations right now. Just how much can you realisticly ask of yourself at this point? The mind gets as tired as the legs do.
Click to expand...

I believe it a lot, i think he was conservative probably 70% improvement. I have been saying, there is a lot of knowledge/secrets to be learnt, but people like me suborned wants to do it on there own be ready for 30 years of bad playing.
 
L. Salazar said:
Put yourself in that position more often (practice that situation). If you have issues with focus, I suggest some form of meditation (meditation can be eying a focal point to OHmmmmm... OHMMmmmm).

In between matches, you need to find your own repeatable routine (repeatable because you don't know how long in between matches) that can keep you in the "zone".

Things I used to do, which will not work for everybody...
Pace outside out of view of others visualizing random run outs
Calculus (weird, but keeps the problem solving part of the brain working)
Visioning 3 dimensional banks off of the walls in the pool room (you've all done it)

You get the idea. As the old adage goes... "Idle Hands..." You just have to find your own comfort zone and stay there.

Other than that... Drugs.
Click to expand...

Calculus and drugs. You nailed it.
 
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