Best advice you ever took or wished you had

Brandon79ta said:
That very well may be true for all I know. I think I've seen him laugh or smile at missing shots before, don't remember too well haven't seen him miss all that many in the few times I've seen him on tv. It's just something that's always stuck with me that keeps me from getting pissed at myself.

Brandon
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Brandon,
I was just being a smart-ass. I agree that Efren's demeanor is remarkable, and definitely should be emulated. I watched him play 6 or 7 matches at DCC, and not once did he ever show disappointment (just a little bemused smile and head scratch when he missed or lost) - very admirable.

The "winner-take-all" format pretty much sucks for the pro's; it definitely encourages the "saver", and I don't think its very good for the integrity of the sport (or for what little integrity there is in the sport).
 
Well sounds like I got what he does when he misses down then, now all I gotta do is play like him and I'll be all set lol.
 
I can't blame anyone for taking a saver. At the pro level this shouldn't even be necessary. I will agree that there is less pressure with a saver situation then playing $20 a set when you only have $50.
 
If I laughed every time I missed in a pool game they would be putting me into a mental institution. Only Efren can get away with this, because his misses are rare.
 
For those Efren fans on this thread, I saw him play Jim Wych at DCC. In the hill-hill game, Efren (who was playing badly for him, missing quite a few makeable shots) with only 2 balls left on the table, jawed the eight ball on a very easy shot. Still he showed only a little smile/head scratch/bemused expression. Wych looked shocked, made the eight and then he jawed the nine (again on an easy shot). It looked like 2 beginners playing; Wych did not take it as well as Efren. I watched at least 5 more Efren matches and he played lights out, finished second, had 2 matches where the other player never made a ball. His match against Wych (which he was incredibly lucky to win) was awful and he missed a lot of easy shots. I guess everyone is entitled to a bad match. His demeanor in that nightmare match was no different than in his flawless victories.
 
Williebetmore said:
......I watched at least 5 more Efren matches and he played lights out, finished second, had 2 matches where the other player never made a ball....
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Willie,

I think I saw his last 5 matches too. When he missed a 5-ball against Soquet I realized that was the first ball he had missed in 30 games :D
 
A long time ago an "ol' boy" told me "If you can win 85% of the time, you'll be money ahead".
Time has proven him quite correct. :)

Troy
 
Advice turning points.

My major breakthroughs in improvement have come gradually through realization after advice from various coaches/philosophers, mostly outside of the game of pool.

First step was the realization of the value in dedicated practice. Spending 3-6 hours at a time alone on the table with an assortment of good drills and a focused mind will move anyone to a competent level.

Second step was realizing that bad shots were a cause for opportunity to learn rather than a reason to become frustrated.

Third step was the key to obtaining my best performance and winning by treating the game as a test of work ethic and self control, rather than simply focussing on winning. Establishing this frame of mind minimizes performance failures through worrying about luck or choking.

Fourth step is making decisions firmly without doubt. Doubt essentially means "in two minds". Playing with doubt, or in two minds is the worst thing you can do. You can easily spot how much doubt players have by their body movement and expressions. This is usually a good sign of who are winners and who are losers.

Of course, along the way, there are many smaller lessons that have improved my game, but those mentioned above are the majors.
 
Blame Yourself and Keep Your Cool

When I was a very young player, I had a bad habit of blaming the equipment for some of my mistakes. I also had the bad habit of making it clear to my opponent when I was rattled. For these reasons, the two pieces of advice I got that largely, though not completely, corrected these problems for me have meant the world to me.

1) If you're thinking about the equipment, you're not thinking about the game. A good player must know how to deal with all playing condsitions.
2) Never show weakness to an opponent, because they will feed off of it.

These seemingly obvious points are something I think about often, especially when I fall into the traps of blaming the equipment for my mistakes or tipping off an opponent that I've lost some of my confidence.
 
Tommy Lee "Use you imagination, be creative"
Jim Rempe "There is always a shot on you just have to look for it"
 
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