do you win the hill matches?
- Thread starter satman
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Nineballking
Owner of Nineballking.com
Mine is much lower
I just got thru playing a hill to hill match this weekend. The tournament had $1000 added. I got thru my hill to hill match, but I have to say I do not have the heart to play my best when it counts. I would say my percentage is 10 percent in hill to hill to matches. It seems everytime I get in a place to win a tournament or win some money, I choke. I wish I had a percentage as high as 70%. I think I am a born loser. No matter how much practice, no matter how much I try to improve my game, I still lose when it comes to a place when it matters.
I just got thru playing a hill to hill match this weekend. The tournament had $1000 added. I got thru my hill to hill match, but I have to say I do not have the heart to play my best when it counts. I would say my percentage is 10 percent in hill to hill to matches. It seems everytime I get in a place to win a tournament or win some money, I choke. I wish I had a percentage as high as 70%. I think I am a born loser. No matter how much practice, no matter how much I try to improve my game, I still lose when it comes to a place when it matters.
Nineballking said:
I appreciate your honesty. Winning tough meaningful matches is definitly a learning experience.Last night I experienced a very bitter defeat myself.I was on the hill and my opponent came back and won four games in a row to take the set, cash and leave me to pay for two hours pool time.I'm totally more talented than this guy and made a way more balls, however, hung the money balls and GIFT WRAPPED him the final four games. All he did was garbage collect.All I needed was the 7, 8,9(easy runout) and I miscued on the 7 , and that swung the momentum his way.I was totally calm, relaxed and smelling blood when the miscue occured.The two previous games before that I had run out all nine balls.
I can take a loss (usually) and consider myself a good sport.This guy, however, was a bum and it was very frustrating considering how hard I practice and dedicate myself to the game.He didn't beat me, I beat myself.
Winning hill -hill games and tourneys etc, takes time and experience.Getting to the final in a tournament is an accomplishment in itself and sometimes losing the big matches is a stepping stone to becoming a winner.I went to the final in 3 tourneys before I finally won one.
In the meantime negative self talk that you use on yourself wont help matters any.Try telling yourself, YES I will win and I'm sure that positive self talk will bring that 10-90% losing(hill-hill) rate closer to 50-50 and maybe even higher. RJ
satman said:
I do not really pay that much attention to if the person is on the hill or I am. If they are winning, it helps me to play better. I do not think it necessarily makes me win, but it does help me play better. We had an sl5 this last week who is very good and was playing a weak 5, but got down 3-1, in a race to four in APA. Our five was just not bearing down enuff, and I turned to him and told him I thought he needed a little pressure to win. He came back to win 3 straight and take the match.
I have seen players, though who start the self doubt and the negative messages rolling into the brain. Personally, it seems to me that when a player starts thinking about anything other than pool or having sabotaging thoughts, they are toast.
Laura
T
THE SILENCER
Guest
my little trick, is to put it out of my head, this is a hill-hill match, and just seize every opportunity i get, i win 85% of my hill-hill matches this way.
I guess I have never been one to believe that positive thinking (in the absence of the physical skills to carry out your positive thoughts) helps in any way (all the self-help psycho-babble gurus to the contrary - they seem to be more prevalent in golf and tennis, but may be filtering into pool as well). Positive thinking in situations where you have little chance to succeed just leads to disappointment. I am however a firm believer that you can screw yourself up big time with inappropriate positive and negative thinking. My whole pool practice and playing time is spent trying to make sure that my routine and stroke are ALWAYS the same. Relying on your mechanics is the best way to beat the pressure in any sport I have ever played when it comes to crunch time. There should be no difference in your game whether you are on the hill or 6 games down, the mechanics and strategy should be the same (with some allowances). It sounds like Satman and the Silencer may also be trying to keep their mechanics the same in these situations. I can't remember the last time I was on the hill and did not close out the match (though my competition is probably not the best, and I don't compete as often as I would like - I suspect my success rate would be much lower if I had to play Satman). Arnold Palmer always said he didn't need any sports psychologist, he had trained himself to play so that his physical swing on the last hole of the Masters when he was in contention was the same as on the first hole of a friendly practice round. Rely on your mechanics.
Willie, without a consistency in your mechanics, you might as well throw in the towel. I'm a firm believer in mechanics, but I also believe you must want to win and believe you can or you will not. You must have a goal in front of you at all times. It may be to make a higher run in straight pool or run a rack of 8 ball. Sam
what i have noticed that helps me in these situation is to take a small break wash my face and hands and re-focus my attention to the task at hand.......then upon returning to the table i always rely on the tried and true basics i first learned and these things always seem to make my foundation steady up when it is shaky.......i believe that the mind and playing ability are very important in this game and when in these situation you need to find a way to focus both....with this type of thought i usuall end up winning about 85% of my hill matches and it also has helped me make some very nice come backs when gambling and being down many games.......just a fast story about that.......was in augusta playing a fella $20 nine ball.....he had me stuck 9 games.....1 more i pull up.....i stop and go to the bathroom wash the hands and face and tell myself i am capable of winning.....well upon my return in about 45 minutes i went from 9 games loser to 4 games winner.....needless to say he pulled up and then jokingly tells everyone,"shit he has beaten cancer 3 times how do you expect me to do anything with him".......just goes to show heart means alot.........juston coleman
Nice comeback Juston, I've had a few of those too. It kills them when you do that. I was playing a guy one time and he had me stuck 5 sets racing to 7. The sets were close but I couldn't get an opportunity at the end. Then I won a set and started getting some rolls and next thing you know we're even. He says " let's play 1 more set I hate to quit even" and I win the last one too. Sam
About 50-50 give or take 10%. It's mostly because of a bad judgement or bad layout. My nerves somehow are fairly decent when it comes to this type of pressure. I took tai chi when I was younger until about 4 years ago and learned alot about mind over matter and such. Yeah it sounds bogus I know, but you should really devote at least half of the time you put on the table to your nerves and attitude.
If you're skeptical about this kind of mental preparation then i'd suggest just throwing your self in a game that means something (money/pride) whenever you get the chance to. Over time you will adjust to this pressure and it will drive you instead of hinder you.
If you're skeptical about this kind of mental preparation then i'd suggest just throwing your self in a game that means something (money/pride) whenever you get the chance to. Over time you will adjust to this pressure and it will drive you instead of hinder you.
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It would be interesting to know if the people having trouble on the hill have complicated strokes or firm grips. What I am getting at is the principles espoused by Jerry Briesath/Mark Wilson - a swing with fewer moving parts and softer grip pressure is much easier to reproduce in adrenaline filled situations (its not the only way to play pool, but might be the easiest way to learn).
I go about 50/50 in the hill hill matches. I do not tend to lose them on pressure, mostly the players that get me run out and if I get the chance I run them out. Most matches I win are not hill hill, I would say at least 50% of the matches I lose are though.
Good question there.
I don't really know. The last time I played hill-hill in (a small time) competition I got a WO and the won two hill-hill (both times trailing by two before getting to hill-hill) matches. Then I had to wait out, and never got the rhythm for the next match, scoring none in the last match... and out I was again.
I am a loser in many respects, but I still feel I play best when I'm playing against somebody better than me in a tourney. Doesn't happen everytime, but I do rise to the occasion. Usually I lose stamina after a good win, and hardly every get my hands on any money.
I don't have the stiffest grip, but I do stiffen out sometimes in tourneys. I just don't get it how some players seem to play without thinking... I guess they are better in crunch situations, because their brain doesn't go to overkill as easy! I often over-think and lose flow. I can play OK when I play quite quickly, but usually I reach my best game more often if I play very slow at first, then increasing speed when pieaces fall in their places. I have tried playing more quickly right off the bat, but lost because in a tough spot I was mostly only thinking of playing quickly, instead off thinking about the ball I was playing!
I don't really know. The last time I played hill-hill in (a small time) competition I got a WO and the won two hill-hill (both times trailing by two before getting to hill-hill) matches. Then I had to wait out, and never got the rhythm for the next match, scoring none in the last match... and out I was again.
I am a loser in many respects, but I still feel I play best when I'm playing against somebody better than me in a tourney. Doesn't happen everytime, but I do rise to the occasion. Usually I lose stamina after a good win, and hardly every get my hands on any money.
I don't have the stiffest grip, but I do stiffen out sometimes in tourneys. I just don't get it how some players seem to play without thinking... I guess they are better in crunch situations, because their brain doesn't go to overkill as easy! I often over-think and lose flow. I can play OK when I play quite quickly, but usually I reach my best game more often if I play very slow at first, then increasing speed when pieaces fall in their places. I have tried playing more quickly right off the bat, but lost because in a tough spot I was mostly only thinking of playing quickly, instead off thinking about the ball I was playing!