Gave in and Played a Tournament

[Fast Lenny]

Well after my 6 day hiatus saying i was going to quit tournaments for a bit i played tonight,came in 2nd out of 19 people in a bar box 8 ball tournament.I am still down and out about how i performed,i guess i have to play smarter and harder.I thank you guys for your comments in my other post,now im going to muster up whats left of my confidence and play tommorow night in the 9 ball tournament i finished 3rd/4th in last weeks and it made me want to quit after my less then stellar performance.Ill let you know guys know how i do,tough field of 32,wish me luck and all the rolls,any advice from you guys for the tournament, maybe yoga,lol.

 

[Snapshot9]

Comments

There is nothing to be ashamed of coming in 3/4th out of 32 players, and coming in 2nd out of 19 is not bad either.

Evidently though, you feel you should be doing better. Be honest with yourself....... Were there better players than you in the tournament?
Are you trying to get over a 'hill' with your playing, and get a ball higher on the ladder? Review in your mind the losses you sustained, and what caused those losses. Sometimes, it can be just 1 critical shot you missed that throws the match the other way. (Changing of the tide). Did an opponent expose a weakness of yours? How were your breaks? Did your break dry up on you in later rounds? Was it alternate breaks?

In the past, in matches I have lost, or whenever I lose, I go back and analyze in my mind with the 7 steps for Scientific analysis. Who, What,
Where, How, etc.. It helps me to put the loss in perspective, and to pinpoint where I might need to practice and improve. Our minds and bodies go through cycles, and sometimes, no matter how bad we want to win, we just can't do it some nights. (Pool gods are against us). Other nights can be almost magical in that everything we do works out for the best.

To be a true winner means you have to be true to the sport, and to do that you have to train, you have to have the knowledge, and you have to do things that allow you to perform at your highest (like not drinking alcohol ... at least too much, eat right, get enough sleep, exercise, and keep in shape). A good example would be Mika or Ralf. As in most sports, the winning has to be earned.

Were either or both of the tournaments handicapped or not? Also, that kind of turnout for a Wednesday or Thursday tournament is pretty good.

 

[Fast Lenny]

I think what got me last week was me and another player who i play very even with and we were both playing well through the tournament so i knew it was going to be a good tight match.I ran the first rack to the 9 ball and had a fairly routine shot,not straight,just a cut shot and hung it,it kinda took the wind out of my sails and i couldnt play my game after that,i even missed another hanger which to me one is enough in a set but two. I guess i will have to try again and just play,maybe its was pressure,not sure but i did feel very confident on my shot so i dont know,i did find myself very uncomfortable bridging for the shot though and changed from closed to an open hand bridge but was very close to my work (cueball) as i was stroking,so the stroke was short and not natural.

 

[VIProfessor]

I think what got me last week was me and another player who i play very even with and we were both playing well through the tournament so i knew it was going to be a good tight match.I ran the first rack to the 9 ball and had a fairly routine shot,not straight,just a cut shot and hung it,it kinda took the wind out of my sails and i couldnt play my game after that,i even missed another hanger which to me one is enough in a set but two. I guess i will have to try again and just play,maybe its was pressure,not sure but i did feel very confident on my shot so i dont know,i did find myself very uncomfortable bridging for the shot though and changed from closed to an open hand bridge but was very close to my work (cueball) as i was stroking,so the stroke was short and not natural.

Alright! My man Fast Lenny is back on the tournament trail! Good work on your second place finish! As you are demonstrating in this post, part of the great value of tournaments is the way they expose the things that you need to work on in your game. I am fairly certain that after last night, anytime you feel uncomfortable over a shot for any reason, you WILL get up and reset!

Good luck!

 

[Fast Lenny]

I think that i will definately work on resetting,i have been doing it more often,i would say 75% of the time i get spooked or am uncomfortable so now i just need to do it a 100% of the time and not just pull the trigger.

 

[Dead Money]

Nice work getting back on the horse so fast

What helps me is a little mantra of sorts: "One ball at a time, have fun. One ball at a time, have fun." Sometimes I have to make sure I am not saying it out loud so folks won't think I am crazy!!