How to Be a Winning Loser

T

TheSneak

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was reflecting on my tournament history and as far as I can remember the only tournaments I've won were from the winner's side. I lose a great deal of confidence after putting up a long fight and getting knocked down, even if I shot well. As optimistic as I can possibly be about fighting back from the loser's side, I just never seem to have the same focus, resolve, and fight left in me to make it more than a match or two on the 'B' side.

So for you conditioned, experienced players out there: what do you tell yourself to keep your confidence and motivation up? My only trick has been to tell myself that I know I'm a good player and I've been playing well all day. That there's no reason I shouldn't still win. But for some reason I still play a skill level or two less than I do on the winner's side. How do I turn my defeat into a fire that propels me through the finals?
 
Just think of your opponent as a Loser.

"Hell, I can beat this guy. He's on the loser's side!"
 
TheSneak said:
I was reflecting on my tournament history and as far as I can remember the only tournaments I've won were from the winner's side. I lose a great deal of confidence after putting up a long fight and getting knocked down, even if I shot well. As optimistic as I can possibly be about fighting back from the loser's side, I just never seem to have the same focus, resolve, and fight left in me to make it more than a match or two on the 'B' side.

So for you conditioned, experienced players out there: what do you tell yourself to keep your confidence and motivation up? My only trick has been to tell myself that I know I'm a good player and I've been playing well all day. That there's no reason I shouldn't still win. But for some reason I still play a skill level or two less than I do on the winner's side. How do I turn my defeat into a fire that propels me through the finals?
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It may not sound very profound but I play for the money. Once you are in the money matches I know what each match is worth. I think very little about winning the tournament, that takes care of it's self if you play well. Or at least you get as far as you can. Every tournament will only have one winner. In a 64 player field 63 will not win.
 
TheSneak said:
I was reflecting on my tournament history and as far as I can remember the only tournaments I've won were from the winner's side. I lose a great deal of confidence after putting up a long fight and getting knocked down, even if I shot well. As optimistic as I can possibly be about fighting back from the loser's side, I just never seem to have the same focus, resolve, and fight left in me to make it more than a match or two on the 'B' side.

So for you conditioned, experienced players out there: what do you tell yourself to keep your confidence and motivation up? My only trick has been to tell myself that I know I'm a good player and I've been playing well all day. That there's no reason I shouldn't still win. But for some reason I still play a skill level or two less than I do on the winner's side. How do I turn my defeat into a fire that propels me through the finals?
Click to expand...

Adopt a micro view of the game. In other words, look at winning each game individually as a battle itself instead of the whole tournament. When you lose your first match, just get ready to play the next game. Worrying about who you have to beat or how many matches you have to play isn't productive, just play it one game at a time. If have this mind set and focus then the winning will take care of itself.
 
This is very true. One of the best tournaments for me, was many years ago at Cue-Can-Do (Tommy Karabotsos's place) in Schaumburg IL. It was a "king of the hill" tournament, where every contestant had won an earlier tournament. I won three matches in a row, playing Neal Jacobs, Larry Schwartz and Marco Marquez (each a better player than the next). In each match my opponent was on the hill, and I needed 8-10 games to win. I dug deep, and ground out one game a time, until I had won the matches. By that time I was in the finals against Cardone...who smoked me 15-3! Even though Billy ran me over, I still look back at that tournament fondly, because it represents how you really can come back from the brink, and still win! Good post!

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

dardusm said:
Adopt a micro view of the game. In other words, look at winning each game individually as a battle itself instead of the whole tournament. When you lose your first match, just get ready to play the next game. Worrying about who you have to beat or how many matches you have to play isn't productive, just play it one game at a time. If have this mind set and focus then the winning will take care of itself.
Click to expand...
 
I see it as, I lose, I'm going home. Don't look at the bigger picture, just look at what's laid on a plate right in front of you. Each tournament you have to beat players that are just as good as you if you're going to win. So it doesn't make sense to worry which players you're going to have to face to win.

Being able to claw your way back into a match from absolutely no where is a personality trait all world class athletes and competitors have. Its the never say never attitude. If you keep thinking you can't win from the B side, you never will. Let going to the B side piss you off and have a point to prove, but don't let it get you down. Walk to each match table with your shoulders back, head high and as you shake before the lag, try and empathise with the guy you're about to beat :)
 
I like the advice from Irving Crane from a interview I watched. He said he never thought about who the opponent was or anything else other than the balls on the table.

If you are thinking about anything other than the balls on the table you are sharking yourself.
 
Thanks for all of the replies. I guess it was sort of what I was expecting to hear. The most difficult thing about the mental game is that different people perceive solutions differently. What works for one might not be a solution for another. The link between the idea and the execution is almost unique to the individual.

Recently (a month or two ago) I made a breakthrough with my mental game, and it's helped my playing tremendously. The funny thing is, what I did to improve is not different than what I've been told hundreds of times by others. However, it was just finally presented to me in a way I could relate to and make use of it, and it's helped me out in more than just my pool game.

It all really boils down to one shot at a time, un-validated confidence, and never getting down on yourself.
 
I'm the exact opposite. I believe every tournament I've won it's been from the loser's bracket. It seems like I get in more of a groove in the losers. I believe it to be because if I win a few in the winners and then go to the losers when it gets down to the last few sets I don't sit very long between matches. This is far from done intentionally but it seems to be the way it's always worked out for me.
 
TheSneak said:
I was reflecting on my tournament history and as far as I can remember the only tournaments I've won were from the winner's side. I lose a great deal of confidence after putting up a long fight and getting knocked down, even if I shot well. As optimistic as I can possibly be about fighting back from the loser's side, I just never seem to have the same focus, resolve, and fight left in me to make it more than a match or two on the 'B' side.

I've won a lot of small bar and a few 9 foot table events.

When you're on the "B" (never call it the losers side you're already feeling beat don't add to it) side you have some good things going for you if you can just get through the next match.

1: The other person is feeling beat so it might go easier than you think 2: You usually want to play more pool so sometimes that gives you incentive to do better. 3: Most important until you get yourself back in a winning frame of mind keep treating every shot as a "make this I'm winning shot". 4: Once you make it to the finals and you win the first set (double elimination) you're even again and its like the what sent you to the "B" side in the first place never happened.

Last if you lose anyway try to ID what it was so you can practice for next time. I've had many car rides where I yelled at myself the whole way home I know the feeling.
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No one likes losing.

When I lose early in a tournament, it makes me angry.

I think that I prepared for the tournament and I spent money coming to the tournament.

Most of the time the loss reflects that I didn't play my best pool or even my average pool. That makes me even more angry.

I realize then that I have no pressure on me, because even I don't think I have much of a chance to win the tournament. The truth is that no one thinks that I can win and that includes my opponents on the one loss side. This doesn't make me happy with them thinking that. So I get a little more angry.

I think about how fortunate the other player was to knock me into the one loss side if that was the case and that makes me a little more angry.

By now I can't see straight and all that anger finally morphs and turns into resolve, a determination to actually play good pool regardless of the score, regardless of the position I am in at in the tournament. To forget about winning and losing can be the best medicine in the world for some people like me.

I've played thinking about the future and I've playing thinking about the past and neither of those did me much good. My best pool has been when I just played pool in the moment and let that be my reward.

The other stuff will come or it won't.

At least then, I can hold my head high knowing that I gave my all, regardless of whether I win or lose.

JoeyA
 
JoeyA said:
When I lose early in a tournament, it makes me angry.

I think that I prepared for the tournament and I spent money coming to the tournament.

Most of the time the loss reflects that I didn't play my best pool or even my average pool. That makes me even more angry.

I realize then that I have no pressure on me, because even I don't think I have much of a chance to win the tournament. The truth is that no one thinks that I can win and that includes my opponents on the one loss side. This doesn't make me happy with them thinking that. So I get a little more angry.

I think about how fortunate the other player was to knock me into the one loss side if that was the case and that makes me a little more angry.

By now I can't see straight and all that anger finally morphs and turns into resolve, a determination to actually play good pool regardless of the score, regardless of the position I am in at in the tournament. To forget about winning and losing can be the best medicine in the world for some people like me.

I've played thinking about the future and I've playing thinking about the past and neither of those did me much good. My best pool has been when I just played pool in the moment and let that be my reward.

The other stuff will come or it won't.

At least then, I can hold my head high knowing that I gave my all, regardless of whether I win or lose.

JoeyA
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Great post. I agree wholeheartedly. Played a 9 ball tournament last night and lost my first match. I played so bad and it made me angry (fortunately only on the inside). I was one 9 ball away from making it hill-hill after being down 0-4 in a race to 5, but I dogged it. :mad: The worst part was that the one-loss side is a race to 3. Less pool and more chance for others to get lucky. I did start shooting, however, and I pulled out a few wins before the rolls got the best of me. Ended up sticking around to pick up some 14.1 tips from local pros and then win some money on the side gambling. All in all a good night. :cool: I guess it all boils down to perspective. Perspective gained from experience.

Enjoy the ride!
 
dardusm said:
Adopt a micro view of the game. In other words, look at winning each game individually as a battle itself instead of the whole tournament.
Click to expand...

Now just take it one step further. Instead of thinking of the individual game in front of you,
think of the individual ball in front of you. Just figure out what you need to do for this specific
shot and hit it with full care and attention. Repeat until handshake.


alstl said:
I like the advice from Irving Crane from a interview I watched. He said he never thought about who the opponent was or anything else other than the balls on the table.

If you are thinking about anything other than the balls on the table you are sharking yourself.
Click to expand...

Couldn't have said it better myself, though I try anyway.
 
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