How to play well in tournaments

[andr3n]

Hi Louis.
I'm just a beginner in pool. I love to play pool and I play it everyday. My dream is to become a pro. I think that's a pro like you that can answer my question.

I play at home everyday and here I can play well, but when I participate in tournaments, I never can play my best, I always feel nervous and sometimes I fail balls that I can pocket with my eyes closed when I am playing at home. Sometimes I lose all my confidence.

Is this a normal situation with people who are starting playing pool ? or is it my problem ? I'm very confused now, I don't know If I should give up playing pool or not if I always get nervous in tournaments.

When you were a beginner, do you ever lost your confidence or felt very nervous in a tournament ? If yes, what did you do to overcome it ? What is your opinion about what should I do to become a great player ?

I hope you can help me

Thanks

 

[Louis Ulrich]

Hi Louis.
I'm just a beginner in pool. I love to play pool and I play it everyday. My dream is to become a pro. I think that's a pro like you that can answer my question.

I play at home everyday and here I can play well, but when I participate in tournaments, I never can play my best, I always feel nervous and sometimes I fail balls that I can pocket with my eyes closed when I am playing at home. Sometimes I lose all my confidence.

Is this a normal situation with people who are starting playing pool ? or is it my problem ? I'm very confused now, I don't know If I should give up playing pool or not if I always get nervous in tournaments.

When you were a beginner, do you ever lost your confidence or felt very nervous in a tournament ? If yes, what did you do to overcome it ? What is your opinion about what should I do to become a great player ?

I hope you can help me

Thanks
Andre Nunes

Hi Andre,

You are definitely not alone with this one. Most people I know play better while practicing than when playing in tournaments. There are many factors that may affect someone's play in tournaments from day to day, or even match to match. Nerves seem to be the biggest problem for most people. When you play in a tournament match there is an adrenaline issue that shows up that just doesn't happen during a practice session.

Tournament experience in my opinion is the only way to overcome this. You have to get used to playing under the heat. Play as many tournaments as you can and eventually you will find yourself playing your best game during the tournament.

Also, don't get down on yourself in a match just because you miss a shot that you make all the time in practice. It happens. If you dwell on it, you may keep missing.

Best of luck with your tournament pursuits!

 

[deadstroke]

play time is for real

when playing in a tournament sure you might look at who you play and watch to try to find a weekness but you shouldnt play the person everyone you play is good or great and everyone can beat youso dont give them the chance play the table not the player. low percentage shot then look for a two way shot and if its not there then the safe. and if your not good at safety play then get good I like to practice 3 fouls with someone my same speed we soft break a 9 ball rack and try to 3 foul one another if we cant we run out and rerack the break and start over we play to 5 its good practice hope this helps

 

[sixpack]

Hi Louis.
I'm just a beginner in pool. I love to play pool and I play it everyday. My dream is to become a pro. I think that's a pro like you that can answer my question.

I play at home everyday and here I can play well, but when I participate in tournaments, I never can play my best, I always feel nervous and sometimes I fail balls that I can pocket with my eyes closed when I am playing at home. Sometimes I lose all my confidence.

Is this a normal situation with people who are starting playing pool ? or is it my problem ? I'm very confused now, I don't know If I should give up playing pool or not if I always get nervous in tournaments.

When you were a beginner, do you ever lost your confidence or felt very nervous in a tournament ? If yes, what did you do to overcome it ? What is your opinion about what should I do to become a great player ?

I hope you can help me

Thanks
Andre Nunes

I've won a lot of tournaments over the years. And I've beaten a lot of better players to do it.

A big breakthrough for me was when I figured out that the difference in my head between practice and tournaments was an imaginary line. In reality, It's all practice! Practice is practice for the next tournament, tournaments are practice for the next tournament too. Unless you're playing a tournament to see who lives and dies, it's all practice, even the US Open.

Other than that, the only voice in your head is your ego. Get your ego out of it. Nobody cares how you did in a tournament unless you won. Nobody except you.

One thing to watch when you're practicing in tournaments is patience and control. The people who win tourneys week in and week out are the ones who a) control the match and b) don't force it when they are not in control. Instead of making a hero shot, they focus on how they can get control of the match back as quickly as possible. Then the work their advantage to get the win.

Hope this helps,
RC

 

[andr3n]

Thank you for your answers. I will keep in mind your tips and I hope it can help me in the next tournaments

 

[JoeyA]

I've won a lot of tournaments over the years. And I've beaten a lot of better players to do it.

A big breakthrough for me was when I figured out that the difference in my head between practice and tournaments was an imaginary line. In reality, It's all practice! Practice is practice for the next tournament, tournaments are practice for the next tournament too. Unless you're playing a tournament to see who lives and dies, it's all practice, even the US Open.

Other than that, the only voice in your head is your ego. Get your ego out of it. Nobody cares how you did in a tournament unless you won. Nobody except you.

One thing to watch when you're practicing in tournaments is patience and control. The people who win tourneys week in and week out are the ones who a) control the match and b) don't force it when they are not in control. Instead of making a hero shot, they focus on how they can get control of the match back as quickly as possible. Then the work their advantage to get the win.

Hope this helps,
RC

RC, that was very good advice. I like it and will try to incorporate it into my routine.
JoeyA

 

[kildegirl]

needs to swig down a potent bottle, joey

RC, that was very good advice. I like it and will try to incorporate it into my routine.
JoeyA

you need advice at this time in your pool career??????? joey?

 

[JoeyA]

Pool Career - NO WAY - I'M A FISHERMAN!

you need advice at this time in your pool career??????? joey?

Career???? I have a business career but my pool career is a fun-filled journey BUT I need all the advice I can get.

Do you have any advice for me, Hal? You know I am a good listener.

Best regards,

JoeyA (just knocked off another road hog last night) Just before the match he whispered to me that he was a very good player but just liked to bet high. On the fourth game, I went to look for my money and all I found was empty hand and a sad story about how he would come back the next day with my money and play some more. (At least it was only one barrel).

 

[sixpack]

RC, that was very good advice. I like it and will try to incorporate it into my routine.
JoeyA

Thanks Joey, I look forward to meeting up with you sometime.

~RC

 

[cmsmith9]

I have won a lot of tournaments and beaten much better players and there are numerous factors attributing to it.

I see practice and tournament/gambling play slightly different, unless you have the will power to make both the same...(Neils Feijen is known to practice 15 hours straight, with the same intensity all throughout) because what you do in practice is what you'll do in the game and if you are two stroking the ball or not sighting up your next couple shots in practice, most likely you'll do that in the real game..So I make sure to practice the same way I see as the correct way to play in a real situation. Same preshot routines, same execution, same mindset.

Also, awhile ago a pro told me that safety play is the where the wins lie, and as I adopted that strategy, my match win percentage has gone up. So practice safeties AND combo's...(lot's of people never practice combo's) cause they all will come up in play.

I watched Tony Robles play this weekend. His tournament focus was unbelievable. He attacked every angle and every shot the same way. He never just went into a shot with the mindset of "let's see what happens"...he won.

Good luck,

Christian

 

[Guerra Cues]

Ol? Andr

Ol? Andr?,
Eu estou aqui na Califrnia, nos States e jogo muito em competi??es. Participo em 2-3 por m?s e jogos em duas ligas 3 vezes por semana fora as vezes que eu pratico em casa. O segredo dos nervos ? f?cil. Tens que estabelecer uma rotina. Faz sempre a mesma coisa antes de tacares seja a bola f?cil ou dificil. Olha para a jogada, p?e giz, olha para a bola outra vez, enfim tens que criar a tua pr?pria rotina. Quando isso acontecer com regularidade vais ver que vais melhorar... Outra coisa... Fica deitado nos teus shots... Chamamos o follow thru and stay down on the shot. Um abra?o.
Vais estar em Las VEGAS em Maio?

Hi Louis.
I'm just a beginner in pool. I love to play pool and I play it everyday. My dream is to become a pro. I think that's a pro like you that can answer my question.

I play at home everyday and here I can play well, but when I participate in tournaments, I never can play my best, I always feel nervous and sometimes I fail balls that I can pocket with my eyes closed when I am playing at home. Sometimes I lose all my confidence.

Is this a normal situation with people who are starting playing pool ? or is it my problem ? I'm very confused now, I don't know If I should give up playing pool or not if I always get nervous in tournaments.

When you were a beginner, do you ever lost your confidence or felt very nervous in a tournament ? If yes, what did you do to overcome it ? What is your opinion about what should I do to become a great player ?

I hope you can help me

Thanks
Andre Nunes

 

[Louis Ulrich]

Ol? Andr?,
Eu estou aqui na Califrnia, nos States e jogo muito em competi??es. Participo em 2-3 por m?s e jogos em duas ligas 3 vezes por semana fora as vezes que eu pratico em casa. O segredo dos nervos ? f?cil. Tens que estabelecer uma rotina. Faz sempre a mesma coisa antes de tacares seja a bola f?cil ou dificil. Olha para a jogada, p?e giz, olha para a bola outra vez, enfim tens que criar a tua pr?pria rotina. Quando isso acontecer com regularidade vais ver que vais melhorar... Outra coisa... Fica deitado nos teus shots... Chamamos o follow thru and stay down on the shot. Um abra?o.
Vais estar em Las VEGAS em Maio?

Can you translate this to English? American or Pool Player would work also

Thanks

 

[Guerra Cues]

Hello Louis,
I am portuguese and I was answering to Andre in portuguese some tips. Basically I was saying that I had that issue (and still do) and improved a lot by establishing a pre-shot routine, no matter how hard/easy the shot is... Stay down on the shot and follow through. Basic stuff that helped me a lot as well. I still strugle a lot as well but I improved quite a bit. Finally asked him if he was goint to be in the BCA in Vegas in May.
There is a league in Portugal called "Brunswick League" and the top 16 players from different areas of the country (from north to south) qualify to go to Vegas in May. Usually players seek sponsorship to pay for expenses.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGi6Yb9opZo

 

[liljacksdad]

i here yah

Don't play scared. Don't play stupid. Know your opponent and know yourself. Meditate on yourself. Do what you can to just relax. Kind of like bein at home.