I play better in tournaments than in practise, why?

Roy Steffensen

Roy Steffensen

locksmith
Silver Member
During the last months I have been keeping stats on all my matches. I have put them in categories such as Friendly, Money Games, Tournaments, Ghost.

My stats consist of winning % of matches, racks won and lost, break & runs, "easy misses", misses because of bad positions, etc.

Why do I perform much better in tournaments than in Money Games, Friendly-matches (no gambling) and playing the Ghost?

Just during the last month I have 3 times as many break & runs in 9-ball in tournaments than I have in friendly-matches. I should think that those friendlymatches should get me relaxed so I played even better, but it doesn't look like it.

Another interesting note is that I have more than 2 times as many break & runs against players that I rank higher than me, compared to equal players or lower.

I belive that the answers here will be lack of focus, and then is my new question: How to stay focused all the time??? (No, I am not gonna gamble all the time. If that's your answer, no need to respond. I believe in becoming a better player with combining drills, friendly-matches, gambling, tournaments ++, not only gambling)

I just counted games in 9-ball since 13th of July. 1110 games and 77 matches in one month!!! I have won 540 of the racks, and lost 570. Winning % of matches is 54,44 %. Average race for matches 10,3 and the average opponent is ranked slightly above me. These stats also include playing the Ghost. (I have also been playing 8-ball, 1 pocket, straight pool and 10-ball during the month, so as you can see I have spent the rainy Norwegian summer indoors)
 
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Thanks Neil, I suppose you might be right. Especially playing against lower ranked players I always tend to miss shots because I am not really well focused, and know I will most likely win this match anyway...

About breakthrough: I really hope you're right. I have been working a lot on my shot routine lately and it looks like it is starting to pay back. Would be great if I could play my a-game a lot more often...
 
It's a well-known fact in psychology that competition raises the level of play in many ways. As for why you do better in tournaments than gambling, you may just bear down more in tournaments...I don't know.
 
I always played better head to head for money...in sets or by the game. I stunk in any toupnament that had good players in it on 9' tables. Guys I beat for money most of the time I would get creamed by in a tourament. I was a little better in barbox touraments. I was always a hyper person and hated waiting for my next match so I blamed it on that...but who knows why? Johnnyt
 
do you find you take any difference in your shot selection or how much time you think about each shot before you fire in tournaments?

Maybe the answer lies there. You might just be more careful in shot selection and position during tournaments. Or maybe you shoot faster!?
 
Simple answer: You are a tournament player.

You just need the adrenalin to focus, and money or the game alone is not bringing it..
 
Roy,

At the risk of being corny, I am going to steal a line from Happy Gilmore.

Go to your "happy place." By that, I mean, find the mental setting that makes you play your best. For me, when I was practicing way back when, it was the thought of being in a certain tournament setting.

In 1994, I was in Seoul, Korea, and I was starting to shoot pretty decent. There was a 9 ball tournament scheduled for a certain weekend, and all the Korean pros were going to be there. It was sort of a Korean/American freindship type thing. I was looking forward to it, but ended up oversleeping and missing the player's meeting and first round.

It was a massive disappointment to come in and have to watch everyone else competing. Also, I had to explain to the players I played against every day why I missed it.

From that point on, whenever I practiced, gambled, or competed, on each shot, I imagined I was playing under the eyes of all those people at that Korean/American tournament. That reinforced my training, and made me pay attention to the small things during competition and gambling.

I think that's what you need to do. Look back to a time when you really really wanted to perform at a certain level, and were not able to, for whatever reason.. That way, on every single shot, you have the motivation to give it your very best effort.

It worked for me in such a way as to see vast improvement in my play in a relatively short time period. I think it will work for you to tweak your concentration levels during non-tournament competition.

Good luck.. Keep in mind.. This advice IS coming from a C player.. ;)

Russ
 
Marvel said:
Simple answer: You are a tournament player.

You just need the adrenalin to focus, and money or the game alone is not bringing it..
Click to expand...

Could be true. I can win way more money on gambling compared to the payouts in Norwegian tournaments, but still it mean a lot more to me to get a good result in a tournament than winning a set against another player... Guess I am not in this sport because of the money :D
 
Russ Chewning said:
Roy,

At the risk of being corny, I am going to steal a line from Happy Gilmore.

Go to your "happy place." By that, I mean, find the mental setting that makes you play your best. For me, when I was practicing way back when, it was the thought of being in a certain tournament setting.

In 1994, I was in Seoul, Korea, and I was starting to shoot pretty decent. There was a 9 ball tournament scheduled for a certain weekend, and all the Korean pros were going to be there. It was sort of a Korean/American freindship type thing. I was looking forward to it, but ended up oversleeping and missing the player's meeting and first round.

It was a massive disappointment to come in and have to watch everyone else competing. Also, I had to explain to the players I played against every day why I missed it.

From that point on, whenever I practiced, gambled, or competed, on each shot, I imagined I was playing under the eyes of all those people at that Korean/American tournament. That reinforced my training, and made me pay attention to the small things during competition and gambling.

I think that's what you need to do. Look back to a time when you really really wanted to perform at a certain level, and were not able to, for whatever reason.. That way, on every single shot, you have the motivation to give it your very best effort.

It worked for me in such a way as to see vast improvement in my play in a relatively short time period. I think it will work for you to tweak your concentration levels during non-tournament competition.

Good luck.. Keep in mind.. This advice IS coming from a C player.. ;)

Russ
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice, Russ!

As the F-player I am I appreciate to get advice from someone as good as a C player :D

I was supposed to compete in the US Open 2005, but ended up using my money and time to open a poolhall instead... Guess I can focus on my supposed hill-hill tv-match against Earl Strickland, and see if I can stay focused all the time with that in my mind as the motivation! :cool:
 
you answered your own question, "lack of focus"

how do you deal with that? Well I'm sure all the "experts" here will chime in with their quick solutions but the truth is that is a very difficult challenge to overcome

keep in mind that motivation or lack thereof is often the key difference between success and failure, not just in pool but life

figure out how to motivate yourself at the practice table if possible
 
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