Importance of Knowing Your Individual Playing Pace / Tempo

[ChrisinNC]

I think one's individual playing pace / tempo is one of the most underestimated elements in playing your best game. Everyone has a different playing pace, and it's really hard to change your pace of play, particularly for those that have been playing this game a long time. I feel it's absolutely crucial to not alter your individuaized pace of play and pre-shot routine when playing a match against another player who plays at a significantly different pace - faster or slower.

If you rate the fastest pace players as a 10 (9-ball break-and-run in 90 seconds or less) and the slowest pace players as a 1 (9-ball break-and-run in 5+ minutes), I'm guessing my pace would fall likely fall somewhere around a 4 or 5 (9-ball break-and-run in 2-1/2 to 3 minutes) I've been matching up weekly with a player of a very similar skill level whose is an extremely deliberate player I'd rank as 1 or 2 on this scale. I've realized recently that when we are playing, I've been falling in to playing at a slower pace from my normal pace, and when I do, it nearly always has a detrimental effect on my game. Against any player, you have to have the discipline to maintain your optimum pace of play that has worked for you and that you maintain consistently even when you are practicing by yourself. This is not always the easiest thing to do, particularly when under the pressure of a tournament match or 1-on-1 $ session. Opinions?

 

[nibrobus]

I had this same discussion with a friend of mine recently. One of the best players I know is like a 10 on your scale, runs out hitting center pocket with everything hit firm and never getting out of line. I've seen players (myself included) experiment with playing at his pace/style and no one can do it like him, amazing to see and very entertaining. Even better that he is great person as well as a great pool player.

When I was younger I often fell into the trap of falling into my opponent's pace but I've gotten a lot better about playing at mine pace over the years. In fact, I know I'm playing well when I go into robot mode and I take almost the same amount of time on all shots regardless of difficulty. Also, I know I'm in my opponent's head when THEY start playing at MY pace and they don't realize it. Especially with naturally fast players, if you get them to slow down it seems to affect them more than a naturally slow player.

Now when I'm struggling, I've found that I tend to play a lot slower than my usual pace causing me to overthink many things. These leads to second guessing and losing confidence, which leads to more missed shots/position, etc. At these times, I try to be conscious of when that is happening and try to pick up the pace a bit to get back in a flowing rhythm. This allows my subconscious to take over and hopefully tap into the "zone" where everything comes easy.

 

[nibrobus]

As a side note, I think younger Efren had the best rhythm of anyone I've seen and try to emulate it as much as possible. Quick but not fast, looks so relaxed while he's playing. He's almost in constant motion without being hurried, and the balls seem to just go in automatically and the cue ball in perfect shape every time.