Nice "outing" :smile:. I believe this is a very common feeling, even if just a few will admit it.
Intimidating players
- Thread starter tom
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Nice "outing" :smile:. I believe this is a very common feeling, even if just a few will admit it.
Hmmm, Intimidation??? It can be overt, like the guy who gets right up in your face trying to get you to play. We used to call it the "New York" hustle because it wasn't unusual to run into guys like that in the Northeastern pool rooms back then. In fact, "New Yorkers" everywhere sometimes adopted these tactics. It kind of looked (and sounded) like this, "Get up here and play you sissy! Why'd you come in here if you're not gonna play anybody! You might as well give that cue away. You don't need it." And it got worse, a lot worse! The examples given are only a few of the choice lines I have heard over the years.
Then there is the intimidation that supreme confidence conveys. I think of Efren when faced with an impossible leave, walking to the table with a shy smile on his face. He studies the shot a while and then kicks three rails, hits the object ball and leaves a safety right back. He gives a quick grin and heads back to his chair, his opponent a little weaker for the remainder of the match.
Or Sigel with his back against the wall, facing a do or die shot to win the game. He would shake his head, ask someone in the crowd if they wanted to shoot the shot for him, and act completely flustered. He would take his time, study the shot from every angle and then finally fire it in the heart of the pocket and get shape. His knees would buckle and he would let out a big sigh of relief, "I'm glad that shot is over!" His opponent was dead after that. In fact any time a player comes with a big shot under pressure that is intimidating! A couple of good run-outs will have the same effect.
I had one intimidating move that I used several times when I knew I was facing a good player, like the room champion. I would wait for him to finish his warm-ups, all the time studying the speed of the table and how the rails played. When he asked me if I wanted to warm-up I'd say sure and put one ball near the middle of the table and the cue ball straight in near the end rail. I would take a moment (to make sure he was watching), take a long hard look at the shot and fire the ball in! Believe me when I tell you I made that shot a lot more than I missed it. A LOT MORE! After the ball went in I would look at him and tell him I was ready. They never liked that! And I started out with a huge advantage. :smile:
Then there is the intimidation that supreme confidence conveys. I think of Efren when faced with an impossible leave, walking to the table with a shy smile on his face. He studies the shot a while and then kicks three rails, hits the object ball and leaves a safety right back. He gives a quick grin and heads back to his chair, his opponent a little weaker for the remainder of the match.
Or Sigel with his back against the wall, facing a do or die shot to win the game. He would shake his head, ask someone in the crowd if they wanted to shoot the shot for him, and act completely flustered. He would take his time, study the shot from every angle and then finally fire it in the heart of the pocket and get shape. His knees would buckle and he would let out a big sigh of relief, "I'm glad that shot is over!" His opponent was dead after that. In fact any time a player comes with a big shot under pressure that is intimidating! A couple of good run-outs will have the same effect.
I had one intimidating move that I used several times when I knew I was facing a good player, like the room champion. I would wait for him to finish his warm-ups, all the time studying the speed of the table and how the rails played. When he asked me if I wanted to warm-up I'd say sure and put one ball near the middle of the table and the cue ball straight in near the end rail. I would take a moment (to make sure he was watching), take a long hard look at the shot and fire the ball in! Believe me when I tell you I made that shot a lot more than I missed it. A LOT MORE! After the ball went in I would look at him and tell him I was ready. They never liked that! And I started out with a huge advantage. :smile:
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There isn't a player on this planet or in this solar system that intimidates me. Why should I be intimidated? When the person I'm playing is at the table there is nothing I can do. At the same time, when I'm at the table there is nothing he can do except wait for me to finish. I don't get caught up in the "If I miss this he'll run out" way of thinking. I just do the best that I can do and the results will show it. I'm sure as hell not going to get all worried about Earl Strickland sitting across from me. Now, don't take that as me being cocky thinking I can beat these guys because I'm not. I know damn well going into it that if I played someone like Earl the odds are not in my favor by a long shot. So what?
MULLY
MULLY
Nice one Jay. I do something similar but shoot that single ball in at 90mph one handed. Always works and gives me an edge even when the player has seen me do it before. Another thing is when my opponent is on the hill and I need two racks I say - you better win this rack if you want to beat me, because I never lose deciders. But that only works 95% of the time. But I am not a serious player and it's all done for fun
I always looked at intimidation in different ways. If the person I was going to play was trying to intimidate me in any way, i felt they were afraid of me and I ignored them.
On the other hand, I played a few matches in my life thinking about, "What if I miss?" Not the feeling you want at the table. It usually led to a disaster.
Not getting as many chances, as I would have liked, playing the monsters of my generation. I usually relaxed and embraced the opportunity. Sometimes, I even won.
On the other hand, I played a few matches in my life thinking about, "What if I miss?" Not the feeling you want at the table. It usually led to a disaster.
Not getting as many chances, as I would have liked, playing the monsters of my generation. I usually relaxed and embraced the opportunity. Sometimes, I even won.