I recently went 1-2 in a 10-ball tournament (54 players), and although I have been playing pool for two decades (and won my fair share of small, weekly tournaments), my performance at this particular tournament really bothered me, moreso than usual. I lost my first match 7-0, then I beat the worst player in the tourney 5-2 (yeah, he managed to win two games), and lastly, I lost 5-4 in my 3rd match. Sadly, I was up 4-1 in that match and managed to find a way to lose.
My tournament performance has plagued me over the years. I have lost to several players who do not have my abilities, so what's the problem? Why do I continually choke, tank, fumble and bumble my way through a tournament, match after match after match? Well, it all boils down to my horrible concentration. If there is something....anything...that can pop into my head to distract me I will allow it, and there goes the shot. I always knew my concentration was poor, but it also brought to light something else that has been in the back of my mind for years that I chose to ignore, or sweep under the rug...and that is my practice techniques.
You see, I'm the guy that will throw balls out on the table and pop them in over and over, running out some of the time, thinking I was getting in stroke. Then, when someone asked me to play my "practice" time would be over and I would play someone, my bad habits in full force. I never really did drills of any kind, never took a pool class. I have watched videos and pored through a few books half-heartedly, but never really applied myself.
I made the mistake of relying on my ability to stroke the ball well and my perceived knowledge of the game that I picked up over the past 20-22 years. Clearly it was not...IS not enough! Of course, having various people over the years tell me that I shoot really well and I have a beautiful stroke etc. certainly filled me with a sense of confidence (and dare I say it, arrogance) that I felt I should be able to handle myself on the table.
I needed to change my approach to the table, my attitude, breathing, pace, you name it. It has to change! It is a hard lesson to learn, and I also thought, "Gee, am I too old to change my ways?" But if I continue on my current course I will continue to end up nowhere.
I started playing pool when I was 18, and now, at 42, my game should be exponentially better, but the results of my tourney performances over the years suggest the opposite.
So a good friend suggested a few things I could try to help me specifically. They are basically small adjustments I needed to make when approaching a shot, what to think about while shooting, breathing, trying to relax etc. and it is brutal!
First of all, when all of these adjustments are dancing around in your head, your old habits of sweet-stroking the ball just watch it go in are totally out of the window!
Last night I played 18 racks of 9-ball and after taking BIH after the break, only ran 5 racks!
Truth be told, after playing that way I was exhausted. I played for 1 hour and 10 minutes, but felt like I played for 4 hours!
The weird thing was that I felt like I made progress with my concentration! Normally, I would have chosen to focus on the noisy crew at the next table, the song on the jukebox that I hated, how hungry/thirsty I was, or the cute girl with the nice rack two tables over.
I also changed something else. Instead of just throwing balls out on the table and pumping them in, I actually racked them up and focused on my break, something I NEVER do when "banging balls around".
So while I felt like a true beginner, missing shots I normally would not, I felt as though my concentration was better, and if I can conquer that in the next few months or even a year, I think my game, or my results, would improve...because I certainly have the ability...
I would place SO much pressure on myself during a tournament that I would have already lost the match before I even approached the table. I would torment myself with the following:
The list goes on and on. I know we all have various techniques, tips and tricks we use to concentrate. I know countless articles have been written, and I know and have seen players perform certain rituals when the game gets tight, just to help keep themselves in the game.
If I can improve my concentration, that would be a major hurdle...actually...my biggest hurdle! And couple that with actual, serious practice instead of banging balls around, and I think I just might see some positive results.
Thanks for reading.
My tournament performance has plagued me over the years. I have lost to several players who do not have my abilities, so what's the problem? Why do I continually choke, tank, fumble and bumble my way through a tournament, match after match after match? Well, it all boils down to my horrible concentration. If there is something....anything...that can pop into my head to distract me I will allow it, and there goes the shot. I always knew my concentration was poor, but it also brought to light something else that has been in the back of my mind for years that I chose to ignore, or sweep under the rug...and that is my practice techniques.
You see, I'm the guy that will throw balls out on the table and pop them in over and over, running out some of the time, thinking I was getting in stroke. Then, when someone asked me to play my "practice" time would be over and I would play someone, my bad habits in full force. I never really did drills of any kind, never took a pool class. I have watched videos and pored through a few books half-heartedly, but never really applied myself.
I made the mistake of relying on my ability to stroke the ball well and my perceived knowledge of the game that I picked up over the past 20-22 years. Clearly it was not...IS not enough! Of course, having various people over the years tell me that I shoot really well and I have a beautiful stroke etc. certainly filled me with a sense of confidence (and dare I say it, arrogance) that I felt I should be able to handle myself on the table.
I needed to change my approach to the table, my attitude, breathing, pace, you name it. It has to change! It is a hard lesson to learn, and I also thought, "Gee, am I too old to change my ways?" But if I continue on my current course I will continue to end up nowhere.
I started playing pool when I was 18, and now, at 42, my game should be exponentially better, but the results of my tourney performances over the years suggest the opposite.
So a good friend suggested a few things I could try to help me specifically. They are basically small adjustments I needed to make when approaching a shot, what to think about while shooting, breathing, trying to relax etc. and it is brutal!
First of all, when all of these adjustments are dancing around in your head, your old habits of sweet-stroking the ball just watch it go in are totally out of the window!
Last night I played 18 racks of 9-ball and after taking BIH after the break, only ran 5 racks!
Truth be told, after playing that way I was exhausted. I played for 1 hour and 10 minutes, but felt like I played for 4 hours!
The weird thing was that I felt like I made progress with my concentration! Normally, I would have chosen to focus on the noisy crew at the next table, the song on the jukebox that I hated, how hungry/thirsty I was, or the cute girl with the nice rack two tables over.
I also changed something else. Instead of just throwing balls out on the table and pumping them in, I actually racked them up and focused on my break, something I NEVER do when "banging balls around".
So while I felt like a true beginner, missing shots I normally would not, I felt as though my concentration was better, and if I can conquer that in the next few months or even a year, I think my game, or my results, would improve...because I certainly have the ability...
I would place SO much pressure on myself during a tournament that I would have already lost the match before I even approached the table. I would torment myself with the following:
- You had better not miss this shot!
- Who's watching/judging my game, or how I play this shot?
- My opponent is a loser because of his (equipment, dress, appearance, etc) and I will NOT lose to THIS person!
- My opponent is a champion so I don't expect to win anyway
- I hate my opponent and will beat him no matter what
- If you lose to this person it would be humiliating
- Oh well, I'll try harder on the loser's bracket
- I suck at tournaments!
The list goes on and on. I know we all have various techniques, tips and tricks we use to concentrate. I know countless articles have been written, and I know and have seen players perform certain rituals when the game gets tight, just to help keep themselves in the game.
If I can improve my concentration, that would be a major hurdle...actually...my biggest hurdle! And couple that with actual, serious practice instead of banging balls around, and I think I just might see some positive results.
Thanks for reading.
