long tournaments and losing energy & focus

[pt109]

Context and contest

You can't think like a sprinter and run like a miler.
When you enter a tournament,everything you do should be in context,
assuming you will win the final.So much to winning is your intentions
going in.
I've taken wins gambling where i think my only edge was that i was
playing to make my opponent take his cue apart.
You'll still have times when you dog your brains out or run out of
money but your over-all results will improve.

The most important part of stamina comes from the mind and spirit.

 

[genomachino]

You play like you practice.

Practice for hours like you would in the tournament. Practice eating this and eating that. Don't practice this only at the tournament.

You will find your body in like a machine. For different situations you need to change the fuel or should I say make sure you are using the correct fuel.

For the long run at a tournament you need to eat foods that go into your body slowly. No white bread or basically anything made out of flour. No energy drinks or caffiene. These usually put you on high burn for awhile but drain you in the long run.

Most of the foods that a diabetic has to be careful with are disaster even for a healthy person. They go into your blood too quickly and raise your glucose level too fast. When your glucose level is too high your body has to work really hard to bring it down. This takes alot of energy. Kind of like when you stuff yourself at Thanks giving.

Smoke is a real killer for your stamina. Alcohol is no good either.

Sometimes you can do everything right and you still get too tired. This is why those long sessions are good. There are 2 different games. Your not tired game and your tired game. You need to play tired alot to learn how to play tired.

If you play like Superman normally when fresh you need to learn how to play when you turn into Lois lane.

Good luck...........

 

[Black-Balled]

I have found something that works fairly well. Every 2-4 hours I go to my car (cant bring food inside) and eat a piece of fruit, a kashi bar and or a handful of trailmix. This mix is helping alot. I am lasting about 12 hours now before being exhausted. Also I try to drink lots of water.

The only time I forget about this is in gambling sessions. I need to remember to do this when gambling as well.

You go 12hrs without a real meal?

 

[sr 9ball]

for me i noticed, its the wait between matchs. thats when my mind loses energy (focus). i seem to play better when i keep my mind active between matchs. i try to find cheap card games. some tournments around here we play 5 or 6 handed sheap head. that game keeps my mind sharp.

 

[center pocket]

I will eat a big breakfast in the morning before the tournie and then just snack the rest of the day.

I hear what your saying geno, I have lost a couple of gambling matches lately just because the other person could grind better than me when the match went past 1-2 am. I just cant afford to spend 8 hours a day practicing. I practice 2 hours in the morning every morning 6 days a week, and every other day I will spend 1-3 hours practicing after work as well. I try to work on specific things so that the practice is meaningful. Before I got married I would practice from 6pm till 11pm every day. I had endurance then, but I was also younger.

 

[JoeyA]

for me i noticed, its the wait between matchs. thats when my mind loses energy (focus). i seem to play better when i keep my mind active between matchs. i try to find cheap card games. some tournments around here we play 5 or 6 handed sheap head. that game keeps my mind sharp.

That's a really interesting point you make. I have noticed Efren playing chess in between pool matches..........

OK, that's it, I challenge everyone to Tic-Tac-Toe!
JoeyA

 

[Island Drive]

Well I have placed 3rd in two tournaments in a row this past month. I played even better in last weekends tournament, making tough runouts and securing a lead early in every set. My problem is by the time the hot seat match came about it was 6 and a half hours after the tournament started and I was getting hungry and losing focus. I usually try to eat fruit and drink a protein shake and that works well for about 6 hours but then i need some food. I hate eating cause then I get uncomfortable in my stance and I rush the shot or get lazy and start one stroking. A friend recommended a beer, 1 beer, for the calories and a little bit of alcohol will loosen you up a bit.

Maybe some of you guys have some good suggestions?

Learn to eat and play at the same time. With most tournaments, you are almost never able to plan ahead. Pool is also the perfect exercise to do after you eat. Also, if you in a smoking enviornment, ALWAYS go outside to reoxygenate you blood for at least 20 minutes before your match.

 

[macguy]

any suggestions that don't cost money?

Water. Most people walk around in a state of dehydration all the time. If you read the book, "Eat to win" He tells how he got Jimmy Connor off Coca Cola. Connor credits Dr. Hass to adding years to his career. Water is amazing you can actually feel the difference if you haven't been drinking enough shortly after drinking. Energy drinks just start a roller coaster effect and really screw you up.

http://www.amazon.com/Eat-Win-Sports-Nutrition-Bible/dp/0451155092