Night before a tournament?
- Thread starter dingle
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dingle said:I've been practicing hard all week, should I practice or rest the night before a tournament? ..or have a beer?
-Dingle
hit a few balls just to end the night with some confidence, get good sleep, eat well.
I never play the day/night before the tournament. Especially if I have practised a lot lately. I might go to the pool room, have a beer and watch others play and kind of build up my motivation for the tournament. I would never recommend playing for many days and then entering a tournament without a break. I think then you're not motivated enough and play badly and make hasty mistakes. Trust me, it took some tries to figure that out.
Umm... also, I might watch a few matches on the night before. I nowadays won't get drunk the night before. A terrible hangover ruins my tournament. Once I have entered a tournament straight from a rough party... we drank until 7am and the tournament started at 9am. First match was nice, because I was still drunk but the slope downwards was inevitable and it turned out to be one of the most horrible tournaments ever for me. Both physically and mentally... Never again !
Umm... also, I might watch a few matches on the night before. I nowadays won't get drunk the night before. A terrible hangover ruins my tournament. Once I have entered a tournament straight from a rough party... we drank until 7am and the tournament started at 9am. First match was nice, because I was still drunk but the slope downwards was inevitable and it turned out to be one of the most horrible tournaments ever for me. Both physically and mentally... Never again !
I just finished reading Willie Hoppe's book "Thirty Years of Billiards". (Out of print - Got it from abebooks.com - Search author: Willie Hoppe.)
He said he would rest the day of a tournament (no practice), and I think he said he would shoot a few balls right before the tournament.
For me a good night of sleep and eating well goes a long way.
He said he would rest the day of a tournament (no practice), and I think he said he would shoot a few balls right before the tournament.
For me a good night of sleep and eating well goes a long way.
dingle said:I've been practicing hard all week, should I practice or rest the night before a tournament? ..or have a beer?
-Dingle
Really, do what you feel most comfortable doing. A lot depends on where you're playing and how you're playing. I know if I'm playing in a room unfamiliar to me, I'll definately practice to get familiar with the equipment. Do what ever is going to make you confident once you get in the box. Your heart will tell you where to go the night before, don't worry.
Jude M. Rosenstock
That is a good question dingle. When I was playing my best, I liked to get my practice in the night before a tournament just so I'm loose and feeling confident about my game. The day of the tournament, I like to sit and watch a few matches to keep my mind on the game and see how the players approach different situations on the table, ya never know, you might see something that you could use in your arsenal as well. I like to get my rest so I'm not physically drained when it comes time to play. I didn't like to look at the tournament chart, I knew who my next opponent was and that was enough to concentrate on already. Looking past an opponent to see who the next in line is can hurt your game sometimes. Also, keep your confidence level high, think about what you're going to do, and stay loose. Hope this helps, John.dingle said:I've been practicing hard all week, should I practice or rest the night before a tournament? ..or have a beer?
-Dingle
drivermaker
Banned
Muhammed Ali went against the theory about sex debilitating you during your training period and just prior to a fight. He liked to have a little romp in the sack the day before or the day of a fight. That always seemed like a good idea to me. 
I don't think it hurts to practice a little before the tournament or not, just don't overdo it like you're cramming for a test in school and put too much thought and effort into it. Rest and sleep are very important, as long as you CAN fall asleep without playing the tournament over and over in your mind the night before causing yourself insomnia. I think a rested, peaceful, confident mind is the most important factor and you gotta get that any way you can.
I don't think it hurts to practice a little before the tournament or not, just don't overdo it like you're cramming for a test in school and put too much thought and effort into it. Rest and sleep are very important, as long as you CAN fall asleep without playing the tournament over and over in your mind the night before causing yourself insomnia. I think a rested, peaceful, confident mind is the most important factor and you gotta get that any way you can.
drivermaker said:Muhammed Ali went against the theory about sex debilitating you during your training period and just prior to a fight. He liked to have a little romp in the sack the day before or the day of a fight. That always seemed like a good idea to me.
I don't think it hurts to practice a little before the tournament or not, just don't overdo it like you're cramming for a test in school and put too much thought and effort into it. Rest and sleep are very important, as long as you CAN fall asleep without playing the tournament over and over in your mind the night before causing yourself insomnia. I think a rested, peaceful, confident mind is the most important factor and you gotta get that any way you can.
Hey, Driver, hope all's well. As you know, I like to quote from the classics. In the movie Rocky, Mickey, Rocky's colorful trainer said "women weaken legs."
drivermaker
Banned
sjm said:
I think when you first see and meet a beautiful woman they do make your legs go weak. But after you get done and you're running for your life when her old man is chasing you with a gun, they get stronger than ever.
I'll practice hard for a week before a tournament, and on the second day before the tournament, I work only on the shots that really give me a lot of trouble. But, I don't waste a whole lot of energy on any one shot. If it's still giving me trouble, it's still giving me trouble...so be it. I'll work on it later. I'm happy if I get some progress on one shot. The day and night before the tournament, I only work on easy shots and easy position drills. I like to end my practice on confidence builders. The day of the tournament, I only try to warm up. I don't really practice anything, just try to get warm and relaxed. I may only bang the cueball around for 15 minutes or so and just try to get my stroke working and "feeling" right. Then, when it's time for the tournament, I don't worry about anything..I don't really talk to anybody, I don't worry about who I have to play...I just go play whoever I draw when the time comes. If I start thinking about who I'm playing, depending on who it is, I might start getting a little intimidated. I don't really have a lot of spare brain cells for that sort of thing, so I try to keep it to where I'm playing the table, not the person. I certainly don't compete on the same level as some of the folks on this forum, but that's what seems to work for me.