Physical/Mental endurance at the IPT

jjinfla said:
Efren is truly the exception.

He came to the KOTH straight from a hospital bed and looked terrrible. Lost his first match to Ray Martin. The he caught a gear and never looked back.

Nick Varner is another player who is surprising me. Two years ago he had a heart attack and had bypass surgery but he is still playing well.

Jake
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Once you get in "The Zone" and Fall into "Dead Stroke" all the other stuff does not matter.

I find it very hard to "Stop" playing when that happens.:)
 
One other thing about Efren that is often overlooked. He will play as hard in a five dollar game as he will in a ten thousand dollar game. He never lets up in his concentration. A lot of other players disdain playing when there is no pressure on the match and I think that this causes them to falter when there actually is real pressure. Efren plays the same for $5 or $50,000. At the DCC he was giving up pretty good weight playing one pocket for $30 a game. Most of the "known" players there would have laughed at anyone suggesting they play for such low stakes and give up weight on top of it.

This attitude makes a huge difference in my opinion.

John
 
onepocketchump said:
One other thing about Efren that is often overlooked. He will play as hard in a five dollar game as he will in a ten thousand dollar game. He never lets up in his concentration. A lot of other players disdain playing when there is no pressure on the match and I think that this causes them to falter when there actually is real pressure. Efren plays the same for $5 or $50,000. At the DCC he was giving up pretty good weight playing one pocket for $30 a game. Most of the "known" players there would have laughed at anyone suggesting they play for such low stakes and give up weight on top of it.

This attitude makes a huge difference in my opinion.

John
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That is a great point! I remember Nadia Comaneci's coach saying something similar about her after her first Olympic win. He said she would perform the same in an empty gym as in a packed stadium. That her powers of concentration were beyond any he'd ever seen and it was what made her great.
 
cuechick said:
That is a great point! I remember Nadia Comaneci's coach saying something similar about her after her first Olympic win. He said she would perform the same in an empty gym as in a packed stadium. That her powers of concentration were beyond any he'd ever seen and it was what made her great.
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There is only one Efren, as there was only one Micheal Jordan.
As in any other sport, there are many who can fall into a zone. It is the special few who can maintain it through all sorts of adverse conditions.
I believe that to excel at this level is as much mental as physical and that one feeds off the other. Just as in any other sport, when the legs and lower back start to poop out, so does the concentration. When the legs go, the jump-shots quit falling. When the legs and back go, the break quits working as much as shot-making ability and speed control. They are all tied togetherI believe this will be a valuable lesson learned by many.
The IPT is basicly brand new and there will be changes in how to handle and prepare for Reno, which is sooner than many realise. The pressure has just begun.
Jam brought up a couple of intresting points the other day. She mentioned that Sunday, they were preparing to get up at 6:00 am in order to warm up at 8;00am. This has got to be all new for many. How many are going to be in their rooms relaxing at 10:00 pm, much less asleep? She also stated that this was a whole new career for Kieth. That in itself is one hell of a statement which brings on all new philosophies day to day habits.
The tantrums and broken cues haven't even begun.
 
I heard rumours that Grady Mathews was running around 6 miles daily.
I also heard rumours that nick Varner and others started working out again.
I'm sure a lot of the players will now realize just how important physical fitness is, in winning a marathon tournament like the IPT.

After this tourney concludes I'm sure many more players will take on fitness programs.
RJ
 
I agree with Onepocketchump. I don't think anyone loves the game more than Efren! When he is in So Cal he will give up outrageous spots to get games. He just flat loves to play pool!! When things get tough he is still doing what he loves. Hard to overrate this advantage.
 
Thurston Hohmann is both psychically and mentally tough and that is why I think he won the IPT marathon.Not to leave out, he plays a deadly pool game.

Hohmann work sout, watches his diet and claimed not to nervous in a recent writeups from the IPT site and here at AZ Billiards.Other players like Immonen and Feijen take their fitness seriously.

Dennis Orcollo (who finished 4th) seems to agree with the fitness aspects of playing in a pool marathon.In a recent AZB article he said he needs to work on his physical conditioning.Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eurosport interview) said players need to be pool fit (used to playing long hours)and that exercising wouldn't hurt.

Comments?
RJ
 
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