Playing a world class player.
- Thread starter GMAC
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:wink: bfdlad said:
I like this,
Also remember, pros do miss. You'll have opportunities, if you don't then I wouldn't feel too bad about that
great post by Sam
That is simply a great post Sam put up!
The few times I played pool players capable of beating anyone on a given day I didn't know who they were so there was no pressure.
In other sports I have competed with the very best including world record holders, hall of famers, and multi-time world champions. My thought was always simple, I had everything to gain and nothing to lose. If I beat them I might go take out a full page ad in the newspaper or rent a billboard. They beat me, they or anybody else won't even notice. I have always known that anyone can be beaten on a given day so I always figured that the pressure was on the champ to beat me, not on me to beat the champ.
For myself, I need time alone to focus before a maximum performance. I try to create my own space even in a crowded room and gather my resources for what I need to do. This is the time I focus on what I can do and commit to trying to put out 100% of my best. Someone else might do better talking to others and staying loose. Never ever hang around people talking negative about themselves or anyone else though.
You have to find your own "thermostat setting" to play your best. Too tight is almost always a recipe for disaster. For most, including myself, too loose doesn't work either. Once you recognize the level of tension you need to perform your best, then you can practice bringing yourself to that level before a match.
Hu
That is simply a great post Sam put up!
The few times I played pool players capable of beating anyone on a given day I didn't know who they were so there was no pressure.
In other sports I have competed with the very best including world record holders, hall of famers, and multi-time world champions. My thought was always simple, I had everything to gain and nothing to lose. If I beat them I might go take out a full page ad in the newspaper or rent a billboard. They beat me, they or anybody else won't even notice. I have always known that anyone can be beaten on a given day so I always figured that the pressure was on the champ to beat me, not on me to beat the champ.
For myself, I need time alone to focus before a maximum performance. I try to create my own space even in a crowded room and gather my resources for what I need to do. This is the time I focus on what I can do and commit to trying to put out 100% of my best. Someone else might do better talking to others and staying loose. Never ever hang around people talking negative about themselves or anyone else though.
You have to find your own "thermostat setting" to play your best. Too tight is almost always a recipe for disaster. For most, including myself, too loose doesn't work either. Once you recognize the level of tension you need to perform your best, then you can practice bringing yourself to that level before a match.
Hu
Sam Waltz said:
The toughest pool player in the world is the one that you have created in your own imagination. The man or woman that never seems to miss a ball, never gets distracted, plays perfect safeties, never folds under pressure etc., etc. You may know real people that SEEM to fit this mold or have watched them perform in professional competition and then developed a sense of awe regarding their skill and talent.
But the perfect player is a MYTH and it is important to understand this or that belief can become an obstacle to your own development and improvement. We tend to idolize the outstanding talents in our sport and place them on a pedestal, but in doing so we lose a realistic perspective on the true nature of these athletes and our own relationship to them regarding relative and potential skill levels.
We tend to believe that the other person is better because of some innate, superior talent or gift from God and we forget that the best are those who study more, put in large amounts of time practicing, and make a commitment to dedicate their lives to the game on another level. The better player is most often the one that KNOWS MORE and has more EXPERIENCE. But, we don’t see them putting in the work, the research, or know the sacrifices in their personal lives that they made to get them to that point and it tends to distort or perception of them.
No matter who you are, you have good days and bad days; days where your focus, shot selection and stroke seem perfect and days where you can’t do anything right. The “perfect” player that you know or have seen is no different than you in that respect.
I often see players sabotage their own performance in situations where they have a real chance to win because of the other players reputation, professional status, handicap number, spot etc. They often have lost before they ever begin because they have let that stuff influence their perception of themselves and their chances of winning. Sometimes, they ignore real opportunities that are right in front of them or their confidence goes down the tubes despite the reality of the situation in front of them ( myself included). I believe this often occurs because we are playing the person we’ve created in our own imagination rather than the real- life, imperfect human being that is REALLY there at the table with us. Remember, you have the innate intelligence, physical ability to get to the level you want to be at if you put in the required time and work AND play one shot at a time and one game at a time. If you do that, it won’t matter who the opponent is. They make mistakes too! They are nervous too! (whether they show it or not) and they feel the effects of pressure the same way you do. They put their pants on one leg at a time, JUST LIKE YOU!
But the perfect player is a MYTH and it is important to understand this or that belief can become an obstacle to your own development and improvement. We tend to idolize the outstanding talents in our sport and place them on a pedestal, but in doing so we lose a realistic perspective on the true nature of these athletes and our own relationship to them regarding relative and potential skill levels.
We tend to believe that the other person is better because of some innate, superior talent or gift from God and we forget that the best are those who study more, put in large amounts of time practicing, and make a commitment to dedicate their lives to the game on another level. The better player is most often the one that KNOWS MORE and has more EXPERIENCE. But, we don’t see them putting in the work, the research, or know the sacrifices in their personal lives that they made to get them to that point and it tends to distort or perception of them.
No matter who you are, you have good days and bad days; days where your focus, shot selection and stroke seem perfect and days where you can’t do anything right. The “perfect” player that you know or have seen is no different than you in that respect.
I often see players sabotage their own performance in situations where they have a real chance to win because of the other players reputation, professional status, handicap number, spot etc. They often have lost before they ever begin because they have let that stuff influence their perception of themselves and their chances of winning. Sometimes, they ignore real opportunities that are right in front of them or their confidence goes down the tubes despite the reality of the situation in front of them ( myself included). I believe this often occurs because we are playing the person we’ve created in our own imagination rather than the real- life, imperfect human being that is REALLY there at the table with us. Remember, you have the innate intelligence, physical ability to get to the level you want to be at if you put in the required time and work AND play one shot at a time and one game at a time. If you do that, it won’t matter who the opponent is. They make mistakes too! They are nervous too! (whether they show it or not) and they feel the effects of pressure the same way you do. They put their pants on one leg at a time, JUST LIKE YOU!
I have played and beaten many world class players. Needless to say, I've also taken some serious beatings, and the beatings have far outnumbered the scattered victories.
The view I always take when I play a worldbeater is that my game is like a car. I'll take it out for a spin and see how far it takes me. I know what might happen, but I figure that it's all good. Your goal should be to execute your game. That's an attainable goal. If nothing short of winning will be viewed as satisfactory, you're placing a lot of pressure on yourself. and that killer in the chair is already in your head. Having attainable goals keeps you on an even keel and able to perform.
Of course, the best advice you've been given in this thread is to compete against worldbeaters often enough to get comfrotable wth the situation.
And, finally, if a worldbeater crushes you, don't beat yourself up. I played Dennis Hatch in the World 14.1 Championships in 2007. After my break he ran 16 and missed. I cleared the table for 16-12 and left a breakshot. I made the breakshot but scratched off the rack for 16-11, and he ran 84 and out on me for a 100-11 victory. I got creamed, yet I never even missed a shot. Why should I let my confidence drop over it?
The view I always take when I play a worldbeater is that my game is like a car. I'll take it out for a spin and see how far it takes me. I know what might happen, but I figure that it's all good. Your goal should be to execute your game. That's an attainable goal. If nothing short of winning will be viewed as satisfactory, you're placing a lot of pressure on yourself. and that killer in the chair is already in your head. Having attainable goals keeps you on an even keel and able to perform.
Of course, the best advice you've been given in this thread is to compete against worldbeaters often enough to get comfrotable wth the situation.
And, finally, if a worldbeater crushes you, don't beat yourself up. I played Dennis Hatch in the World 14.1 Championships in 2007. After my break he ran 16 and missed. I cleared the table for 16-12 and left a breakshot. I made the breakshot but scratched off the rack for 16-11, and he ran 84 and out on me for a 100-11 victory. I got creamed, yet I never even missed a shot. Why should I let my confidence drop over it?
GMAC said:
I wish I could tell you. I think that this is one of the things that separates the top players from the good amateurs.
Only a few times in my life have a beaten or come close to beating a champion and all of them were intense pressure but I was able to stay calm and focused. I remember just playing the table in my head looking for the best options and going ball for ball. It's very difficult for me to put this much concentration into the game but that is what works for me when I play better players.
All the other times I just got name stung and played three balls worse than I normally do.
pooladdict said:
The first answer is the best one IMO. Exactly what I would say to you. You will begin to see that even 'champions' have weaknesses and do miss occasionally. Unless your name is Buddy Hall, Nick Varner or Allen Hopkins. :wink:
I only use these name players to make a point. What makes guys like this stand out IMO, is that they only have two speeds. They either play good or they play better. Great players truly don't have 'off' days. They play good day in and day out. That's what separates them from the other guys.
P.S. Even though I didn't take my own advice and rarely played tournaments, I did beat a few name players. And still might on occasion. Do what you need to do to relax. Maybe it's a drink before the match or something else that will loosen you up. If you can play a decent shortstop speed you can win against top flight competition if you are playing your best. Nothing works better than being in 'dead stroke' where you have confidence in your game. When I'm feeling good about my game, I "know" I can play with anyone, at least in a short match.
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Johnnyt said:
Spoken like a true competitor.
"Compose yourself" outside, and go back in and show em' what you got.
The greatest form or respect you can give a champion player is to give them your best game.
And the respect of your peers is really what it's all about, right? I mean, during competition, what else matters?
Winning!
Competition is about testing yourself and ultimately it is about winning. Being concerned about the respect of your peers is a great way to put too much pressure on yourself and fail. Many a competitor fails because deep down he is more concerned about how other people see him than how he sees himself.
Hu
Gregg said:
Competition is about testing yourself and ultimately it is about winning. Being concerned about the respect of your peers is a great way to put too much pressure on yourself and fail. Many a competitor fails because deep down he is more concerned about how other people see him than how he sees himself.
Hu
It's your chance to show your best game to somebody who can really appreciate it. Enjoy the opportunity. Show off.
pj
chgo
pj
chgo
My "honorary nephew" is pretty good for an amateur...there is a player here in the NW who was his nemisis. He'd get nervous just thinking of playing this guy.
Last October, at the BCA western 9 ball championships, my nephew said he's decided to change his attitude of this other player. "I no longer want to beat him so badly that I can taste it, that I obsess about it. Nope, he's just another player I need to get past if I want to make the finals."
It worked...he made the finals. 2nd place. Maybe first place is in his future. I sure hope so.
Last October, at the BCA western 9 ball championships, my nephew said he's decided to change his attitude of this other player. "I no longer want to beat him so badly that I can taste it, that I obsess about it. Nope, he's just another player I need to get past if I want to make the finals."
It worked...he made the finals. 2nd place. Maybe first place is in his future. I sure hope so.
This may help...
Just play within your self. Maybe you are not a world class run out player as you stated. So, do not try to run out all the time. Play some safeties...lots of them maybe? If you are not good to make the shot 8 out of 10 or better then play the smart safety...this will be based on your true assesment of your true and honest ability.
As others have said, stay calm and focused....focused on the positive right things. Have your preshot routine well groomed and all together.
Remember to breathe, keep a positive attitude and play within your true honest abilities and percentages...
Mr. J.
Just play within your self. Maybe you are not a world class run out player as you stated. So, do not try to run out all the time. Play some safeties...lots of them maybe? If you are not good to make the shot 8 out of 10 or better then play the smart safety...this will be based on your true assesment of your true and honest ability.
As others have said, stay calm and focused....focused on the positive right things. Have your preshot routine well groomed and all together.
Remember to breathe, keep a positive attitude and play within your true honest abilities and percentages...
Mr. J.
I almost have to feel contempt for my opponent. I want them to "feel" getting beat. It's very hard for me to play for funsies with my friends. Look at playing a worldbeater as your opportunity to show you also can be a worldbeater. If you don't believe you want to be a worldbeater, then stick to hitting balls with your friends. Sorry, just truthful.
Any guy that says he just "plays for fun" and doesn't care is a liar. I used to play golf with one of these fellas. I play to compete. If I didn't, then why keep score? Just go out and beat them into the rails and forget about being better. Develop that killer instinct or give it up, or just get used to getting beat. Just reality.
I once asked a very good player what made him better and he said, "I got tired of getting beat on. I want to do some beating, and I gotta a lot of payback in store for a few."
Any guy that says he just "plays for fun" and doesn't care is a liar. I used to play golf with one of these fellas. I play to compete. If I didn't, then why keep score? Just go out and beat them into the rails and forget about being better. Develop that killer instinct or give it up, or just get used to getting beat. Just reality.
I once asked a very good player what made him better and he said, "I got tired of getting beat on. I want to do some beating, and I gotta a lot of payback in store for a few."
The more you play against top players the easier it will become. You will take your lumps in the beginning, but after a while you will learn to not think about who you are playing and to think more about what you are going to do on your next turn at the table. Make the most out of every opportunity and don't take any shot for granted.........
James
James
GMAC said:
Well, first, I think you're basically talking about the issue of pressure and how you react to it. If you're playing someone you'd REALLY like to beat, chances are you're going to experience the pounding heart and sweaty shaking hands syndrome -- that's just normal. (You may also cease to mentally function and just experience brain lock
The solution is really pretty simple: repeatedly put yourself in the same situation until the unusual becomes normal. Eventually, you'll walk up to the table to shoot the money ball in against a champion as naturally as you would against any other player. A good thing to do is to understand the psychological side of playing pool and for this I recommend Dr. Faucher's "Pleasures of Small Motions."The second part of what's going on revolves around unrealistic expectations. This boils down to simply believing that it is within your ability to make shots that you cannot. The problem for most of us is that we watch the pro we're playing, or a champion on television, or perhaps an Accu-Stats tapes, we see the good players at our local room, and they make it look so damn easy. They make it look sooo easy, we lose sight of how crushingly difficult the game actually is and we become disappointed in ourselves when we can't do this simple thing. I think I've mentioned watching Willie Mosconi run a 100 and rushing to my pool hall thinking, "Well, that's so easy -- anyone should be able to do that!" Of course, when I got there I couldn't run more than 10 balls. What I'm saying is this is part of the problem when you're playing a champion -- you start comparing what they're doing to what you think you should be able to do.
The third part is getting into a pressure situation and just trying harder -- unconsciously changing your pre-shot routine and stroke mechanics. In trying to be more careful and precise in your execution, you change the way you shoot -- often times, the changes are subtle, but significant enough to throw off your alignment and stroke.
I believe everything from the pre-shot routine to finally pulling the trigger is an organic whole. In other words, you can't just say I'm going to use a certain bridge, a certain grip, with a certain stance and head position. It's also the movement you employ to get into your stance and the motion you employ during your pre-shot routine that impact the final outcome. When you slow down and try to be more careful, everything gets altered. I think it's a good idea to pay attention to the motions and rhythm that work best for you in practice and try, as best you can, to stick with them in actual play, especially against the tougher players.
Lastly, as we're mid-match and we realize "the wheels are coming off" and we watch them go spinning merrily down the highway in front of us, we start to think negatively. Our mind becomes filled with questions: "Man, why am I playing so bad?" "What am I doing wrong?!" "What is he thinking of me?!" "Why me?!!!"
Of course every bad roll that we get and every good roll our opponent gets contributes to the toxic sludge that starts coming out of our ears. The real problem here is that in thinking about these things, we stop thinking about the shots and our execution. Instead of thinking, "I need to be careful about hitting this shot too hard and may have to apply a bit more english to compensate coming off the rail" we're still thinking about the last shot we blew and what the udder guy is thinking about us and our game.
Think about the bad stuff after the match, not during.
So here's the thing: playing good pool is hard. Playing good pool is even harder against a superior opponent. To compete successfully in the arena, you've got to step into the arena as often as you can until it becomes your second home. And, you need to have a realistic set of expectations about yourself and your game.
And then you have to just be, and enjoy being, in the moment and give the "big gun" the best run for their money that you can
Lou Figueroa
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GMAC said:
it just takes experience, and to get that experience you just have to play champions often as possible, you might get used to it fast or it might take you along time. Speaking for myself I cant really remember if it took me long or not to "play my game" and not be distracted by who I'm playing, it wasnt my first time-I remember that much, it was a process like anything else. Once you get used to it(playing champions) your just playing pool, as it should be.
GMAC said:
When the match starts I often see many champions become distant, aloof and in some cases downright mean-spirited toward their opponent.
Replace the awe you have created with a distaste and a desire to punish your opponent and you may have a chance to turn the 800 pound gorilla into a 85 pound chimpanzee.
JoeyA