Pre-Tournament Routine

bankout86

bankout86

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I've been very frusturated latley with my prerformance in a few recent tournaments. I'm a player who can beat anyone on any given day but can also lose to Helen Keller! Sometimes when I find myself in between matches I can honestly say I don't feel mentally prepared for my next set. I was just wondering if anyone has a pre-tournament routine that they've found to get them "ready"? Throwing balls on the table and firing them in dosn't seem to do much for my game. Thanks!
 
Just relax. Remember that it's a game, you win some, you lose some.

Everybody prepares a little differently. What works for someone might not work for someone else.

I put my earphones in, and play a rack of 10 ball. I try to get a sense of how the table is playing while I'm shooting, paying attention to the speed of the table, how the cloth is reacting (to draw especially), and how the rails are reacting. At this point I am purely focused on "feel". I don't let anything mechanical even get close to entering my mind. If you start thinking about your stroke, that's when your game starts falling apart imo.

Sometimes when I'm doing this, I'm playing horribly. If that happens, I simply back off. Sit down for a little bit, get a beer or something to eat, take a walk around the block, etc. I don't "try to fix it". After a while when I feel more relaxed, I start the process over again with a clear mind. If I'm still not playing well, I accept it. I tell myself, "I'm not playing my best, but the scorecards don't take pictures. You can still win this. You're just going to have to put in more work. Grind it out. Winning ugly is still winning." Those victories are the most fulfilling.

Hope that helps. It's basically my pre-tournament routine from golf translated over into pool. It worked for my golf game for years, and it's working for me in pool now. But like I said, everyones different.
 
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I usually try to stay loose before a tournament mentally and physically. I try and set up a few shots where i can let my stroke out and make sure my arm is loose. Then i like to set up problem shots, back cuts, rail shot things like that. I never try and think about my next match-up or my opponent. I focus on relaxing and just making sure im doing the details right.
 
Baxter said:
Just relax. Remember that it's a game, you win some, you lose some.

Everybody prepares a little differently. What works for someone might not work for someone else.

I put my earphones in, and play a rack of 10 ball. I try to get a sense of how the table is playing while I'm shooting, paying attention to the speed of the table, how the cloth is reacting (to draw especially), and how the rails are reacting. At this point I am purely focused on "feel". I don't let anything mechanical even get close to entering my mind. If you start thinking about your stroke, that's when your game starts falling apart imo.

Sometimes when I'm doing this, I'm playing horribly. If that happens, I simply back off. Sit down for a little bit, get a beer or something to eat, take a walk around the block, etc. I don't "try to fix it". After a while when I feel more relaxed, I start the process over again with a clear mind. If I'm still not playing well, I accept it. I tell myself, "I'm not playing my best, but the scorecards don't take pictures. You can still win this. You're just going to have to put in more work. Grind it out. Winning ugly is still winning." Those victories are the most fulfilling.

Hope that helps. It's basically my pre-tournament routine from golf translated over into pool. It worked for my golf game for years, and it's working for me in pool now. But like I said, everyones different.
Click to expand...

Very well put sir!:thumbup:
 
never really had a routine....weekly tourneys usually consist of me just rushing to get there on time, and hitting my first ball when my name is called for my first match. :sorry: Sometimes I play well, and sometimes not. Bigger tourney, I get there early, and play awhile (whatever game the tourney happens to be). Sometimes I play well, and sometimes not. What I have found though is that when I'm loose and can fall into my natural rhythm I play better than if I'm over analyzing what I and my opponent are doing, and TRYING too hard to be perfect. There's a difference in knowing that a mistake costs you a game or two and possibly the match, and knowing that and still playing YOUR game. Players all have a game they play better with (a way for them to win), and not playing it (and falling into the playing not to lose) will get you most every time.

So, is a routine necessary? It may be for some, if it's needed to reach the state of mind you want, but I've heard many (in all competition) say you can't just flip a switch.....NOT TRUE. You just have to know how to flip that switch. It's there, and that's why many want a structured sequence of events (routine) to recall how to flip it.

edit: btw, the "sometimes I play well, and sometimes not" - is due to switch being faulty, lol....I suck at pool. The switch works well for golf
 
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For every shot, think about where the cue ball gonna end up, and focus on the table instead of you.
I.P.D.E - Identify, Predict, Decide, Execute
Works well for me.
 
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