what to do preparing for tournament?

[oldplayer]

help! i have a 10 ball tournament tonight and not only i am new to the game, it is the first tournament i have played in about 20 years! what kind of preparation do you do? practice for an hour or so knowing that it might be a couple of hours before you play "for real". do some mental "play" with stroke etc? maybe some mental "zen"? or just jump in and play? there will be a field of maybe 60 players and a whopping $300 for first place!

 

[macguy]

help! i have a 10 ball tournament tonight and not only i am new to the game, it is the first tournament i have played in about 20 years! what kind of preparation do you do? practice for an hour or so knowing that it might be a couple of hours before you play "for real". do some mental "play" with stroke etc? maybe some mental "zen"? or just jump in and play? there will be a field of maybe 60 players and a whopping $300 for first place!

Practice the simple stuff, don't set up hard shots and shoot them over and over missing half. Stick to the basics. In the words of Danny DiLiberto
"Good pool is doing simple things consistently".
I assume you know how to play so just relax.

 

[Black-Balled]

mary jane and jaegermeister.

 

[paksat]

Like the one guy said, just setup simple shots over and over and get your arm loose. Get yourself in the swing of things.

When you start to get bored with it, well that's what that pitcher of beer you bought when you walked in was for :thumbup:

Just sit down at that point and watch the other players warm up and take it easy

 

[pulzcul]

Practice on shots that you might be having trouble with BEFORE the tournament. When you get there line up some shots and fire them in. Even if they are simple shots. It gives your mental state positive feedback and other players are watching. Don't take to long, be confident and assured. Many matches have been won before they were even played. And in the same light, don't watch other players warm up. You could be intimidated to.
Stay away from foods and drinks with alot of sugar. Have a salad or something light an hour before the match. No spikes in your metabolism. Calm and cool and remember there's no crying in pool! LOL

 

[nelldrake]

Well, you said it yourself. This is not for big money. So where's the pressure? If you are trying to gain respect in a "new" pool environment, that might put pressure on you. If you are worried that your game has gone away in your 20 year absence, you have already spent some time preparing and getting back into the swing of things. I think you will find out that you love pool as much as you used to and isn't that reward enough?

 

[JoeW]

I think the single most important thing that you can do is to make sure that your ability to concentrate is in top shape. You should be able to have unwavering concentration on every single shot. When I am playing in a serious match I have found, after reviewing my mistakes, that it was my concentration that let me down.

There are always those easy shots and the shots that you know you can’t make so you tend to let up. I have learned to think that every shot is important. When I get into that mode, my pre-match practice is all about making sure my ability to have top concentration is in gear. For me this is often simple shots first followed by easy position shots (center of the table thing) and then more difficult shots with difficult position. I finish up with safeties to remind myself that cue ball control is every bit as important as making the object ball.

Practicing full bore cncentration seems to carry over to the match for me.

 

[Snapshot9]

60

players and $300 for first is a pretty good tournament. I have never needed to warm up much, but I shoot a few shots, and then I concentrate on bank shots, they seem to fine tune me.

But, I agree with a couple of others, get yourself into the right mental state.
Relax, clear your mind, and be able to focus in.

 

[oldplayer]

thanks to everyone for the help. concentration seems to "hit home". it seems at my age it is hard for me to remember last week!
so it will be a warm up on those shots for conidence, those long shots to get "in stroke", and concentrate on every shot like it is the most important of the match. thanks again! :thumbup:

 

[paksat]

Many matches have been won before they were even played. And in the same light, don't watch other players warm up. You could be intimidated to.

Well, I guess there are certain players that would get intimidated watching someone else. It use to do a little bit to me when I first started playing tourneys, but now it seems like such a petty thing to be intimidated about.

 

[tksix]

Same question was asked in the 14.1 section. Here is my reply............

After my league match last night I think I know how to prepare:

1) 500 sit ups & sit downs on an elevated chair so I can prepare myself for quick and efficient racking so my opponent does not get out of stroke.

2) 5-7 hours of face time in front of a mirror to establish a "poker" face while balls roll perfectly into position during my opponents run.

3) 100 cue taps to guarantee a firm applause, but not an over stated one so my opponent is not disturbed.

4) Drink at least 1.5 gallons of water per day and hold it. This will ensure that in a race to 150, I will never get up to go to the bathroom.......I do not want to shark my opponent while he is busy.

5) 400 quite leg switches. It is very important to keep good circulation in your legs, on the outside chance my opponent misses.

6) 10 army crawl laps a night around my living room with my jacket on, and cue case over my shoulder. This is a must develop skill.............to be utilized after a severe pummeling at the table, to slither out the door at your pool room with out being noticed!

Mike