Embracing the Winners' Circle

This week, I wanted to write about my recent experience winning the BCA Amateur 9 Ball Event in Vegas. During this time, I played some of the best pool of my life. On top of that, I felt confident and deserving which, for me, was a true breakthrough. Though I have won smaller tournaments before and done well in other events, I hate to admit it, but last week was the first time I have ever felt completely deserving of entering the "winners' circle." In my previous experiences, as I approached the final four of the tournament and entered the semi-finals or finals, I would find myself inevitably sabotaging my next match(es) and not doing better than I knew I could. The bottom line, I never accepted that I deserved to be there. I thought I believed in myself and had confidence in my abilities but I never truly embraced it. For the first time last week, I went to bed knowing I was the winner of the winner’s side and would be playing in the finals the next day and I slept great! There was no anxiety about whether or not I was going to win because it didn't matter. I knew I had delivered a strong performance up to that point and I planned on continuing it. Something funny happens to us when we acknowledge how well we’re doing in a tournament. A strange anxiety overcomes us and we lose focus of what we’re there to do. For me, my goal was not to party in Vegas, or finish in the money, or even to win. My goal was to play well. I set out to apply all the skills that I had acquired over the past twelve months of working with The Monk and to appreciate each shot in front of me. My focus was to deliver my best performance. I can’t control the rolls I get or who my opponent is, but I can control my performance. With this focus new in mind, it was impossible for me to have anxiety about anything else when my sight is set on one thing… playing well. Unfortunately, as I have learned, this euphoric feeling I write of does not occur naturally, nor can you create it for yourself. It is something that happens after working long, hard hours to develop your game and just letting it blossom. When you are practicing or taking a lesson, you are learning and thinking. Once you’re at the table, competing, you should not be thinking, but trusting. If you work hard, trust and believe in your abilities and “accept your own greatness.” (A good friend once told me that.) For anyone that has ever felt the anxiety of entering the winners’ circle, do not lose sight of why you are there in the first place. We play this game because we love it. Appreciate every shot in front of you and appreciate yourself for getting you there. You deserve it! Embrace the winners' circle.

Keep it cool...

By the time you read these lines, I will be enroute to Vegas for the BCA 9 Ball event at The Plaza. You will find this week's posting at the following link: http://www.professorqball.com/displaystory.php?RecordID=61 courtesy of Professor Q Ball National Pool & Carom News. Have a fun week & I'll be back at the end of the month!

Understanding Why

As it is important to understand why we may miss a shot, it is just as important to understand why we miss position. Obviously, if we miss the shot and we stroked the ball as we intended, we should not achieve the perfect position. And likewise, when we get perfect position and miss the pocket by a diamond, it’s safe to assume that the cue ball would not be there had we made the shot we were shooting at. However, there are times when we pocket the ball and the cue ball did not go where we thought it would. It is very important to understand what happened to create this outcome. Here are some possible things that could have happened:

1. You did not stroke the ball the way you intended. If the tangent line brought the cue ball straight into the cluster for a perfect break out shot but you put a bit of draw in your stroke or you let up on your stroke, you probably will not achieve the intended outcome.
2. You had no idea what was going to happen after you made the ball. Part of the commonly referred to term, the “poke and hope,” where you just hope to have a shot at another ball if you just make the one in front of you.
3. You were not committed to where you wanted the cue ball to be. In order to play precision pool, you must decide and commit to a specific location you want the cue ball to be. If you are not specific, you can not expect specific results. Therefore, if you only wanted the cue ball to be “over there some where” then that’s where it will go. Walk over to your next shot, pick a spot on the table where you want the cue ball to land, and commit to getting it there.
4. You “cheated the pocket” or did not shoot the object ball into the center of the pocket. This is a common error that many players take for granted. Sometimes it is necessary to play the object ball into a specific part of the pocket in order to get better position. When the object ball is sitting very close to the pocket, there are so many ways to still pocket that ball while achieving various positions with the cue ball. Make sure you pick the spot on the object ball and hit it exactly where you intend to if you expect to get precision results.
5. Lastly, if you believe you hit the ball as you intended and broke up the cluster you were aiming for but still did not have a good shot afterwards, then there is a good possibility that you just got a "bad roll." We can't always come out smellin' like roses. Sometimes breakouts just don't work out the way we plan. Things happen that are out of our control. Instead of focusing on them, focus on the things we can control, like our stroke.

So, the next time you make a great shot but do not achieve the position you intended, don’t just throw your hands in the air and gasp, “I can’t believe it!” Instead, run through the above list and see if any of those applied. Understand why you didn’t get the position you wanted so you can make the adjustments for next time.

Conditions Ahead: Foggy

The moment I knew that I had improved and blossomed into a budding fierce player was while, during league one night, I was not playing well at all. I was struggling to make a ball. I was playing someone with a much lower handicap so I had to spot them several games. I hadn't eaten. And, I did not trust my decisions or playing ability one bit. My head felt as if I was driving a car through thick fog with a low battery. I just plain couldn't focus. It was during this match, that I pulled through and worked it out. This would be the first of many matches I would win while knowingly not playing my "A Game." Perhaps you've heard it said before, "It's not how well your A Game is. It's how well your B Game is." How true this statement can be. Being able to work through the fogginess and use what is comfortable to you at the time is what wins more games. Specifically, on these occasions...

1. Avoid attempting any shot that you just do not feel good about. Instead, look for a safety or lag the ball or another ball in front of a pocket.
2. Do not try to map out your entire run. Chances are, if your head is already feeling a bit foggy, it will not help to add more congestion to the mess. Try to just stick to 2-3 ball runs and make the best of what you end up with.
3. Make sure the last thought that crosses your mind before shooting each shot is, "making the ball." Again, if your head is cloudy, try to keep it simple.
4. Do not shoot too hard. Chances are, you may be able to block a pocket if you miss. It might even be one your opponent needs.
5. If all else fails, make it hard on them. If you can't get out, make it as hard as possible for your opponent to get out. Don't be afraid to lock up your balls with theirs and make them work for it. If your opponent has a lot of break outs to attempt, they could get into some trouble. You might even get lucky.
6. And, for Pete's sake... Do what you need to do! If you're thirsty, get some water. If you're hungry, get a snack. If you have an itch, scratch it! If you need to go to the bathroom, then go. All these variables are just more unnecessary distractions to deal with.

About a year ago, "not playing well" for me would include not only missing shots, but making stupid decisions that would inevitably cost me the match. Today, when I'm not playing well, I can still win games because I am aware of this and I make the most of it. Moral of the story: Your battery may be low, but you have a full tank of gas, some good CD's, and you're almost home. Drive more cautiously if you need to, but just keep driving.

Wait for it... Finding Your "SET"

By far, the single most valuable pool tip I ever received was incorporating the "PAUSE" in my backstroke. In the spring of 2003, I attended the Cue-Tech Pool School in Dallas, Texas. It was there that I learned the "SET, PAUSE, FINISH, & FREEZE" mechanics of my stroke. Having the pause in my backstroke has saved my butt on so many occasions. While in a pressure situation, the first thing to break down is your mechanics. Having solid fundamentals to rely on is the first step to consistency. I can recall many pressure, game-winning situations where I was so nervous my knees were quivering. Although I knew my body was trembling and my heart was pounding, I trusted my stroke and just let it take over. The "SET, PAUSE, FINISH, & FREEZE" refers to the series of motions just prior to shooting a shot. As you address the cue ball and get down for your shot, you may prepare to shoot it by stroking your cue several times upto the cue ball (also referred to as "warm-up strokes"). Just prior to striking the cue ball (what I like to call "pulling the trigger") pause for a moment and allow your eyes to really focus on that contact point on the object ball. This step here is called the "SET." How long you SET before pulling the trigger is entirely up to you. The SET allows your eyes to focus on the contact point in which you are aiming, avoids prematurely stroking the cue ball before you're ready, and allows your mind and body to separate the warm-up strokes from the actual stroke. Many players naturally have a SET in their routine. If you do not, I highly recommend you experiment with this. You will be amazed at how much just incorporating an extra second into your shot can help increase the accuracy of your aiming and the consistency of your shot-making. Develop a pronounced SET and do not shoot the ball until you are completely comfortable and ready to fire.