Sitting Up Straight

I wrote before how sitting up straight and smiling while seated in your chair (whether you feel like it or not), actually exudes confidence.

This is especially helpful when the last thing you feel sitting in your chair after a missed shot is confidence. You feel instead deflated with self-doubt.  Maybe even anger.

And since you want to be prepared to play your best your next turn at the table, you need to get confident quick.

And you can change that around to confidence and sureness by just sitting up straight and tall, and having a little smile on your face, pretending to be confident.  (try it, you will be surprised!)

Even when you may not feel confident... it's amazing how pretending to be confident transforms into real confidence, which of course will help your play at the table. We all know that we play better when confident, than when deflated.  Almost exaggerate these "actions" if you have to.

I wrote before how actors were tested during scenes and proved that even when acting, their oxygen and blood levels changed.  So, it's important to get this "acting confident" part of your routine.

I have seen before where a player is slouching in their chair in disgust because they are losing.  I thought to myself, "well, THAT's not going to help."  Further, she was exuding her frustration and disappointment by her body language, which as we all know can actually feed some players.


And this past weekend I learned an additional little tidbit about slouching and sitting straight!

I luckily was able to choose between two chairs while waiting for a scotch doubles match.  One was a stool and the other was a high chair with a back on it.  I told my friend, "I'll take the chair with the back so I don't slouch."

And he shared with me and his scotch doubles partner that slouching actually causing the body more work.  That the back and stomach are working to stop the body from falling over.

Hey!  Another great reason not to slouch - exerts less energy and exudes confidence. 

There ya go :)

Wrong Team

While playing scotch doubles last weekend, my partner in our first match scratched while he pocketed the 8ball.  We were up 1-0, and would have been on our way at 2-0 but now it was 1-1.

No biggie.  We've overcome worse.

However, it happened again - very next game - he scratched while pocketing the 8ball.  Eeek.

Now the other team is up 2-1, and we have to go to 5, and they only have to go to 4. 

To make him feel better (because that can't possibly feel good), while he was racking I went up to  him and whispered, "they are going to be pissed when we still beat them."

"Yep," he says.

He and I both know we could come back and win and we weren't even worried.

Then our opponents started to "talk" and "nibble."

They told my partner, "hey, you're the best player on our team!"  And they laughed and laughed.

While this team is the type to jab in general anyway, and my partner (hopefully) could care less, I actually thought it was funny, too.  I immediately went to the other side of the bar to grab my phone to make a note so I could remember it to write this blog entry about it (I didn't want to forget).  hahaha.

However, it wasn't really that funny any more when we actually lost 4-3.  LOL.

Scotch Recap

I found myself in an awkward position last month (Feb).  I saw a flyer for a scotch doubles tourney and I actually wanted to play in it! 

I hadn't really /wanted/ to play pool in a while.  Would rather spend my time at the poker tables (and had been) so to even have a desire to play pool felt super weird.

Called my 'ole faithful partner that I've won several top scotch tourneys with (Greg) and he luckily said yes to playing with me.  :)

We had to race to one extra game because I'm listed as Advanced for BCAPL.  It's stupid funny really, because Greg plays so much better than I do, yet he's still listed as an Open player.  But, to be the reason why we go one extra game was kinda cool, too. 

The first two shots I made that almost-too-cold-for March Saturday morning, my adrenaline sure was racing!  I hadn't competed in so long that it definitely affected my adrenaline.  After some deep breathing to slow down my adrenaline, though, I surprised myself with how well I was playing!  Esp for someone who doesn't practice and no longer has league.  And, I became more and more confident as the day went on coming with shots for my partner and playing well.

We lost our first match and then tore through the one-loss side before running up against a team that pushed us hill-hill.  I went for the correct shot but one of their balls nudged a little and blocked one of our last 2 balls and we didn't get out.

We got one-out-of-the-money (5th out of 24 teams).  I told Greg after wards it was my fault we were out because we had to go one extra game, otherwise we would have beat them.  Luckily he just laughed at me.

For as much as I don't feel like playing pool, every time I get to play and see how awesome I'm still playing, makes me KINDA want to play more.  I still do not even remotely want to play league, but I'd like to get in a few good gambling sessions if I could.  Maybe venture out once a month for a weekly 8ball tourney at least to keep me "in the game" ironically lol.

Had fun Saturday, even though I was itching to get out of the smoke (that I did not miss) and head to the casino/poker room.

Paper Brackets - Goodbye, Mementos

I can tell I'm moving on from my pool playing days.

I recently came across all these paper brackets I had saved from the numerous Ladies Tour Second Chance tourneys that I won:

These paper brackets were proof of the little successful beginner in me. 

Let's face it, the first true steps in moving up the pool ladder are always the first few tourneys you win, no matter how small the field.  These tourneys only had 10-18 players, but your first wins are still so awesome, right?

I recall how after each win, I would be so proud to be able to take these home and save them to remember my accomplishments!  These wins were few and far between and I cherished them so much, and wanted to always remember them!  (so I thought.)

But, I have already delicately placed all these paper memories into my recycle bin. 

I felt funny parting with these large brackets, the proof of my early successes, but I admit the newer plaques and trophies obviously mean so much more to me.

But after I leave this world, who is really going to keep these around because the win column says "Melinda"?

Time to recycle.  :)

Inside a Coin Pool Table (video)

Pretty cool!

Mr Calcutta

I'm the very first person to admit part of the success of the Omega Tour is the Player's Auction. 

Besides the fact it is 100% payback, it's also because of one of particular person:  Lonnie!

Lonnie plays on the tour, but more so, he's a huge supporter.  He tries to buy the most players at every event, and therefore has to dig deep in his pockets because he spends the most money.

 Lonnie

Many people have correctly given him rounds of applause for his help in the success of the tour in bringing in extra money into the player's hands.

Therefore, I thought we should show him some tenderly love and appreciation.

I called Lonnie last week and told him a fib:  that my only night to be able to meet for dinner finally was Wed.  He's become a trustworthy friend of mine, so the invite didn't seem out of the blue. 

But I had planned that night in particular because I knew his birthday was only two days later, and had a surprise to give to him:

Click photo to enlarge and check out the engraved calculator!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LONNIE!   THE OMEGA TOUR APPRECIATES YOU!

Tattoo of Your Fav Pool Player (photo)

You know you've really reached celebrity status when someone gets your face tattooed on their bod.

Actually, the Ashton twins (JoAnne and Beverly) from Canada are already well-known pool players and quite famous.  They have endorsements and such, too.  SUPER fun gals to hang out with and will make you smile every second you are around them! 

And, check this out:

No matter what you think (stalker, crazy, ouch), this is pretty damn cool!

JoAnne Ashton and her likeness:

Courtesy of Sean Johnson's back.

Setting Handicaps and Exaggerating

The toughest part of running a handicap tour is the complaints about others' handicaps.  The number of complaints have actually led to the demise of another handicapped tour in another state.

Being aware that complaints are part of the territory of running this type of tour, it's so important to me to be very transparent with decisions, and also to ensure I work hard to get the handicaps set right the first time a player plays.

How do I do this?

I have a core group of trustworthy people that I ask their opinions.  Hardly ever has there been a huge difference of opinion.  And you have to realize that the players wont ever lie - they WANT the handicaps correct.  They don't want to go up against a player who should be their same ranking but may not be.  So, it's a well-rounded system.

I did have one new player who complained quite loudly about his ranking.  I told him I had already asked a group of players who were well represented, and then he still asked me to ask his best friends.  Uh, NO.  Not only no, but hell no.  lol.  Nice try.

However, what does one do when it's a player no one from the core group knows? 

Yep, you search the internet!

I sometimes ask on Facebook if anyone knows a certain player. 

Further, with the new Fargo ratings, anyone can be looked up nowadays.  (Fargo Ratings general information from CSI is located here, and how to look up ratings is at this link:  http://fairmatch.fargorate.com/

But the internet can be a funny place to find information.  Before the February Omega Tour stop, we were trying to find out how to rank a new player that no one knew.  Someone did a search on the ole' reliable internet and found an article about him from his local town, that had interviewed him for a story about pool.

I was told he might be a 6.  Then I read the article, even showed it to one of the core members, and we agreed that the article led us to believe he should be a 7.  He was either bragging about hustling people, or exaggerating about being a master level player, or trying to show off for the newspaper, or something.  After his first match that weekend, I easily moved him down to a 6.

Be careful embellishing in your stories, peeps!

Playing for a Handicap

I mentioned I played in a little 8ball tourney last Wednesday, and it never fails how an outing provides blog material (which I love, btw).

I was set to play one of the bartenders who wasn't working behind the bar that night and had the evening off.  Up until this point, I had no idea he even played pool.

He comes up to me and says, "What would my ranking be on the Omega Tour?"

I reply, "I have no idea, never seen you play.  Who do you play like so we can figure it out?"

He mentions a couple of names and I inform him he would a 6 on the tour.  (the tour handicap system ranks from 5 to 9).

He then tells me very matter-of-factly, "When we play, if you win I get moved down to a 5."

WAIT A MINUTE!

"Then you'll dump!" I exclaim.  "No way, Dude."

He than adds, "how about this.  If I beat you, then move me to a 7."

LOL.

"No," I say, shaking my head.  "You are a 6 if I win, or if you win."

"Nope," he informs me laughing, "we' re playing for my handicap."

OMG LOL.

I have a heard a million things to play for in my 20+ years of playing pool.  I have been offered to play for drinks, for table time, for money (of course), to see if he can beat girl, for pride, etc.  Even asked a few times to play for sexual favors, if the guy is stupid enough to ask and think that would work.  But never for anyone's handicap setting lol.

It was a very close match (I am a 6) and after a couple of mistakes by both of us, I ended up barely winning, and he strutted away, smiling real big, being all funny, "now I'mma fiiiiiive."

LOL

"You Gave That to Me"

I found myself in a little weekly 8ball tourney last Wed night.  Hadn't done that in a long time. Felt out of my element because I haven't played in so long.

As I start my first match, some guy on the next table says, "wow, she's really playing?"

My friend says jokingly, "yep, I brought in a road player."  LMAO.

As the night goes on, I find myself playing for 4th place.  I am playing a guy I again don't know.  I run out quite beautifully the first game in this short race to 2.

I play REAL good the next game with some good breakouts, too, but I miss a long 8 ball to win the match 2-0.  I was uncomfy with it and should have stood back up and then shot it maybe in the side anyway.

Score:  1-1

So the next game again I'm playing well still and lots of safes.  I finally see a run and as I'm shooting the ball before the 8 ball, I miscue.

The guy runs out his few balls left and beats me 1-2.  As he shakes my hand he tells me, "you gave that to me."

WTF?!

Why does anyone say such stupid ass things?!

I snap and reply briskly, "I didn't give you /nothing/."  (have you also noticed our grammar skills go out the window when we are upset?  lol)

And added as I walked away, "plus, I miscued."

I realize it seems innocent, but I have written about this before, to just not say anything at the end of a match.

I was already not happy at myself for losing, bit of was embarrassment running through my veins, and he's gotta say something that pushed the knife of shame in deeper?

Don't people realize we already know we lost because we missed and shouldn't have?  Why point it out?

Just walk away, Dude.  WALK AWAY.  lol

You really don't need to say anything; it just makes it worse.

I already know I should have won.

The Best Person for the Clutch Job (Part 4 of 4)

== Skip this section if you have read the Intro and Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 already ==

What I have learned through watching, learning, judging, and listening, is the clutch player may not be the person on the team that you would "expect" to be the clutch.  There are good reasons why, we just aren't privy to those reasons.

What are the characteristics of a clutch player?  Who do you want it to be?  Do you have a person on the team who can be all you envision for that important role?

What if you don't have a well-rounded player on your team?  What do you do then?  Let's examine some examples I have witnessed in my 20+ years of playing in leagues.

I will put them in separate blog entries so you wont be reading one long blog post for hours on end, lol.

== Part 4 Below ==

On another team, I joined late in the season and I noticed right away that the best player was not in the clutch position every week at league.  The better player had recently had a fantastic previous 18 months winning state league events and big tournaments, yet he wasn't the clutch player for the team.

I asked him why and he said he didn't know and he was curious himself. 

Turns out the "original" clutch player had been in that position on the team for years (this other player had joined for the first time that season).

I was actually hurt FOR my friend.  And I could tell it stung a little for him, as well.

But, what we didn't know was the clutch teammate was a great pressure player, and could handle mentally any losses for the team (if that happened).

I think the Captain felt if he was removed from the clutch position, it would affect his game.  Because leaving him in the position actually gave him a lot of confidence.

And with the already-strong team, honestly either player could have been put in that position.

Ironically, the better player would win a lot more matches before we ever even found ourselves hill-hill that often.

Oh, and we won the playoffs with this team :)

==

(You can find Part 1 here, Part 2 here, and Part 3 here.)
 

The Best Person for the Clutch Job (Part 3 of 4)

== Skip this section if you have read the Intro already ==

What I have learned through watching, learning, judging, and listening, is the clutch player may not be the person on the team that you would "expect" to be the clutch.  There are good reasons why, we just aren't privy to those reasons.

What are the characteristics of a clutch player?  Who do you want it to be?  Do you have a person on the team who can be all you envision for that important role?

What if you don't have a well-rounded player on your team?  What do you do then?  Let's examine some examples I have witnessed in my 20+ years of playing in leagues.

I will put them in separate blog entries so you wont be reading one long blog post for hours on end, lol.

== Part 3 Below ==


We see players trying to make balls into holes with cuesticks and yet we have NO IDEA their background.

I was confused why a certain player on another team was the clutch player.

She wasn't the best pool player on the team.  I didn't understand why the captain would even think of that, or put the team in that position.

This is where I incorrectly judged someone. 

Turns out I had no idea this particular player was a seasoned sports player already.  And while her sport in high school and college was not billiards, the years of experience in the other sports had prepared her mentally to easily be the clutch person for her team.

She knew how to handle "pressure" and she LIKED to be put in that position for the team.   And, it worked out perfectly because no one else on the team wanted that responsibility.

She knew she could handle any loss for her teammates and she also was able to handle herself mentally for the situation of hill-hill games in a playoffs or championship titles.

I no longer question team decisions :)

Taught me a lesson here for sure.

==

You can find Part 1 here, and Part 2 here. 

The Best Person for the Clutch Job (Part 2 of 4)

== Skip this section if you have read the Intro and Part 1 already ==

What I have learned through watching, learning, judging, and listening, is the clutch player may not be the person on the team that you would "expect" to be the clutch.  There are good reasons why, we just aren't privy to those reasons.

What are the characteristics of a clutch player?  Who do you want it to be?  Do you have a person on the team who can be all you envision for that important role?

What if you don't have a well-rounded player on your team?  What do you do then?  Let's examine some examples I have witnessed in my 20+ years of playing in leagues.

I will put them in separate blog entries so you wont be reading one long blog post for hours on end, lol.

== Part 2 Below ==


On another team, when I wasn't able to play on certain nights, another good player on our team was put in the clutch position.

While she was a good player, she didn't have much experience in that position.

So, she would get so much anxiety about /possibly/ having to play the hill-hill game, that it affected all her other games during the night.

Our team needed her to still win all her games before it ever came close to hill-hill, but instead she was constantly looking at the score for what "could happen" and the anxiety was affecting her play.

The ironic thing was, if she was to have not been so worried about her "possibly" having to perform in the hill-hill game for the team, she could have won more games and the team wouldn't have been in hill-hill situations as much.

I suggested to the captain to put her in the clutch position a lot during regular league nights even when I was there, so she could get acclimated to it.  That's how I learned to handle the "pressure" - I was put in the position a lot and learned through all the experiences.  That really does help.

==

You can find Part 1 here.

The Best Person for the Clutch Job (Part 1 of 4)

== Skip this section if you have read the Intro already ==

What I have learned through watching, learning, judging, and listening, is the clutch player may not be the person on the team that you would "expect" to be the clutch.  There are good reasons why, we just aren't privy to those reasons.

What are the characteristics of a clutch player?  Who do you want it to be?  Do you have a person on the team who can be all you envision for that important role?

What if you don't have a well-rounded player on your team?  What do you do then?  Let's examine some examples I have witnessed in my 20+ years of playing in leagues.
I will put them in separate blog entries so you wont be reading one long blog post for hours on end, lol.

== Part 1 Below ==


On one particular women's team, the best player was not playing in the clutch position.

I was shocked to not see her name in the final spot on the team roster in playoffs.

However, I would find out that she would rather not be in the position of so much pressure for her team.

FURTHER - she plays BEST for the team because she's not in the "pressure" position.  Which is what every team needs - players playing their best at all times.

But if you look at this from the outside, what you wonder is, "why isn't she the clutch player?  She's the best on the team!"

But if you found out she played better in all her matches by not being the clutch player, then it makes perfect sense.  And, that IS what is best for the entire team.

The Best Person for the Clutch Job (Intro)

(Intro to Part 1 of 4)

What I have learned through watching, learning, judging, and listening, is the clutch player may not be the person on the team that you would "expect" to be the clutch.  There are good reasons why, we just aren't privy to those reasons.

What are the characteristics of a clutch player?  Who do you want it to be?  Do you have a person on the team who can be all you envision for that important role?

Many of us have played under pressure.  But can we still perform well under pressure?  THAT is the key.  Sometimes the best pool player on a team doesn't play well in certain circumstances (yet).  Sometimes a great pool player cannot handle the pressure of having their play and decisions rest on their shoulders for the entire team.

I fully admit it's a lot to handle.

Here is my story:

I have gained so much experience being put in this position, that I now prefer to be the clutch person and can handle it.  I can handle losses now for the team without jumping off a bridge, lol;  I use a breathing routine to calm my nerves and adrenaline; I have more solid fundamentals; I have been in the clutch position during very big tournaments numerous times; and I am just now an over-all better pool player (finally).

All those combined have led to women's teams choosing me as the clutch person.  Which I embrace and welcome.

But what if you don't have a well-rounded player on your team?  What do you do then?  Let's examine some examples I have witnessed in my 20+ years of playing in leagues.

I will put them in separate blog entries so you wont be reading one long blog post for hours on end, lol.

So, tomorrow will be Part 1, the first example. 

"Tiny Habits" For Our Pool Game

BJ Fogg came up with this pretty cool thing called "Tiny Habits" that I just learned about.

Quickly, let’s look at what a tiny habit is and why they’re so much fun and easy to form.

The Rules

Rule #1: A tiny habit, according to Fogg, is a behavior:

1. You do at least once a day
2. Takes you less than 30 seconds
3. Requires little effort

Tiny habits must match the criteria above because the easier the behavior, the less it depends on motivation.

Rule #2: Tiny habits are designed to come immediately after an existing habit. You use the existing habit to trigger the new tiny behavior you want.

Examples:

• Make your bed immediately after you wake up
• Do a few push-ups after you use the bathroom
• Before going to bed, write in a journal, answering this question nightly: "What amazing 3 things happened today?"

These new "tiny habits" seem do-able, huh?  Doesn't take a lot of time, and most importantly, associate./follow with something you already do.

Now that you know Fogg’s rules, let’s try and apply it to our pool game!

Here are just a few suggestions, I'm sure you could think of a lot more, but this it to start you off:

• After each match you play, write down in a journal something you learned from it.
• Could be something mental or maybe a certain shot 
• Could even be you controlled your emotions that match - what happened?
• Before league, practice your toughest shot at least 5 times.
• I have written about this before - make your hardest shot your favorite
• Before each big tournament (or match) review your mental checklist.
• Checklists are great reminders of what we need to focus on.  And reviewing these before big matches is part of the path to success.

Hope this helps!  And if you start your own successful "tiny habit" and you would like to share it, let me know in the comment section below.  Then I'll do a follow up to this blog to share with others what worked.

Enjoy!

Cue Ethics and Sponsoring

This is a tough subject to write about because it's taboo.

A good friend of mine was newly sponsored by a cuemaker in the 90s.  At the time, he had become a recent top pro and was making a name for himself across the USA.

He was offered a GREAT deal on a cue sponsorship (his first big, true sponsorship).  That usually entails photo-shoots for magazines and monetarily, they get a percentage of your winnings as they help pay for part of the trips to big tournaments and entry fee costs (as I recall).  And for this particular sponsorship, a cue was designed by him and made especially for him. How exciting!

But the crazy part of this story that I DO recall vividly, is my friend absolutely loved the cue he was already and currently shooting with.   And the custom cuemaker was well known for making extremely solid cues.

The pro got his new (sponsored) cue and tried it out.  But, after playing with it a little bit (few months), he noticed a remarkable difference. So.... he asked his custom cuemaker if he would make an exact replica of his new cue.  Since the previous cue felt more comfortable and solid, and because he could control the cue ball better with it, the pro knew it would help him out better in his tournaments to have that cue he was already used to.  So, he gave the design specs of the new sponsored cue to the custom cuemaker and he made him a cue with the exact same design.  And that's the cue he ended up playing with in his tournaments.

No one knew.

Don't get me wrong, he really did LOVE the cues of his sponsors, but his previous custom cuemaker just made more a solid cue and the pro was accustomed to it.  And as we all do, we think of what is best for winning and so he came up with that idea (I presume it was his idea and wasn't something that was done often?)

Just like golfers and their golf clubs, pool cues are the life and blood of our profession.

As I type this out I am having an extremely uneasy feeling about sharing this, though.  Should I really post such an indiscretion?

But, I am sure there are celebrities drinking Pepsi who endorse Coca Cola.  Or, are driving their new sponsored Mercedes, but really love with Audi.  Or, promoting a certain brand of shoes, but really love Nike (as examples).

But to really consider he had an exact replica made so he could still be shooting with his beloved cuemkaer's cues proves why that particular custom cuemakers' waiting list was so long.

Maybe this occurs a lot and I don't know it?  Still, something "interesting," huh?

Don't even ask me who the cuemaker, sponsor, or pro was - I wont tell you.



 

What a Forfeit Costs

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I had to forfeit a couple of players at the January Omega Tour Stop.

What I wanted to further share was how those forfeits affected others.  Namely, the people that bought them in the calcutta.

Obviously, the people that were forfeited were not very happy.  One was fighting to stay alive on the one-loss side Saturday night and the other was on the winner's side still on Sunday morning.
 

The first guy I forfeited (on Saturday night), *I* had actually bought him in the calcutta.  So, that kinda shows how serious I am about people leaving the site for long periods of time and not being available for their matches.

On Sunday morning, the player who I had to forfeit was late to his match because he overslept.  The guy who bought him, was ALSO still on the winner's side on Sunday morning.

What did this mean?

This meant that the guy who bought him was steaming mad and then couldn't focus well on his own match!  He was very distracted by the fact the guy overslept and cost him money.

The player he bought is a really good player and so he went for a lot more money in the calcutta than the average person.  But it also meant his chances were lowered for him to get high in the tourney, because he was automatically pushed to the one-loss side.

So, forfeits don't just affect the players, but the calcutta buyers as well.

Something we don't always think about.

And yes, the guy lost his match because he was upset at the player he bought.  It's tough to focus when negative emotions enter our minds as we play pool.

The player who was late, he fought all the way into 5th place!  So, he did definitely got into the calcutta money, but even he agrees his chances would have been better from the winner's side.

Breaking Cues

I always find it interesting when I hear of a player who used to be an angry player.  Unless we've known these players for years, I suppose how would we have know that? 

It's cool they have changed and are calm during matches now, instead of showing angry (negative) emotions like they used to.  I do love maturity for sure!

One of my friends recently told me to my shock that he used to get so upset during games that he would literally break cues over his knee.

What people don't realize is, this usually doesn't really indicate per se the person has anger issues, in my mind it instead indicates they hate to lose!  Everyone handles missed shots or losses differently.  Some get angry, some laugh, some try to hold it in, some break cues.

I asked him how he stopped that "habit" and he replied, "I started to dabble in making cues, so that taught me not to abuse them anymore."

:)