Figure Out Misses Right Away

The trials and tribulations of our pool journey are what makes us who we are at present day in that journey.

When I first started to play pool, I'd leave the tourney with no thought about my matches, really.

As time went on, I started to care more, and therefore reflect more.  And so naturally I'd leave the tourney thinking about my horrible finish (errr, outcome lol).

As more time and dedication to the game went on into my journey, I started to reflect at the end of each tourney day.

But then things started to progress and as more time was spent at tournaments, I would think about why I lost a match right afterwards.  What was I doing wrong?  How come I practiced so well, but dogged my brains out during the match?  Etc.

As our game matures, so does our reflections and learning.  Eventually, I wouldn't just think in general why I lost, after matches I would be more specific, "oh crap, I wasn't staying down."  Or, "dang it, I was too bothered by outside influences and it was distracting me."

This is all GREAT progress!

But let me share what took me years to figure out, so you don't have to go through the long process that I went through lol.

AS SOON AS YOU MISS, figure out why.  Start to think about it right then and there!  Don't wait til you're down 0-6 to realize you aren't following through.  Don't wait til the match is over to realize why you didn't play your best.  DO NOT WAIT.

As soon as you miss - think about it right away and try to figure out why, what is going on?

For me, it's pretty simple (well, after trial and error for all those years lol).  I either am not staying down, not looking at the object ball last, not looking at 3-ball-ahead shape, or thinking about future consequences.

For example, if I am missing tough shots, it's normally because I have left myself tough shots which means I am out of line because I'm not thinking 3-balls ahead.

My match winnings significantly went up when I started to be more aware of figuring out as soon as I missed what was going on and why, so I could resolve it.

The key is to pay attention early and figure out what is going on right away.  Don't wait!

One of the biggest pieces of advice I like to share.  :)