One thing I see by running the Omega Billiards Tour, and have also been through myself as a player, is that some players who come back on Sunday are more nervous, more anxious and feel more pressure than they did on Saturdays.
It actually reminds me of a pro golf tournament. The unknown (less famous) players that find themselves top of the leader-board going into the weekend are interviewed by the media and hounded with questions like, "How do you feel?" "How do you think you're going to do tomorrow?" "What helped you today?" Etc.
And then Sunday comes and at the end of the day they aren't on the leader-board anymore. They have faltered. Mostly it's because they're not seasoned enough. Not because they don't have the talent, but because they don't have enough seasoning, experience and enough tournaments under their belt to know how to handle all the emotions and pressure of lasting into Sunday as a leader.
Same thing happens in two-day pool tournaments. If you aren't really seasoned yet and you find yourself on the winner side on Sunday, honestly you pretty much have a restless night. You're thinking about the what-ifs, you're thinking about the excitement of being on the winner side still, you might be thinking about the points you're going to get and move up in the standings, etc.
STOP.
You're don't even realize it, but you're putting invisible pressure on yourself by thinking about all these things.
Just as the pro golfer on the leader-board who is no longer in the hunt late on Sunday, many players put so much pressure on themselves Sunday morning, that they don't play good pool.
All they really need is seasoning, more experiences and to position themselves into numerous Sunday finishes to be able to get used to the feelings and thoughts that come into our anxious brains the night before day two of a tournament.
I know from painful experience the "Day Two Sorrows," lol. For many years, I just wanted to get in the money. Then I yearned to last until Sunday. When I finally did, I fell on my face lol. Then I wanted to win just a single match on Sunday. Just one! Then I yearned so badly to come into Sunday on the winner's side. Then I wanted to win a match on the winner's side......
But you see....all of these humps/goals eventually happen.
It just takes time.
Took me many, many years.
It's just part of the journey.
It takes seasoning.
It takes experience.
What I wish all players to know is this: you will feel like you failed on many Sundays of tournaments. It's just part of the journey we all go through, though. Please don't get discouraged. It's just part of the process.
Good news is, the more tourneys, the more experience. The more experience, the more winning of matches.
And you will soon be on the leader-board coming into the final round on Sunday yourself!
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