What The Heck?

So, the last post made in this pool blog was September 2021 - what the heck has been going on?

Well...

First, I still haven't starting back playing pool.

Second, I still don't miss playing. Don't even ask. I am very happy not playing pool anymore and don't miss it at all, honestly.

Third, I was getting write-ups for this blog from my friend Katniss (not her real name) and also from my friend The Cueist (also not his real name). They would send me a write-up on whatever topic was on their minds about their pool game and pool experiences to share with the readers, but for some reason, they both kinda stopped sending things in. Of course, covid didn't help along with me not bugging them for write-ups didn't help, either.

My pool blog ran dry.

So... therefore, no write-ups from them and with me not playing pool, now you see the reasons for no posts since Sept 2021.

And, oh hey, I moved and now live in Maryland (since May 2023). Not that that's related, but a little tidbit for ya.

I hope you are all still loving this beautiful game, making amazing memories and filling your hearts with joy playing on the felt!

Bad Positional Error - Katniss

From Katniss, of the Hunger Games Project of my Blog:

I was at a local poolroom by myself, no one was there at the time. 

An hour in to my practice session, though, another individual walked in. 

I decide to take a small break and watch this guy. He was hitting them real good… well, until he missed a side pocket shot. So he set it up again and attempted to make the shot.  

Again and again and again. 

What he did not realize was, that it was a POSITIONAL error and NOT a potting error. 

His issues started way before his missed shot. Once he figures that out, he be able to fix it, and the error will be resolved. 

The Lesson?  Pay special attention to the cause and effects of your practices!!!

The Cueist - Funk with Life/Pool and Who Helps

From The Cueist:

So, I've been in a bit of a funk lately. Not just pool-wise, but just with things going on in my life and around me. Not a depression-type funk. But, still a funk nonetheless. Coincidentally, I found myself wanting to go to the pool rooms more often. Maybe not to play, or get in action, or play a tourney. Those things are nice, sure. But I went to the pool rooms just to go hang out with friends I've made over the years. From all walks of life, ages, colors - this beautiful game that we love to play has a way of bringing people together.

I remember being younger and being in the pool room practicing 6-8 hours a day when I wasn't working. There were always 2 "old timers" there having coffee. Being that I was in my early 20's, I'd say hello, chat with them a while, then go practice. See, I love talking to these "old timers" in the pool rooms. Some of these guys have been in the pool rooms for 50 years and have seen many different things both inside the pool rooms and outside of the pool rooms. Some are veterans, some are millionaires, some are widowers, some are former top players. 

While I'm not at the "old timer" status yet, I have seen my fair share of things at the pool rooms. Been a part of many stories that I'll be able to tell years from now.  Learned life lessons in the pool rooms that apply to personal and business life. And most importantly, I've made friends from all walks of life that I enjoyed visiting with during this "funk" of mine. 

Much to my surprise, these friends of mine knew something was going on with me right off the bat. See, this is how much we've gotten to know each other over the years. And almost all of them offered great life advice. But when it came to advice on how to get out of the pool slump, they all pretty much said the same thing.....don't take pool so seriously. All of us are so competitive that sometimes it's easy to get engulfed in the pool scene and become overwhelmed. Next thing you know, you're not playing your best because of the pressure, then you get down on yourself, and then you may end up quitting the game that you loved so much. 

My point is this....while we all want to see results on the pool table after hours and hours of practice. Don't forget that time away from the pool table is just as important. Once you get past that hump in your pool game and remember why you fell in love with the game again, I guarantee that you'll be playing great again! 

And be sure to say hi to those "old timers" at the pool room next time. You might be surprised to learn a few things from them, not to mention hear great stories.

Katniss - Pool Shark?

From Katniss:

Someone told me, "I heard you are a pool shark."

I looked around and asked, "Are you talking to me?" 

He said, "Yes," 

I said, "No I’m not." 

He replied, "Well everyone is telling me you are."

I was persistent with my 'no,' even though I ran out and beat him.

My thought process was this:

A pool shark is someone who engage in sharking in billiards, that a player who distracts an opponent by means of vocalizing (talking crap) or with movement on purpose. Or a person who hustles people for money. 

His thought process was:

A pool shark refers to a player who is very well skilled. 

He explained to me that I played very well...not only against him, but in all of my games. I told him thank you 

So MAYBE I am a pool shark after all! 

In Between - from Katniss

Find your WHY.....and you will find your WAY.

Somewhere in between when you leave your comfort zone, to enter a more challenging zone.

com·fort zone

/ˈkəmfərt zōn/

Learn to pronounce

noun

a place or situation where one feels safe or at ease and without stress.

My comfort zone: Known ability to play in a higher caliber event/league. Having the stats and skills to back it up. Competition is “fun and care free.” 

Players looking up to you. You're the top of the food chain.

chal·leng·ing

/ˈCHalənˌjiNG/

Learn to pronounce

noun

testing one's abilities; demanding

Players are of bigger and stronger playing abilities. Your mental and thinking process will be tested constantly. You are no longer on the top of the food chain, you are now at the bottom trying to make your way up. It may even feel like players are looking down at you instead of them looking up at you like in the comfort zone.

It’s basically the same concept for both zone's, tho:

• Pre-shot routine
• Pattern play
• Stay down on your shot

Start with a small goal and once that is achieved, set another a goal. DO NOT GIVE UP!!

Once the challenging zone toughens you up, and makes you a confident and stronger player, going back to what was your comfort zone will actually make you feel like you no longer belong. It will make you feel out of place. 

I do feel that you adapt to your surroundings. So if you stay there too long, you have to keep moving in order to excel or you will stay playing at that same level.  

Change is hard....it is tough when you are IN BETWEEN leaving the old and making your way in to the new. 

I am determined and I will NOT give up! 

Fargo Thoughts from The Cueist

So I want to take a min to talk about Fargo ratings since it's all the rage right now. So many people are on either side of the Fargo debate. You can walk into a pool room and bring up Fargo ratings, and you'll hear the typical "oh, it's great! I have 15,000 games robustness, and it helps me gauge where I am against the better players." Or the TD's that use it as a tool for handicapping tournaments more accurately.

But on the other hand, you'll also hear the "oh, Fargo is a load of crap! It's so easy to dump and lower my Fargo." Or the, "I hate any kind of handicapping system. I remember back in the days when everyone played even, and you had to improve in order to place higher in the tournaments."

Then you have pool players like me that can see both arguments, and have seen it both help and hinder pool players of different skill levels.

We have monthly tournaments here in my area that are handicapped based on Fargo ratings. Now these tourneys are great! They consistently have 80+ players, and there's been all kinds of players from beginners to pros play the events. Even though you hear the top level players moan and complain about the handicaps month in and month out, the top players still seem to find a way to win and place high in these events. The handicap system ranges from 4-13, and it's rare that anyone below an 8 places in the top 3, let alone wins it. Funny how that works, right?!

From my humble point of view, the handicap system that these tourneys use is pretty close to accurate. The difference is truly in using Fargo ratings that are established for all of the players. And personally, I think the higher level players are just so used to running through different tourneys without any tough matches until the later stages of the events. Hence the moaning and complaining about someone rated too low when there's an upset, which is rare even when it's handicapped.

And that's not taking anything away from players w/ a lower Fargo rating. However, the difference comes down to consistency. On any given day, a lower level player could play perfect and easily beat a higher level player with very little mistakes. Then on their next match, the lower level player might lose, and struggle badly. But nobody ever remembers the times that the lower players perform to their level. Everyone always remembers when the lower players play over their head and play great. This especially happens with players in the mid-level range, such as the weekend warriors like myself. We could play perfect on day 1 of an event. Then come day 2, we can't make a straight in ball! Trust me, I struggle with this every month. LOL.

So back to Fargo.....personally, I believe Fargo is a great tool for handicapping tournaments, leagues, etc. However, there are still some downfalls, as with any handicapping system. So is it perfect? Umm, no! But I believe that the math involved to create the Fargo numbers is far more accurate than subjective opinions. And that's a good thing! You're able to run tourneys that men/women can compete in, as opposed to having 2 separate events for men/women. You're able to fill up tourneys that may not be full due to an unfair handicap system.

For the players that are only concerned about making money, this means more money in the tourney pool. More people in the establishment that is hosting the event. And for the weekend warrior, that means more competition. It's a win, win!

Let's hear your thoughts on Fargo, and how it's going in your area. 

That Muscle Memory Thing - by Katniss

From Katniss:

In the past, I remember saying, "Oh man. I’m in a slump - I can’t make a ball!"

I have not said that in a while. Not that it has not happened, ha. But, I now realize the reason I can’t make a ball is because of my stance; it doesn't feel comfortable or natural to me. Me missing and not making balls just proves it. 

I try to pay extra attention to my footing, bridge, arm, and aim. Easy enough right? ha! Not so much when you're in the middle of a match, competing, struggling to play decent, and playing your heart out. It’s hard when you're losing and the pressure is on, then all you feel is embarrassment! 

Does every player go through that? 

Is it just me? 

Do all player lose their muscle memory? 

If not, why? 

Is it too much or too little practice? 

Is it that they are always in action? 

Is it solid fundamentals?

I don’t quite understand how to keep that muscle memory active and keep it working for me. It’s so discouraging at times. When everything is going well, it goes well and I don’t have to work as hard - it’s all automatic. Effortless. I get to the table, bend over, and shoot! But when I’m off, I don't play well nor catch a gear. I want to learn how solve that problem! 

I do admit I have more good days than bad. But, dang them bad days can be brutal!

Social Distancing in the Future

My friend Janet was helping run the Midwest ACS Championship tournament in Davenport, Iowa last week. She shared some photos and said they were all wearing masks and social distancing, including the tables, and shared a photo to prove it:

I immediately thought, "hey, every tournament in the future should do social distancing between tables even after the pandemic! "

There have been many times in bar table tournaments where our butts get in the way of the table next to us, or we have to wait for someone to shoot on the next table because the tables are so close together.

How cool would it be to not have to worry about the matches around us in bat table tournaments?!

The Cueist has a Question for You All about COVID

On Wednesday before Christmas, I started to feel a little sick. Just a sore throat and a bit of a cough. By Thurs morning, I had gotten worse and my family decided to cancel the Christmas exchange just so I didn't expose anybody to whatever I had. I just so happened to see a post from a guy out of state saying that he tested positive for Covid-19. He was posting it as a PSA since he was at a tourney the Saturday before Christmas (he had come up here as his wife has family in the area), and started showing symptoms on the Tuesday before Christmas. Now, I happened to be at the same tourney (he had traveled up to my state to play in it) and I was in close proximity to him a few times. So, naturally, the thought of having covid crossed my mind immediately.

Fast forward to the Sunday after Christmas, and I lost my sense of taste and smell, and had a really bad headache. Monday, I started to get a fever and lost all of my energy. So, I went to get tested on Tuesday, and sure enough, I was positive for covid. Ugh! Thanks goodness we cancelled the Christmas exchange so I wasn't around my family! So, I immediately went into quarantine mode. It had already been a week since I was first showing symptoms, and I wanted to quarantine at least one more week before getting tested again. Meanwhile, that player attends yet another tournament here locally again - and this time without waiting for his 2nd test that shows negative. Not only that, he specifically mentioned that he didn't feel 100%, while he was at the tournament.

While I don't want to debate everyone's moral compass, living in fear, or conspiracy theories.... I do seriously see something wrong with this decision on his part....all of us love this game of pool. But at what point do you refrain from going to a poolroom knowing you have a virus which can potentially be fatal to some individuals. Especially in a pool room, at a tourney, where the room is rather full and you're in close proximity to the venue staff, players, TD staff, and spectators.

So, now that I'm fully recovered, I'd like to ask any pool players that have had covid if they've had any lingering effects that have affected their pool playing?

In my case, covid has somehow affected my vision and balance. Not to the point where I'm falling over or anything. But I've not been able to line up properly when stepping into a shot. And in addition to that, I almost feel like I'm swaying while down on a shot. Swaying may be too strong of a word, but I do feel like I'm not able to stay 100% still during my shot. Which, as we all know, will cause all kinds of problems when trying to make various shots. Not only that, but I've noticed that I get tired after about 4-5 hours of constant playing. Whereas before I had covid, I was able to play at least 8 hours before I even started to get tired physically.

Anyone else experiencing something similar?

The Cueist and His Goals

I asked The Cueist and Katniss to send me some info about their goals from 2020 and the ones for 2021.

Here is what The Cueist shared:

Happy Holidays to everyone around the globe! With the year coming to a close, let's reflect a little on what's happened in 2020....most of the pool players around the world were affected by the pandemic. In my case, I was at the BCA/CSI nationals in Vegas when the country started to shut down. And when I made it home, I didn't hit a single ball for 5 months.

Five months is an eternity considering I had set some lofty goals for my 2020 pool year. Let's recap those goals really quick

- Place in the top 3 at least one time on our local tour 
- Be in the top 5 of my skill level on the tour's ranking system 
- Increase my Fargo to 645 or higher (I was at about 620 at the start of the year, and my robustness was 2,800)

The way I saw it, if I started to practice and improve, then all 3 of these would eventually happen. In 2019, I really worked on my game. I saw results in tournaments, and my Fargo jumped about 20 points in 12 months. While improving your Fargo doesn't necessarily mean you're playing better, my Fargo doesn't fluctuate too much with the amount of robustness I have. So by going up in Fargo, it was just a tangible way of me knowing that I was indeed playing better on a consistent basis.

However, with the pandemic in full force, this meant that I had about only 7 months to hit my goals, without the luxury of practicing for 5 months.

But....I was still able to attain 2 out of my 3 goals with a shortened pool year. :)

I placed 3rd in a tour stop in the Fall, which was 2 months after I dusted off my cues....seriously, my case literally had a thin layer of dust! And combined with tourney results from the other tour stops, I was in the top 5 of my particular skill level. Yay for me!

However, the goal that I didn't attain was for my Fargo to increase to 645. I reached 644, which is soooo close, yet soooo far. I know, I know, it's only 1 point. But even though it's 1 measly point, it was still my personal goal that wasn't checked off my list. Dangit.

So....where does this put my 2021 goals?

- Be more positive about pool in general. Whether it is my results in tourneys, gambling matches, individual matches, certain shots, etc, the negativity needs to be at a minimum if I want to improve.
- Improve to a 660 Fargo rating. Tough to do with 5,000 games robustness,
- Place in the top 3 of at least one big tournament in 2021. This is always tough to do as you never know how many talented players will be playing.

And to keep in part of one of my goals for 2021 (see below), I'll try to find the positive side to me not having a 645 Fargo rating....while I didn't attain the 645 Fargo rating, it doesn't mean that I'm not playing better and more consistently than the start of 2020. I mean, the overall goal is to be a better pool player. So I can safely say that I have improved almost 25 points AND I'm playing much better than I did last year.

Now, I just have to keep working on my game as much as I can, and keep the goals in mind. The results in tourneys and matches will take care of themselves with continued improvement. So we just have to trust the process.

Happy Holidays everyone!

 

Katniss and Her Goals

I asked The Cueist and Katniss to send me some info about their goals from 2020 and the ones for 2021.

Here is what Katniss shared:

2020 has been a tough year that has affected so many in so many different ways. However, we all know it's normal to also learn things from tough times. So, what did 2020 teach me?  TO SLOW DOWN.

As I come into 2021, I intend to do that exact thing! (and more)

 

My goals for 2021 are:

1. To take my time on each shot at the pool table. I’m not saying I’m going to take 15 minutes on each shot, haha, because that is just plain crazy! I am however going to not rush like I have in past. I get so excited to be at the table that I was being careless with my shot making. Once you take that shot whether you make it or not, you will never get that opportunity back. I'll be honest, I figured out how valuable it was to slow down because of the pandemic - it gave me the opportunity to self reflect on my practice, instead of simply practicing for league.
2. I also want work on getting my stroke in a precise stroke. I want to learn how to trust my mechanics, as a second nature type of action. 
3. I also want to always stay in the moment, and not feel defeated when I’m down in a match. That is where trusting my mechanics comes in! 
4. I also want the players that I look up to and admire to FEAR ME. I want my presence to be known and felt. I want to beat the top players.....by slowing down and enjoying the moment. See how they are all related?

Don’t take anything for granted....because 2020 has been a tough year to the pool community. Some will come back stronger, some weaker, and some will never come back. 

What are your goals for 2021?

Advice from Babe Ruth (video clip)

These "Minute with Maxwell" short leadership videos by John Maxwell are shared with folks in my office, as someone comes across some gems from the daily emails. 

This one is perfect for our pool game:

Fundamentally Stable - Katniss

Katniss from the Project Hunger Games of my blog shared some insight with us:

As more pool matches are happening again, I can’t help but notice how some of players are so fundamentally stable! It’s like the pandemic never happened, like the pool halls and bars never closed, like they never stopped playing. I even hear some of them exclaim, "I haven’t hit a ball since March." But, yet their skills on the table are showing me otherwise! I’m over here just drooling in amazement.

Then, there is the opposite. You check out another match and just cringe because you can see a player struggling. It’s painful to watch! They are frustrated and their play is going from bad to worse right before my eyes. Ouch!

What separates the two players? More or less experience? Natural vs unnatural talent? Good fundamentals versus needing more fine-tuning? Hunger or no hunger?

How will my play measure up? 

Well, whatever decides to show up on my first match... just know I have the HUNGER!

A Ghost During a Pandemic - by Katniss

Katniss from the Project Hunger Games of my blog shared some insight with us:

I have really enjoyed staying in during this pandemic. I have access to a pool table, mainly during the evening time, all to myself! 

I have played and practiced by myself. 

AND I have taught myself the ghost ball effect!

It literally took me years to finally understand it. And, it's something I would have never taken the time to fully learn and understand the concept of if COVID hadn't happened.

Why? 

Pre-COVID, I was playing 3 nights a week for league, while combined with playing weekend tournaments. Whew! That was like 4 to 5 nights just competing! I did not have the time nor make the time to really concentrate on the ghost ball effect.

But, I have taken the time to learn new things....in total SILENCE. No music and no interruptions. It’s like I could hear my thought process out loud! It was an awesome discovery.

Now that the world is starting to open up, I get to put my new found tool to work.

I, however, am NOT looking forward to going back to playing so many league nights. But I am looking forward to some competition from other human life other than own.  

 

Did I Help The Cueist?

When The Cueist emailed me his previous blog entry, I was surprised to read in it that he had read a couple of my own blog posts and referenced one in particular.  Well, not much so as 'reference it,' but more so as to yell at me that I might be wrong, lol.  

This is what he said: 

"But as you (Melinda) mentioned in a previous blog, if you have a good stroke then we'd have nothing to worry about. But, I sure was worried there!!"

His blog post was entitled "Finding His Stroke" and if you haven't read it yet, I highly suggest it.

A few times the last couple of months, what he said above kept creeping into my mind. And I wondered, did I help The Cueist?  

So, I did what I do best: satisfy my curiosity!

I sent him this Question:  

Do you think it helped you to read that I said if you have good fundamentals, that your stroke won't go down during the pandemic?

I waited impatiently for the answer. 

Nothing. 

No reply. 

A few weeks later, he finally replied!  I read it with excitement, waiting to pat myself on the back:

Sorry for the delay, but I've actually started writing this a few times. 

Ok, so my first instinct on this reply was "yes, it helped me tremendously." But then I thought about it, and thought "it helped me, but not as much as I thought." Then I thought about this again, and I'm sticking by my initial answer.... yes, it helped me tremendously. 

But, wait! There's more! :)

So obviously, when any long time pool player takes a break for an extended period of time, you never really lose the muscle memory, or the ability to make a ball, or the ability to read a table. I think you lose the awareness of your abilities more than anything, and in turn, your confidence suffers. So you have to trust the process, and believe that you'll get back to your old speed (if you want to of course). 

Think about it....after 5 months of not hitting a ball, I still thought I could run a wide open rack. Boy was I wrong! So my confidence went down the drain, and fast!! Now, I'm playing very close to 100%, and my confidence is high again. Of course, I've had lows over the last few months. But I just kept telling myself "trust your stroke, fundamentals, and PSR." It goes back to pool being mental.

I don't think I helped me at all, actually. BUT - his reply will help you all!  I was glad he answered, as this is yet another gem of advice from him and brings a good perspective to help your game.

Mental Toughness During a Pandemic

Seems like the title is a a paradox, right?  The pandemic, if anything, has affected our mental strength because there are so many unknowns, and stress, and impacts to our daily lives, etc.

And what about our pool game and mental toughness during these remarkable times?

I have written a couple of times this year that from my experience, if you have solid fundamentals, your game will not go down during the pandemic. So, stop sweating it or worrying if you can't play a lot of pool - your solid fundamentals will carry you!

While I wholeheartedly believe this deep in my soul, there is a part that I forgot.

Oooops.

I am being reminded because of the struggle, tough times, and nerves that Katniss and The Cueist (and maybe you if you are back to playing) are feeling lately. Katniss said after a little tournament she played in, "It's like I lost my kilter instinct" and The Cueist shared in his recent blog post, 

I started to get nervous! Now, don't get me wrong, I get nervous all the time. But I haven't felt nerves BEFORE walking into the poolroom since the early part of my pool career. The only difference was that this time around, I was nervous about not playing up to my usual expectations, and making a fool of myself.

I wrote about this same 'anguish' back in late 2016 - basically that I had played in a little tournament and while my fundamentals were solid still, my mental toughness was NOT, because I had not been playing in league or tournaments; I had cut down on my competing.

Yes, fundamentals are key. But, the brain is a muscle as well.  

Honestly, the only thing that keeps me from competing well after taking years off is not my stroke, but the pressure I feel. The more we put ourselves in pressure situations, we find ourselves becoming stronger and stronger in those situations. But, if you aren't competing, that part of our game, that big muscle, has not been worked on.

As I said two years ago, 

"The bottom line is, I know myself and based on my past attempts the last few years at playing in tournaments, I already know that I am only mentally strong when I'm consistently competing. Once I stopped competing, that mental toughness definitely went away for me. 

As a matter of fact, I noticed it was the first thing that went away for me.  Even though the brain is a muscle, for me my muscle memory in my arms and in my pre stroke routine were still there, but not in my mental toughness."

So, what can you do about this?

What would I do?

Take advantage of what you can control: I would read about mental toughness!  

If you can't play in high pressure situations, then improve your mental toughness the only other way if you can't compete: READ, LEARN.

Winning Ugly is a book I have HIGHLY recommended a lot in my blog. You cannot read that book and not improve in your mental toughness arena.  I PROMISE. Therefore, pick up the book and read it when you can't compete. I also recommend Mental Toughness Training for Sports. But, the point is, find books or articles or watch video Ted Talks about mental toughness, how to gain the killer instinct, how to be mentally stronger, etc.  

I have this good book within arms reach right now,:

(watch out, you will also learn about leadership as well when you read about the mental toughness topic)

There are a ton of books out there for many different sports, but I recommend those about golf or tennis most.

I admit nothing can take the place of playing regularly in the middle of true pressure situations, but you can at least still work on it in other ways. Give yourself an advantage over your competitors for when you do start to play pool again. 

One side note. When I was in my late 20s, my mentor suggested I read Mental Toughness Training for Sports. I happened to be in a big slump and was playing terribly. So, I decided to take some time off and NOT play pool. And so I read that book during the time I wasn't hitting balls or competing. My mentor told me later, "I wanted to share that with you, but wasn't sure you would stop playing for a bit. Not playing pool while reading/learning about the mental game is a great plan."

Again, if you can't play pool, work on your game! 

Someone has to win, right? Might as well be you because you put in the time to improve in so many different ways even when you can't play pool regularly!

The Cueist Finding His Stroke

Latest thoughts from The Cueist:

So I've been slowly going out to play a little more pool. My first time back to hitting my first ball was about a week after my previous post. My Wednesday league had our league banquet, which was mostly to give the payouts for a very short season. But nonetheless, I went out there mostly to get out of the house. Usually, they have a small tourney to pass the time, but I had no intention of playing it IF they had one. I wanted to hit a few balls and find my stroke, which had been on an extended hiatus. 

So, one of the shots that I spent a ton of time practicing was a stroke shot with inside English. I set the object ball on the spot, and the cue ball on the head spot. I also set up a ball on the short rail closest to the head spot, so you have to avoid the scratch, and go 3 rails for shape on the next ball. I get down on the shot, and my eyes are having a hard time adjusting to the sight picture. I guess it had been THAT long. LOL. I do a few warm up strokes and my arm feels so weird doing the cueing motion again. So I stand up, step into the shot and concentrate on the shot. Surprisingly, I fired it in center pocket, avoid the scratch, and float the 3 rails for shape. One of my teammates saw and said, "Wow, haven't been playing my a$$!" I laughed and set up the shot again. Stepped into it, and boom....center pocket again. Now, this is one of my most practiced shots so I figured I made the shots due to the fact that it was so comfortable to me. So, I decided to break a rack of 9-ball and try to beat the ghost for a few games.

Now, this is where the wheels promptly fell off. LOL. 

I took ball in hand and got perfect shape on the 2. Now, the 2 is about center table, and I had to force follow with inside for shape on the 3. So I get down on the shot and I missed the shot by a diamond. I set it up again, and same result. Now, I set it up one more time and adjusted.....missed the shot by 1/3 diamond this time - so I was improving, LOL. So I decided to scratch that and go back to the basics and do a drill my old coach Gordy used to have me do. 

While I didn't have the actual track, I just set up the balls accordingly and practiced on mechanics. It took me about 30 mins, but I managed to complete the drill after lots of frustrations. But as you (Melinda) mentioned in a previous blog, if you have a good stroke then we'd have nothing to worry about. But, I sure was worried there!!

Now, since then I've gone to practice about once a week and have been sparring with a guy that's about 2 points (Fargo) lower than I am. He's got access to a table at home, but hasn't really competed either aside from playing the ghost at home. So the first night, we played 3 races to 7. I lost 7/1, won 7/3, then won hill/hill. The following week, the same exact result. The 3rd session, I lose hill/hill, win 7/1, win 7/2. 

The practice was leading up to a goal in mind, and that was me playing in a tournament coming up. Last week, I made it a point to go play 2 times that week, and I felt like I was about 90% compared to my old self. But, while my muscle memory may have been there, along with my stroke, my mental game wasn't near at 90% come to find out. 

So, the morning of the tourney, I woke up early and made it a point to stop and get breakfast at God's chicken house (Chick-fil-A). The poolroom is about 50 mins away so I got there with plenty of time to hit balls and finish my breakfast in the car. While finishing breakfast, the weirdest thing happened....I started to get nervous! Now, don't get me wrong, I get nervous all the time. But I haven't felt nerves BEFORE walking into the poolroom since the early part of my pool career. The only difference was that this time around, I was nervous about not playing up to my usual expectations, and making a fool of myself. I mean, last year I worked so hard on my game and was finally getting the results that I wanted in my league. So, I felt like I somewhat had to keep getting some decent results.

After the draw was complete, I realized I had to play a guy who is a low 600s Fargo on paper, but I'm the favorite. But he's been going out of state to play during the pandemic, while I've been doing home projects and woodworking projects. LOL. So it was a tough first match. 

In my mind, I thought "oh great, there's going to be an audience for this attempt of mine to play pool again." Aside from that, the nerves started to creep up again immediately and I felt my grip hand quiver a bit during my PreShot Routine. So, I had to reset multiple times on each shot to try and shake that feeling.

Naturally, because of the extra concentration, I found myself playing pretty good actually. I gave away 2 games but overall, played well and made it to the hill first. I was up 7/2 and was firmly in the driver's seat. I was finally able to close it out with a score of 7/4. 

My next match was against a good friend, teammate, who has tons of knowledge. So, by me not being at 100%, I knew I had to play good just to make it competitive. I played great, only made 2 mistakes. But unfortunately, he only made 1 mistake! Damn him, lol. He beat me hill/hill. It was a little disappointing because I played soooo well. But, I can't be too upset because he really did play almost flawless.

My next match was on against that sparing partner I mentioned (figures, right?). I didn't play too well in that match, and I ended up losing hill/hill. But, considering I haven't competed in five months, I'm both disappointed and proud. 

Disappointed because I felt like I gave myself a chance to win both matches that I lost. And proud because I did give myself a chance to win. So, all of my hard work wasn't lost 100% during the pandemic. Sure, I have a little rust in my mechanics. But, give me another month and I'll be VERY close to 100% again. 

Like you said in your blog.....give it time, you'll be fine if you haven't been playing much.

From Katniss: Busier Now During the Pandemic

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I had told The Cueist and Katniss that if they wanted material in their sections of the blog, they would need to write about it. I have been teleworking since mid March and my workload has increased substantially due to COVID and therefore I haven’t had time to mentally add creative writing into my repertoire. 

I asked Katniss recently, “Do you have anything you want to write about for the blog?” Her response was, “Sorta! I just haven’t had time to write anything - been busy.”

 

WHAT?

 

I asked, “Let me get this straight. You no longer have your 2-3 leagues to play in and haven’t played any weekend or weekly tournaments, but you are short on time and busier?”

 

She kinda laughed, “Well, yes.”

 

I quipped, “Then why don’t you write about that first.”

 

A day later (yay!), she sent me this:

So, at the start of this world-wide Covid pandemic, we had nothing but time on our hands.  At the beginning of it, I truthfully enjoyed the extra time to relax and just not have any plans nor commitments. I also really liked not having to deal with people’s drama or attitudes at leagues and tournaments. Further, I also realized I relished not having to stay out late due to league.

Bottom line, I enjoyed doing NOTHING... because that's all we could do. 

I enjoyed it too much, though, and therefore my physical and mental health started to suffer. I started to pick up some unhealthy habits. I was disappointed in myself. 

Consequently, I started to practice more pool (I had plenty of time, right?). Then, as the days went on and on and the pandemic was still going strong… I started to wonder, “Why am I even wasting my time and effort?? The pool world will never be the same. I would NEVER get to compete again.”

Yep, I was having a pity party! Hence the unhealthy mental state reference.  

I decided I needed to make changes to both my mental and physical state. I started with small changes - diet and exercise. My exercise routine is now daily and it includes table time and walking. With the exercise came more energy. Imagine that?!  And what comes with extra energy? Yep, a happy mental state! 

So, yes, Melinda, my days are busier now than before the pandemic with my job (I am blessed I work in an essential position), my new physical/mental healthy habits, a new profound burst of energy, and a hunger to be at the pool table. Heck, I could REALLY, REALLY get used to this “NEW NORMAL”  ha!  

The difference between before and during the pandemic? 

I am taking time to take care of myself now, as opposed to trying to take care of my league and pool responsibilities (which caused stress at times). 

As the world is slowly opening up and tournaments are on the rise.....I am ready mentally and physically. This pandemic has taught me to slow down, but don’t give up!

From The Cueist - His Thoughts on Pool and the Pandemic

I told The Cueist and Katniss just last week that if they wanted material in their sections of the blog, they would need to write about it. I have been teleworking since mid March and my workload has increased substantially due to COVID and therefore I haven’t had time to mentally add creative writing into my repertoire. 

I wasn’t sure how they would respond.

But, luckily, they each said they had things they wanted to write about!  WHEW!

The Cueist was first:

I definitely don't mind giving a short dissertation at times. [LOL]

I do want to talk about the current pandemic closings and pool. Moreso, the ability to play or even the urge to play while keeping safe....let me ‘splain. 

 

Personally, I haven't hit a ball since March 16th, when I was still at the BCA in Vegas. That's exactly 4 months to the day today. I don't think I've gone this long without hitting a ball, ever! Sure, there's some chances to go out and play here or there, at some of the pool rooms that have been open for action, or sporadic tourneys. But it's such a tough decision for me not to go play right now. I don't worry about myself contracting Covid-19, but I worry about my parents contracting it all because I was being selfish and wanting to go play pool.

 

Not sure if you heard, but there was a small breakout of Covid within the pool community here in my state within the last few weeks. And prior to that, there was another breakout in a city close by. The first breakout seemed to center around a small, private poolroom that was open for action during the pandemic. It was being frequented every day by at least 30 different people in a small space. One person got symptoms, and then another, and then another. Next thing you know, six people that I personally know tested positive. I kept being invited to go play and get into action. But, I said no every time. Of course, my friends have ribbed me the whole time, but I'm having to set my pride aside for my family. In fact, one of the guys I know well was in direct contact with all six people and never showed symptoms. But, all of a sudden, his wife had symptoms and tested positive. Then their daughter showed symptoms too. But yet, he never once thought about staying home. Clearly he was in contact with the virus at some point, so he was obviously an asymptomatic carrier, or already had it. 

 

In that other city, one of the pool rooms finally was able to open, but then only for about a week or two. On the one Sat night it was open, though, there were a few big matches going on (about four matches, so eight players). Of course, there was also about 15-20 spectators that were in/out of the place that night. Shortly after that, about seven people tested positive, and another four showed symptoms but didn't get tested. They simply treated the symptoms. Again, I was invited to go due to me betting, but I turned down the invite and stayed home. One of the guys literally told me that the symptoms that he experienced can give the flu symptoms the 6-out (gotta love the pool talk). And he wished that he had never gone to the pool room. And as a result of him being sick, his brothers had to cancel plans to go to their family out of state for a week for fear of possibly getting them sick. 

 

So, I'm in limbo as far as pool is concerned. Of course, I miss the friends, the camaraderie, the banter, the competition. And I'm dying to go out and play when friends invite me. And I want to get in action myself, as much as everyone else. And quite frankly, it's killing me not going! Last year, I put in a lot of work on my game. And it showed (finally) by consistently doing well on the local tour and big tourneys, and action. And my Fargo improved by almost 50 points in a span of 8 months. I feel like all of that work is down the drain now. And I'm not sure if I want to go back to trying to improve again after all of this. Only time will tell I guess.

 

How Will You Fair After the Pandemic?

I've been thinking about how pool players' games will be after the pandemic. Specifically, after the pool rooms open, will your game go down because you didn't get to hit balls or play in tournaments?  Or will it go up because you worked on some things?  Or, will it be the same?

Here's my take:  

It is about the person; not the environment.

Are you surprised by my opinion?

It really does depends on YOU.  Let's look at some examples:

• Are you the type that NEEDS to hit balls to stay in stroke?  
• If so, then if you got to hit balls during the pandemic (have your own table at home or visited a friend often who had one), then your game is probably going to be the same. Lucky you!  As many will not fair as well.
• If you did not get to hit balls, then don't be frustrated if your game goes down a little when things open back up. Just know that it's normal and begin to hit balls again to get in stroke.
• Maybe you are new to the game and didn't really practice before?
• Therefore, no practice during the pandemic means your game will most likely be about the same. Pretty cool. huh?
• What if you didn't have access to a pool table? 
• Did you practice stroking into a bottle or watch videos? If you did. your game might have gone UP.
• Are you the type that has great fundamentals and a solid pre-shot routine?
• If you are, then even if you didn't hit one ball, you will still be playing well when the pool rooms open. I promise!
• And what if you didn't do a damn thing (lol), and you notice your game went up? 
• This is actually normal as well. Sometimes taking a break can be a really great thing for your pool game. But, it's hard to take breaks when you have leagues to play in or tournaments to attend. The pandemic kinda forced us into the "break" many could have used to improve.

So you see - it's not your environment, but what you did and/or what type of player you were before the pandemic.

Let me give a really drastic example, to help my point:

I do not know if you know any pool players that went to prison or not, but if you have, then this will make sense. Pool players that are strong on the table and top of our game, if they happen to find themselves in jail/prison for a long time, they will come out a strong player still, even without ever hitting a ball or learning more about pool while they were there. If they were a mediocre player going in, and they loved the game so much that they worked on their stroke by trying to shoot into an invisible coke bottle (or maybe something illegal, lol). then their game will be UP when they get back to society.  

photo credit

Same goes for the players who practice their stroke while in jail/prison. HOw do you do that without a pool table? You now how sometimes we get down in our stance to see if maybe our shirt rides up too high in the back, or if the shirt is too tight in the shoulders?  We get in our stance and stroke several times on an imaginary pool table to figure it out. Those who practice those strokes a lot in their environment, esp when they have no other way to improve, will fair well. As a matter of fact, pre-shot routines have improved after jail (or a pandemic, you'll see), if they practiced their stroke a lot over a chair or bed, or whatever.  

Here is something to really think about: when you practice your stroke on an invisible, imagery pool table, have you ever jumped up on your shots?  Shot too fast?  Exactly!  No you didn't.  Now you can understand how it would actually improve your game.

Again - it's about the PERSON, not the environment.