What do you do to Improve?

A friend of mine, Tina, has been working on her game so much so, that her persistence has paid off.  She recently won her end of season league tournament - a first for her!

Everyone has noticed her game has gone up and her stats and finishes have also soared. So, of course that led me to wonder what she was doing to improve.  But I didn't need to ask her.  If you follow her on social media, it's evident.  She WORKS on her game, works on improving, and works on learning.

Here's my question to some of you: Are you just playing pool?

First, if you are - that's fine!

But if you want to improve, what are you doing about it?

Don't be upset with me with the harshness of this statement, but:  just showing up at league or tournaments is not enough.

Tina doesn't just show up to her 'main' league and play pool.  She also plays in two other really tough leagues. Additionally, she plays in big tournaments around the DFW area, and sometimes in big tournaments in OK and other cities across Texas. She also plays on two tours (a ladies tour and a men's tour), and further, at times plays in weekly tournaments.

It's almost like she read my blog from the past where I shared many things one can do to improve your game.  I was ADAMANT many times that in order to improve, you MUST play in many different type of tournaments (yes, some tough); you aren't going to improve by just playing in league.

But, wait there's more!

If there is a stream on over the weekend, Tina has it on and she's watching. Watching great pool and patterns helps our game immensely (I've written about this before here).

side note: as I was writing the draft of this blog post last week, I noticed Tina posted this on her FB:

Proof she watches streams!

Oh, and guess what?

Yep, there's more!

She also practices.  She will either practice at home, meet up with league-mate at the pool room and hit balls before tournaments, or sometimes even go to the pool room and hit balls by herself.

Additionally, she reads.  I know, so rare! She will get out her reminders and go over them. Or she will grab a Phil Capelle's books and read some sections.

Further, she will sit herself in the front row of tournaments and watch matches while she waits for her own match to be called! I have written before about how crucial this is. And, she is taking advantage of the "free" learning lessons by watching the great matches right in front of her. She could be sitting in the corner reading a book, or drinking with her friends at the bar, or playing video games to pass time. Instead, she's using her time wisely.

See what she's doing?  She is working on her game!  She hasn't been playing pool for a long time, but for some reason, she knew in order to improve, she needed to put in work for her pool game to improve.

I can easily admit for the first 10 years of me playing pool, that that's all I did - just play pool.  I only played on some tour stops and played on a league, and then wondered why my game never went up.

It took me years to figure out I needed to put in work and not just show up to a tournament and hope for the best.  I finally set practice goals, read, watched DVDs, wrote in my pool diary after each match, practiced diligently, and played in a ton of different events. And guess what happened? Yep, my game improved. I became more successful in my tournaments, in my standings, and started to win tournaments.

What I love about Tina's journey is she knew pretty soon out of the gate that she if she wanted her game to improve, she needed to work on it. And, so she did!

Again, if you want to improve, are you just playing pool?

Phil Capelle Interview - Billiard Buzz April 2019

I was lucky enough to get to interview my friend (of almost 20 years) and esteemed billiards author of the Play Your Best Pool books (and more!) for the April 2019 edition of Billiard Buzz! I hope you enjoy learning more about Phil, all he has done for pool, and his long list of ideas for the future!

Tips to Help Negative Feelings During Matches - Project Hunger Games

Katniss (of the Project Hunger Game Series section of my blog) was telling me the other day she felt "off" during one of her matches at league and then she lost a crucial game because of it.

You all know me, I dove right in!

I asked her about 1,000 questions (give or take a few) to get to the bottom of what she was trying to describe.  What did "off" really mean, why did she feel that way, and what was going on?

Long story short, she wasn't comfortable and she was distracted because she had some negative feelings going on. Poor girl, she had a lot of things going against her. And as we all know, it's tough enough to already play our best without distractions lol.

Basically,

• She was playing in local bar that she didn't feel comfortable in (it was very small, it was crowded that night, and also on a bad side of town)
• The two tables were so close to each other, she would have to lean her butt on the other table at times to shoot well (difficult to get comfy and worried how cute our butts look, right?)
• The other team had people cheering for them loudly because it was their home bar
• She was having some issues with a teammate who was upset with her (who knows why - you know how women can be, lol)

Like I said, she had a lot of things going against her - distractions and some negative thoughts/feelings.  No wonder she felt "off" and didn't play her best.

I want to right away jump into what will help during your matches in the future if this happens to you.

There is a mental thing you can do and a physical thing you can do.

BUT....

FIRST.….

The most important thing before you can implement any tool during a match to help you when you might be struggling is, is you must learn early to become fully aware that there is something going on. You don't need to identify it, but if you realize and recognize early enough that you are bothered, upset, distracted, feel pressure, embarrassed, WHATEVER, then you will know it's time for you to implement tools during the match to help you regain confidence. "Hey, I'm not playing well because something is bothering me. I don't know what it is, but I can tell I'm upset for some reason, and my arms are a little wobbly, and my heart is racing."

Don't wait til after the match is over to realize something was bothering you and that's why you played badly. I admit this takes some conditioning to learn, but once you do - your game will skyrocket. Instead of Monday Morning Quarterbacking, you will be solving problems right away! So, keep aware of your state of mind, your emotions/feelings, that your body feels "off," etc - if you can identify soon that something is bothering you, then you will have time to use tools to help you.

I actually think this a huge part of your repertoire.

Now, let's get to the tips!

So, I gave her two suggestions of what to do when you are playing badly while feeling pressure, embarrassment, or have negative emotions:

(1) I've written about this before, of course, which was when Phil Capelle gave me advice on how to handle embarrassment. I was almost paralyzed from competing well for about a year because I had intense feelings of embarrassment and judgement. When you're feeling negative emotions, how can you possibly play your best pool? The way to combat that is to get your mind busy with something else. Pretty simple, but very powerful. He suggested I focus completely on my pre-shot routine and three-ball shape. It was a miracle worker! My brain was so busy focusing on those two things, it had no time to think about the judgement I felt I was under. So I told Katniss if she notices she is playing badly and also has negative emotions or feelings, that she needs to solely focus on three-ball shape and her pre-shot routine (fundamentals) because it keeps your mind busy.

(2) The second thing, which I think sometimes is more important, is when you are feeling pressure you need to stroke the ball more. I've also written about this before as this was a huge learning experience for me as well, but the key is a lot of times when we feel negative emotions (pressure, upset, embarrassed, etc) we simply don't shoot the same. We actually rush our shots when we feel pressure. So the way to combat that is to stroke your cue more. I know this seems opposite of what we've all been taught - that you should have a set pre-shot routine and stroke the same number of times (except for tough shots). However, when we are nervous, we only take two strokes, and therefore we aren't following our pre-shot routine anyway, lol. Furthermore, when we are nervous or feel pressure we honestly don't even realize that we are two-stroking at all because our brain is distracted with these weird sensations of nervousness and pressure.

I've actually been in situations where I'm playing in a tournament and I'm nervous, and someone will tell me, "Hey, you're two-stroking; slow down, take your time, stroke some more." I was SHOCKED! I had no idea I wasn't stroking normally - I thought I was! You see? These negative feelings and emotions can affect our routines. Therefore, if you become aware of negative emotions and you also recognize you are playing badly, then immediately start to stroke a few extra times when you are down on the ball. You'll be amazed how effective this is.

So these are two important things that you can utilize to help you play better when you are nervous or feel pressure. There are a ton of other things you can do (read more here about tips I shared from 2011), but these two things are golden.

I PROMISE.

Again, to even be able to start to use these items is you have to have self-awareness that you are nervous or feeling pressure in the first place. Sometimes we don't know til it's too late why we are struggling. Self-awareness really is one of the most important things because without it, there's no way to begin to correct what is going on.

Til next time!

Just Merely Six Years Ago

Facebook has this scientific algorithm thingy that shows you "memories on this day."  I admit, some memories we may not want to be reminded of (wow, did I really date that guy?), but there are some that are super cool to reminisce about.

Like this one, for example:

I am quite astonished that was 6 years ago!  Six years?  Wowser.

At this point in my pool journey, I had been playing pool in tournaments for about 23 years.

But, I really only started to improve noticeably and consistently about 3 years before that post on Facebook.  A few times over the 20 years I had a good finish here and there, but nothing like the strong, consistent years I had from my "finally" solid pre-shot routine from 2010-2015 and knowledge of the game.  In those 5 years, I shyly but proudly admit I was a super star in the leagues I was on - it was pretty cool to see my own game go up so much people were begging me to be on their teams :)


While this second place win wasn't the initial catalyst into the realm of me earning more titles, it DID help catapult me into the winner's circle consistently more often for the next two years to come outside of league.

That second place finish was a position on a Ladies Tour stop I never thought I could be in.  And then I ended up the year in 2nd place in the rankings of the OB Cues Ladies Tour!  OMG, that was even MORE of a place I never thought I would be in.  Just about a year later in March 2014 I DID finally win the coveted title I always wanted to win - BCAPL Singles Texas State Champion.  And then in May of 2014, I would become a National Champion.  I never, ever dreamed of that possibility!  And to top it off, at the beginning of 2015 I earned the "Amateur Pool Player of the Year for 2014" title by Phil Capelle.

I still finished strong in most events I played in in 2015, but by the middle of the year, that was when the thoughts of retirement started to occur.

My point of this blog post is to share this:  Don't wait 20 years like me to figure out this game.  Start taking lessons NOW.  Start playing in more tournaments NOW.  Start expanding your experience NOW - playing against tougher players, bigger tournaments, more team events, etc.  Start reviewing videos and reading more NOW.

Check this list out I wrote back in 2011 about the Top Ten Things I wish I knew 10-15 years ago, and DO THEM.

Here's what I know for sure:  I LOVE my pool journey.  And I actually love that it took me 20 years to be as successful as I was because I learned so much along the way, went to so many tournaments and met a ton of people, gained great friendships and have amazing experiences and memory-makers.  However, my advice is to not be like me (lol) and take the long route and have fun for years (and years), but instead start to make the changes you need to make NOW to improve your game faster.  :)

(but, if you want to take the long road, I'll be right by your side cheering you on!)

PLEASE Re-Read "Play Your Best Pool" for 8 Ball Strategy

One of my clients (friends? students? - heck, I still don't know what to call them!), anyway, one of them reminded me of something very important that I would like to share today.

Basically, I was told they forgot some of the key things that we went over the times we practiced together.  As reminder, I don't talk about English or things like that or even how to hold a cue or bridge - what I do talk about is strategy and the why's of choices.

The reason I feel my clients' admission is important is because I erroneously thought that talking about strategy during the entire 4-5 practice sessions was enough to retain the information.  And I was wrong!  And then I remembered why (read below for the many examples).

I was thinking about writing about this last month, but I hadn't had a chance to yet, and then I noticed that fellow blogger Darius talked about something similar at the end of September.

Basically, he said he likes to reread his favorite books because he then remembers something he had forgotten:

"Once I realized that knowledge disappears quickly from our minds, I’ve been re-reading and studying at least one good book a week. We must arm ourselves against the challenge of life by repeating the things we learn so often that they become a habit."

I can completely relate to this and I wish I would have remembered it for my client, as well. I think if I did, I would have had more sessions with them.

The reason I say this is, the first time I read Phil Capelle's Play Your Best Pool, that was when I realized that there were so many aspects to the game of 8 ball that I knew NOTHING about.  And, I just didn't know that until I read his book. But, I didn't retain everything I read the first time I picked up the book.

Luckily for me, for whatever reason, I decided to reread the 8-ball section of Play Your Best Pool before every single state and National Tournament 8 ball tournament I played in.

And what transpired was every time I read it, I as reminded of things I had forgotten.  Further, my game would improve in between those big tournaments and then things would make more sense when I read his book again.  And then I'd read it again before the next big tournament and again realize I forgot a certain strategy or proper sequence of shots.  My client was right - we do forget things.

I promise you that I read the 8-ball section of Phil Capelle's Play Your Best Pool before every single 8 Ball State and 8-ball Nationals tournament for almost 10 years straight.

So for me to think that my client would pick up strategy in just a few sessions, even though some of the strategy was the same, was completely incorrect thinking on my part.

There's so much to learn about the game, and there's so much to learn about 8 ball, and there's so much strategy that can come up every time you play, that you actually can learn something new all the time, right?  Even before I retired from competing when I would watch 8 ball matches, I would still learn something.

There's so much to the strategy of 8 ball that it is important to go over certain things often and or to be reminded of those things.

The thing is, when I started to play pool the first 15 years of playing, I didn't know any strategy about 8 ball.  I would make my stripes or solids.  Simple as that.  NO, Melinda, not as simple as that!  lol.  Therefore, reading Phil's book one time wouldn't help me.  Heck, reading it 10 times wouldn't help me.  BUT - continually reading it a few times every year would definitely help me.

That's why it's actually key for my clients to keep learning somehow - either lessons with me or other people, watching videos, or simply talking about 8 ball matches with your friends to discuss all the options and the why's.

And of course the final, obvious suggestion is to read at least 1 time by the end of the year the 8 ball section of Phil's Play Your Best Pool, and then several times every year after that.  One thing I can guarantee is your game will not go down - it will go up. So the risk versus the reward is golden for you to read that section over and over every year throughout the year.

Darius added:

"...I forgot almost everything I learned more than a year earlier (of the book I read). And there’s no way you can remember even a quarter of a book you read three years ago."

Of course what I want to do is grab a hold of my clients and have a ton more sessions with them so I can personally help them remember.  But, since that isn't feasible (we all have to work at our day jobs, right?  lol), my advice is to AT LEAST re-read Phil's Capelle's 8 ball section of Play Your Best Pool at least 4 times a year.

I want to reiterate (see what I'm doing here?) that I didn't become an 8 ball champion overnight.  I didn't win my first 8 ball tournament overnight.  I didn't win my first 8 ball tournament after reading his book.  But! I did learn more and more each time I read that section of his book - because I either forgot some things, or because my game got better and things made more sense.  

One final tidbit - I didn't read word for word the entire section 4 times a year the last few years, but I would go over all the pages I starred, or dogeared, or the parts I highlighted - those are the things I would go over before big tournaments.

Give yourself an even better opportunity to do well in your 8 ball tournaments.  Understanding the strategy of 8 ball is a repetitive learning of new things and old.

If you don't even listen to anything I say in my blog, please at least take this advice to heart.  I promise it will help you.  And I don't make promises lightly!

Yelling at Streams

I fully admit I'm not the best 8-player in the world.  But, hey, I'm not shy at all to admit I do know the game well.

Just to brag a minute to prove my mad 8ball skillzzz:  3-time Texas State scotch doubles champion, ACS State Champ, BCAPL State Champ, 2-time ACS and 2-time BCAPL Women's National Team event Champs, several State level and league level 8ball championships, etc, etc.

As a matter of fact, when I give lessons it's usually on 8ball strategy because of my enhanced knowledge of the game.  I have said before much of it is due to reading numerous times Phil Capelle's book, Play Your Best Pool (as I learn something new every time I read it it seems), but also due to the ton of experiences I gained in all the 8ball league and 8ball tournaments I played in the last 15 years.  (I say 15 years because I wasn't really paying attention to the nuances of the game for the first 10 years of my pool journey).

Because of all the above (skills, experience, and history of giving lessons), I found myself yelling at the BCAPL Nationals stream the other day a couple of weeks ago!  They were streaming some of the matches live from Vegas.

You see, I'm watching these players on the stream compete in the 8ball division and I am shocked they keep making their open balls when they have other balls in clusters or can't be made.

I live alone and so all of a sudden I wake my rescue Pitbull who was napping on the floor, as I yell, "PLAY SAFE!  Omg, play safe!"  As she comes running to me all excited thinking I was talking to her lol.

I don't understand people who keep shooting their open balls in when they can't run out!  I shake my head in disbelief and want to grab them for a 2-hour 8ball strategy session on the table right away lol.

Here's the thing peeps, if you can't run out, you don't MAKE your open balls!  Instead, you punt them and move them to a better position to break up clusters or give you yourself a better chance of running out at your next turn.

The chick on my little phone on the stream was making wide open balls while her and her opponent both had balls tied up.  "PLAY SAFE!  Omg, please, don't make that... shit... she made it."  Then I asked my phone, "Now what is she going to do??"

Yep, she didn't get out, and she lost a great opportunity to be in the best position over her opponent.

Both players didn't know the true strategy of 8ball so they both left themselves with clusters of balls and now stuck with no good opportunities to break things up.  It was a train wreck for sure lol.

I will repeat myself because it's that important.  Don't make your open balls if you can't run out.  Instead, play safe by moving your open ball to a better position to help you in the near future.

PLEASE!  :)

Watching Good Strategy

I have mentioned before that I give lessons.  I don't show anyone how to hold a stick or adjust their bridge, I mostly work with players who are already a good player, they just could use help in areas such as strategy or decision making.

Most of the things I talk about are the things I learned from Phil Capelle's book, Play Your Best Pool, or things I've picked up from playing 8 ball competitively for so many years.  Okay, mostly his book, lol. 

One thing that came up at the OKC tournament in January that was quite cool was one of my "clients" (is that what you call someone you give lesson to?) was able to watch me play 8 ball.

Now, luckily I played well LMAO otherwise this blog post would be quite different, lol, but because I played good and smart and ALWAYS followed my own 8 ball advice that I give, this client was able to see my words and advice in action.

It's kinda tough to explain, but usually it's me talking to her about what to do or why I am going to do something as we spar with each other.  Her watching me play was a huge opportunity for her.  She sat there and watched me battle it out, safe after safe or run after run.  When I would do something, like play a safe instead of going for a shot, she would know EXACTLY why I did that.  And when I play safe, I ALWAYS move one of my balls to a better spot.  So, when I would play safe she knew EXACTLY why I might punt a solid back down table, for example.

It was a treat for us both, actually.  The match she watched went hill-hill and my opponent was a really good player.  We both were battling it out and playing well and smart.  So, this "client" was able to see my decision making and able to kinda see all my advice right in front of her.  She saw what I preached.  (I repeat certain things in 8 ball a lot when I give lessons, lol)

The one thing I would love to do with her next (if ever possible) is to watch a great 8ball match together and talk about the decisions of the players.  I think she will be surprised I can guess what they will do - why?  Because I'm psychic?  Not yet.  No, because all good 8 ball players know good strategy.  Even if we were get to watch a good 9ball match together, I would love to share the whys of certain shots.  One of my favorite places to sit when I used to watch tournaments in person was next to someone who liked to talk about why the players were choosing certain shots or playing certain balls.  HUGE learning opportunity.

This game isn't easy, folks!  Love learning and sharing the learning!

Introducing: Capelle's Columns - 21 Years of Pool Instruction

Phil Capelle's new book is out!

Phil has been a columnist in Pool and Billiard magazine for 21 years, and EVERY SINGLE column is in this book!

And, oh, hey, look:  My name is on the first page!  (click photo to enlarge or buy your own copy via his website)

Okay, okay, enough about me.

This book is huge!  512 pages to be exact!  Photo doesn't do it justice, at all:

It contains:

• 430 Diagrams​
• Discoveries from Capelle’s research
• Cross referenced
• Position play
• Shotmaking
• Fundamentals
• Safeties
• 9&10 Ball
• Eight Ball
• Straight pool
• Pro’s analyzed
• Mental game
• Much more …

Order yours today to get it by Christmas!

Help Phil Capelle and his next Book

My friend and book author, Phil Capelle, has a Go-Fund-Me campaign set up to help print his next book.  It will be a book that contains each of his 250 columns that were printed in Pool and Billiards!

That's articles from May 1996 to July 2017. 

WOW!  That's dedication!

The only thing I've done​ consistently since 1996 is gain weight.  hahaha

Read all about the project and what your contribution will directly help.  He also has donations levels - that means you get something in return for every donation.  That's pretty new huh?  Usually people want something for nothin.

Here is a link with ALL the details, including a video where we get to hear in his own words about his vision:  https://www.gofundme.com/capelles-pb-250

Thank you for any help to make this come to fruition for Phil - one of the best billiard authors of our time.

Learning Differences of 9ball vs 8ball

I have always found it interesting how I couldn't get enough of learning about 8ball from Phil Capelle's books, yet I never read any parts of his 9ball books.

Even his BEST book (imho), Play Your Best Pool, has both a 9ball and 8ball section.

The 8ball portion (of the two copies I own) has so many sections highlighted, pages dog-eared, sentences underlined, pages spattered with sloppy hand-drawn stars near amazing advice, etc.  That part of the book is WORN OUT!

Yet if you flip through the pages of the 9ball section in the same book, it looks brand new - nothing touched or written on.  Every page clean and pristine.

Although I feel my best game is 8ball, I play a darn good game of 9ball, too.

I wonder why the difference in learning styles for these two games for me?

Is it because I play more 9ball and learned a lot from others throughout the years so I feel my 9ball game is pretty good based on on-the-job-training (lol), 3-ball shape, taking my time, and having good fundamentals?

I didn't know all the beautiful strategies of 8ball until I read his book.  8ball is one of the most amazing, thought-provoking games out there that I never realized UNTIL I read his book.  After I read it the very first time, that year I became a BCAPL Master player (in 2006 or so).

As a matter of fact, every single year before I play in 8ball singles of State or Nationals, I would reread the 8ball section as a great refresher.

For 9ball?  I don't really do any preparing like I do for big 8ball tourneys.  I just focus on my 3-ball shape and years of experience, and try to tame my mind and get mentally tough/focused.

Wierd, huh?

Even typing all this out doesn't give me the urge to go read the 9ball section.  I guess I feel comfortable with my 9ball game because I've been so successful with it.  Can you imagine if I would have read his 9ball books YEARs ago?  It would have saved me a lot of time!

The Dog Ate My Homework

I was promised my friend Ann that I would give her my Play Your Best Straight Pool book by Phil Capelle.  I left it out upstairs a week or so ago so I wouldn't forget it for the Omega tourney this weekend.

I came home Monday night to this:

So, I had my dog, Lily, write a note to Ann publicly via Facebook:

Dear Ann.

My Mom told me I need to write you an apology letter. I'm really, really sorry I chewed the book she was going to give you. She shouldn't have left it out where I could get to it! I didn't know it was for you, I just saw easy access to something new! But, I was mad at her for leaving me for a few days and saw my opportunity to get back at her. It's really her fault.

Sincerely, Lily.

Honored by Phil Capelle

Pretty cool when famous billiards author Phil Capelle asks you to review his new book and then you find your quote in the book!

Just received this gem in the mail yesterday:

My own personally-signed copy!

Here is my review:

(click to enlarge)

Six Words to Pool GREATNESS is now available via his website for ordering TODAY.  Shipping cost is included, too :)

If you loved his "Laws for Pool" in his A Mind for Pool book, then you'll enjoy this book even more.

Competing Helps Real Life

The other day I received an email from a dear friend.  In it, he told me, "I applaud your devotion you had for you Mom.  All the tough situations you went through, the heart you've developed as a pool player was invaluable to help you through it all."

I admit I wasn't sure what he meant.  So, the nosey person in me asked him.

And he replied with words that I'm still shocked by:

"It means the resilience that you have developed as a pool player - the ability to overcome adversity, pick yourself up, and get going again - helps you in difficult situations."

Did he really just say all that?

It sure does put quite the spin on just "competing" in pool (or any sport), doesn't it?

While I didn't see that in myself over 4 years because of the grief and depression I could barely climb out of bed for, it's been pointed out to me on numerous occasions that ALL my big title wins were during those years.

It's funny though, that he said this, because I actually never thought of that and usually see the reverse:  When I find myself in a pressure situation in a tourney or I'm in the finals of an event, or I can feel the adrenaline moving through my veins and pumping my heart feverishly, I sometimes use life learning experiences to calm myself down:

"This is /nothing/ Melinda.  You found a loved one pass away. "

or, 

"Why are you so nervous?  You had to speak in front of 200 people you didn't know through sobbing tears and absolute heartbreak about your Dad after he passed."

So, to read his take on the reverse - using what I learned in pool to help me through adversity in life - is not only huge compliment because of the words he chose ("heart," for example), it's also because I never really thought of that before.

P.S.  I was reminded that A Mind for Pool by Phil Capelle touches on this.  :)

Name in a BOOK?

Boy was I surprised to see my name in Phil's most recent book, Play Your Best 9abll and 10ball:

(click photo to enlarge)

"Longtime friend, Melinda Bailey" 



:)


Phil and I have a great relationship and have a lot in common with our lives.  We are like lost souls and very helpful and supporting to each other.  I am HONORED to be called a friend.  

Played Like Me

The other day I was talking to a female captain of one of the ladies leagues. 

She was talking about the strengths of her players and also what they should work on. 

And then she shared that one of her players needs to work on being patient and see more of the strategy of playing 8-ball. 

She added, "I beat her the other night and I told her afterwards, "I beat you by playing like Melinda.""

I was like, "omg, really?"  lol.  But I admit that was such a huge compliment to me!

This captain knows how much I love the strategy of 8ball (her and I have practiced together a couple of times just talking 8ball strategy) and that is why I win almost 95% of my games.  I am always recommending Play Your Best Pool by Phil Capelle because it has helped me THE MOST with 8ball strategy.

How to Get Rid of Embarassment Feelings

During the Best of the Rest playoffs for my women's league, in the middle of the second day, during a tough, close match, I noticed one of my teammates walked briskly outside after she lost her match.

Being the person that I am, I went outside to talk to her and see how she was doing.

She sat on this cement ledge and was pretty much in tears.

I asked her what was going on and she wasn't sure.  She had just lost another match of the day, though, and was trying to figure out why.  She played timid today and didn't play like her normal self, but she couldn't figure out why.

And she was so upset at herself for losing because we were in a tough, close match now. I tried to explain to her that it is a TEAM event and that I personally had just lost a match, too, and so we had both contributed to the lopsided score.

She was in tears, "but I play better.  And now we are losing...." her voice trailed off and she had to look away from me.  She was sad, upset, and ashamed.  I felt so badly for her to be in such turmoil.

I told her we haven't lost yet!

She was then trying to figure out, while talking out loud with ideas, what the hell was going on with her.  Why was she missing so much.  Why was she not playing like usual.  After brainstorming together, she finally realized that she was embarrassed.  That something had happened earlier in the day and now she was not confident (like she normally is) and she was missing and worried what others were thinking or judging her.

I IMMEDIATELY shared with her what Phil Capelle shared with me when I went through this for a several brutal, tough months many years ago.

I told her the only way to get through this was to keep her mind busy.  You do that by thinking ONLY about your fundamentals, only about the balls on the table, only about what your options are on the table, only about staying down, and the execution of your stroke.  I explained that concentrating on those "items" keeps your mind preoccupied and wont give it enough space/time in your brain to feel embarrassed because it will be busy.

I know - embarrassment is a very negative feeling that can almost paralyze you.  IT SUCKS. lol.

She let the words sink in and then we had to go back inside to play.  Her and I were both up.  We both had to win our matches.  It was GO time. 

I looked over at her table and I saw her playing with more confidence and making more balls!  She wasn't timid anymore, she was in control and confident.  And she played GREAT - like she had the whole year.  After she won, she looked over at me and she was smiling SO big, and then she blew me a kiss with extreme happiness!  I don't think I've ever seen her smile with that much passion and happiness before!  She was ECSTATIC.

I won my game too and since that was the hill-hill game (that she handed to me to win because she won), we were still on the winner's side of the playoffs!.

I joked with her later that I helped her from jumping off the cliff to her demise (since she was sitting on that cement ledge that was 2 whole feet off the ground, lol).  She hugged me tightly and whispered. "thank you so much."

Hope this helps others someday, too!  Enjoy!

Here is another tip about reversing those feelings into positiveness (click here from a past blog entry).

Awarded Best Pool Blog!

I can't begin to express how cool it was when I received a message from Phil Capelle two weeks ago:  "I read in BD that you won blog of the year - it is in the July issue - I have not seen you mention it, is this news to you?"

OMG DID I REALLY??

I was out of town for work and told him my Billiards Digest magazine was prolly sitting on my counter, waiting for me to open it when I returned.

Sure enough, I open the magazine right when I get home and read with my won eyes my blog won "Best Pool Blog"!!

// big smile //

My blog has come in second place I think twice, and always wondered why I hadn't won the TOP honor because I don't know anyone else that blogs as much as I do (I blog 10-15 times a month).  Most other blogs are WAY outdated, and yet they would still win the top spot, so I was confused.  But, the author did mention my blog's template is 'cumbersome' (one other time they didn't like the colors), so maybe it's not my content, but how it looks is why I hadn't inched up to the top podium til now.

Further, to HEAR I won before I READ about it, was pretty cool, too, I admit! 

I can't begin to share with you how excited I am about this!  I really do love blogging and I make notes all the times for future blog entries so I don't forget to write about certain situations.  Writing in my blog would be the number one thing I would miss if I stopped playing pool (and so I would have to figure out a way to keep writing about pool!).

A HUGE thank you for Billiards Digest for the including me as one of their winners of their 2015 Web Awards!!  I'm very honored!  (and happy)  :)

 (Click on either photo to enlarge)

Pressure for BCAPL Nationals?

I have written over a 100 times probably on my blog over the years that expectations are pretty much the root of evil for me.

And yet here I sit, less than two weeks away from the 2015 BCAPL Nationals, so do I have any expectations?

You bet I do!  I am a pool player, after all ;)

I shouldn't be nervous though - I haven't prepared or hit balls, so I should feel any nerves.  And while I know I play my absolute best not thinking of the future, I admit I am not doing well with that.

The last few times I was unprepared for State events, I earned first place trophies in the BCAPL Texas State tourney in 2014 and 2015.  But this is a national BCAPL event.  One I haven't placed high in singles before.  My highest was 9th, and that was prolly about 12 years ago.

However....

• I KNOW I'm better now. 
• I KNOW I know the game of 8 ball very well.
• Physically, I am doing better than usual. 
• I KNOW after playing good scotch doubles I should be really be warmed up well for singles.
• I think my partner and I can do real well in scotch doubles.  REAL well - we have a great chance - IF I can hold it together and NOT think ahead of the possibilities like I already am  :( 

I should be going over these two books in the next week and a half to mentally prepare myself:

But will I?  I am being pretty lackadaisical for sure this time around.

Since pool isn't a priority in my life right now, I'm really not doing anything to prepare for this big tournament.  But yet - it means a lot to me and I would LOVE to finish well as my last hurrah.  Kinda of like gaining weight, ya know?  We WANT to lose weight, and it's on our minds, but we don't really put a lot of effort into it lol.

And this is what I also know:

• I am not as mentally tough as I have been the last few years for some reason.
• I haven't prepared AT ALL for this event.
• I am slowing down in playing league and pool in general, and what if this is my "last hurrah" to play BCAPL Nationals and I dog it?

Well, let's put this in perspective:

Will it be the end of the world if I don't place well?

Nope. 

Will I still be a good person in life, even if I don't place well?

Yep.

Will I still be proud of myself?

Yep.

And what if I don't even get in the money? (although my personal goal would be to get deep in the money)  Would I be okay?   Would I be okay knowing I didn't get moved up yet again?  Would I be okay knowing I might have lost my last opportunity to do well in this event because I may not play in it again any time soon?

Absolutely!

I have had so much success in many other tournaments in the past few years, if I don't do well in this one this year, I should be okay with myself.  Because, as I said - it wont be the end of the world if I don't place well.

As one of my friends has told me over and over in the last few years, winning or losing doesn't define me.  

Glad I wrote my thoughts down.  Whew!  I already feel better and much less pressure!

No, go out there and have fun, Melinda!

Amateur Pool Player of the Year for 2014

On January 6th, I got a really amazing surprise.

Renowned billiards author Phil Capelle announced his choice for Amateur Player of the Year.

ME!

He had asked me earlier in December for my accomplishments for 2014, and then I forgot about it.  Until, January 6th:

Melinda Bailey –
POOL’S AMATEUR PLAYER OF THE YEAR FOR 2014

I am happy to announce that Melinda Bailey is my choice for Pool’s Amateur Player of the Year in 2014!

Amateur pool is the backbone of our sport, and in 2014 no player exemplified the spirit of an amateur more than Melinda Bailey of Forth Worth Texas. Melinda’s regular job is with the National Weather Service, but she finds the time on nights and weekends to compete in leagues and tournaments, and she travels all over playing in state and national events.

She also was a prominent member of the team that ran the Hunter Tour, and she recently founded and runs the Omega Billiards Tour in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. She’s also has worked with AZ Billiards and has been the webmaster for numerous billiards sites (including billiardspress.com), and Melinda continues to blog about her life in pool at http://pooljourney.blogspot.com/ where she shares the thoughts of an amateur with complete candor and conviction. In recognition of her play and contributions to the game, she appeared on the cover of Bad Boys Billiard Online Magazine’s first edition, and was interviewed in the July issue of Billiards Digest.

Now for the best part: After years and years of competing and working on her game, the damn broke loose for Melinda in 2014 as she enjoyed the kind of year most of us only dream about. In a two month span she won state wide singles and doubles titles, then captured an individual title at the ACS Nationals and two additional ACS team titles! Melinda also won or placed in the top four in several other competitions. Her record in 2014.

Monday league team playoffs, 1st place (Jan)
Monday league singles tourney, 2nd place (Feb)
BCA Texas State Scotch Doubles, 1st place (April)
BCA Texas State Women's Singles, 1st place (April)
ACS Nationals Women's 9-Ball Singles, 1st place (May)
ACS Nationals Women's 9-Ball Team event, 1st place (May)
ACS Nationals Women's 8-Ball Team event, 1st place (May)
Men's league team playoffs, 1st place (June)
ACS Texas State Women's Singles, 4th place (October)
Women's league individual standings for 2014, 2nd place (October)
Women's league team playoffs, 2nd place (November)

I could NOT believe it!

And then I was overwhelmed with all the comments from follow players!  OVERWHELMED. 

Here is the photo he used (he said it showed my lefthanded-ness well, lol):

This screen capture also shows that it was shared 19 times and has 84 comments!  WOW!

I'm still speechless.  Someone noted that it doesn't say male or female, and Phil responded that was intentional.  Did I really have that great of a year last year in pool??  I had one of the the worse years in my life personally off the table, but somehow managed to play good pool?  Really?

While there is no "official" Amateur Player of the Year award, Phil decided after seeing all my accomplishments, to announce this. 

Again, all the comments and praise and accolades really meant a lot.  To be singled out and recognized was pretty cool.  I didn't even realize anyone had noticed.  Heck, I didn't even really realize the year I had had!!

Thank you to all my friends and fellow pool players for their love and support!  And thank you to all my competitors who helped me become a better player towards all the finals I eventually played in!

Preparing For a Tourney

How do you prepare for a tourney?

Wait, do you prepare? Or do you just show up?

Honestly, it's okay if you do.  But even a few little mental preparations are better than nothing. 

Some people hit ball, hit balls, hit balls.  

Me, personally, I prepare by envisioning myself taking my time on my shots, and staying down well.  I have to keep that in mind or else I will rush my shots and that is NOT good for me.  It hurts my success, so I need to ensure to remember to not be in a rush.  Yes, I say "remember" because I do still forget sometimes.  So, that is my personal preparation.   

Visualization is very important and a big part of my preparation:

The advantages of sport visualization are extremely numerous. Athletes can use it to motivate themselves to train at their best. It helps you put things into perspective about what things are important and it also helps you block out any impending negative thoughts. Few activities can get an athlete psyched up like sport visualization.

(read more about sports visualizations HERE.)

Some people practice their break.  One of my friends' husband just borrowed a magic rack from me because he is playing in a big 10-ball event that will use magic racks and so he wants to practice his break with it.   Pretty impressive really to realize to work on that - and it's over a month away!  But, he doesn't play 10 ball nor has he ever broke with a magic rack before.

One thing I learned from one of Phil Capelle books is to also be prepared for the unknowns.

Wait, what?  How do you do that?

I wrote about this before, but it's been awhile so I wanted to remind people as this is a new year with new goals and new tournaments that you want to play in.

Basically. ...

I think it's very important to prepare for the UNKNOWN conditions of your tournament BEFORE you get to the tournament.

Specifically, these unknowns:

1. Equipment
2. Temperature
3. Surroundings

What?  How can I prepare for the conditions before I'm even at the pool room, or have practiced on the table to see how it rolls?... you might be asking yourself.

Let me 'esplain:

Equipment:
You should be aware and be prepared that the equipment may not be the best.  To help combat your frustrations with non-perfect tables, consider that everyone is playing under the same conditions.  Yes, we would like pristine conditions, but let's be realistic - there may be holes in the cloth, dead rails, plastic/clumsy racks/pockets, bad lightning.  I have played in a pool tournament with all of these conditions on one table before!  If you let yourself get upset over these things (things which you can't control), then you are not focusing on pool.  You are letting things interfere with your pool game that has nothing to do with being mentally able to focus completely on the task at hand.

Temperature:
Same for the temperature in the pool room.  Be prepared that some pool rooms get exceptionally cold or hot!  Bring an extra sweater or over shirt with sleeves as a backup in case the room is cold.  Better to have this as a backup than you not being able to play because your arms are frozen.  In the Summer in Texas, sometimes the A/C breaks or freezes and it gets hotter inside than out (no joke).  We play in these conditions a lot, believe it or not.  If you are consumed with negative thoughts about how damn hot it is, then you aren't focusing on pool again.  Don't let the negative energy of being upset about something YOU HAVE NO CONTROL OVER affect your pool game.

Atmosphere/Surroundings:
Now for the atmosphere - you never really know what you might be getting into.  Even if you've played in this particular tourney 1,000 times, maybe this time there is a heckler, or they get a new waitress who is the worst server ever, or the guys on the next table are clueless and keep getting in your way when you shoot.  Be prepared for everything; for anything.  Know that things may not be perfect; accept that!  Accept that you have no control over your surroundings.  When you do, then you can instead focus on playing your best pool, so the distractions do not become a negative and interfere with your matches.

Nothing is worse than distractions affecting your mental game.  Distractions are negative emotions that cause negative thoughts which leads to not thinking clearly which causes tenses muscles and your fundamentals become affected.  Negative thoughts and emotions CAN be tamed.  These tips above can help if you practice them.

This is a good reminder - to not let things bother us that we cannot control.  If you accept that things may go wrong and NOT let them bother you, you can then focus on playing pool; your best ability to play pool.  Don't let any of the above become YOUR excuse for losing.  Or for not playing your best.  Before you set foot into the pool room to play in the tourney, already be prepared for the unknown distractions so you can PLAY POOL with a clear, positive, strong mind.