Seeing Improvement in an Unexpected Way - Project Hunger Games

I received a message from Katniss (the pool player of the Project Hunger Games section of my blog) last month, and as usual, I was super excited to hear from her!  Usually that means a blog topic will creep up in our discussion and I will get to write about it and share it with you all!

She said, "I’m not sure if you watch many pool matches online, but there are these two guys playing a race for $500.  It's on FB Live.  I see some awesome blogging ideas."

Hey, wait a second!  Is she telling me I should write about a certain topic?  WTH, I thought that was my job?

lol.

I told her, "Let me know the topics!"

And she shared, "Too much body movement while making their shots. On guy especially is the worst. I have to give them props, though, for matching up and recording it."

Of course I had to dig deeper (you all know me!)

"What do you mean exactly, please?"  

She laments, "That guy just lets go of a shot, and then his body moves. Kinda like he is willing it to go in...  with his body.  The other guy is missing, also, while moving.  His misses may be from nerves, too?  He's missing more than usual.  They are both missing badly."

I told her, "Interesting."

She continued, "I’m just not use to seeing them play so badly like this. It also didn’t help that I was watching the Mosconi Cup warm-up matches. I was watching pro’s play with great form and technique before I was watching these local players play lol."

I could go on and on and on about the importance of staying down and staying still, but like I said recently, I'm trying not to write novels so I can blog more frequently (so here is a link to a previous blog post about the importance of "stillness").

Instead, what I really REALLY want to point out is:  how much Katniss is improving!  You see, let's say a player named Cindy (made up name) is not working on her game or trying to improve, Cindy would never have noticed such an important part to our pre-shot routine of staying down: being still.

This tells me SO much about Katniss!

It tells me just how far Katniss's game has come. Cindy may be watching the gambling match because it's fun and exciting to watch. She is most likely watching to see if they are winning or not. But, is Cindy noticing the shots or patterns they are trying to make?  Did she notice they are moving their body a lot and maybe that's why they are missing?

If she's not trying to improve or work on her game, the answers are no.

When you notice things such as stance, body movement, not staying down - that's an extremely good indicator of your own game improving!

Cueist Project: That Miss - Lesson 1, Easy Shots

The Cueist recently had learning lessons from a crucial miss. I will share each lesson in separate blog posts.

Today we will talk about Lesson #1: Taking shots for granted.

Here is the story:

I'm deep in a big state tournament. My opponent is spotting me 1 game and in a matter of about 10 mins, I'm down 4/1. I claw my way to being down only 5/3, and he misses his last ball. I only have 4balls on the table and I have the break on the hill game. Heck yeah, that's exactly what I wanted! I make my first ball, stop shot. Take a breath. 2nd ball, good shape. Take a breath. 3rd ball, had to go 2 rails for shape w/ inside English. Nail it and took a breath. Last ball before the 8 ball, and I have to draw it back off of the rail w/ outside English. Well, I didn't HAVE to do that, but that was going to get me perfect shape on the 8ball. I get down on the shot feeling a bit nervous and single stroked the shot, while chicken-winging it, and jumping up at the same time. Then took a breath. LOL. Cost me the match of course.

Cueist added:

Prior to me missing that shot, I had to grind and stay in the match. And in that last game, I honestly thought he was out. Then all of a sudden, he missed. I never got nervous during the first couple of shots. I actually attribute the miss a few different things....

It was such as easy shot, that I took it for granted. I basically just had to make the last shot and not scratch anywhere on the table, and I'd be able to make the 8ball.

But, I took it for granted.

I think we can all relate to this. We bear down on the tough shots, right? Stroke a little more, breathe a little more, stay down. But here comes the easy ones and we two-stoke it, or don't stay down, or rush it. What the @#%#&%&**(&!

I once watched a one pocket match for $5 a game 15 years ago against two guys in their 60s. I was SO surprised when one guy would stroke the ball 4-5 times on straight-in stop shots. I was like, "What the hell is he doing?"

He was giving each shot the courtesy and time that it deserved. He had enough years of experience under his belt to know that even the easy shots could be missed and cost him money. He took his time and was intentional in his efforts, intentional on every single shot - even the easy ones. And, it helped him!

The point is, we all at times rush our shots, but more so ESPECIALLY in the heat of the moment and under pressure. That's why it's so key to get your pre shot routine down!

So, be wary of the easy shots!

Now, Cueist plays good and has a solid pre shot routine, but you will find out in the upcoming learning experiences there were other things going on that impacted that damn easy miss, errr, that shot,

(yes, you have to wait some more, lol)

Cueist Project: That Miss - Intro

I think we all have that one shot we reflect on where we were at a critical point of a big tournament, we can feel our tournament life on the line, and we can sense what a big moment it is. And as we reflect back, we then see that stupid, damn, easy shot we missed!!

I can picture mine like it was yesterday. It was a team event at BCA State. I had a very simple straight-in shot on the 8 ball in the side. If I make it, then my teammate gets to the play the hill-hill game. But instead, I miss it.

As soon as I missed it, I start jumping up and down and exclaim, "I was nervous! I two-stroked it! I didn't stay down!"  You know, because when embarrassment kicks in, we want to explain to everyone watching why we dogged it, lol.

That miss might have been 10 years ago. I still remember it clearly.

However, it taught me the most valuable lesson of all - to stay down on my shots when I'm nervous and to stroke more when under pressure.

Of course that was not the first time I dogged it - but it was the first time in a that crucial of a moment - and that's when we learn the most from.  I've dogged 1,000 nine balls.  But it was that 8-ball for the team win that haunts me most, but most importantly, it's the miss I learned from the most.

The Cueist recently had a similar experience, learning lessons from a crucial miss. Damn misses!

Here is his story:

I'm deep in a big state tournament. My opponent is spotting me 1 game and in a matter of about 10 mins, I'm down 4/1. I claw my way to being down only 5/3, and he misses his last ball. I only have 4balls on the table and I have the break on the hill game. Heck yeah, that's exactly what I wanted! I make my first ball, stop shot. Take a breath. 2nd ball, good shape. Take a breath. 3rd ball, had to go 2 rails for shape w/ inside English. Nail it and took a breath. Last ball before the 8 ball, and I have to draw it back off of the rail w/ outside English. Well, I didn't HAVE to do that, but that was going to get me perfect shape on the 8ball. I get down on the shot feeling a bit nervous and single stroked the shot, while chicken-winging it, and jumping up at the same time. Then took a breath. LOL. Cost me the match of course.

So what did he learn?

Well, I'll keep you in suspense!

He actually talks about 4 very important aspects of that miss.  And they are too important to talk about in just one blog post.  Plus, it would make for a very long read and I don't want to lose your attention (uh, hello?)

Stay tuned!

And while you are waiting with bated breath, what do you think his learning experiences were?  Write them down and compare your notes in the follow days.

Being Sneaky/Clever Giving Advice

I wrote back in March that a friend didn't know I played pool.  After he looked through my pool blog, he would tell me later he could tell I played well just by seeing photos of me, because my chin was so close to my cue.  Read more about that here.

I have a confession. While that did indeed occur....And while my friend did tell me that that is the sign of a good player... I really only wrote about it as a way to remind another friend (who I know reads my blog) the importance of being low on our shots.

I know, shame on me for being sneaky and underhanded.

But I have an excuse!

Don't we all?  lol

You see, I am the type of "coach" that will not change anyone's stance or bridge or teach someone how to hold a cue or anything like that. I mostly talk about strategy. Therefore, I coach/help people who already know how to play pool. I simply fine-tune their knowledge about strategy.

I also talk about mental toughness and share advice that can help us be more confident.  I also might talk about how one "walks into a shot" or how effective sitting up straight is, things like that.  But I don't change mechanics.

I'm not an expert at that, so I share what I know best - strategy and mental toughness advice.  Further, changing up the physical part of someone's game can really throw them off. And because I'm not knowledgeable in that area, no reason to make them worse hahaha.

However, I AM an observant person. So when I see something, I might try and bring it up in a way to not affect someone's game.

And this happened back in January.  I noticed during a session that one of my students/clients/friend wasn't low on her shots when she was shooting. She doesn't get super low on her shots anyway, but I noticed during this session her body was up higher when she shot; more than usual for her.

I was hesitant to say anything, but thought better of it. I knew in my heart if she was lower on her shots, she would be more successful.

So I causally said about two hours into the session, "Hey, I wanted to show you something..." and then I got in my stance and was low on my pretend shot over the pool table.  I continued, "I wanted you to see that when I separate my legs a little more, I get lower on the shot, AND I am actually more solid in my stance."  And then I kind of bended my knees a little bit up and down (kind of like a soft bounce) to show how solid it really feels (and looks).

She looked at me and said, "Yea, well I can't see the shot well when I'm low in my stance.  And today I am real tight in my neck and shoulder area right now.  I think I need a massage or something."

I confided carefully, "You know I don't like to talk about mechanics..." She replies, "Yes I know."
 
I continued, "And you kinda of already shoot not being real low in your stance, and that's your style. But I noticed you seem to be higher than usual on your shots today."  And she added, "Yea, besides my neck being stiff, I'm a little hungover, too."  ahahha

Yes, that will do it as well - if we don't feel good, we don't always get in our same stance.  Remember, the stance is part of the all-important pre-shot routine, so anything that disrupts your usual form is no bueno (I will write about this in a future blog).

At the end of the session, I brought it up again. I shared, "Okay, I'm just going to show you this one more time." I get down low on my shot, pretend to shoot with my cue again, just holding my stance for her to see.  I bounce a little again so she sees with my legs apart how much sturdier I am and lower on the shot I am.

I felt like she was apprehensive about the subject. I could tell she didn't really want to talk about it.  I decided not to press it any further; she was used to her stance and I was okay with her being okay with that.  Plus, the last thing we want is someone to NOT try something b/c we are bringing it up a lot lol.

And then she went on her marry way, and a month later I wrote that blog post deliberately. lol.

It seemed to me she really was okay to not be low on her shots. And while I get that is part of her routine and she had been successful all these years not real low in her stance, I knew from my own personal experience about this very thing, that she would feel more solid on her shots and consequently make more shots if she was lower on the ball.

Fast forward two months from when I wrote about "That Chin", and we had lunch together. We talked about pool (of course!), but we also caught each other up about what is going on in our lives at home and work.

At one point she told me she had been getting lower on her shots. I looked up from my ham steak, "Wait, what did you just say?!"

"I've been getting lower on my shots."

I then felt I needed to confess....

I asked her, "Do you by chance remember that blog post I wrote where I shared photos of top players who have their cues close to their chins, and how being low on their shots helps them by more consistent?"

"Yes, I remember," she confirms.

"Well, I actually wrote that because I know you read my blog and I was trying to give you examples of the importance about being low on shots."

She replies, "I have been doing that more and I am starting to feel much more comfortable being lower on my shots.  And I have noticed a difference!  I am playing a lot better."

"Omg really?"

I was so happy for her!

Maybe this wasn't sneaky after all and instead a clever tactic!

After she reads this post, maybe we can find out from her why she even started to try to get lower on her shots.  What was the catalist?  What helped change her mind to try it?  Was there more than one reason?  Inquiring minds want to know!

What Can Help Your Pre-Shot Routine Under Pressure

A couple of weeks ago I was watching a stream because one of my friends was on it. I don't check them out all the time, but I get more interested when I personally know one of the players.

My friend is an up-and-coming player and I happened to catch the end of his match and watch him play a couple of games - the score was about even (5-5), so it was a close one!

As I watched him, I kept thinking to myself I needed to get a hold of this guy and help him with his fundamental! He wasn't staying down at all and he was rushing his shots. That caused him to miss a lot. He also cared more about shape than making the ball, which also caused him to miss. His body language showed he was frustrated (and maybe embarrassed, too, I'm guessing), but he was missing because he wasn't taking his time or staying down and didn't have a good pre-shot routine.

I guess I'm like the cat lady, lol, who wants to help all strays in need. She swoops them up and takes them home so she can care for them.

And that's what I wanted to with this guy! I wanted to reach out to him and ask if we can meet up so I can try and help him with this game. You know, instill in him that he needs to stay down and focus on the shot and stop rushing! He would see so much more progress in his game and faster results if he did this. I guess wish someone would have taken me aside and given me a deep cleansing lesson. So, I want to help him so he doesn't have to struggle for a long time like I did, and instead sees results sooner.

Btw, he ended up losing that match. :(

But then something happened.

I saw on Facebook a few days later that he linked to the match. So, for whatever reason, I decided to check out how he started in the match - did he take the lead first or did he make a come back or were they about even the whole time until I showed up at 5-5 when I watched it live the other day?

And what I saw is a HUGE thing that reminded me of a tip I received once that I am super excited about to share with you all!

So, what did I see? I saw that he was playing good!

Wait, what?

Yep! He was staying down on his shots, he was taking his time, he wasn't rushing, he showed less "emotion" and he was playing jam up! One of the first or second games he even ran out from the 2 ball. I was impressed!

And then it hit me.

Without even seeing the middle of the match, I can tell you what happened. Why do I know what happened in the match without seeing it in its entirety? Well, because I'm psychic. No, no, that's not it! It's because I could clearly see his mannerism and body language and shot-routine were completely different from how he started the match to what I saw the other day at the end of his match.

I don't know exactly what happened (told you I wasn't psychic) but something "negative" happened that created emotions, stress, pressure, nerves, or embarrassment, etc that got his game off kilter.

What I learned once was, when you recognize you are playing badly/off due to pressure, or if you already know you will be playing in a pressure match, you need to take a couple more strokes than usual before you shoot the ball.

This may seem counter intuitive. You might be saying to yourself, "It is counter intuitive, Melinda. Everyone knows you should have the same pre-shot routine every shot; that includes the same number of strokes." And, THAT's TRUE. However, what you are trying do to when you are nervous or upset or feeling pressure, is to get back to your usual pre-shot routine. And taking extra strokes helps you do that and slows down your adrenaline a bit because your body has slowed down.

You see, the reason why my friend was missing wasn't because he didn't know how to stay down or not rush his shots. He was missing because he felt the heat of the game or was upset about something. So, taking a few more strokes before we hit the ball gets us back into our pattern. It slows us down. And that's what he needed - to slow down, stay down, be reminded of his great pre-shot routine. Nerves and pressure causes our pre-shot routine to leap out the window. Our arms feel like jello and we keep missing and we don't know why, which frustrates us even more. But, taking extra strokes before we shoot the ball keeps us down on the shot longer, which helps us from jumping up and rushing. For whatever reason, it WORKS.

I feel a little embarrassed I wanted to take my friend home and care for him like a stray, lol, when in fact he already shoots really good! Just needs to have this tool in his toolbox for when the situation arises in the future.

Don't worry, I will let him know (guess I'm still kinda like that cat lady after all).

Enjoy!

Be the Example

I mentioned the other day I am giving lessons to a new client.  She is good player and it's a joy to see her kick my butt!  

She is very similar to my other main client and is a quick learner, so I appreciate that a lot, lol.  Further, she also asks for clarification of my shot selections or questions a suggestion, which is really cool to be able to provide reasoning and further details of the whys.

The one area she needs to work on, which we talked about, is she tends to poke at the ball.  I don't see it all the time, just off and on, but if she could stay down and follow through more and consistently, she would be even more of a force to be reckoned with.

We talked about some tips to help her follow through more often, but following through and staying down is really something one has to figure out on their own what is the best thing to help them accomplish that.  I explained that staying down and following through on tough shots is really a beautiful feeling.  Yes, a feeling.  It truly is.  No way for me to explain it except when you have that smooth stroke, taking your time, following through, it feels, well, beautiful.

So, I find myself in a lucky situation!  It took me over 20 years to finally stay down and follow through and feel that beautiful smooth stroke, but I can always use reminders :).  So when her and I spar, I tend to exaggerate staying down and following through.  I do this so she can see for 3 straight hours someone consistently and steadily staying down, taking their time, and following through well.  I have proudly shared that watching those EXACT things for a few years on the Omega Tour on Sundays from the top players elevated my game because I started to emulate them and the effectiveness of staying down so well.

I want the same for her. 

It also proves that when staying down well, I make more of my shots.  (weird coincidence, huh?)  So, while I am staying down longer on my shots to help her, it is also hugely helping me re-instill this key component of my game.

Photo Shows Staying Down on Shot

What's cool abt this photo from last weekend at a tourney, you can see the cueball and the 2 ball moving, but I stayed down well during the entire shot.

It's taken me years not to jump up or rush shots or lift my head as I shoot.   Game elevation, peeps.