Stream Treat!

I caught a match or two from the Royce Bunnell Memorial tournament over the Dec 14th weekend. It was cool to see some of my friends play on the stream.

But then check this out!

What a treat!  Four of the top players in the tournament on ONE screen!

Juan Parra playing Gary Abood, and Randy Staggs playing Shane McMinn.

I screen-captured it for you all as proof, lol:

Rackem TV provides a really great stream - you might want to subscribe to their YouTube channel if you like watching matches.

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?

If You Can't Say Something Nice....

In early April I shared some of my most helpful tips with Katniss of things she can do when she has that self realization during a match she is having negative feelings or emotions (here's the link to the blog post).

To recap, to help curtail negative feelings and emotions, simply follow these three important things:

1. focus on 3-ball shape, 
2. focus on your pre-shot routine, and 
3. stroke on your shots more.

Ironically, just about a month later, I saw a friend of mine playing on a stream and I could tell immediately just by the way she was shooting that something was off - either she was nervous or felt pressure, something was bothering her. Whatever it was, it affected her mechanics. She wasn't staying down on her shots, not walking around the table, and shooting much faster than I'm used to seeing her shoot her shots.

I reached out to her about a week later and broached the subject carefully. She was open to suggestions and then I gave her the same advice on how to calm negative emotions. (They really are great, solid tips that helped me for years!)

Fast forward only a month later, and my friend shared a story with me.

She shared that she watched a fellow female pool player (a friend of hers) playing on a stream on a Sunday afternoon.  And what do you know - she noticed and recognized right away that her friend was also not playing up to par and wasn't playing like she normally plays. Turns out she was feeling a lot of pressure and had a lot of nerves because of it.

She reached out to her friend a day or two later and passed on the advice that I had just given her a month before!

But, there is more to the story than me tooting my own horn, lol. There is actually a greater learning lesson here.

What I thought was more intriguing with what she shared with me, was that her friend told her no one had given her advice on how to solve her nerves... All everyone else did was just tell her how badly she played.

Poor girl!  Ugh, I felt so bad hearing this.

But... how powerful is this reminder!

If you 're going to bring up something to someone that is negative about them, instead of just making rude remarks, make sure you bring to the table something that is beautiful, something that they can learn from, something that is positive about the topic you're about to bring up.  Don't just dog them; help them!

My Experiences May Not be Good Advice - Project Hunger Games

Katniss (of the Project Hunger Game Series section of my blog) shared with me she played a tournament match on a stream table a few months ago.  Being the person I am who asks questions because I'm inquisitive, I asked her if she watched the match afterwards.  Well, and in order to write about her pool journey I need to ask questions, right?  haha

This is one of those situations, though, I have realized I think I share too much of my own experiences, that are not helpful to others.

You all know I have written several times about how listening to streams affected my play. Back when I was playing competitively often, if I listened to streams and if what they said wasn't positive (unlike Billy Guy who I wrote about who was not only effective, but never negative), I discovered it affected my future play on stream tables.  Sometimes they would say negative, hurtful, unattractive things about people's games.

But not only that, people in the chat hide behind keyboards and they would say pretty crappy things in the comments. It's almost like they don't even realize what they're saying is rude.

However, no matter how much they're hiding, usually what they are saying is true. But, it just happens to not be stated in a very nice way at all, right?

So, that's why towards the end of my pool journey I didn't want to watch streams. Not ust because of what the commentators said oftentimes, but also because what I read from the peanut gallery might be in the back of mind for my next stream matches.

Does that make sense?

In other words, when I was on a stream I would get nervous because I would think about the people that might be on there that would be judging me. That's the bottom line. I wasn't mentally strong enough to look at it the way Tina Malm does (which I wish I could have, which I wish I did! lol).

So, it kinda freaked me out to be on the stream. Don't get me wrong, I became mentally strong in the last couple of years of my successful pool journey, and so I won many more matches than lost on the streams, but I am not shy to admit I was internally tormented trying to not think about people watching/commentating if I made a gross mistake, and just focus on the match in front of me.  Luckily I learned and instilled many tips to keep me focused on the game in front of me, but it was still tough at times not to be distracted by my own negative thoughts of the "what ifs" about the people watching me on the stream.

Back to Katniss....

I had shared with Katniss (after she told me she hadn't yet watched her recorded match) that she should watch it with the sound off. And I also told her to not read the comments.

Now, she's a big girl she can listen to the commentators and she can read the comments - it was just my suggestion.

But, honestly, I'm not sure it was a good suggestion on my part.

I can tell that Katniss is more mentally strong and mentally tougher than I was at her spot in her pool journey, so I really don't think that she would have the same negative effects that I did.

And I need to really be careful about my advice.  I need to remember that my lack of mental toughness was my experience.  And therefore, I should not give such pinpointed advice.  Instead of suggesting to her not to turn the sound on or read comments, I should state it in another way or maybe not be so specific with my advice. Just because I was deeply affected along the way in my pool journey with this topic doesn't mean others will be.

Don't get me wrong - Katniss is her own person and she listens to advice and then decides on her own what to do and not do, so it's not like she HAS to do what I suggested. But I can help be better in these situations and be more general about things like this.

Happy For Friends Games Maturing

This past weekend was a nice treat for those who love to watch women's pool. RackemTV, a live streaming company out of the Dallas area, streamed throughout the Jerry Olivier's Ladies Tour stop at JR Pockets in Denton, Texas.

I played at JR Pockets several years via the Omega Tour, so it was nice to see a familiar place in the background. And one of my favorite commentators was helping call plays (Billy Guy who I wrote about before), so that was an added bonus as well. When RackemTV was streaming the DFW 9Ball Tour last month from JR Pockets, Billy was not the commentator and boy was he missed!

Anyway, the reason for writing this morning is to share how happy and proud I was to see some friends play who have not just kept their game up, who have not just improved, but that their game has a maturity to it that we all hope for in our friends game!

I can't begin to put into words how happy my heart was to see some of my friends who have been playing well for years, who now play not just better, but with confidence, poise, and improved knowledge. They not only played well, they shot damn good - their games have really matured! They didn't take shots for granted, they stayed in each match whether up or down, and their mechanics were spot-on. It was such a joy to see shot after shot these few friends who I have always loved and admired their game and talent, but to see them play even more successful because of their solid mechanics, gained experience, and comfortable confidence.

I can't really put down in words what I mean.  I guess I am trying to say after years of watching them play and improve, it was nice to see their games elevated to such a level of maturity that no longer showed weak fundamentals, bad shots, or poor choices, if that makes sense. Every shot mattered, every pre-shot-routine was important and solid, and every decision was smart and confident. It was such a joy to witness!!

Awww, growing up is so much fun seeing in others!

Female Matchup Live Streamed

I saw this match up advertised on Social Media and thought it was really cool!

It's going to be live streamed on Sunday May 19th, and it's local females playing each other a race to 11 of ten ball.

I haven't seen too many chicks do this - nice surprise!

Choice of Words on Streams

For someone who stated I don't listen to streams sure has been posting a lot about what they hear on streams lol.

But, I have discovered recently certain tournaments have really good commentators, so want to definitely talk about them!

I listened to the stream of the DFW 9-Ball Tour last month. This is the tour that took over the Omega Billiards Tour I used to run.

I was very impressed with the commentators! Several of the players seem to consistently commentate - a few I recognize the voices (like Jeff Georges who is a great commentator), but others I have no idea who they are lol because I'm away from pool halls now.

But, you all know I do my homework so I put on my Big Investigator Hat and went to work finding out who commentated certain matches so I could talk about them, errr, showcase them in my blog.

I found out one of the players I wanted to point out was Billy Guy - he was a really fantastic commentator!

One of the things I admired most (besides his vast knowledge of the game), was how he handled commentating matches of players who aren't seasoned.

While I listened to him and watched the stream, I recognized and was very impressed with his wording choices. You see, if a player did something unconventional or maybe kept making the same mistake, instead of calling the player out or saying something rude/hurtful, he was actually very kind with his choice of words.

I was so impressed, I think he should be a coach to players because he has a way of making a point without being judgmental.

Now come on people, don't make fun of me! I know you all know someone who has given you crappy and hurtful advice, no matter how well-intentioned, right?

Anyway, the one thing he did repeatedly was instead of saying what the player did wrong, he would instead say what they should have done with a preface like, "I'm a big fan of..."

Let me give an example instead of being vague, lol.

If a player was, I dunno, continually using top English on certain shots, when instead they would get better results using a stop shot, Billy would say something like, "Again, I'm a big fan of using a stop shot for that position. It allows me to control the cueball and also get great shape for the next ball. Top English on those shots can cause too much unnecessary movement with the cueball."

This might sound perfectly normal and you might be thinking, "Well, Melinda, isn't that how most people would say that?"  I would argue no. I can guarantee you I've heard instead from other commentators something like, "What are they doing? Why do they keep using top?"

[Watch out - here's where I talk about leadership in my blog]

You may think the second example is perfectly fine, but I would argue that it:

1. passes judgement (What are they doing?) 
2. doesn't give suggestions, alternatives, or advice like Billy Guy did ("Using a stop shot for that shot allows me to control the cueball and to get great shape for the next ball.")
3. And further, doesn't explain why this other option might be better ("Top English on those shots can cause too much unnecessary movement with the cueball.")
4. Billy's intro was so gentle and not passing judgement or blame on to the player, either. "I'm a big fan of …" and actually points to himself, not to the player.

So, which one would you listen to and learn from if someone said this to you:

"What are you doing? Why do you keep using top?"

OR

"You know what, I'm a big fan of using a stop shot for that position. It allows me to control the cueball and also get great shape for the next ball. Top English on that certain shot can cause unnecessary movement with the cueball."

See the difference?

Yep, we are all more receptive to the second example.

(BTW, Bill gave some great advice about safeties that I will write about soon!)

What Do You See on Streams?

I mentioned yesterday, the female pros I listened to this past weekend who commentated for the stream of the WPBA tournament we're really extraordinary!

They would talk about why certain patterns a player chose were best, what the players should do with their shot selections, what options might have been more effective, talked about safeties, all sorts of gems that if one was to pay attention, you would have loved as well from all the learning opportunities.

It made me wonder:

I wonder what other people listen for and watch when they are watching streams? Does everyone do what I do? Are they listening for gems? Are they paying attention and learning about patterns? Or are they just watching two players play on the stream?

I noticed so many things like: who walks around the table more than others, who stays down well on their shots, who walks into their shots, who has great pre-shot routines, all that type of stuff. So it's not just patterns I like to see, I also look for the nuances of why one player might be better than the other.

Obviously I'm not noticing these type of things because I'm still playing pool.

Watching streams helps remind me of great tips I can share with my clients/friends. Further, watching streams also provides me topics I can blog about (case in point, right? lol). And ironically, a few times the commentators this past weekend said something helpful and I responded proudly to myself, "Hey, that's exactly what I've stated before!" It's nice to get confirmation of the tips I have shared via my blog or with my students. :)

Women's Pro Tourney on Stream

Well, I turned the sound on the stream again this weekend. I know, I know, I mentioned just last week that I don't like to turn the sound on because the commentators usually annoy me, lol.  However, I deliberately turned the sound on this time because I saw that a female pro friend was going to be commentating on the WPBA matches.

I didn't get to hear her commentate after all, but I heard some other female pros and they were fantastic!  And it reminded me that when I watch pro events when pro's are commentating, I turn on the sound.  Therefore, it's during amateur events when the commentators are kinda just talking on the mic and not about the why's of the choices of the players when I don't like to listen.

The pros I listened to this weekend for the WPBA tournament we're really extraordinary! They would talk about what the players should do with their shot choices, what they should have done that would have been more effective with their patterns, talked about using certain English, about staying down on their shots, better safeties, all sorts of gems!

At one point, a non-pro joined one of the female pros in the booth and I was immediately distracted by him.  I am not trying to be rude, but I simply enjoyed the knowledge from the pro's so much better.  They kinda had to correct him a lot on his suggestions. I'm not saying that's good or bad for the viewers, but for me personally, one of the bonus's of the platform of streams is for us to learn.

I was actually very excited for all the great commentary from the female pros this weekend!  Very valuable insight!

Changing Your Break In the Middle of a Tourney

I was watching a stream over the weekend and actually had the sound on for once, and could hear the commentators.  I normally don't do that - I would rather just focus on the game and see how the players are doing and what their shot selections are, etc, instead of listening to opinions.

Don't get me wrong - certain commentators I will turn UP the volume (Jeremy Jones is one of the best commentators around and I learn a lot from him.  The other person I used to love to hear was Billy Incardona).

However, I don't normally want to listen to commentators.  As a matter of fact, I have a copy of the finals when my partner and I won the scotch doubles event at Texas BCAPL in 2014. I have yet to watch it with the sound on, lol.

But I digress....

I don't like listening to commentators of streams because I just don't always agree with their opinions and that distracts me, lol. If they are great at giving tips and I learn from them (like Jeremy or Billy), I love listening. I want to know why certain shots were good or talk about alternative options that might have been best. But when it comes to two people just talking in general about their opinions, it doesn't help me, and instead usually only annoys me, hahaha.

Case in point! The match I watched proved exactly why I don't like to listen to commentators. Someone just shoot me next time I turn on the volume! 

First of all, they highly favored one player over the other and didn't give the opponent her due justice. I would rather hear two guys talk highly about both players, not cheer for one over the other and not recognize good shots when they see it from the player they weren't rooting on.

But here was my biggest heartburn:

(as I type this out, I'm wondering if I should listen more, though, as it does give me topics to bitch/write about, lol.)

They kept talking about the break of the player they didn't root on. Basically, some of the players had great success breaking from the side rail. When you do that, you can usually pocket a ball on the break pretty consistently and also plant the cueball in the middle of the table. The commentators kept saying that for as far into the tournament as she was, they were surprised she wasn't breaking from the side rail yet. Her opponent would break from the side rail and pocket a ball and they would exclaim, "SEE!" lol. Further, they stated "that's the break for 9-ball."

While that may be true to some, I think it's ridiculous to suggest and/or expect someone to change their break in the middle of a tournament! When I worked on my break for bar-table 9-ball, I spent hours and HOURS trying to get it right - you need the right speed, feel, where to hit the rack, etc.  It's not as easy as just walking up to a table and simply starting to shoot from the rail and the magic happens. Noooooo. Especially for those of us who do not shoot from the rail at all, it's actually uncomfy and we don't have a feel for it right away. We have been breaking between the top two left (or right) diamonds with our hand on the bed of the table for 20+ years and now you suggest in the middle of a tournament someone needs to adjust their break? Come on people!

How about instead: "You know what, I hope this player recognizes from those around her at this tournament that the 'from the rail' break is more effective and she should practice it when she gets home and add it to her arsenal." NOT suggest she adjust her break in the middle (or end) of a tournament.

omg...

I wouldn't be so ornery about this if I didn't try to do this a few times and discovered for myself just how ineffective and what a horrible idea it was, lol.

When I tried to adjust my break in the middle of a tournament a few times, boy did it throw me off! I had no cue-ball control and the break I usually used was far more effective because I was already comfortable and used it for like 10+ years. One needs lots of practice to change where they break from if they've never broke from that spot before, so imho I think it's ill of them to pontificate their opinions about this.

Then again, I'm pontificating my opinions right here, so who am I to judge. ;)

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!  :)

Playing on Live Stream - Love it or Hate it

I find it very intriguing when players eagerly announce they will be playing a match soon on a live stream, yet others do not.

I am intrigued because I am one who does NOT want to share that information, so I'm curious why others do.  They seem to welcome the attention; while I shy away from it.

I would hardly ever let others know if I was about to play a match on the stream table.  I think it had a lot to do with confidence, but more so - increased embarrassment if I played bad.  I shied away from letting others know because I was scared of the negative ramifications.

I fully admit that I am not mentally strong.  Why?  Because I sometimes would start to play worse if I began to think about others judging my bad play, which means I wasn't focused on playing my best pool, right?  I do agree at the height of my pool career that I was mentally very tough and could deflect negative thoughts and focus solely on the shots at hand and not get distracted.  That's when I was winning a lot of trophies for those couple of years.  But, I still didn't share with people even then that I was about to play on the stream table.  I will also confide that's hard to be mentally tough every single match, every single tournament; it's truly exhausting.

My point is, during those trophy years (lol) I didn't mind I was on the stream and it didn't bother me, but I still didn't advertise when it was about it occur. But when I wasn't mentally strong or confident in my game, I would be nervous to be on the stream table.

I can tell you it's a pretty awful feeling to play badly on a stream, in front of everyone live on the internet for all to see.  There's not a worse feeling.  And, if you start to play bad and then add to it by thinking about all the people watching you play bad, everything goes downhill.  And it just becomes a car wreck. 

Just last month a friend of mine lost 0-7 in a match that was streamed live.  Her heartbreaking reflection right after was, "How do I recover from that?"

Instead of guessing on this blog post why some people easily announce they are about to play on a live stream, I decided to ask one of my friends about this!  No reason to sit here and try to guess - let's find out for sure!

My dear friend, and fellow player, Tina (Pawloski) Malm, is one who always advertises when she is about to play a match on a live stream.  Every time I would see this I thought, "Wow, look at her.  How is she able to do that so easily?"

And this is what she said during our great convo about the topic:

She said she figured out that her friends WANT to see her play.  Whether she plays good or bad, they still support her and want to see her play pool on a live stream.

She continued, "my friends are my biggest supporters.  And when I didn't tell them I was on a stream, they would ask me about it later and tell me they wished they had known.  I then started to let my friends on Facebook know ahead of time when I would be on a steam table because they like to watch me play."

I asked her, "but.... but... what if you play bad?"  (thinking of how I feel when I play bad in front of people)

She replied, "I just shake it off.  I know I don't play well every time; I know I can't win every time.  And I don't think about what others are thinking of me.  Do I want to win every time?  Of course. But, I know I will have some off days and I also know my friends still care about me, no matter if I play bad or not, win or not. "

Here is what is intriguing to me about her last statement:  She knows her friends still care about her and want to see her play no matter if she wins, losses, plays good, or plays bad.  Why is my mental makeup so different?  If anything, I worry about being embarrassed about playing bad in front of others.  Is it because of all the negative experience of crappy comments I have received in the past after matches?  Is it because I am not mentally strong enough yet every single match?  WHAT?

What I DO know is I love her perspective and welcome the attitude she has about it.  I think we can all learn from her thoughts and I'm very thankful she was happy to chat with me about this.

Here is another interesting thing:  I stated above, "I can tell you it's a pretty awful feeling, though, to play badly on a live stream, in front of everyone live on the internet.  There's not a worse feeling."

Pretty drastic difference comparing my concerns with her lack of worry about playing badly on a live stream.

Intriguing, huh?

She also shared another perspective and example.  She said she has a friend that plays a lot in different tournaments and although she isn't a top shooter, she still enjoys to watch her friend play on the live stream.  As she put it, "What else would I want to be watching on the weekends?  A friend playing pool is perfect."

I love her perspectives and thoughts!

Social Media Use During Tournaments

I wrote yesterday about the effects that the social media climate has on athletes and how they have to be mentally stronger than before social media came into our lives in order for them to compete at their best.

Those thoughts are the same reasons why I never posted online during my tournaments to give updates.  I didn't want to read comments from people.  I didn't want people to give me congrats before I won, or advice on how to win.  I didn't want to feel the pressure of people saying, "you can do this!"   I stayed OFF of social media and I just tried to mentally prepare myself for the game at hand (which was already pretty tough to do lol). 

The opposite is true, also, though.  I've seen players declare on Facebook, "oh I'm not feeling well yet I'm about to play for fourth place."  Or maybe, "I hurt my hand so not sure how I'm going to finish the tourney well."  These players are already letting their fans and friends know that they probably are not going do well in the event.  Kinda giving their excuse ahead of time to the world.

Whereas they could have just not have said anything at all and then maybe explain afterwards why they won or lost (or even obviously not explained at all if they don't wish).

Having a Blog allows me to explain why I faltered or maybe what I learned during a tournament.

In my opinion, social media is kind of a deterrent to us focusing on the game at hand, so that's why I kept away from an online presence during a tournament.

On the other hand, some people announce, "hey I'm about to be on the stream table at 2 o'clock!"  You have to admit that shows that they are very confident and they probably like to know that people are supporting them and watching them.

However, if I was up next on a stream table I wouldn't tell a soul lol.  I was not mentally strong enough to handle the thoughts in my head of the people watching.  Further, if I was playing bad I would start to get embarrassed and then it would kind of go downhill realizing all these people were watching me play badly on the stream lol.

I admire those that can use social media to their advantage.  Because for me it was a distraction.  However, because I know my mental toughness weaknesses, I need to do what is best for me during tournaments.

Play By Play?

I was approached by the ladies who run the OnTheRail stream at the very beginning of the BCAPL Texas state tourney.

They asked if I would like to try something new.

They thought that my "fans" would love to follow me online and see my progress DURING the matches.

First of all, I doubt people want to follow me THAT closely.  Second, I was honored they wanted me to test it, but I was apprehensive.  Third, I really wanted to focus on my matches.

You see, I'd have to use their tablet or my phone and take score after each GAME - not each match.  I I thought it would actually be distracting for myself AND my opponent if I was to take score on an electronic device after every single game.

And I also thinks that's a little bit pressure to know my scores are online in real time.  She would have wanted me to advertise I was testing it, and I don't need any extra added pressure, lol.

I told her I was flattered she asked me, but since I was the defending champion, I just didn't want to do it during my first match, esp since I knew who we were to be playing in the first round of scotch doubles.

After we won, I again didn't want do do it because it was a tough team and friends.  I just imagined all these things in my head : distraction, upsetting my opponents, me not concentrating on my game, etc.

I went back and told them I didn't feel comfy.  She said, "maybe singles?"

Well, I was defending champion for that event, too, lol, and I really didn't want any distractions or interference.

I think if everyone does this, it would be okay, but having just a few people test it without it being well advertised would just be bothersome to myself and my opponents.  I know I would care more about how my opponent felt about me taking score on an electronic device and if I was bothering them, instead of focusing on my game.

And I had SEVERAL hill-hill, close, emotional matches and as I reflect back, it definitely would have not been good.

The website is called http://www.scoresaloon.com if you want to check it out.  Maybe this will be something in the future for all pool players?

How to Watch Live Pool

Funny, really. 

While watching the finals at BCAPL Texas State tourney, that was being streamed LIVE on the Internet, someone next to me was watching the match, also.  In front of him, AND on his tablet!

OMG...

I HAD to take a pic and share this with you all!  Funny!

Texas BCAPL DVDs Arrived...

I actually ordered two DVDs from the BCAPL Texas State tourney held in April.

I ordered the streamed women's singles final (which I won) and also the streamed scotch doubles final (it went two sets), which my partner (Marty Jones) and I won, as well.

A BIG thank you to Rail2Rail TV for the stream and for the getting the matches on DVD!

I honestly only bought them to show to my best friend.  I don't really care to watch them alone. I only cared to show them to him so we could talk about my shots that led to my accomplishments. 

I was excited to be able to show him my shots in the finals of both divisions, because he couldn't be there in person.  And to share the experience with someone I cared about, was really all I cared about. 

Otherwise, I wont watch them alone.  I see no point.

Streaming Thoughts

I was completely surprised when I saw that the BCAPL Texas State tourney had streaming!  It's been asked about the in past, but never came to fruition, so I was surprised we had streaming this year.

One of my scotch doubles matches was on the stream, but I haven't watched it yet.

All throughout the tourney (5 plus days), there was streaming!  I was pleasantly surprised that they even had some women's singles matches on there BEFORE the finals!  Usually we don't get enough showtime when the men are around, so that was another cool thing.

However, I am mostly disappointed in the stream.  Well, not the STREAM itself, but the people who spoke on the stream.  Well, not ALL the people, but one person.

I didn't watch my scotch doubles match because we played badly and lost.

However, my women's team played the hotseat on the stream.  I played real good that match and won all my games.  Yet, I heard later that the male of the announcers told people I was struggling all throughout the tournament.  In reality, I played good every single match of the women's teams except the finals.  And that first match that was streamed that he commented on, I won every game!

While we played in the hotseat, one of my friends was getting texts and she told me that the guy announcer kept saying she couldn't make balls (but then she would and he would be shocked), or he would say certain people were playing badly and missing easy shots (or shots we should make).

The female announcers were great and didn't hurt feelings, but the male announcer HURT my teammates.

I don't know how to say this without coming right out and saying it: that because he was judging our runs and pointing out what he thought we were doing wrong, I hope my teammates never listen/watch the recording of the finals.

I don't like to say harsh things about anyone, and I'm not suppose to do this just because he did, but because he wasn't passive enough, and because I KNOW my teammates will be affected by his words, I think it's okay for me to express how disappointed I am that he talked badly of my teammates.

Let's be fair, he didn't just second guess MY team, he second guessed everyone who was on the stream; everyone was fair game.  If anyone didn't get out, he would comment on it in a bad way.

I'm actually SCARED to hear what he said about the matches that I lost.  To be told AFTER the event that he was saying I was struggling the entire tournament (which isn't true at all), what did he say when I lost a match?  (and lost a lot in the finals?)

I watched my final run only to take screen captures for a blog entry and that time he was gentle, but I think it's only because I won that game.  If I had lost, he would have been more judgmental and harsh.

I know some of you are thinking he prolly didn't mean anything.  And yes, he didn't.  And yes, he's a guy and guy's say things differently than females.

But females also take things differently.  Part of it is being emotional and caring what other's say.  But, there is a NICE way to point out we dogged it.  There is a NICE way to say something after misses.

I was very impressed and very thankful for the females announcers who were so much nicer.  I heard them give compliments, or wonder what options we were going to take.  Not keep pointing out what we did wrong.

My teammate who received the texts from someone watching didn't tell me she was upset, but I knew she was.  It's tough to be judged, and for him to make comments in front of everyone watching online, makes it worse. 

I realize it's tough to comment on pool for a week and not make judgements, but he really needs to be careful with his word choices.  For people to say things to us in the middle of matches and afterwards tells you he affected even our friends.

My fear is that if my teammates listen to the recording of when they played bad, that they will be affected by it.

How can you not?

How can that not be a reminder during our next big event that people in the crowed judge us and will judge us?  It makes competing that much worse.

I recognize this happens all the time anyway from people in the crowd, but to HEAR it is another story.  And I don't want the teammates to recall how bad he blasted our play.

I am trying to look at things from a different take:  Facts.  If I played bad, it's not a judgement if someone says I played bad; it's a fact.  But, it takes years to not let little things get in your head and not let words affect us.  I still struggle with that all the time.

Do you think it crossed my mind he was talking about us playing bad on the stream during the finals?  You bet!  Do I think it crossed the mind of my teammate, too?  I do!

The male announcer has no idea the damage he did.  He prolly thinks he did a great job.  There's a difference when talking about a match than when judging a person's decision.  I applaud the female announcers, but I loathed the male announcer's comments.

Like I said, I only heard how he was, and only watched one recorded game, so I may be being too biased and unfair, but based on those two matches alone and what I heard from others, I hope my teammates never ever watch the recording of our final match.   It will be too tough.  And I don't want anything to take away from our win (OR future wins).  Even though we struggled in the finals, we still PULLED IT OFF, Sir!

Note 1:  I just tried to locate the videos to capture verbiage difference between the announcers for this blog entry, but I can't find them.  Maybe the recordings aren't viewable anymore and I don't have to worry about my teammates coming across the carnage.  Whew.

Note 2:  I am deliberately not sharing the company who did the stream. I'm very thankful for them - they did all the hard work!! I'm just uncomfortable about the comments from the male announcer.

Women on the Stream

This past weekend at the Texas Open, I had some major high points and some major low points.  I'll get to that soon, but before I do, I want to share a situation that happened to me that I'm not very happy about.

First of all, let me preface by saying had I won the match I'm about to talk about, this article would be entirely different and not as bitchy!

Obviously, lol.

I had a bye, then won my next two matches on Saturday and Sunday of the Texas Open in Round Rock, Texas at Skinny Bob's Billiards.  I played FANTASTIC the first two days.  However, Monday was an an entirely different story.

I played pro player Vivian Villarreal about noon on Monday on the winner's side.  I played BAD! 

Compared to my previous two matches, it was like I was a completely different person. 

I know the culprit, too - lack of sleep.

I wasn't nervous at all, as Vivian is a friend of mine and I always use the experience as a good one when I play her.  I had competed with her numerous times, so nerves was not a factor at all.

I had a chance in at least 5 games but I dogged it.  Badly.  I could only run about 2-3 balls and after bad shape, I would then miss.  :(  I was so embarrassed how I played.  I know I can play SO MUCH better, but I just didn't show up.

And to see chances before my eyes disappear because I was playing bad, was an even worse feeling.

The lack of sleep really hurt me and I was not focused.  Further, she plays so fast, the match was over before I could recover during the match to figure out what was going on with me.

The WPBA Pros can only be shown on a stream table if the WPBA is given $50.  So, each time a pro is on a stream table, someone has to cough up $50.  If two play each other, that's $100.  No one was ponying up the funds to see them on the stream (even though everyone was asking I heard), so the women's matches were never shown.  Not even the semi finals or finals.  The whole weekend only the men were on the stream.

Now, why a match with two non-female pros was never showcased on the stream, I do not know.  But, usually, the men's matches get dibs for some reason anyway.

Anyway, so I knew our match would not be streamed and I was okay with it, esp since I DOGGED my brains out. 

Embarrassment is such a horrible feeling.  :(

Here's the view from table I played my match on with Vivian, looking over the stream table

After I lose, I walk to the seating area and sit down with my friends.  I mention how badly I played and then my boyfriend tells me, as he's pointing to the stream camera/screen, "They didn't have a men's match playing, so they zoomed in on your match with Vivian and showed most of it."

WHAT?

Are you freakin' kidding me??

My bad play was on display for all to see?!?! 

OMG...my embarrassment factor rose 1,000 percent as I sat there in utter shock.  I was mortified.  Perfect word:  mortified.  

I know I am not suppose to care what others think.  I know it's just a game.  But dammit, I play better than that.  I played phenomenal the previous day - that match with Vivian that was now seen by everyone on the Internet (love my exaggerations?! lol) was not an indicator of how well I have been playing.  It did NOT represent me at all!

I was pissed and shocked. 

And then the embarrassment feeling got worse inside me. 

Freaking mortified. 

I'm still pissed as I type this.....  I feel blindsided for some reason. 

ReThinking Streaming

Phil Capelle sent me a note after I wrote a blog entry where I shared I don't care to watch pool streamed online anymore.  He begged, "I hope you reconsider!"

Turns out, I was a tad bit wrong and a tad bit correct in my blog entry.  I said I wouldn't pay to watch the streams anymore (that's still true), and I said if I had time on the weekends, I *might* watch straight pool, but even if someone famous was on, I could care less.

Well, Inside Pool streamed live at the Derby City tournament in January --> and proved me wrong! 

My dear online/forum friend, Bob (aka CMBWSU) posted on Facebook that Bill Incardona was gambling at pocket, and it was being streamed free by InsidePool.  Billy!?  Omg, I was stocked.  The one person out of three in the entire world I asked for one pocket lessons (he turned me down, but I still asked!).  I was very excited to watch him gamble at one pocket.  And, it was free!

Then Bob posted that Jeanette Lee was gambling on the stream.  Jeanette Lee gambled a LOT last year at Derby, but she was never on the stream because of some rule the WPBA had with its Players and streaming.  While I'm not entirely sure why she was able to be on a stream this year, I enjoyed watching her play.  She's talented and can work a crowd.  She also played some straight pool (although she didn't do very well in that tourney) but it was cool to watch such a mainstream "star" gamble. 

Then, I was in for even MORE of a treat when they had numerous straight pool challenge matches on the free stream! I saw the most talented straight pool players on the planet compete in a tourney of my new favorite pool game.  There I was at night, during the day, whenever I could watching the free stream, in awe of the straight pool matches (which is the one game I mentioned I would love to watch on streams).  Darren Appleton, Ralf Souquet, Alex Pagulayan , Neils F, John Schmidt, Johnny Archer, etc.

So, turns out if the stream is FREE and there is gambling matches and/or straight pool competition and/or interesting players on, I *will* watch streams.

There you go, Phil! 

P.S.  A HUGE thank you to Inside Pool for streaming the event live and free for so many days for the fans.  Thank you!

Stream Thoughts

Someone stated recently, "Streaming is the best thing to ever happen to pool."

I was like, "Huh?"

How is that??

Maybe I am biased, but I think some peeps will agree with me on some of these points. lol.

Streaming at first was huge and the big "thing" for sure.  And, it still is sometimes, but is it really that big anymore?

Streaming itself is HUGE, for sure.  I can watch sport events on my phone - pretty cool, huh?  Technology allows us to no longer be in our own living rooms and watch sports or other events.  Now we can be out having fun and also be able to watch our favorite programming at the same time.

And that is the key:  Favorite programming.

How many pool players are out there in the U.S.?

How many know there is even a stream on?

If pool was as huge a basketball or football, I could see the incentive to stream more events.  But pool is still not popular just because streaming came along. 

I can't even begin to tell you the last time I watched a pool event streamed.

I fully admit if my significant other was playing in a tournament, I would pay full price immediately to watch him on a stream.  But even free streams from local tours that showcase my friends in matches, I simply don't care to watch.  I'm just not interested anymore.  Huge money match-ups of big pro players?  Nope, them neither. 

The It Factor is gone for me for some reason.

The U.S. Open came and went.  I could buy the stream.  I didn't.

Even if the Mosconi Cup was streamed, I wouldn't buy it.  If it was free, I would prolly watch it because it's a fantastic event to see!  But otherwise, I'm just not interested anymore to watch regular pool tournaments on tv or streamed.

Maybe because my interests have changed or because I don't care anymore who does what in tournaments?  I'm not in awe of the pros - I know most of them personally.  I also am not home a lot anymore on weekends, so maybe that's a factor, too?

I dunno.

I'm just not completely sure why, to be honest.

I do know this:  I am more interested in improving my 14.1 knowledge via DVDs than watching 9-ball matches on tv.

So, if I am home (key point) and there is a straight pool tournament being streamed with great commentators, I would fork over the all-weekend stream pass in a heartbeat because I want to learn that game so much right now.  And I recognize that when I was enamored with one pocket a couple of years ago, I would watch streamed one pocket matches a lot more back then.

"But Melinda, what about being on the stream itself?"  Ahh, I do enjoy playing on streamed matches.  But for selfish reasons - so I can go back after the match to see how my mechanics are, and also for the experience of playing under pressure.  I do love to help streamers - so enjoy commentating and being a part of the production of a "show." 

But otherwise, what does streaming do for people?

People think streaming brings in sponsors.  Phooey.  I don't buy that.  Do you?   The people who put on streams have to go GET sponsors; the sponsors don't come running to them, knocking down their doors to be listed on a stream (imo).  The streamers are out there trying to make a living, working their tails off to provide streams, trying to find sponsors.

But for who?  The small fan base of pool players?  Yep.  Just little 'ole us.

And what does a tour get out of a stream?  Does a tour somehow magically get money from the people who watch their tour on a stream?  Sure, it *might* get a few more people interested in playing their event - but wouldn't a player already know about an event in order to know to watch it on a stream?  And I've even heard of people NOT driving to watch an event in person because they can sit in their pj's from the comfort of their home to watch a tournament being streamed.  This obviously leads to less money for the pool room.

And what does a sponsor get?  Do they sell more products?  Enough to offset the cost of being advertised on a stream? 

Some tours have stopped streaming their events.  And who complained?  Sponsors?  Fans?  Nope.  None.  Just the players who like the awe factor of the stream.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think streams hurt our sport, but I don't think it magically puts money in peoples pockets, nor magically increases our fan base (unfortunately).  And I definitely don't think streaming is the best thing to ever happen to pool.  I wish that WAS true. 

Just my opinion.

Maybe in the future something else amazing will come along and increase our fan base somehow.  I surely hope so!