Work on Your Pool Game During Pandemic

First off, I hope all of you are doing well. I bet you feel like I do, like the pandemic has hijacked our lives.

Besides the upheaval of our normal lives, what about my pool game??

Because it's important to do activities that lower stress and anxiety, it goes right along with some ideas I wanted to share to keep your game up while you might be required to "Stay-At-Home" due to the pandemic.

If you don't have a table at home:

• Work on your stroke by trying to get your cue tip consistently into a coke bottle. This can be done at home without a pool table.
• Run a rack in your head. Imagine yourself breaking, then staying down for each shot and try to run out. Use English and get good shape, all in your mind, all as you try to run the entire rack in your head. Warning, this isn't easy! And don't just run the rack fast in your head, but run it with dedication to each shot. Give each shot the attention it deserves (just like on a pool table). This is a great technique to imagine your pre-shot routine on every shot, stay down, and helps train your brain to focus.
• Speaking on running racks. One the most helpful things I like to do (and my most favorite) is to think about is that one particular game of a match that I stayed down so well on every shot, in front of a crowd, making all shots with a smooth stroke, feeling calm and confident. Maybe that time you were 'in the zone." You can picture your own certain match/game right now, right? Really focus on it and remember the feelings, the sounds, how your shoulders were not tight because you didn't feel pressure, you stayed down really well, smooth stroke, you felt good, etc. Thinking about your own great game or match you played well, helps solidify your pre-shot routine (I promise!).
• Use dumbbells regularly to build your arm muscles.  This helps your stroke be more solid.
• Watch matches on YouTube. Search billiards. Or maybe check out the CSI YouTube Channel which will keep you busy for DAYS.
• Oh, hey - read part of those pool books you haven't ever opened. Or, if you don't have one, finally order one online!
• I would also reach out to pool friends. We may not talk about pool, but with league paused and tournaments delayed, it's important to connect with our pool friends.
• If you have an extra billiards towel or fabric, make your face mask out of it! Show your love of our sport.

If you have a table at home:

• Practice "Carom Nine" (see rules at bottom of this page). Helps you learn carom shots in a fun yet frustrating way, lol. (basically, the object ball must make first contact with the cue ball to count as a legal shot, the goal being to carom the object ball into a pocket or into another ball.)
• This is a good time to work on your break. Practice it. Get it down pat. It's the opening shot - it's an important part of the game a lot of us don't give enough attention to.
• Speaking of breaks, practice your break using different racks if you have them - magic rack, accu-rack, and also regular wooden/plastic racks from the pool room.  
• Play opposite handed. That's fun!
• Play one-handed. Even tougher!

I know there are a ton other things, but hopefully this gets you started to ease stress AND work your game.

Stay safe my friends! We will get through this together.

Might as Well Learn While You Lose

One of my friends captured on video (I believe it was live stream via Facebook) about 5-10 minutes of a match in a big tournament in Vegas. And what I saw on the video disappointed me. I mean, I understood what I saw, but I was still disappointed.

You see, the match pitted one of the top players in the world against an amateur.  The video was showcasing a REALLY tough out by the pro.  The pro (some guy named Shane Van Boening) didn't have an easy out, but of course made it look easy, lol.  But it was his opponent who I was also focused on.  His opponent was looking away from his own match, I'm guessing because he was perturbed about being beat and that Shane was running out (yet again I presume).  Instead of watching and learning from the top player, though, he was looking elsewhere.

It was a HUGE missed opportunity!

He could have spent his time (instead) wisely while sitting in that chair to watch, learn, and absorb from one of the best players on the planet! Instead, he seemed kinda miffed and deflated Shane was running out.

In the short clip, he sat holding his cue looking at anything but his opponent. He would glance back over to his own table right before Shane made each shot, but then quickly look away disinterested when he didn't miss.  The guy finally set his cue down and looked somewhere else while Shane continued a pretty phenomenal out.  

I get it.  I really do!  Who wants to get beat?  Who wants to not have a shot?  Who wants to lose?

No one.

But, if you can already tell that Shane is going to beat you, why not take advantage of the front row seat you have?  Why not watch his stance?  Or his shot selections?  Or how he would get back down on shots he wasn't comfy with?  Or how walked around the table looking for the best position for his cueball for his next shot?  Or what pattern he chose?  The guy only glanced occassinaly back at the table to see if Shane missed or not.  

There is so much more to this game than making balls - and to be able to watch Shane is a huge treat!  To be able to watch how pro's approach the table (literally and figuratively), what choices they make, what patterns they choose, and how they take their time with their shots....  Omg peoples, take advantage of these learning opportunities!

More Tips for Your Tool Box - Understanding Personalities

I know I write about personalities a lot in my blog, but I strongly believe if you not just comprehend different personalities, but realize how they can affect you directly when you're competing, it will give you an advantage over your opponents.  And as you all know, I love it when you all add more tools to your toolbox!

I'm sure a lot of you have heard of Myers-Briggs. I have written about it a couple of times myself.

Long story short,

The Myers–Briggs Type Indicator is an introspective self-report questionnaire with the purpose of indicating differing psychological preferences in how people perceive the world around them and make decisions.

Leadership books teach us you shouldn't treat someone as you would want to be treated.  Instead, you find out their personality (or Myers-Briggs Type) and then treat them based on that.

I realize as I write this out that some of you will be surprised to hear this because it goes against what we've heard for years, "you should treat people how you want to be treated."  But, nope, that isn't really the best thing to do.

So, let me give you one example I can think of right off the top of my head. If you are a supervisor and one of your employees gets an award, how do you give them that award? Myers-Briggs says based on their personality determines how you should give them the award. Some people are fine with getting an award in front of others; they like the accolades and they like being respected by their peers. Other people, however, do not like the attention and they would prefer to get the award handed to them maybe in their office, so as it's not in front of everyone drawing attention to them.

You can see the opposite ways people handle accolades. So, if you were to treat others as you want to be treated, the way you give the award would based on your feelings, not theirs. What you should do instead is to find out how best they would like to receive an award.

So, how does this all relate to competing, Melinda?

I'm glad you asked!

Well, if you're lucky enough to be aware of or already know an opponents' personality ahead of time, then when you play them you can use that knowledge to not let their reactions or emotions bother you.  Let me be specific.  Extroverts can be loud, talk a lot, verbally show their emotions when they are upset (or happy) and those things can be distractions.  Many of us assume they are directing their words directly at us personally.  But in reality, that's just the way they are.  It's not personal.  It's not directed towards you, they are just that way all the time.

Therefore, knowing that their actions/words are not personal to you is a huge advantage.  It will allow you to focus on playing your best, instead of stealing mental energy away from you by getting upset because they are talking too much or you think they are upset with you personally.

Myers-Briggs will also tell us if I, you, or others are a "feeler" or a "thinker."  If you play someone who is a feeler and you upset them, their reaction is going to be completely different than someone who is a thinker.  Thinkers don't usually take things personal and don't think about the issue again.  Feelers will hold on to even the slightest bothersome thing and let it affect them.

Again - how does this help you?  This helps you because if someone reacts in a certain way it's usually not because of something you have done, but it's more so their personality that brings out their attitude.

Some people can be extremely mad on the inside, but you'll never see it on the outside because they just don't show it. But if they do show it, and you know they are an extrovert or a feeler, then you can use that as a tool to not react to how they are acting, realizing that this is just their personality.

I hope this helps you in your pool journey, peeps!

Missing the Six Ball

One of my dear friends from the late 1990s told me a story about how she was in this tough money match and she kept missing the 6 ball.

She wasn't sure why it was going on but she just kept missing it.  Out of all the balls, she missed the 6 ball the most for some reason.

Eventually she was so in tune with what was going on, she decided to play safe every time the 6 ball was next.  Even if she had a straight-in shot on the 6 ball, she would play safe!

And yes, she ended up winning that big money set :)

It goes to show to be aware of what is going on with you in your matches early so you can figure out solutions to help you win.  All about those tools in your toolbox.  :)

Help During Matches with Paper

There was recently an article on poker about a player that pulled out instructions on what to do during certain situations.

It kind of reminds me of when you're at a blackjack table at a casino, you're allowed to pull out the little card that tells you what you should do in certain situations (take a card, split, double down, etc.).

However, this was at a table full of poker players for a lot more money at stake than just playing a couple hands of blackjack.

A lot of people have pool mantra's or a pool prayer that they read before matches.  I actually have a list of tips I've written down on a piece of paper and I read them before a match because I needed to remind myself of things and maybe calm myself down.  

We aren't allowed to use cell phones during matches because you can technically text for someone for advice or get some comfort which is considered cheating and illegal, but what about pieces of paper during a pool match?  What is the rule on that?  I guess it's considered getting advice/help.

And how would you feel if you saw your opponent sitting next to you at the poker table pulling out sheets of paper or your pool opponent pulling out a sheet of paper to pump himself up or calm himself down?

More Tools in the Toolbox - Example from a Pro

I wrote before how there are many tools in our toolboxes that we may not even be using, or have thought of.

I heard about one such tool while I was in Vegas for BCAPL Nationals.

During one of the pro events, Shane Van Boeing (SVB) was playing Alex Pagulayan.  If you don't know Alex or haven't ever seen him, he's a short, animated player who lives in Canada but from the Philippines.  SVB is another top professional pool player from the US.

The match was close - maybe 8-8 or so and SVB found himself in a position after the break with no shot, so he decided to roll-out.

He surveyed the table and saw that his best choice was to roll out to a jump shot.

HOWEVER - it wasn't just ANY jump shot.  He left the cueball to where Alex could NOT jump because of his height!  Alex actually jumps very well - but if he can't reach it, well....

So, Alex had no choice but to hand back the table to SVB.  Alex joked, "I blame my parents!"

It was super funny, actually.

But, SVB used a great tool in his toolbox - he literally sized up his opponent when he decided where to leave the roll-out jump shot.

Pretty clever, imo.

SVB jumped the ball, made it, and ran out.  However, Alex eventually won the match 10-9.

Remember all your available tools!

FANtastic Idea

As I'm playing in my first round of singles at the BCAPL Texas State tourney, I see this across the way:

Portable fan!

I say do what you gotta do!  Use your tools.

Smart idea.

Tools in Our Tool Box

What is in your toolbox?

Do you use ALL your tools when you play pool?

There are so many.  Do you use them all?

Maybe it's taking breaks.

Remembering to act/be confident.

Breathe to slow down your adrenaline.

Drink lots of water.

Have no mercy.

There are SO many things to remember when you play in tournaments.  Let's face it.  Stay down.  Sit still.  Breathe.  Try to beat your opponent 7-0.  Wear comfy clothes.  Hit balls before hand.  Eat something effective.  Keep mental notes handy to review.  Oh, and pause then follow through.

While obviously you shouldn't be thinking about all of this during a tournament, you must still be aware of SO many things in your tool box.

For instance.

I was talking to a player back in December during a break she had after a tough win.

She shared something with me, that I'm still shocked about.

The tables are kind of close to each other in a certain part of the room.  She was playing a tall opponent.

She would deliberately leave a safety down a certain end of the pool table, so her opponent would have a difficult time making the shot b/c she would be crouched against another table to shoot, and have an awkward stance.

WOW.  I had never thought of that.

Talk about using ALL the tools in your toolbox!

Makes me wonder what other tools are out there, as I hadn't thought about this one before!