"PoolSynergy" was the name we came up with for the pool Blog Carnival that started almost 3 years ago, and lasted about 2 1/2 years. A Blog Carnival is basically where several bloggers blog about the same topic, and of course, our overarching theme was pool.
Every month on the 15th, numerous billiard bloggers wrote an article about the same pool topic. Topics ranged from strategy to media to top tips to favorite recommendations, etc. Before it succumb to an end, we had 30 different topics! It was really cool to receive a theme/topic, write about it, and then read what the other 5-15 pool bloggers said about the same topic!
Each month, one of us picked a topic, and then we hosted all the articles. This way, everyone participated in the workload. Being a host was the only tough part of the job, because on the 15th of your month, you had to ensure all the links worked, everyone's article was up, and everything was working at exactly 10am Eastern time on the 15th, lol.
Honestly, even that wasn't tough.
I really enjoyed the Blog Carnival!
PoolSynergy started out very strong, but after 2 1/2 years, it withered away. People started to get busy and not contributing monthly, and eventually not enough participants allowed PoolSynergy to die a very slow, painful death. An unnoticed death, really.
A few of us tried to keep it going, but with no feedback from a lot of the bloggers themselves, it simply dissolved.
I think monthly was too much for many of the bloggers and their busy lives. Of course, I blog 10-15 times a month, so for me it was a piece of cake. ;)
However!!
AHA - Luckily many of us still have the archives of the great articles. And as I was writing a blog entry the other day, I searched for a particular article to link to that I had written for a PoolSynergy topic, and came across some other great Poolsynergy topics by my fellow bloggers.
I thought I would share all 30 topics with you all, as some of you are new. Be forewarned - this is A LOT of reading. It can be extremely overwhelming because there are so many great articles by my fellow bloggers on these different pool topics.
But, since I am going to separate all 30 topics out, you can choose which ones you want to read about, which ones you are most interested in, which ones you want to skip.
I will mark my favorite topics, too. Because, well, that's just how I roll. :)
Here we go:
THEME: My article.
And the link to the main article (that will lead you to all the other bloggers and their great thoughts and opinions and help!)
1. STRATEGY: My take: Refocus Early: I talk about what you can do during a match to help yourself - before the match ends, you must figure out things early!
Link to main article.
2. BILLIARD TALES: I share two stories that helped improve my game. ***Good Tips***
Link to main article.
3. LIFE LESSON APPLICATION: I talk about Leadership in Everyday Life. ***Excellent Quotes***
Link to main article.
4. FAVORITE PLAYER. Mine is: "Someone that you learn something from." I.E., not just one person, but everyone I ever learned from.
Link to main article.
5. POOL AND THE MAINSTREAM. I don't think pool is mainstream.
Link to main article.
6. IF THERE WAS ONLY ONE THING TO SHARE. My advice? Take lessons! **Repeat, Take lessons!**
Link to main article.
7. POOLOSOPHY. WHAT DOES POOL MEAN TO YOU. ***** For me, I loved this topic***** Why? Because Pool has made me who I am today. Pool may just be a sport to many, but to me, there’s a DIRECT connection
to ‘playing in pool tournaments’ to me being a happy, confident person
in my life.
Link to main article.
8. HOW TO FIX POOL. My take: Pool is broken?
Link to main article.
9. HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN POOL? My story, how pool captured my heart. ***Interesting to me, lol***
Link to main article.
10. SUPPORT. First I didn't have it, now I do.
Link to main article.
11. VIDEO OF WHAT's IN OUR CASES. Here's my vid.
Link to main article.
12. THE FUTURE OF POOL FROM A FAN/SPECTATOR PERSPECTIVE. Because I'm so optimistic, I asked a guest writer to help for this topic.
Link to main article.
13. THREE TIPS OF THE SAME CLASSIFICATION. I chose to write about how to prepare for a tournament BEFORE you GET to the tournament. **Good Tips**
Link to main article.
14. OUR FAVORITE RECOMMENDATIONS. I shared my all time FAV book and DVD.
Link to main article. ****Read ALL the recommendations from my fellow pool bloggers****
15. TEAM PLAY. Instead of writing about something good, I shared a very tough team experience.
Link to main article.
16. FAV POOL ROOM. Mine was easy: Rusty's Billiards!
Link to main article.
17. TOURNAMENT PREP. Bottom line: I need good sleep! *This is important*
Link to main article ****Great tips from NUMEROUS players!****
18. OUR FAV GAME AND WHY. For me? Duh, 8ball. :)
Link to main article.
19. POOL MECAS. For me, this is (still) BCAPL Nationals.
Link to main article.
20. GREAT TOURNEY EXPERIENCE. A good Tournament Director goes A LONG WAY. **A must read, imo**
Link to main article.
21. ADVICE TO OLDER PLAYERS. I asked some friends what their advice would be to older players picking up the game new (or again).
Link to main article.
22. "TEN THINGS" RELATED TO POOL. Blog host Samm Vidal said we could write about anything. Hmm. So, I choose to share the top ten things I wish I knew 10-15 years ago. *****Good tips!!!*****
Link to main article. *** GREAT tips and advice in this compilation from 20 bloggers!!! ***
Special Note to take time to read Jennifer Barretta's interesting and important article: 10 Ways to tell the level of a player without ever seeing them hit a ball
23. PRACTICE. Sounds simple enough. LOL. I suggest: Practice not only on the table, but your mental game as well. Pool is 90% mental - we should be practicing that too!
Link to main article.
24.SHARKING. My experiences with sharking.
Link to main article.
25. THANKFULNESS. What are we thankful for in regards to pool? For me this is easy: I am thankful for pool because I have met amazing, wonderful, impactful people.
Link to main article.
26. HOW DO YOU RECHARGE YOUR BATTERIES. I do this by setting goals.
Link to main article. *** Read here what others do when they are burned out ***
27. CELEBRITY STAR POWER. I don't see celebrities helping pool...
Link to main article.
F
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Still - GREAT plethora of awesome advice and tips and info. RIGHT!?! :)
Showing posts with label PoolSynergy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PoolSynergy. Show all posts
Monday, November 5, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
January 2012 PoolSynergy
PoolSynergy's January's Topic is hosted by NYCgrind.com:
"There are numerous pro athletes, entertainers, and other celebrities who are pool enthusiasts. What kind of potential (if any) do you see for celebrity star power to influence media exposure for the pool world? I really believe that we can all have a positive influence in bringing new eyes to this sport with this next post."
I am normally an optimist, but with topics like this, I am afraid I'm not.
While I don't know what will ever make pool popular, I simply don't believe that if celebrities played pool on tv or at events, that pool will magically become mainstream. I think this way because I've already seen celebrities play pool at events, and that didn't bring droves of people into the pool room or pool leagues.
Would I like them to, sure. Would I like star power to help raise the popularity of pool? Absolutely.
But, I don't think it's the answer.
While I don't know what the answer is, I suppose more and more celebrities that play pool definitely wouldn't hurt our sport.
However, the only people who get excited when a celebrity plays pool are pool players. If non-pool players see Shaquille O'Neal play pool, they don't run and buy a pool table.
If a popular actor maybe was hired and many commercials were run where this celebrity tried to sell certain pool tables, then I think more pool tables would be sold to non-pool players. But would the increase in people buying tables make pool mainstream all of a sudden?
Let me ask you this way. If Brad Pitt or Beyonce' or Mathew McConaughey or Pamela Anderson was in a commercial, that aired on all the tv channels and during big time events to try and convince us to buy a Foosball table or a certain special dart set, would that all of a sudden mean darts and/or Foosball would be shown on major networks and tens of thousands of dollars thrown into their tournaments?
Nope.
Even if I saw my favorite musician or favorite actor playing shuffle board, it wouldn't get me into that sport.
Like I said, I don't know what the answer is. But we need more than star power for pool to become mainstream.
IMHO.
"There are numerous pro athletes, entertainers, and other celebrities who are pool enthusiasts. What kind of potential (if any) do you see for celebrity star power to influence media exposure for the pool world? I really believe that we can all have a positive influence in bringing new eyes to this sport with this next post."
I am normally an optimist, but with topics like this, I am afraid I'm not.
While I don't know what will ever make pool popular, I simply don't believe that if celebrities played pool on tv or at events, that pool will magically become mainstream. I think this way because I've already seen celebrities play pool at events, and that didn't bring droves of people into the pool room or pool leagues.
Would I like them to, sure. Would I like star power to help raise the popularity of pool? Absolutely.
But, I don't think it's the answer.
While I don't know what the answer is, I suppose more and more celebrities that play pool definitely wouldn't hurt our sport.
However, the only people who get excited when a celebrity plays pool are pool players. If non-pool players see Shaquille O'Neal play pool, they don't run and buy a pool table.
If a popular actor maybe was hired and many commercials were run where this celebrity tried to sell certain pool tables, then I think more pool tables would be sold to non-pool players. But would the increase in people buying tables make pool mainstream all of a sudden?
Let me ask you this way. If Brad Pitt or Beyonce' or Mathew McConaughey or Pamela Anderson was in a commercial, that aired on all the tv channels and during big time events to try and convince us to buy a Foosball table or a certain special dart set, would that all of a sudden mean darts and/or Foosball would be shown on major networks and tens of thousands of dollars thrown into their tournaments?
Nope.
Even if I saw my favorite musician or favorite actor playing shuffle board, it wouldn't get me into that sport.
Like I said, I don't know what the answer is. But we need more than star power for pool to become mainstream.
IMHO.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
December PoolSynergy
Michael Reddick is this month's host of PoolSynergy. You know - PoolSynergy! Where billiard bloggers blog about a certain topic each month. Michael gave us this topic for December: How do you recharge your batteries?
Well, I recycle mine. Wait. What?
Michael explains: Based on personal experience, there are times when I overload on pool and I need a break. Especially during the holiday season, there are other parts of our lives that can take priority...holiday celebrations that we want to attend (or are required to attend), visiting with friends and family, etc. What I'd like to know from the writers is what they do when they are away from pool...specifically, how do they recharge their emotional or physical batteries so they can come back to the table feeling physically and mentally refreshed and ready to play?
For me this answer is easy. When I need to get back into a pool mind frame, because maybe I've taken a mental vacation due to life's' hiccups or responsibilities, I simply set goals.
I normally do this at the beginning of the year (I don't like resolutions at all, instead I'm a goal-setter), which helps me get back into playing pool and wanting to compete after all the holiday fuss. But, other times I set goals after I realize my game may not be up to par because of the time off.
Most of my goals revolve around what I can do to improve my game. So, goals such as watching a certain number of videos a month or a goal to practice a certain amount of time each week, are best for me. These goals automatically get me back into the mind frame to play pool; to want to play pool. Especially when I've had to take a break, which means less time at the table.
Also, as the famous saying goes, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" (by Eleanor Roosevelt), what I've experienced is being away from pool makes me anxious to play again. Therefore, the anxiousness automatically pulls me right back in and that makes it easy to feel refreshed and ready to play! :)
Sometimes that anxiousness takes time to come back, but when it does, you will be ready (it's like magic!).
Good luck!
Well, I recycle mine. Wait. What?
Michael explains: Based on personal experience, there are times when I overload on pool and I need a break. Especially during the holiday season, there are other parts of our lives that can take priority...holiday celebrations that we want to attend (or are required to attend), visiting with friends and family, etc. What I'd like to know from the writers is what they do when they are away from pool...specifically, how do they recharge their emotional or physical batteries so they can come back to the table feeling physically and mentally refreshed and ready to play?
For me this answer is easy. When I need to get back into a pool mind frame, because maybe I've taken a mental vacation due to life's' hiccups or responsibilities, I simply set goals.
I normally do this at the beginning of the year (I don't like resolutions at all, instead I'm a goal-setter), which helps me get back into playing pool and wanting to compete after all the holiday fuss. But, other times I set goals after I realize my game may not be up to par because of the time off.
Most of my goals revolve around what I can do to improve my game. So, goals such as watching a certain number of videos a month or a goal to practice a certain amount of time each week, are best for me. These goals automatically get me back into the mind frame to play pool; to want to play pool. Especially when I've had to take a break, which means less time at the table.
Also, as the famous saying goes, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" (by Eleanor Roosevelt), what I've experienced is being away from pool makes me anxious to play again. Therefore, the anxiousness automatically pulls me right back in and that makes it easy to feel refreshed and ready to play! :)
Sometimes that anxiousness takes time to come back, but when it does, you will be ready (it's like magic!).
Good luck!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
November Thanks
As host for PoolSynergy this month, since it's November I choose the topic "Thankfulness." Thanksgiving for the USA is in November, after all, so I thought the topic would be apropos. :)
I asked the PoolSynergy bloggers to wrote about what they are thankful about in regards to pool. Something they maybe learned, witnessed, experienced, etc. They were given free rein to talk about anything in regards to pool and what they are thankful for.
Markus Hofstatter wrote about great moments he had around the world, practicing, and people who he is happy to have in his life. Check out his blog entry here.
Gail Glazebrook surprised me by her thankfulness, yet it makes perfect sense (and now I wish I would have said this!). Read her thanks here.
Samm (Diep) Vidal talks about 10 wonderful things pool has brought into her life. She's always amazing at giving, and now check out what she's thankful for.
Alison Fischer gives us a look into her many years of thankfulness and I'm so glad she shared! She has a way with words I can only dream of. Read her article here.
Mike Fieldhammer also contributed this month and his thankfulness also surprised me. Check out his thanks.
Johnny101 is most thankful for the support and guidance he's received from people he's never actually met! Intriguing, huh? Read his article here.
John Biddle shares many thankful pool reasons, from family to authors and also thanks to other players. He's right on target, too. Read the details.
Gary Frerking gives thanks to attention-to-detail, how his Dad pounded it into his head, and how it's useful now. Check out his article.
And I (Melinda) wrote about Thanks, also. I thought everyone would say the same thing (always glad to be proven wrong in these instances!), and here is what I am grateful for: click here.
/pun on/ Thanks to all the bloggers for writing about Thanks! /pun off/ :-)
Hope everyone has a great month of Thanks and check us (Poolsynergy) out next month when Michael Reddick is our gracious host!
I asked the PoolSynergy bloggers to wrote about what they are thankful about in regards to pool. Something they maybe learned, witnessed, experienced, etc. They were given free rein to talk about anything in regards to pool and what they are thankful for.
Markus Hofstatter wrote about great moments he had around the world, practicing, and people who he is happy to have in his life. Check out his blog entry here.
Gail Glazebrook surprised me by her thankfulness, yet it makes perfect sense (and now I wish I would have said this!). Read her thanks here.
Samm (Diep) Vidal talks about 10 wonderful things pool has brought into her life. She's always amazing at giving, and now check out what she's thankful for.
Alison Fischer gives us a look into her many years of thankfulness and I'm so glad she shared! She has a way with words I can only dream of. Read her article here.
Mike Fieldhammer also contributed this month and his thankfulness also surprised me. Check out his thanks.
Johnny101 is most thankful for the support and guidance he's received from people he's never actually met! Intriguing, huh? Read his article here.
John Biddle shares many thankful pool reasons, from family to authors and also thanks to other players. He's right on target, too. Read the details.
Gary Frerking gives thanks to attention-to-detail, how his Dad pounded it into his head, and how it's useful now. Check out his article.
And I (Melinda) wrote about Thanks, also. I thought everyone would say the same thing (always glad to be proven wrong in these instances!), and here is what I am grateful for: click here.
/pun on/ Thanks to all the bloggers for writing about Thanks! /pun off/ :-)
Hope everyone has a great month of Thanks and check us (Poolsynergy) out next month when Michael Reddick is our gracious host!
Thank Yous
This months topic is simply: Thank you. What are we thankful for in regards to pool?
For me this is easy: I am thankful for pool because I have met amazing, wonderful, impactful people.
While co-workers and family may not understand why pool means so much to me, fellow pool players truly understand the passion.
They understand why pool makes me happy, challenged, and passionate.
They understand why I travel across the country to play pool, why I cry after I win a tournament, why at other times I get so frustrated.
I found love because of pool.
I have found heartbreak because of pool.
I believe that everything happens for a reason and everything in life makes us stronger, so I embrace all that happens, and for everyone that crosses my path.
As many fellow OB Cues Ladies Tour Members have said: attending tour stops is not about pool, it's about friendship. To get to see our friends, hang out with friends, getting our hugs, sharing our happiness, and getting consoled during life's hiccups. It's a family. Dysfunctional, fun, amazing family!
I truly have a family because of pool.
And I have so many great friends and loved ones because I met them through pool.
Who have helped me through so much in my life. That I will never forget, ever.
I honestly don't know if I would have this many friends if it wasn't for the love of pool that brought us together. And they help me through the tough times, share in laughter other times, and yes, I even am honored to offer advice or my experiences at times to help them.
Friends are my personal counselors through life. They lift me up with their words, help me leave the house with encouragement, take memorable trips with me, and help me laugh!
This is all why I'm very thankful for pool! What would I do without all my friends, and the love that fills my heart, and life experiences we share together?!
And don't forget to read ALL the Thank you PoolSynergy blogs by clicking here!
For me this is easy: I am thankful for pool because I have met amazing, wonderful, impactful people.
- I met a woman in my mid 20s who helped me become more confident by taking an interest in my well being.
- I have met so many wonderful, amazing women who have given me great advice during adverse times in my life.
- I have met guys who became my boyfriends who captured many years of happiness.
- I have best friends because I met them through the love we share with pool.
While co-workers and family may not understand why pool means so much to me, fellow pool players truly understand the passion.
They understand why pool makes me happy, challenged, and passionate.
They understand why I travel across the country to play pool, why I cry after I win a tournament, why at other times I get so frustrated.
I found love because of pool.
I have found heartbreak because of pool.
I believe that everything happens for a reason and everything in life makes us stronger, so I embrace all that happens, and for everyone that crosses my path.
As many fellow OB Cues Ladies Tour Members have said: attending tour stops is not about pool, it's about friendship. To get to see our friends, hang out with friends, getting our hugs, sharing our happiness, and getting consoled during life's hiccups. It's a family. Dysfunctional, fun, amazing family!
I truly have a family because of pool.
And I have so many great friends and loved ones because I met them through pool.
Who have helped me through so much in my life. That I will never forget, ever.
I honestly don't know if I would have this many friends if it wasn't for the love of pool that brought us together. And they help me through the tough times, share in laughter other times, and yes, I even am honored to offer advice or my experiences at times to help them.
Friends are my personal counselors through life. They lift me up with their words, help me leave the house with encouragement, take memorable trips with me, and help me laugh!
This is all why I'm very thankful for pool! What would I do without all my friends, and the love that fills my heart, and life experiences we share together?!
And don't forget to read ALL the Thank you PoolSynergy blogs by clicking here!
Saturday, October 15, 2011
When Sharks Attack
Gary Frerking is this month's Poolsynergy host and he wants us to talk about sharking.
Ahh... sharking.
I've learned more and more about sharking lately, mostly because a good player friend of mine has confided in some of the things he does to shark people. The reason the topic was brought up was because I told him I knew he was sharking in his matches, lol. I felt comfortable telling him that I wrote about him in a blog post. This is when I stated he took many bathroom breaks during the finals of a tournament and could get away with it because this tourney didn't have a rule about the # of bathrooms breaks per match (like a tour would have, for instance). So, he was able to get away with that sharking technique and sure enough rattled his opponent enough to win the tourney.
He recently told me if he notices his opponent is bothered by upside-down chalk, he will deliberately keep putting the chalk upside-down. This forces his opponent to get his mind off of the game.
Quite insightful yet disturbing to me.
I hate to hear when the pros are accused of doing things deliberately when in fact, we really don't know. Because they interrupt a shot to ask a question - how does one sit in their chair and say to themselves, "okay, run, get up and interrupt him "NOW." No, I feel that we sometimes just react to things and don't deliberately try to shark people.
But, that is my optimistic side coming out in me.
However, I have seen true sharking before. And it's not pretty.
Standing by the table while you shoot, talking loudly while you are shooting, etc.
What I also don't like is that some people think that certain players deliberately complain and/or get mad at themselves to shark their opponents.
What?
The people I know that show emotion do not do it deliberately. They are simply wearing their emotions on their sleeves. Now granted, their actions DO shark their opponents. But, from where I'm sitting, I know in my heart they aren't getting mad at themselves deliberately to throw off their opponents. They just don't handle tough emotions calmly all the time.
The funny thing about the pros: they all know who the sharkers are. They know when they see certain opponents' names on the charts they will have to deal with antics. Luckily, the pros are pretty good at focusing on their game against sharkers because they have years of experience dealing with them, lol.
What about me? Have I been sharked. Sure.
I have also sharked myself by letting people get to me. Ugh. Hate that.
No, really, what about me?
Have I ever sharked anyone?
Yep, I have.
I am ashamed to admit it, but luckily this was years and years ago. I immediately felt bad and prolly have yet to recover, quite honestly.
But here is my story:
I know from reading about mental toughness that when you are in the zone, the worst thing you can do is to start thinking about how well you are shooting. That throws your game off. Instead of free stroking, you are now thinking about outcomes and how well you are shooting and it affects your game tremendously. You think-yourself out of the zone!
Think about it - how can you be thinking about how well you are shooting, if your mind is suppose to be focusing on the shot at hand?
I was playing a friend of mine (about 8-9 years ago) who told me during our match, "please quit talking to me while we play." I was hurt, but at the same time felt bad for bothering her. I was just being friendly to her while we played, ugh. But, I completely understood she wanted to focus on the game and that I was distracting her.
But I also realized I had ammunition. (gosh I hate thinking this way!)
But I did: Future reference material.
Sure enough, I was playing her a couple of months later for 7th or 9th place on Sunday on the Ladies Tour in Texas. She was free stroking and playing great! She was running out from everywhere. And then I did the wrong thing; the inappropriate thing: I spoke to her. :(
I told her, "I wish your music was playing on the jukebox, I like your music best. And btw, you are shooting really good."
What did that do? It got her out of her rhythm. It got her thinking about (probably) several things:
I ended up winning that match and went on to place 4th I believe.
Still to this day, I am ashamed at myself for doing that. For me to even type these words out is difficult for me, but the topic is about sharking and I must confess I have done it before. And I honestly don't know how the people who do it continually and deliberately can live with themselves.
(BTW, I also recognize when other players do this to me. I have noted people trying to throw me off my game deliberately by the same "complimenting" comments. I *try* to force the nice comments from my brain.)
Sure, pool is mental like golf. Sure, no rules say I can't talk. But this is about ethics.
I could even throw the word "karma" around in this blog article (but I wont).
It's a much better feeling to know I am winning because of skill and talents, instead of sharking and "trickery."
Btw, STILL not happy I did that, even if it was 8-9 years ago. :(
Ahh... sharking.
I've learned more and more about sharking lately, mostly because a good player friend of mine has confided in some of the things he does to shark people. The reason the topic was brought up was because I told him I knew he was sharking in his matches, lol. I felt comfortable telling him that I wrote about him in a blog post. This is when I stated he took many bathroom breaks during the finals of a tournament and could get away with it because this tourney didn't have a rule about the # of bathrooms breaks per match (like a tour would have, for instance). So, he was able to get away with that sharking technique and sure enough rattled his opponent enough to win the tourney.
He recently told me if he notices his opponent is bothered by upside-down chalk, he will deliberately keep putting the chalk upside-down. This forces his opponent to get his mind off of the game.
Quite insightful yet disturbing to me.
I hate to hear when the pros are accused of doing things deliberately when in fact, we really don't know. Because they interrupt a shot to ask a question - how does one sit in their chair and say to themselves, "okay, run, get up and interrupt him "NOW." No, I feel that we sometimes just react to things and don't deliberately try to shark people.
But, that is my optimistic side coming out in me.
However, I have seen true sharking before. And it's not pretty.
Standing by the table while you shoot, talking loudly while you are shooting, etc.
What I also don't like is that some people think that certain players deliberately complain and/or get mad at themselves to shark their opponents.
What?
The people I know that show emotion do not do it deliberately. They are simply wearing their emotions on their sleeves. Now granted, their actions DO shark their opponents. But, from where I'm sitting, I know in my heart they aren't getting mad at themselves deliberately to throw off their opponents. They just don't handle tough emotions calmly all the time.
The funny thing about the pros: they all know who the sharkers are. They know when they see certain opponents' names on the charts they will have to deal with antics. Luckily, the pros are pretty good at focusing on their game against sharkers because they have years of experience dealing with them, lol.
What about me? Have I been sharked. Sure.
I have also sharked myself by letting people get to me. Ugh. Hate that.
No, really, what about me?
Have I ever sharked anyone?
Yep, I have.
I am ashamed to admit it, but luckily this was years and years ago. I immediately felt bad and prolly have yet to recover, quite honestly.
But here is my story:
I know from reading about mental toughness that when you are in the zone, the worst thing you can do is to start thinking about how well you are shooting. That throws your game off. Instead of free stroking, you are now thinking about outcomes and how well you are shooting and it affects your game tremendously. You think-yourself out of the zone!
Think about it - how can you be thinking about how well you are shooting, if your mind is suppose to be focusing on the shot at hand?
I was playing a friend of mine (about 8-9 years ago) who told me during our match, "please quit talking to me while we play." I was hurt, but at the same time felt bad for bothering her. I was just being friendly to her while we played, ugh. But, I completely understood she wanted to focus on the game and that I was distracting her.
But I also realized I had ammunition. (gosh I hate thinking this way!)
But I did: Future reference material.
Sure enough, I was playing her a couple of months later for 7th or 9th place on Sunday on the Ladies Tour in Texas. She was free stroking and playing great! She was running out from everywhere. And then I did the wrong thing; the inappropriate thing: I spoke to her. :(
I told her, "I wish your music was playing on the jukebox, I like your music best. And btw, you are shooting really good."
What did that do? It got her out of her rhythm. It got her thinking about (probably) several things:
- Why is she talking to me?
- I DO love my music and wish it was on.
- Why did she bring that up?
- Wait, I AM playing good.
I ended up winning that match and went on to place 4th I believe.
Still to this day, I am ashamed at myself for doing that. For me to even type these words out is difficult for me, but the topic is about sharking and I must confess I have done it before. And I honestly don't know how the people who do it continually and deliberately can live with themselves.
(BTW, I also recognize when other players do this to me. I have noted people trying to throw me off my game deliberately by the same "complimenting" comments. I *try* to force the nice comments from my brain.)
Sure, pool is mental like golf. Sure, no rules say I can't talk. But this is about ethics.
I could even throw the word "karma" around in this blog article (but I wont).
It's a much better feeling to know I am winning because of skill and talents, instead of sharking and "trickery."
Btw, STILL not happy I did that, even if it was 8-9 years ago. :(
Thursday, September 15, 2011
PoolSynergy - Practice
John Biddle, Founding Father of PoolSynergy, wants us to share with you this month what has worked and what didn't work for us personally in regard to practice.
Ahh... practice.
The pivotal part of every one's game.
In order to get better, you must practice. You hear the pro's fibbing and tell you they practice 8 hours a day. Whatever. No they don't.
However, practice is important. Patrice not only gives you CONFIDENCE, which is crucial, but it also gives you CONSISTENCY, which is key.
What worked for me? Set reachable goals to practice pool.
Once I set a goal to practice, then I was actually able to accomplish PRACTICING. What was my goal specifically? Well, several years ago it was to hit balls by myself for 1-3 hours a week on a 9-foot table.
I did this for almost 2-3 years. And guess what - it was obvious. It's very obvious when I practice and make a goal to hit balls. You can see it in my high rankings on the OB Cues Ladies Tour and also my high finishes at big tournaments.
Guess what people? It really does help!
Now, what doesn't work for me: Drills. I'm not a drill person.
Everyone asks me, "How can you practice by yourself?" I retort back, "Hell, how can you do drills???"
The other way to practice is to read books or watch videos. I highly recommend that.
However, I must not forget to mention that the game of pool is like golf: it's 90% mental.
"But Wait," you are thinking. "How do you practice mental toughness?"
Easy.
Read books on the mental game.
AND...
Play in tournaments. As many as you can.
Don't just play in a few. Get yourself in the middle of tournaments and exercise your mind; your mental toughness. Learn from every match. What worked, what didn't, what can you work on, why did you falter or do well? Reflect, learn, and your mental game will get better.
It doesn't matter how many hours you put on the pool table to practice - that wont help you in a pressure situation. UNLESS - you've already somehow learned or read that a solid pre-shot routine helps you overcome jitters/pressure.
You don't know how to handle these type of things automatically when you come out of the womb: a rough crowd, rude comments, bad rolls, bad thoughts, negative emotions, etc., .
You need to learn, absorb knowledge from books or online; you need to toughen up your mental game by playing against others in many, many different types atmospheres (pro events, weekly tourneys, etc.).
Yes, practice on a pool table to improve your game, pre-shot routine, and consistency. But combine that practice with sharping your mental toughness skills, too, by jumping into competition.
That combination is the only thing that worked for me.
Good luck!
Ahh... practice.
The pivotal part of every one's game.
In order to get better, you must practice. You hear the pro's fibbing and tell you they practice 8 hours a day. Whatever. No they don't.
However, practice is important. Patrice not only gives you CONFIDENCE, which is crucial, but it also gives you CONSISTENCY, which is key.
What worked for me? Set reachable goals to practice pool.
Once I set a goal to practice, then I was actually able to accomplish PRACTICING. What was my goal specifically? Well, several years ago it was to hit balls by myself for 1-3 hours a week on a 9-foot table.
I did this for almost 2-3 years. And guess what - it was obvious. It's very obvious when I practice and make a goal to hit balls. You can see it in my high rankings on the OB Cues Ladies Tour and also my high finishes at big tournaments.
Guess what people? It really does help!
Now, what doesn't work for me: Drills. I'm not a drill person.
Everyone asks me, "How can you practice by yourself?" I retort back, "Hell, how can you do drills???"
The other way to practice is to read books or watch videos. I highly recommend that.
However, I must not forget to mention that the game of pool is like golf: it's 90% mental.
"But Wait," you are thinking. "How do you practice mental toughness?"
Easy.
Read books on the mental game.
AND...
Play in tournaments. As many as you can.
Don't just play in a few. Get yourself in the middle of tournaments and exercise your mind; your mental toughness. Learn from every match. What worked, what didn't, what can you work on, why did you falter or do well? Reflect, learn, and your mental game will get better.
It doesn't matter how many hours you put on the pool table to practice - that wont help you in a pressure situation. UNLESS - you've already somehow learned or read that a solid pre-shot routine helps you overcome jitters/pressure.
You don't know how to handle these type of things automatically when you come out of the womb: a rough crowd, rude comments, bad rolls, bad thoughts, negative emotions, etc., .
You need to learn, absorb knowledge from books or online; you need to toughen up your mental game by playing against others in many, many different types atmospheres (pro events, weekly tourneys, etc.).
Yes, practice on a pool table to improve your game, pre-shot routine, and consistency. But combine that practice with sharping your mental toughness skills, too, by jumping into competition.
That combination is the only thing that worked for me.
Good luck!
Monday, August 15, 2011
Top Ten PoolSynergy
The lovely Samm Vidal (previously known as Samm Diep) is this month's PoolSynergy host! If I had to give her a title, it would be "THE nicest person in pool." She's a talented, amazing woman and a good, true friend. The only problem is her topic this month is tough! Argh!
She wants us pool bloggers of Pool Synergy to list ten things related to pool, and those ten things have to relate to each other. For example, your 10 favorite ???, 10 reasons why you ???, 10 tips on ???, 10 random pool thoughts???, a list of 10 anything pool-related.
WTHeck, Samm! Give us something easy next time. Sheesh.
You think it's easy?? Try it. I dare you.
I struggled with what ten, relate-able things to share. Well, here it goes:
Top Ten things I Wish I Knew 10-15 Years Ago:
(in random order)
1. Always think three balls ahead. Always. Every shot. I learned this from my friend Shayla Neris who learned this from her coach. I am SO glad she passed this on to me so many years ago!
2. Look at the object ball last.
3. Play straight pool. Your love of pool will go up exponentially.
4. In order to do well in tournaments, you must play in as many as you can. Please hear these words. You cannot learn to handle pressure or learn mental toughness with only a few tournaments a year. You need conditioning over and over in a tournament environment to give yourself the best chance to gain experience.
5. It's okay to take lessons. No one will judge you and your game will improve faster. ;-)
6. Follow through with a smooth stroke and keep your head still. I.e. Condition your pre shot routine! Repeat after me: Condition your pre shot routine. Repeat after me again: Condition your pre shot routine.
7. You WILL get frustrated with this game. You will want to quit numerous times. You wont understand why you can practice so well but not compete in tournaments. It takes experience!
8. Play in tough-a$$ tournaments when you can. Advice from my friend Cristina Dela Garza, Get out of your comfort zone - playing against tougher players in different/bigger/tougher environments makes you tougher and gives you amazing experiences for when you play in your other regular tournaments or leagues.
9. If you focus entirely on your pre shot routine, then that helps your brain from thinking about other things it shouldn't. Try it, you'll like it; I promise. :) This was the best mental advice I ever received for overcoming jitters, pressure, embarrassment, un-confidence, and thinking too much while at the table. Author and friend Phil Capelle taught me this.
10. Play Your Best. If you play your best, you give your best effort, then you should not be upset at yourself if you lose. I learned from Mental Toughness Training for Sports that if I played lazy or didn't give 100%, then I accepted I didn't play my best and this helped me from getting frustrated or depressed about my play.
Well, I hope some of this helps you (or resonates with you), as it helped me all these years become a seasoned, overall good player. Good luck!
She wants us pool bloggers of Pool Synergy to list ten things related to pool, and those ten things have to relate to each other. For example, your 10 favorite ???, 10 reasons why you ???, 10 tips on ???, 10 random pool thoughts???, a list of 10 anything pool-related.
WTHeck, Samm! Give us something easy next time. Sheesh.
You think it's easy?? Try it. I dare you.
I struggled with what ten, relate-able things to share. Well, here it goes:
Top Ten things I Wish I Knew 10-15 Years Ago:
(in random order)
1. Always think three balls ahead. Always. Every shot. I learned this from my friend Shayla Neris who learned this from her coach. I am SO glad she passed this on to me so many years ago!
2. Look at the object ball last.
3. Play straight pool. Your love of pool will go up exponentially.
4. In order to do well in tournaments, you must play in as many as you can. Please hear these words. You cannot learn to handle pressure or learn mental toughness with only a few tournaments a year. You need conditioning over and over in a tournament environment to give yourself the best chance to gain experience.
5. It's okay to take lessons. No one will judge you and your game will improve faster. ;-)
6. Follow through with a smooth stroke and keep your head still. I.e. Condition your pre shot routine! Repeat after me: Condition your pre shot routine. Repeat after me again: Condition your pre shot routine.
7. You WILL get frustrated with this game. You will want to quit numerous times. You wont understand why you can practice so well but not compete in tournaments. It takes experience!
8. Play in tough-a$$ tournaments when you can. Advice from my friend Cristina Dela Garza, Get out of your comfort zone - playing against tougher players in different/bigger/tougher environments makes you tougher and gives you amazing experiences for when you play in your other regular tournaments or leagues.
9. If you focus entirely on your pre shot routine, then that helps your brain from thinking about other things it shouldn't. Try it, you'll like it; I promise. :) This was the best mental advice I ever received for overcoming jitters, pressure, embarrassment, un-confidence, and thinking too much while at the table. Author and friend Phil Capelle taught me this.
10. Play Your Best. If you play your best, you give your best effort, then you should not be upset at yourself if you lose. I learned from Mental Toughness Training for Sports that if I played lazy or didn't give 100%, then I accepted I didn't play my best and this helped me from getting frustrated or depressed about my play.
Well, I hope some of this helps you (or resonates with you), as it helped me all these years become a seasoned, overall good player. Good luck!
Friday, July 15, 2011
PoolSynergy - Advice for Older Players
This month's PoolSynergy host is the awesome PoolBum! Yep, I said pool bum. Surely that's a nickname ;-)
His topic: Advice to older players who are taking up the game or coming back to it after a long hiatus. (This is a request he received from a friend who is retired, which I thought was really cool.)
I wasn't sure what to offer or suggest, tho. Being as I'm not retired yet from work, haven't taken a hiatus (yet) from pool, I wasn't sure what to say or what advice to give.
So, what does one do in these situations? Yep, they punt! Or to keep it pool related, they give back the push out.
I wanted to ask my oldest pool player friend, Fred, and capture him on video. He ventures into my previous pool room throughout the week and either sits and watches one pocket for a couple of hours or sometimes plays a game of one pocket himself. At 88 years old, he's pretty impressive still! I had my spies text me when he showed up to the pool room finally over the weekend, but it was too early for this "need-more-rest-at-my-age-now" girl and I wasn't able to interview him for you. :(
So, instead of asking Fred via video, I went to my new pool room later that night for a tourney and asked three retired pool players what advice they had to offer. Of course, at first they were offended I asked them. "What are you saying, we are old?" one quips at me.
Um....
Yea, I was lucky to get any answers from them at all, lol.
But, they obliged and wanted to help out PoolBum's friend.
I asked Dennis first. Dennis is a straight shooter and plays in the weekly tourneys and also the straight pool league (he's in the highest division - he's a strong player). He's also a vet and a retired American Airlines pilot.
Dennis suggested for the older players who are taking up the game or coming back to it after a long hiatus, to practice. He also suggested to watch pool videos. He went on to suggest the player should join a league - it will get them around others and they will have some success in a league. Dennis reminded me that some leagues offer free pool to league players, so that's an added bonus. Finally, Dennis offered they play at senior citizen centers - they also have free pool and they would be "shooting the shit" with other old timers there as they played together.
Next, I asked Lowell. I happen to want to interview Lowell some day for my blog. Lowell used to play pool more but now he's focused on shuffle board. He found out one night he has mad, mad shuffle board skills! He now sticks to their weekly tournaments to earn extra cash, instead of the pool weekly tourneys. Lowell is retired, like Dennis. Lowell is also the famous painter you would see on PBS on Saturday and Sunday mornings! Yep, THAT guy.
Lowell said it's important to build confidence so he suggested to "practice by yourself to regenerate old skills that you had before." He also suggested to get involved with a league, "and more than one a week" he added. Finally, Lowell wants to remind the player not to get discouraged in the beginning; have patience.
The third person I sought advice from was Ed. Ed runs the weekly tournaments at the new pool room that I hang out at, and he is there religiously on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights to run them. He runs them well, too! Ed talks about his grandchildren, but I admit I am not sure what he is retired from. But, he's an extremely nice guy with a great, fun attitude.
Ed suggested the player should "play by yourself at first to get your stroke back." Next, he advised they should play people above their skill level against someone who is patient and cordial, so the retiree can ease back into the game. I asked Ed to explain why he suggested the player play someone above their skill level and he said it would make them progress and it would "keep them interested isntead of bored" because it gives them goals. Finally, Ed suggested to play in lots of tournaments to get their confidence back.
After I heard all the advice from these fine players, I admit I was surprised that their advice would be right along the lines what I would tell a new payer to the game. I guess I could have offered advice after all!
I want to thank Ed, Lowell, and Dennis for taking the time out to help my article which will in turn help PoolBum's retired friend! (and hopefully many others who are in this same situation!)
His topic: Advice to older players who are taking up the game or coming back to it after a long hiatus. (This is a request he received from a friend who is retired, which I thought was really cool.)
I wasn't sure what to offer or suggest, tho. Being as I'm not retired yet from work, haven't taken a hiatus (yet) from pool, I wasn't sure what to say or what advice to give.
So, what does one do in these situations? Yep, they punt! Or to keep it pool related, they give back the push out.
I wanted to ask my oldest pool player friend, Fred, and capture him on video. He ventures into my previous pool room throughout the week and either sits and watches one pocket for a couple of hours or sometimes plays a game of one pocket himself. At 88 years old, he's pretty impressive still! I had my spies text me when he showed up to the pool room finally over the weekend, but it was too early for this "need-more-rest-at-my-age-now" girl and I wasn't able to interview him for you. :(
Um....
Yea, I was lucky to get any answers from them at all, lol.
But, they obliged and wanted to help out PoolBum's friend.
I asked Dennis first. Dennis is a straight shooter and plays in the weekly tourneys and also the straight pool league (he's in the highest division - he's a strong player). He's also a vet and a retired American Airlines pilot.
Dennis suggested for the older players who are taking up the game or coming back to it after a long hiatus, to practice. He also suggested to watch pool videos. He went on to suggest the player should join a league - it will get them around others and they will have some success in a league. Dennis reminded me that some leagues offer free pool to league players, so that's an added bonus. Finally, Dennis offered they play at senior citizen centers - they also have free pool and they would be "shooting the shit" with other old timers there as they played together.
Next, I asked Lowell. I happen to want to interview Lowell some day for my blog. Lowell used to play pool more but now he's focused on shuffle board. He found out one night he has mad, mad shuffle board skills! He now sticks to their weekly tournaments to earn extra cash, instead of the pool weekly tourneys. Lowell is retired, like Dennis. Lowell is also the famous painter you would see on PBS on Saturday and Sunday mornings! Yep, THAT guy.
Lowell said it's important to build confidence so he suggested to "practice by yourself to regenerate old skills that you had before." He also suggested to get involved with a league, "and more than one a week" he added. Finally, Lowell wants to remind the player not to get discouraged in the beginning; have patience.
The third person I sought advice from was Ed. Ed runs the weekly tournaments at the new pool room that I hang out at, and he is there religiously on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights to run them. He runs them well, too! Ed talks about his grandchildren, but I admit I am not sure what he is retired from. But, he's an extremely nice guy with a great, fun attitude.
Ed suggested the player should "play by yourself at first to get your stroke back." Next, he advised they should play people above their skill level against someone who is patient and cordial, so the retiree can ease back into the game. I asked Ed to explain why he suggested the player play someone above their skill level and he said it would make them progress and it would "keep them interested isntead of bored" because it gives them goals. Finally, Ed suggested to play in lots of tournaments to get their confidence back.
After I heard all the advice from these fine players, I admit I was surprised that their advice would be right along the lines what I would tell a new payer to the game. I guess I could have offered advice after all!
I want to thank Ed, Lowell, and Dennis for taking the time out to help my article which will in turn help PoolBum's retired friend! (and hopefully many others who are in this same situation!)
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
A Great Tournament Experience - PoolSynergy of the Month
Mike Fieldhammer is this month's PoolSynergy host and he choose this topic for us to write about: A Great Tournament Experience.
Obviously, the best tournament experienced is one that you win! Ah, just kidding! Although.. that is an extra added bonus! :) haha
Ironically, Mike wants us to "write about any aspect of an event that you enjoyed and appreciated." Well, for me, the best tournament experience is one where I feel appreciated and respected. That goes a long way to make the perfect tournament experience for me!
It might sound selfish, but let me put it into perspective.
I have been to tournaments where the Tournament Directors (TDs) don't listen to the players, the waitresses could care less if I need a drink in the middle of the match, the one bad table isn't taken out of the line up even after complaints, the Player's Meeting is not started on time, etc.
These may seem minor, but appreciation helps one's mental game. As a competitor, I am there to focus on playing my best. If I have distractions, I wont be top form for my matches. And if I have distractions that are preventable or not taken care of, it makes for an even POORer tournament experience. It goes a LONG way when Tournament Directors show appreciation to their players and provides them the best atmosphere to play in. That is the great tournament experience for me.
Further, as the caretaker of my Mom, little things go a long way to feel appreciated. I take care of everything in my life; But a good TD makes me feel taken care of, and to me that leads to being able to play pool distraction-free!
Appreciation is the biggest compliment to me. Not just in pool, but in my life.
Sure, go ahead and use me for my entry fee and green fee and registration fee. As long as I'm felt appreciated, I will gladly come back and donate!
On the other hand, take advantage of the players by being rude, taking out money not advertised, change the format after the tourney starts, etc. and you will lose players.
I have been to tourneys where the A/C was not working properly in the middle of the Summer in Texas. The Pool room owner gave us all free bottled water. Talk about appreciation!
I appreciate when the Player's Meeting is started on time. Just the other weekend I raced to an event because I was told the meeting started promptly at 10:15 but it really didn't start til 11am. :(
I have been to tourneys where the TDs got in verbal arguments with their players. Talk about distracting and rude!
When TD's enforce the rules, it's also much appreciated. I like it when everyone has to follow the same rules. Don't bend them for favorites. Guess what? We all see when you let that one player slide more than the 15 minutes and you don't forfeit them, or you allow that other player out of dress code, or you wont step up and tell one of our opponents to stop sharking, or you let the audience interfere with matches, etc. I understand that TDs have a thankless job, but the rules are in place for a smooth tourney experience for all involved.
I appreciate when a pool room shows their appreciation to the players that are there in their pool room. It reminds me of watching bands live in concert. When they stand onstage and genuinely thank their fans for paying to watch them perform, it gives us a sense they sincerely appreciate us. Same for pool room owners that leave the bar tables open for free or provide extra food (as examples).
Some tournaments have surprised the players and added extra money to the event. We will always remember those pool room owners!
The TD's that start the matches on time and keep the tourney moving along are top notch in my book.
I went to one tournament held in a convention center and the event was non-smoking, but the TD's were smoking at the TD desk in the room! Really??
I love a tournament that advertises exactly what the green fees, payouts, etc. are. Trust is key.
So, while I could mention a specific thing that makes for a great tournament experience, it's the tournaments where I feel appreciated that I cherish the most. Distraction-free is the perfect atmosphere to get my mind in gear for playing good pool! And the best way to achieve that is for tournaments, tournament directors, and pool room owners to show appreciation to the players through respect, appreciation, and gratitude.
Obviously, the best tournament experienced is one that you win! Ah, just kidding! Although.. that is an extra added bonus! :) haha
Ironically, Mike wants us to "write about any aspect of an event that you enjoyed and appreciated." Well, for me, the best tournament experience is one where I feel appreciated and respected. That goes a long way to make the perfect tournament experience for me!
It might sound selfish, but let me put it into perspective.
I have been to tournaments where the Tournament Directors (TDs) don't listen to the players, the waitresses could care less if I need a drink in the middle of the match, the one bad table isn't taken out of the line up even after complaints, the Player's Meeting is not started on time, etc.
These may seem minor, but appreciation helps one's mental game. As a competitor, I am there to focus on playing my best. If I have distractions, I wont be top form for my matches. And if I have distractions that are preventable or not taken care of, it makes for an even POORer tournament experience. It goes a LONG way when Tournament Directors show appreciation to their players and provides them the best atmosphere to play in. That is the great tournament experience for me.
Further, as the caretaker of my Mom, little things go a long way to feel appreciated. I take care of everything in my life; But a good TD makes me feel taken care of, and to me that leads to being able to play pool distraction-free!
Appreciation is the biggest compliment to me. Not just in pool, but in my life.
Sure, go ahead and use me for my entry fee and green fee and registration fee. As long as I'm felt appreciated, I will gladly come back and donate!
On the other hand, take advantage of the players by being rude, taking out money not advertised, change the format after the tourney starts, etc. and you will lose players.
I have been to tourneys where the A/C was not working properly in the middle of the Summer in Texas. The Pool room owner gave us all free bottled water. Talk about appreciation!
I appreciate when the Player's Meeting is started on time. Just the other weekend I raced to an event because I was told the meeting started promptly at 10:15 but it really didn't start til 11am. :(
I have been to tourneys where the TDs got in verbal arguments with their players. Talk about distracting and rude!
When TD's enforce the rules, it's also much appreciated. I like it when everyone has to follow the same rules. Don't bend them for favorites. Guess what? We all see when you let that one player slide more than the 15 minutes and you don't forfeit them, or you allow that other player out of dress code, or you wont step up and tell one of our opponents to stop sharking, or you let the audience interfere with matches, etc. I understand that TDs have a thankless job, but the rules are in place for a smooth tourney experience for all involved.
I appreciate when a pool room shows their appreciation to the players that are there in their pool room. It reminds me of watching bands live in concert. When they stand onstage and genuinely thank their fans for paying to watch them perform, it gives us a sense they sincerely appreciate us. Same for pool room owners that leave the bar tables open for free or provide extra food (as examples).
Some tournaments have surprised the players and added extra money to the event. We will always remember those pool room owners!
The TD's that start the matches on time and keep the tourney moving along are top notch in my book.
I went to one tournament held in a convention center and the event was non-smoking, but the TD's were smoking at the TD desk in the room! Really??
I love a tournament that advertises exactly what the green fees, payouts, etc. are. Trust is key.
So, while I could mention a specific thing that makes for a great tournament experience, it's the tournaments where I feel appreciated that I cherish the most. Distraction-free is the perfect atmosphere to get my mind in gear for playing good pool! And the best way to achieve that is for tournaments, tournament directors, and pool room owners to show appreciation to the players through respect, appreciation, and gratitude.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Pool Synergy - Pool Meccas
Pool Meccas is the topic for this Month's Poolsynergy blog run.
I think it's not difficult to figure out my favorite Pool Mecca is the BCAPL 8Ball Nationals in Vegas every year in May. I believe I have been going there since 1995 - 16 years straight!
I love every single thing about it:
The one Pool Mecca I have yet to see in person is Derby. I hear it's awesome! I heard it was better at the previous casino, but I still keep hearing it's the place to visit to watch good tourney matches and good action matches.
Visit other PoolSynergy blogs and see what their Pool Meccas are and why!
I think it's not difficult to figure out my favorite Pool Mecca is the BCAPL 8Ball Nationals in Vegas every year in May. I believe I have been going there since 1995 - 16 years straight!
I love every single thing about it:
- I actually like the Riv! Familiarity is my friend.
- I love Katy's - awesome food choices and late night breakfast specials
- All the different events keep me going every single year!
- Seeing friends from all across the world in one place.
- Watching the pros play along side the amateurs
- Trying to earn the titles in the different events is exhilarating.
- Being able to watch and support my friends play in matches for ten days.
- Las Vegas is my favorite city, so it's an extra added bonus this huge tourney is hosted there.
- The BCAPL run a good tournament - from online brackets to on-time matches. It's a well oiled machine, my friend.
The one Pool Mecca I have yet to see in person is Derby. I hear it's awesome! I heard it was better at the previous casino, but I still keep hearing it's the place to visit to watch good tourney matches and good action matches.
Visit other PoolSynergy blogs and see what their Pool Meccas are and why!
Friday, April 15, 2011
PoolSynergy - Our Favorite Games
Johnny (aka stljohnny) over at http://www.johnny101.com/ is this month's host of Pool Synergy. Johnny wants to know what every one's favorite game is and why they like it more than the other games? I think we will see a smattering of different opinions from the Pool Synergy Authors this month - or will we?
My favorite game is a tough call, but 8ball inches out, barely, over one pocket. I don't mind what size table I play 8ball on, but it makes more sense that it's a bar table or an 8-foot table.
The reason why I love 8ball is for one main reason: it incorporates the diverse aspects of so many things I have learned from every other game I play: One pocket, straight pool, and 9 ball.
8Ball was also the first game I ever studied. I never read about 9ball, even though I had been playing it for over ten years! But when it came time to improve my 8ball game, I read every word of Play Your Best Pool and Play Your Best Eight Ball by Phil Capelle to become a smart 8all player.
8all is the most fascinating game to me. It's not just about picking balls off the table in any order, although on the face of it, it may seem like that. Instead....
From the opening shot (which balls should I take?), to the key-ball before the 8ball, your mind has visualized the many options which can win you the game.
Clever safeties are exciting to witness in 8ball! And sometimes shape is required by inches for the run out. It's so beautiful to witness a smart, well-crafted, clever 8ball run.
I crave smart safeties shots in 8ball. Such as:
My favorite game is a tough call, but 8ball inches out, barely, over one pocket. I don't mind what size table I play 8ball on, but it makes more sense that it's a bar table or an 8-foot table.
The reason why I love 8ball is for one main reason: it incorporates the diverse aspects of so many things I have learned from every other game I play: One pocket, straight pool, and 9 ball.
8Ball was also the first game I ever studied. I never read about 9ball, even though I had been playing it for over ten years! But when it came time to improve my 8ball game, I read every word of Play Your Best Pool and Play Your Best Eight Ball by Phil Capelle to become a smart 8all player.
8all is the most fascinating game to me. It's not just about picking balls off the table in any order, although on the face of it, it may seem like that. Instead....
- It's a game like chess, just like one pocket.
- It takes several moves to be able to set up a run out.
- It requires smart break outs, like straight pool.
- It demands patience, like in one pocket.
- It involves knowing when to run out or not, like in 9ball.
- At times, it implores you to create shape by bumping balls softly, like in one pocket.
- It challenges one to see the different shot selections that can win or lose you the game.
- It compels you to think out of the box, like in one pocket.
- It entails all the knowledge you have gained from all your other pool games.
From the opening shot (which balls should I take?), to the key-ball before the 8ball, your mind has visualized the many options which can win you the game.
Clever safeties are exciting to witness in 8ball! And sometimes shape is required by inches for the run out. It's so beautiful to witness a smart, well-crafted, clever 8ball run.
I crave smart safeties shots in 8ball. Such as:
- Freezing the cueball on their own ball;
- Lagging balls down table to create a future break shot;
- Deliberately running into their balls to create problems so they can't run out;
- Improving your balls after each safety (i.e., not just play safe, but setting up the table in your favor at the same time you play safe);
- And of course hooking them or blocking a pocket.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
PoolSynergy - Tourney Prep
This month Charles from http://forumghost516.wordpress.com/ is hosting PoolSynergy. His chosen topic? An all-time important one - Tourney Prep! Read all the great advice from the Poolsynergy authors at this link. I, personally, can't wait to read all the tips and suggestions!
As for me?
Well....
I used to do many things to prepare for a tourney: Make all travel arrangements ahead of time, review my pool/mental checklist, prepare for unknown conditions at the pool room, read pool books or watch videos, pack early, ensure I put in a lot of quality practice time, etc. etc.
Before, I was more focused on my mental toughness and my practice sessions. Now, my focus has changed.
Completely.
Almost the most important tourney preparation for me now is to get good sleep/rest.
I have failed miserably at many tournaments because I ran out of steam. All the practice time and mental preparations are for not if I can't finish a rack because I'm so exhausted and tired.
I'm sure you have recognized how so very unproductive you are at work when you are too tired. You aren't in a good mood, your attention span is lowered, your mind is not as active, you can't wait to get home, and you are not attentive nor productive.
Conversely, if you get good sleep, you can tell the difference the next day at work! You complete more tasks, smile more, care more about your work projects, you have more ideas and contribute more, and you Get Things Done.
Same for pool.
Nowadays, my entire focus the week before a big tourney is to try and get sleep every night each day of the whole week before. Although not always successful at getting a good nights sleep the week or even weekend of a tourney, it truly is my most important tournament preparation for me now.
Let's face the facts: I am more successful in competing when I am not tired. Getting rest/sleep is my most helpful asset to myself. My mind is focused because it's alert, my body doesn't feel tired, I can mentally focus and be mentally stronger, and I am a stronger opponent when my mind is awake and I have had plenty of sleep. I can tell the difference, and the difference for me is HUGE.
Do I still prepare other ways? Sure, I still read books, watch videos, put in practice time, play in weekly tourneys, etc. But, it's all pointless if I don't give myself a chance first by SLEEPING.
As for me?
Well....
I used to do many things to prepare for a tourney: Make all travel arrangements ahead of time, review my pool/mental checklist, prepare for unknown conditions at the pool room, read pool books or watch videos, pack early, ensure I put in a lot of quality practice time, etc. etc.
Before, I was more focused on my mental toughness and my practice sessions. Now, my focus has changed.
Completely.
Almost the most important tourney preparation for me now is to get good sleep/rest.
I have failed miserably at many tournaments because I ran out of steam. All the practice time and mental preparations are for not if I can't finish a rack because I'm so exhausted and tired.
I'm sure you have recognized how so very unproductive you are at work when you are too tired. You aren't in a good mood, your attention span is lowered, your mind is not as active, you can't wait to get home, and you are not attentive nor productive.
Conversely, if you get good sleep, you can tell the difference the next day at work! You complete more tasks, smile more, care more about your work projects, you have more ideas and contribute more, and you Get Things Done.
Same for pool.
Nowadays, my entire focus the week before a big tourney is to try and get sleep every night each day of the whole week before. Although not always successful at getting a good nights sleep the week or even weekend of a tourney, it truly is my most important tournament preparation for me now.
Let's face the facts: I am more successful in competing when I am not tired. Getting rest/sleep is my most helpful asset to myself. My mind is focused because it's alert, my body doesn't feel tired, I can mentally focus and be mentally stronger, and I am a stronger opponent when my mind is awake and I have had plenty of sleep. I can tell the difference, and the difference for me is HUGE.
Do I still prepare other ways? Sure, I still read books, watch videos, put in practice time, play in weekly tourneys, etc. But, it's all pointless if I don't give myself a chance first by SLEEPING.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
My Fav Pool Room
My beautiful and talented friend, GG (Gail Glazebrook), is this month's PoolSynergy Host. She wants us to share our FAV Pool Room. Well, mine is easy - Rusty's Billiards!
Located in Fort Worth, Texas, this pool room has a great atmosphere for someone like me who loves a a pool room that takes care of REAL pool players.
It may seem minimal, but it isn't. We all have been to rooms that the owners don't care for the real pool players. They don't fix poor lighting, even unlevel tables, refelt cloth, have decent sets of balls, let weekend warriors smoke and drink over tables, etc. When you find a good pool room like Rusty's, it's a Godsend!
Rusty's has plenty of 9 foots to satisfy my quench for the big table; tough tournaments to strengthen my game; hosts a lot of talented players; puts the players first; and they even have parties! LOL. I have been going there for over ten years and although they are a semi-sponsor of mine, I'd still write about them today as my FAV pool room even if they weren't. :) That's how much I love it there.
Good people, good 9-foot tables, good service, friendly atmosphere, good hours, good tournaments, good players, parties for the regulars. What more does any true pool player need?
As a matter of fact, I happened to video tape one of their VIPPP Parties last November. Enjoy!
Located in Fort Worth, Texas, this pool room has a great atmosphere for someone like me who loves a a pool room that takes care of REAL pool players.
It may seem minimal, but it isn't. We all have been to rooms that the owners don't care for the real pool players. They don't fix poor lighting, even unlevel tables, refelt cloth, have decent sets of balls, let weekend warriors smoke and drink over tables, etc. When you find a good pool room like Rusty's, it's a Godsend!
Rusty's has plenty of 9 foots to satisfy my quench for the big table; tough tournaments to strengthen my game; hosts a lot of talented players; puts the players first; and they even have parties! LOL. I have been going there for over ten years and although they are a semi-sponsor of mine, I'd still write about them today as my FAV pool room even if they weren't. :) That's how much I love it there.
Good people, good 9-foot tables, good service, friendly atmosphere, good hours, good tournaments, good players, parties for the regulars. What more does any true pool player need?
As a matter of fact, I happened to video tape one of their VIPPP Parties last November. Enjoy!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
What is PoolSynergy?
So, what’s this PoolSynergy thing all about?
PoolSynergy is a collection of the best writing in pool.
And, I’m honored to be a part of it!
PS is a blog carnival and the brainchild of John Biddle, PoolStudent.com. Each month, there’s a different theme and the main location travels from host to host. A new edition is launched at 10a.m. Eastern time on the 15th of each month. The concept itself is not new but it was new to pool. We have since injected it into our subculture and collectively made it into what it is today.
Interested in hosting PoolSynergy
PoolSynergy is a collection of the best writing in pool.
And, I’m honored to be a part of it!
PS is a blog carnival and the brainchild of John Biddle, PoolStudent.com. Each month, there’s a different theme and the main location travels from host to host. A new edition is launched at 10a.m. Eastern time on the 15th of each month. The concept itself is not new but it was new to pool. We have since injected it into our subculture and collectively made it into what it is today.
Interested in hosting PoolSynergy
- Check out my own PoolSynergy contributions by clicking here.
- See how to become a host by clicking here:
- And see the awesome collection of previous topics here.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Team Play Topic for PoolSynergy
Gary Frerking over at http://kbcnc.blogspot.com/ is this months host of PoolSynergy. As a reminder, PS is a group of bloggers who write about the same topic each month. One of Gary's duty as host is to pick a topic and he chose "Team Play."
What a team player! :)
While I assume most people will write about wonderful team experiences, my blog entry will not be about that. Have I won great team events with great team members? Of course. Do I have special stories of amazing team feats? Of course.
But it's that one bad team experience that haunts me to this day, and affects me for every team event I now play in.
Back in 1997, I was on a team with members from Dallas and San Antonio. We played in the National BCAPL 8-Ball Championships in the Women's Open division. We placed 2nd!
What a wonderful finish! My highest finish to date in anything! The team members were wonderful, the experience memorable, but after the tourney in Vegas, I found myself depressed.
Our team captain is a very nice woman. She was helpful, supportive, and even bought us a keychain after the tourney to show her appreciation for how well we did.
However, her actions during the team event have stuck with me so negatively, that they follow me to this day. I wont be on a team with her ever again nor will I put up with someone who did the same thing she did.
What did she do? Well....
Our team was playing in Vegas at the Riviera against other women's teams from other states. It was a very exciting atmosphere! And when my teammates were at the table playing against one of the other teams, you could hear my captain cheering and clapping loudly! "Good shot!" "Excellent!" "Way to work it out!" etc.
I was all pumped up. :) We all were! Hearing affirmations how well we playing and also pleasing our captain at the same time were so powerful; an adrenaline rush!
Then I noticed something disturbing when I wasn't at the table. She would whisper to our co-captain "What is she doing?" Talking about one of my teammates as she debated about a safe or shot during her match.
Then when my teammate would run out, the captain would get all excited and yell and clap loudly, "Good out!" Like, really? First you question her behind her back, now you are all excited because she actually got out when you didn't think she could?
The captain did this repeatedly - whispering (not low enough, obviously) to others, questioning shots and positions of her OWN teammates. So, when I was at the table, naturally, I started to second guess everything I was doing! I was no longer confident and proud when my captain clapped and yelled for me, instead I wondered if I was doing the right thing.
Obviously that this was a long time ago. I was not confident about my game back then and did not have a lot of knowledge about the game as I do now.
It might sound minimalistic, but she repeatedly questioned my teammates and I throughout the whole event. If it was one or two times, I could understand. But her constant, negative, two-faced actions were unnerving and downright uncalled for. She has NO idea how bad she actually hurt us by not having more confidence in us and instead talking behind our backs, yet telling us "good try" as we walked away from the pool table to our seats as she patted us on the back.
Ironically, last year we were looking for a 4th teammate and her name came up as a potential. I replied, "absolutely not."
I never want to go through that again. I was depressed when I got home after that trip, when I should have been ecstatic for placing 2nd in the Women's Team event. I am damaged; and my memory is long for crap that like.
What a team player! :)
While I assume most people will write about wonderful team experiences, my blog entry will not be about that. Have I won great team events with great team members? Of course. Do I have special stories of amazing team feats? Of course.
But it's that one bad team experience that haunts me to this day, and affects me for every team event I now play in.
Back in 1997, I was on a team with members from Dallas and San Antonio. We played in the National BCAPL 8-Ball Championships in the Women's Open division. We placed 2nd!
What a wonderful finish! My highest finish to date in anything! The team members were wonderful, the experience memorable, but after the tourney in Vegas, I found myself depressed.
Our team captain is a very nice woman. She was helpful, supportive, and even bought us a keychain after the tourney to show her appreciation for how well we did.
However, her actions during the team event have stuck with me so negatively, that they follow me to this day. I wont be on a team with her ever again nor will I put up with someone who did the same thing she did.
What did she do? Well....
Our team was playing in Vegas at the Riviera against other women's teams from other states. It was a very exciting atmosphere! And when my teammates were at the table playing against one of the other teams, you could hear my captain cheering and clapping loudly! "Good shot!" "Excellent!" "Way to work it out!" etc.
I was all pumped up. :) We all were! Hearing affirmations how well we playing and also pleasing our captain at the same time were so powerful; an adrenaline rush!
Then I noticed something disturbing when I wasn't at the table. She would whisper to our co-captain "What is she doing?" Talking about one of my teammates as she debated about a safe or shot during her match.
Then when my teammate would run out, the captain would get all excited and yell and clap loudly, "Good out!" Like, really? First you question her behind her back, now you are all excited because she actually got out when you didn't think she could?
The captain did this repeatedly - whispering (not low enough, obviously) to others, questioning shots and positions of her OWN teammates. So, when I was at the table, naturally, I started to second guess everything I was doing! I was no longer confident and proud when my captain clapped and yelled for me, instead I wondered if I was doing the right thing.
Obviously that this was a long time ago. I was not confident about my game back then and did not have a lot of knowledge about the game as I do now.
It might sound minimalistic, but she repeatedly questioned my teammates and I throughout the whole event. If it was one or two times, I could understand. But her constant, negative, two-faced actions were unnerving and downright uncalled for. She has NO idea how bad she actually hurt us by not having more confidence in us and instead talking behind our backs, yet telling us "good try" as we walked away from the pool table to our seats as she patted us on the back.
Ironically, last year we were looking for a 4th teammate and her name came up as a potential. I replied, "absolutely not."
I never want to go through that again. I was depressed when I got home after that trip, when I should have been ecstatic for placing 2nd in the Women's Team event. I am damaged; and my memory is long for crap that like.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
PoolSynergy Volume 14 - Recommendations
Admittedly, I struggled with the topic for my first PoolSynergy hosting job, but decided maybe a list of recommendations by the PS writers might be fun and/or interesting. With the Holidays close by, maybe this month's topic may help you pick out a gift for your fav pool playing friend/relative or YOURSELF! The goal was to recommend their favorite book and video/dvd. Let's see what they like/recommend:
p00lriah: The first writer to send in his recommendations to your host this month (me), thank you p00l! Mr. Riah recommends two books because he didn't have a fav video. BUT, he offers where to find them and in what format (nice touch, p00riah). The first book is an all-time favorite among pool players. The second recommendation is not even related to pool! (i love that!) Check out his selections.
Mike Feiman: Guest Writer for this month (maybe he will become a regular?!) through the newly wed Samm Vidal Claramunt (formally known-as Samm Diep). Mike is the smart Marketing Director for PoolDawg. As you can imagine, Mike gets to review just about every pool book and dvd out there but he was able to find a favorite DVD to recommend. Read why his choice was easy!
Charles Eames: One of my favorite fellow posters over at AZBilliards.com, Charles shares his favorite DVD with us. Sound easy? Not at all. Charles shares, "with a collection of well over 150-200 pool matches on dvd was like choosing which child I love more."
Pool Cues News and Review Guy: PCNRGuy doesn't have a favorite instructional DVD so instead he shares why he likes this certain autobiography. You will be surprised who he chooses.
Michael Reddick: Michael shares three recommendations: Two books and a match on DVD. After reading his article, I think I know what I want for Christmas! His write-up truly inspires me to go to the book store asap.
Jake Dyer: The famous R.A Dyer offers not just one, but recommends 4 books! (at least he admits he can't follow the rules, lol.) Click here to find out if all his recommendations are history-related billiard books or does he have some other recommendations up his knowledgeable sleeve?
Mark Finkelstein and Alison Fischer: Two of NYCgrind.com's contributors have joined together this month to offer their favs! Mark is a billiards instructor & columnist for NYCgrind.com and Alison is the editor of that great website. Curious to read what an instructor would recommend to help your game? Then also find out what this Kiss of Death team member (Alison, not Mark (smile)) recommends from her arsenal. Read the combined article here.
John Barton: Of the famed JB Cases, John recommends two goodies for you to fill your stocking with. You will be surprised what he reccomends for his book selection and then he surprises us even more with a DVD recommendation he hasn't even seen yet! Check out his blog here.
Gary Frerking: Another great contributor to PoolSynergy, Gary recommends a "pleasant" instructional book and a DVD by one of the greats for you to improve your game. I can't wait to check the DVD out he recommends - I haven't seen this one yet! Check out Gary's article.
John Biddle: Founding Father of Poolsynergy offers books from "what seems like" his favorite author. Or, maybe this author has so many good instructional books, it easily comes across that way. :) I happen to love this author too, so I am glad John recommends these books.
Gail Glazebrook: G Squared (your 2010 BCAPL Women's Open Champ) tells us with words and photos (nice touch, Gail!) what her favorite book is, which is really a game. What? What does that mean? You'll have to read her blog to find out what I am talking about. :)
Mike Fiedlhammer: Mr. BillardCoach tells what he doesn't recommend (you'll get a kick out of why he says this). But then recommends his favorite book of all time. :) What could it be? Is it pool-related? A novel? An instructional-book? Read here to find out!
Melinda (Me) (akaTrigger): I knew right away which DVD I was gonna recommend. The book - ooooh, a toughy. I have so many favorites. I almost decided to recommend a book in every pool genre (8ball, mental, 9ball, one pocket, etc). lol. Instead, I picked my most recent fav book that was recommended to me by the lovely and talented Liz Ford. Check out what I recommend by clicking this blue link here.
Mike Feiman: Guest Writer for this month (maybe he will become a regular?!) through the newly wed Samm Vidal Claramunt (formally known-as Samm Diep). Mike is the smart Marketing Director for PoolDawg. As you can imagine, Mike gets to review just about every pool book and dvd out there but he was able to find a favorite DVD to recommend. Read why his choice was easy!
Charles Eames: One of my favorite fellow posters over at AZBilliards.com, Charles shares his favorite DVD with us. Sound easy? Not at all. Charles shares, "with a collection of well over 150-200 pool matches on dvd was like choosing which child I love more."
Pool Cues News and Review Guy: PCNRGuy doesn't have a favorite instructional DVD so instead he shares why he likes this certain autobiography. You will be surprised who he chooses.
Michael Reddick: Michael shares three recommendations: Two books and a match on DVD. After reading his article, I think I know what I want for Christmas! His write-up truly inspires me to go to the book store asap.
Jake Dyer: The famous R.A Dyer offers not just one, but recommends 4 books! (at least he admits he can't follow the rules, lol.) Click here to find out if all his recommendations are history-related billiard books or does he have some other recommendations up his knowledgeable sleeve?
Mark Finkelstein and Alison Fischer: Two of NYCgrind.com's contributors have joined together this month to offer their favs! Mark is a billiards instructor & columnist for NYCgrind.com and Alison is the editor of that great website. Curious to read what an instructor would recommend to help your game? Then also find out what this Kiss of Death team member (Alison, not Mark (smile)) recommends from her arsenal. Read the combined article here.
John Barton: Of the famed JB Cases, John recommends two goodies for you to fill your stocking with. You will be surprised what he reccomends for his book selection and then he surprises us even more with a DVD recommendation he hasn't even seen yet! Check out his blog here.
Gary Frerking: Another great contributor to PoolSynergy, Gary recommends a "pleasant" instructional book and a DVD by one of the greats for you to improve your game. I can't wait to check the DVD out he recommends - I haven't seen this one yet! Check out Gary's article.
John Biddle: Founding Father of Poolsynergy offers books from "what seems like" his favorite author. Or, maybe this author has so many good instructional books, it easily comes across that way. :) I happen to love this author too, so I am glad John recommends these books.
Gail Glazebrook: G Squared (your 2010 BCAPL Women's Open Champ) tells us with words and photos (nice touch, Gail!) what her favorite book is, which is really a game. What? What does that mean? You'll have to read her blog to find out what I am talking about. :)
Mike Fiedlhammer: Mr. BillardCoach tells what he doesn't recommend (you'll get a kick out of why he says this). But then recommends his favorite book of all time. :) What could it be? Is it pool-related? A novel? An instructional-book? Read here to find out!
Melinda (Me) (akaTrigger): I knew right away which DVD I was gonna recommend. The book - ooooh, a toughy. I have so many favorites. I almost decided to recommend a book in every pool genre (8ball, mental, 9ball, one pocket, etc). lol. Instead, I picked my most recent fav book that was recommended to me by the lovely and talented Liz Ford. Check out what I recommend by clicking this blue link here.
My PoolSynergy Recommendations
As the host of this month's PoolSynergy month, I asked the writers of PoolSynergy to recommend a favorite book and a favorite DVD.
Well, what do I recommend?
My Fav DVD:
Anyone who has read enough of my blog prolly knows what my favorite DVD is and therefore what I will recommend. I honestly watch this DVD before big tournaments, especially if I hadn't had a chance to practice ON the table before a big event. I swear this player review by Buddy Hall and Grady Matthews prepares me because I get to watch such smart pool, along with the "why's" of the shots because Buddy and Grady are the commentators of the DVD. This was a match from the June 1992 Sands Regency Open.
I thoroughly enjoy watching this DVD several times a year because each time I watch it, I always learn from it. When I show up at a tournament after watching this DVD, I can SEE the shots, patterns, and choices so much clearer. I can even hear Buddy and Grady in my head, telling me how I should position the cueball for my next shot!
My Fav Book:
I have so many favorite books. I almost decided to recommend a book in every pool genre (8ball, mental, 9ball, one pocket, etc). lol. Instead, I picked my most recent fav book that was recommended to me by the lovely and talented Liz Ford.
In March I emailed Professional Pool Player Liz Ford:
"I was looking through Billiards Digest and saw from the Feb issue you were in the Quick Hits section. I loved your response to the Q: 'What specif area of your game are you working on right now?'"
She answered in Billiards Digest:
"I am always working on my game but this year I am focused on believing in myself. There is a difference between showing up at a tournament and wanting to do your best and showing up at a tournament prepared to take people down."
I wanted an explanation - I was VERY curious what exactly she meant.
She explained to me via email:
"I can't remember if I said that before or after reading Winning Ugly by Brad Gilbert. I think it was before but that sentiment was reinforced heavily by that book.
For a long time I focused on all the things that I didn't know. It gave me determination to get better and an unending quest for knowledge - but come tournament time I never felt confident. In trying to get better all the time I never really thought or felt a sense of pride about all the things I already did really well. Practice is for learning but competition is about executing what you do best.
In terms of being prepared to take people down... I'm not sure if it is just the phase of life I am in or if Winning Ugly changed my brain in some way, but lately I take great joy in dismantling my opponents mentally. I want to push them to the point where there game breaks down. It has nothing to do with sharking or mind games and everything to do with having a plan to be the smarter, more aware and mentally stronger player. I don't feel like I can explain it adequately... you should definitely read the book."
So, I did.
And guess what? I think I finally found the killer instinct. I can't explain why, I can't explain what exactly this tennis book by Brad Gilbert shared that changed my mindset but Liz is correct: I want to win more than ever and I have no ill feelings if you happen to scratch, I beat you 7-0, or I follow the rules which leads to you losing. I no longer am scared to win or take someone down or feel bad for my opponent. As Liz explains, I too now take pride when my opponents are frustrated; I sometimes smile to myself, even.
I am simply more prepared to win.
Although Winning Ugly sounds like the book may be about sharking, it has nothing to do with. In tennis, Brad Gilbert "is the best in the world at the mental side of the game" and he shares his wealth of knowledge in this book and explains how he won millions (by being prepared).
Brad Gilbert is not a well-known tennis player but pro tennis players know him well. They would tell him he won ugly because he wasn't necessarily talented. But he PREPARED. The book tells you how he prepared. How he took down the greats. How he prepared before even setting foot in the arena.
I highly recommend the book - it's an easy read and chalk-full of great tips to develop a stronger mental game, if you've been looking for that.
I wish I could explain exactly how the book helped me be a more confident, prepared player, but I can't. All I know is, if you have problems with the killer instinct or you want to be more prepared to "take people down" as Liz stated, I highly recommend Winning Ugly by Brad Gilbert.
Well, what do I recommend?
My Fav DVD:
Anyone who has read enough of my blog prolly knows what my favorite DVD is and therefore what I will recommend. I honestly watch this DVD before big tournaments, especially if I hadn't had a chance to practice ON the table before a big event. I swear this player review by Buddy Hall and Grady Matthews prepares me because I get to watch such smart pool, along with the "why's" of the shots because Buddy and Grady are the commentators of the DVD. This was a match from the June 1992 Sands Regency Open.
I thoroughly enjoy watching this DVD several times a year because each time I watch it, I always learn from it. When I show up at a tournament after watching this DVD, I can SEE the shots, patterns, and choices so much clearer. I can even hear Buddy and Grady in my head, telling me how I should position the cueball for my next shot!
My Fav Book:
I have so many favorite books. I almost decided to recommend a book in every pool genre (8ball, mental, 9ball, one pocket, etc). lol. Instead, I picked my most recent fav book that was recommended to me by the lovely and talented Liz Ford.
In March I emailed Professional Pool Player Liz Ford:
"I was looking through Billiards Digest and saw from the Feb issue you were in the Quick Hits section. I loved your response to the Q: 'What specif area of your game are you working on right now?'"
She answered in Billiards Digest:
"I am always working on my game but this year I am focused on believing in myself. There is a difference between showing up at a tournament and wanting to do your best and showing up at a tournament prepared to take people down."
I wanted an explanation - I was VERY curious what exactly she meant.
She explained to me via email:
"I can't remember if I said that before or after reading Winning Ugly by Brad Gilbert. I think it was before but that sentiment was reinforced heavily by that book.
For a long time I focused on all the things that I didn't know. It gave me determination to get better and an unending quest for knowledge - but come tournament time I never felt confident. In trying to get better all the time I never really thought or felt a sense of pride about all the things I already did really well. Practice is for learning but competition is about executing what you do best.
In terms of being prepared to take people down... I'm not sure if it is just the phase of life I am in or if Winning Ugly changed my brain in some way, but lately I take great joy in dismantling my opponents mentally. I want to push them to the point where there game breaks down. It has nothing to do with sharking or mind games and everything to do with having a plan to be the smarter, more aware and mentally stronger player. I don't feel like I can explain it adequately... you should definitely read the book."
So, I did.
And guess what? I think I finally found the killer instinct. I can't explain why, I can't explain what exactly this tennis book by Brad Gilbert shared that changed my mindset but Liz is correct: I want to win more than ever and I have no ill feelings if you happen to scratch, I beat you 7-0, or I follow the rules which leads to you losing. I no longer am scared to win or take someone down or feel bad for my opponent. As Liz explains, I too now take pride when my opponents are frustrated; I sometimes smile to myself, even.
I am simply more prepared to win.
Although Winning Ugly sounds like the book may be about sharking, it has nothing to do with. In tennis, Brad Gilbert "is the best in the world at the mental side of the game" and he shares his wealth of knowledge in this book and explains how he won millions (by being prepared).
Brad Gilbert is not a well-known tennis player but pro tennis players know him well. They would tell him he won ugly because he wasn't necessarily talented. But he PREPARED. The book tells you how he prepared. How he took down the greats. How he prepared before even setting foot in the arena.
I highly recommend the book - it's an easy read and chalk-full of great tips to develop a stronger mental game, if you've been looking for that.
I wish I could explain exactly how the book helped me be a more confident, prepared player, but I can't. All I know is, if you have problems with the killer instinct or you want to be more prepared to "take people down" as Liz stated, I highly recommend Winning Ugly by Brad Gilbert.
Monday, November 15, 2010
November PoolSynergy
Founding Father of PoolSynergy, John Biddle, is hosting PoolSynergy's anniversary month (November) and his topic is:: "Three Tips." Each contributor is to write up a post containing 3 tips related to pool, preferably of the same general classification.
Same classification? Oh, wow, toughie....
Well, here it goes:
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.
The whole point of this blog entry is to help remind us 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.
Same classification? Oh, wow, toughie....
Well, here it goes:
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.
The whole point of this blog entry is to help remind us 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.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Media Impact on the Future - PoolSynergy Volume 12
This month's topic is to get your taste buds flowing! PoolSnark is this months host of PoolSynergy and he wants us to consider the future of pool from a fan/spectator perspective.
In my last PoolSynergy piece about the media/ pool/ future, I was one of the few who didn't think there was anything wrong with pool. Johnny graciously pointed out (via comments to that article) that since I am surrounded by pool leagues, tours, and players in the great state of Texas, it's no wonder I think this way.
Therefore, I decided to ask one of my good buddies who, I think, has great suggestions for the pool industry to be my first guest columnist for PoolSynergy. Get your popcorn ready. May I introduce you to Michael LaLumiere:
The discussion about the WPBA losing its ESPN gig is part of the overall angst in the pool world about its bottom feeder status in the U.S. sports hierarchy. Melinda didn’t want to write about it because her position on the matter is that of pool player who has a career outside of pool.
It doesn’t matter to her that her co-workers don’t know who Mika Immonen is or can’t watch her favorite sport on TV or know anything about the Mosconi Cup or even the big national tournament she plays in at a casino in Las Vegas.
That’s a healthy attitude to take really because nothing is going to change for the pool industry anytime soon. Just enjoy playing pool.
What’s the impact from WPBA not being on TV? Zero. I can assure you ESPN knows exactly how many people watch any event. If they let the WPBA go it’s because it’s not worth it to them and from their perspective nobody’s watching.
The U.S. consumer/customer just isn’t that into pool – especially watching it.
The basis for any sports popularity is if customers will buy a ticket to watch or buy some sort of pay-per-view to see or even just take the time to view it on cable TV. It requires a customer base large enough to pay for hosting the events, paying the players, making it worth it to an owner to invest a team or player rather than making interest on a bond or in the bank. If there’s customer support then advertisers and sponsors will take note and determine whether it’s to their best business interest to create a relationship.
Make no mistake. This relationship is based on nothing else than it makes money or it doesn’t. And all money isn’t equal. Once an advertiser pays they demand return on their investment or why do it. And as an advertiser or sponsor anything that happens with that sport is now a reflection on them.
Crime. Bad behavior. Player controversy. Whatever. No sponsor wants any part of that because it could hurt its bottom line. The biggest moneymaker ever this side of Michael Jordan – Tiger Woods – got his public image destroyed. Some of the biggest corporate advertisers in the world said see you later Tiger and took a couple hundred million off the table immediately. Pool players just don’t get what the rest of the world thinks is boorish behavior and how much the world doesn’t want to be a part of it.
As someone mentioned to me the other day, men’s pool formally ended its relationship in the foreseeable future with ESPN when Earl Strickland walked out on a final match it was taping.
I had someone else say to me Earl was the reason men’s professional pool has failed in the U.S. His theory was that Earl was in perfect position to carry pool on his back when he hit the sports in 80s. He was something new and shiny. Unfortunately he was also acting up too much. End of opportunity.
As much as I’d like to blame Earl pool was already doomed long before he came along and has been even more tarnished since he’s left the spotlight.
Look, there’s been two times in the last century when pool had a surge of popularity with the masses. Both of them came after movies. Tom Cruise actually got people back in the pool halls and even more importantly got business folks to build beautiful pool palaces. I mean there was some awesome spaces built in the early 90s. I lived near San Francisco at the time and I real enjoyed the places that were built there. It was exciting.
But. People came. They saw. They left.
Pool streaming. I started watching it a year ago. At that I time I thought, hmmm, wonder if this will work. The one good thing it has done it’s kept the hard-core pool junkies in touch with whatever it is they like about pool halls and gambling. Although for the good of the game I’m not sure that’s really that big a help but….
I’ve watched the streaming numbers closely. Overall, maybe a 10 percent growth over the year mostly due to the hard core becoming more aware of all the streams. Most of the streamers are pure hobby people. Roughly 15 percent of the total watching join the chat room. And those folks are mostly the same folks every time.
The commentary is amateurish but liked by the hard core because it’s just like they’re sitting in the poolroom being rude with their buddies. The picture quality is fine by me. I don’t really care how clear it looks I care who I’m seeing play and what I’m hearing. Real sponsors and advertisers will never ever support the streams for any amount of time in their current form (Look above about what advertisers and sponsors don’t want).
Their answer is well what do you want for free? I don’t want anything. I’ll watch the occasional stream. But it’s not me the pool industry should care about. It’s the people who aren’t watching and why they’re not watching in droves.
I’ve said this before and it’s very irritating to the pool world. Look at the damn numbers. CSI put on a top-notch video production (for pool streaming) at the U.S. Open 10 Ball event. They got professional players to do most of the commentary. They had multiple cameras. They had the best players in the world in their stadium. They had it for four or five days.
They offered this production via computer to everyone in the world. FREE of charge. For the finals they had 1,000 plus viewers. FROM THE WORLD THEY GOT 1,000 PLUS VIEWERS. To any businessperson in the world (other than pool apparently) that is a sign to blow up your product and start over because obviously nobody wants it for free not to mention actually paying for it.
(By the way, 6500 league pool players were in the same building playing in the BCA National Tournament. Only a handful bothered to walk the 100 yards to watch the best players in the world play.)
TAR is the celebrated stream team that brings the big name pool gambling matches. TAR is revered in the pool world. Thousands of people a day can see what’s coming with TAR on AZBilliards, the top pool website in the world. Remember I said thousands a day. When the day finally comes to hold the ballyhooed match TAR can only get 200-250 of the hard-core pool people to pay the $25 or so. Again from the entire world pool market they get 200-250 buys for delivering big-name players.
Blow it up, it isn’t working. Nothing is working on the pro side of pool.
The only glimmer of hope in the pool world today is that tens of thousands of people still play in pool leagues. To me, if I’m leading the pool industry today, I say bye-bye to any investments I’m making in pro pool. I’m going to put every ounce of my energy into the league pool player and regional amateur tournaments they like to play in. This is the strength of pool.
Let’s say 100,000 people play in pool leagues in the U.S. As an industry I want to know who these people are. The demographics. I want to be in touch with them to learn about what they like and don’t like. I want to invest in them in the hopes they’ll be pool’s biggest recruiters. I want to know who doesn’t play in leagues and why. I want to find out what the most likely demographic is to recruit.
I want to be in touch with the room owners who host the leagues. I want to know what they need to survive. I want to invest in them. I’d want to work with them to build big regional amateur tournaments. In return I want them to do things for pool leagues and the players.
This and much more like it is how you build on your customer base. It’s basic business operations. I much rather invest in a league and a room owner than spend money rolling out Earl Strickland to be rude to 12 or 15 people.
If pool were a sport that was full of great personalities and excitement at the top of the pyramid then sure you’d want that to be part of rebuilding pool. But there is currently no such thing. If streaming were going to change the pool world for the better well, yeah, I’d invest in it. But it isn’t changing anything. It’s more of the same.
I’m personally sponsoring a one-pocket tournament. I’m putting in the majority of the money. I was approached about having a stream. I said absolutely not. If you stream I’m pulling out. I have not seen a stream that I would want my product attached to. Way too risky.
The room owner didn’t really want it either. Which is smart. It’s like giving money away. Some room owners do it because they’re told they’re suppose to. It’s good for pool. Nonsense. It will not help their bottom line. I promise.
The pool industry needs to start at the bottom. Celebrate the people who really like a pool as a game and stop celebrating gambling. Invest in the league player. Invest in the pool halls. Find out what they want not what you think pool should be.
That's my industry analysis for what it’s worth.
In my last PoolSynergy piece about the media/ pool/ future, I was one of the few who didn't think there was anything wrong with pool. Johnny graciously pointed out (via comments to that article) that since I am surrounded by pool leagues, tours, and players in the great state of Texas, it's no wonder I think this way.
Therefore, I decided to ask one of my good buddies who, I think, has great suggestions for the pool industry to be my first guest columnist for PoolSynergy. Get your popcorn ready. May I introduce you to Michael LaLumiere:
The discussion about the WPBA losing its ESPN gig is part of the overall angst in the pool world about its bottom feeder status in the U.S. sports hierarchy. Melinda didn’t want to write about it because her position on the matter is that of pool player who has a career outside of pool.
It doesn’t matter to her that her co-workers don’t know who Mika Immonen is or can’t watch her favorite sport on TV or know anything about the Mosconi Cup or even the big national tournament she plays in at a casino in Las Vegas.
That’s a healthy attitude to take really because nothing is going to change for the pool industry anytime soon. Just enjoy playing pool.
What’s the impact from WPBA not being on TV? Zero. I can assure you ESPN knows exactly how many people watch any event. If they let the WPBA go it’s because it’s not worth it to them and from their perspective nobody’s watching.
The U.S. consumer/customer just isn’t that into pool – especially watching it.
The basis for any sports popularity is if customers will buy a ticket to watch or buy some sort of pay-per-view to see or even just take the time to view it on cable TV. It requires a customer base large enough to pay for hosting the events, paying the players, making it worth it to an owner to invest a team or player rather than making interest on a bond or in the bank. If there’s customer support then advertisers and sponsors will take note and determine whether it’s to their best business interest to create a relationship.
Make no mistake. This relationship is based on nothing else than it makes money or it doesn’t. And all money isn’t equal. Once an advertiser pays they demand return on their investment or why do it. And as an advertiser or sponsor anything that happens with that sport is now a reflection on them.
Crime. Bad behavior. Player controversy. Whatever. No sponsor wants any part of that because it could hurt its bottom line. The biggest moneymaker ever this side of Michael Jordan – Tiger Woods – got his public image destroyed. Some of the biggest corporate advertisers in the world said see you later Tiger and took a couple hundred million off the table immediately. Pool players just don’t get what the rest of the world thinks is boorish behavior and how much the world doesn’t want to be a part of it.
As someone mentioned to me the other day, men’s pool formally ended its relationship in the foreseeable future with ESPN when Earl Strickland walked out on a final match it was taping.
I had someone else say to me Earl was the reason men’s professional pool has failed in the U.S. His theory was that Earl was in perfect position to carry pool on his back when he hit the sports in 80s. He was something new and shiny. Unfortunately he was also acting up too much. End of opportunity.
As much as I’d like to blame Earl pool was already doomed long before he came along and has been even more tarnished since he’s left the spotlight.
Look, there’s been two times in the last century when pool had a surge of popularity with the masses. Both of them came after movies. Tom Cruise actually got people back in the pool halls and even more importantly got business folks to build beautiful pool palaces. I mean there was some awesome spaces built in the early 90s. I lived near San Francisco at the time and I real enjoyed the places that were built there. It was exciting.
But. People came. They saw. They left.
Pool streaming. I started watching it a year ago. At that I time I thought, hmmm, wonder if this will work. The one good thing it has done it’s kept the hard-core pool junkies in touch with whatever it is they like about pool halls and gambling. Although for the good of the game I’m not sure that’s really that big a help but….
I’ve watched the streaming numbers closely. Overall, maybe a 10 percent growth over the year mostly due to the hard core becoming more aware of all the streams. Most of the streamers are pure hobby people. Roughly 15 percent of the total watching join the chat room. And those folks are mostly the same folks every time.
The commentary is amateurish but liked by the hard core because it’s just like they’re sitting in the poolroom being rude with their buddies. The picture quality is fine by me. I don’t really care how clear it looks I care who I’m seeing play and what I’m hearing. Real sponsors and advertisers will never ever support the streams for any amount of time in their current form (Look above about what advertisers and sponsors don’t want).
Their answer is well what do you want for free? I don’t want anything. I’ll watch the occasional stream. But it’s not me the pool industry should care about. It’s the people who aren’t watching and why they’re not watching in droves.
I’ve said this before and it’s very irritating to the pool world. Look at the damn numbers. CSI put on a top-notch video production (for pool streaming) at the U.S. Open 10 Ball event. They got professional players to do most of the commentary. They had multiple cameras. They had the best players in the world in their stadium. They had it for four or five days.
They offered this production via computer to everyone in the world. FREE of charge. For the finals they had 1,000 plus viewers. FROM THE WORLD THEY GOT 1,000 PLUS VIEWERS. To any businessperson in the world (other than pool apparently) that is a sign to blow up your product and start over because obviously nobody wants it for free not to mention actually paying for it.
(By the way, 6500 league pool players were in the same building playing in the BCA National Tournament. Only a handful bothered to walk the 100 yards to watch the best players in the world play.)
TAR is the celebrated stream team that brings the big name pool gambling matches. TAR is revered in the pool world. Thousands of people a day can see what’s coming with TAR on AZBilliards, the top pool website in the world. Remember I said thousands a day. When the day finally comes to hold the ballyhooed match TAR can only get 200-250 of the hard-core pool people to pay the $25 or so. Again from the entire world pool market they get 200-250 buys for delivering big-name players.
Blow it up, it isn’t working. Nothing is working on the pro side of pool.
The only glimmer of hope in the pool world today is that tens of thousands of people still play in pool leagues. To me, if I’m leading the pool industry today, I say bye-bye to any investments I’m making in pro pool. I’m going to put every ounce of my energy into the league pool player and regional amateur tournaments they like to play in. This is the strength of pool.
Let’s say 100,000 people play in pool leagues in the U.S. As an industry I want to know who these people are. The demographics. I want to be in touch with them to learn about what they like and don’t like. I want to invest in them in the hopes they’ll be pool’s biggest recruiters. I want to know who doesn’t play in leagues and why. I want to find out what the most likely demographic is to recruit.
I want to be in touch with the room owners who host the leagues. I want to know what they need to survive. I want to invest in them. I’d want to work with them to build big regional amateur tournaments. In return I want them to do things for pool leagues and the players.
This and much more like it is how you build on your customer base. It’s basic business operations. I much rather invest in a league and a room owner than spend money rolling out Earl Strickland to be rude to 12 or 15 people.
If pool were a sport that was full of great personalities and excitement at the top of the pyramid then sure you’d want that to be part of rebuilding pool. But there is currently no such thing. If streaming were going to change the pool world for the better well, yeah, I’d invest in it. But it isn’t changing anything. It’s more of the same.
I’m personally sponsoring a one-pocket tournament. I’m putting in the majority of the money. I was approached about having a stream. I said absolutely not. If you stream I’m pulling out. I have not seen a stream that I would want my product attached to. Way too risky.
The room owner didn’t really want it either. Which is smart. It’s like giving money away. Some room owners do it because they’re told they’re suppose to. It’s good for pool. Nonsense. It will not help their bottom line. I promise.
The pool industry needs to start at the bottom. Celebrate the people who really like a pool as a game and stop celebrating gambling. Invest in the league player. Invest in the pool halls. Find out what they want not what you think pool should be.
That's my industry analysis for what it’s worth.
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