Archive for 'Mental / Theory'

Taking Some Time Off Pool Can Be a Good Thing

Posted on 01. Apr, 2011 by Mike Fieldhammer.

Mahjong and antiquing: Good for your game and soul.

Many pool players have addictive personalities. It’s easy to go overboard and overdo things. Once in a while taking a week or two off from pool playing can be a smart idea. You can unwind and come back with new energy and excitement to play the game.

In Minnesota, the pool scene tapers off in the summer. Sometimes a break of a couple of months is perfectly understandable and maybe even advisable. The weather is nice and outdoor activities can have rejuvenating powers. Use this time to take in fresh air and work on other pursuits that will have a positive impact on your pool game.

Many professional and amateur pool players love golf. The physical motion of a golf swing is similar to a pool stroke in many ways. Alignment, stationary ball, target, and a swinging motion with good tempo and acceleration

Golfing can help your pool game.

are common to both sports. Like my dad says when I drain a long putt, “That’s because you’re used to looking at balls on a green surface.” I know the skills and techniques translate nicely between golf and pool. When the golf season ends, your pool game can be markedly improved without hitting a single ball (cue ball that is).

If a couple of months away help the game, why not a year or more? This technique can work too. Especially if it is combined with yoga, tai chi, or some other means of improving the mind and body. We all know focus and calmness bring out the best in one’s pool performance. Zen-like control of emotions during a match can yield an overwhelming advantage over frazzled and weak-willed opponents. A year or more away from the game can erase baggage carried by your subconscious. Tough losses, memorable mistakes, and personal conflicts with other players will be replaced by enlightenment and enjoyment of the moment. The journey of pool will cease to be the path to suffering.

Sometimes the path to excellent pool is some time off and some golf.

Becoming a well rounded pool player should include other pursuits besides just playing pool. The economic crisis we are in has made many players rethink their level of involvement in leagues and tournaments. Don’t feel shame in taking a break from the game. You’ll save lots of money, spare your ego humiliating defeats, and could return a completely new player. Occasionally enough time will pass that you can enter a lower division in a tournament. This can be the ultimate gift to yourself. What you don’t understand is that with all that time golfing, practicing yoga, and other worthwhile pursuits, you’ve been saving money and working on your pool game.

Namaste,

Mike Fieldhammer

Golf course sandbagging and competitive practice.

Continue Reading

Tournament Prep

Posted on 15. Mar, 2011 by Mike Fieldhammer.

I play a lot of tournaments over the course of a year. Some are just weekly local tournaments beginning at 7 p.m. on a weeknight while others are the US Open 9-Ball Championships in Virginia for an entire week. My preparation for almost any tournament I attend is usually the same. My mechanics and performance is pretty steady due to my active teaching career and frequent tournament play. I don’t do any kind of special practicing or preparation on the pool table for tournaments. I try to wrap up loose ends in my billiard instruction/cue sales business and spiff up the house.

Before I depart, I try to get all the small items running through my head finished or take action to let the student or customer that I’ll be unavailable until after the tournament. My goal is to avoid sitting in my chair during a match and having my “To Do List” run through my head. If I’ve caught up on my work before the tournament, I can compete and enjoy my time at the event unencumbered by distracting thoughts. Clearly, during matches I would prefer that my only concerns are strategy, playing my best pool, making good decisions, resting between matches, and having a good tournament experience. If I’ve got some important tasks to do that are hanging over my head during the tournament, a part of me thinks that there are more important things I should be doing rather than playing in a pool tournament. Sometimes those thoughts even make me feel guilty for entering a smaller tournament that might not be as financially lucrative as booking pool lessons or selling a cue. I’ve fallen prey to pessimistic thoughts and been knocked out of a tournament early so I could zip back to my office to work on those items running through my head during a match. This is the most destructive outcome of cloudy judgements during an event and the worst way to be knocked out. I must not allow myself to be distracted or feel guilty for attending a competition. Deep down, I know that I should still be playing in the smaller tournament to keep my competitive edge and stay sharp under pressure. The rewards of winning a smaller tournament are greater than just the cash prize money. Confidence and experience can be very valuable gains in each tournament.

If the tournament requires an overnight stay, I also tidy up around my house and water my plants. It’s nice to return to a home that doesn’t have a bunch of housekeeping after a grueling pool tournament. They can take a toll both mentally and physically and sometimes I’ve just got to crash and recuperate. I run the dishwasher, finish laundry, and take care of other things before I depart. If I’m gone for a week or more I stop the mail and have Nick my teenage neighbor mow, shovel, or snow-blow depending on the season.

Keeping a clear head focused on winning the tournament is the reward I get from my unusual tournament preparation. This freedom is more valuable to me than any kind of practice or other preparation I’ve encountered. Oh yeah, and I’ve got a lathe on my kitchen counter to tune up my tip and shaft before I leave the house if it needs a tune up. I’ll post a photo if you don’t believe me.

Best of luck in your next pool tournament,
Mike Fieldhammer
Billiard Coach

For all kinds of Tournament Preparation Advice, please visit Charles Eams PoolSynergy summary here.

Continue Reading

Thirty-One Tips: 30. Pro Tournaments

Posted on 30. Jan, 2011 by Mike Fieldhammer.

Go to see a professional event in person. If you can, compete in it too.

I think the first professional event I ever played in was the 2000 US Open 9-Ball Championships. Barry Behrman’s annual event is one of the holy grails of the pro circuit. That event was memorable for me because I played the great Ralf Souquet. I was even ahead 2-1 before I folded up like the cheap suit I was wearing. Final score was 11-2. It was early in the event and there weren’t many other big names playing in that round. Souquet and I weren’t on the TV table, but we were on table 2 which offered a decent amount of bleacher seating. It was a corner table with plenty of spectators flanking our battleground on two sides. I had never played against a world class player in such a high profile event in front of such a large crowd. The lessons I learned during that match and from watching the rest of the event were priceless.

How a professional should behave
What it feels like to play under the spotlight and pressures I’d never felt before
How to quell the burning embarrassment of making a silly mistake in a crucial situation
How to play in uncomfortable clothing and shoes
Grasping the idea of intensity and focus pros exhibit every single shot
Seeing firsthand how high these players skills rise to meet the occasion

Playing and watching pro events put smaller weekly or regional events in perspective. Getting used to tournament pressure is about becoming comfortable and confident in your game when it really matters. Butting heads with the best in the world can make a player not feel so overwhelmed in a smaller venue for smaller stakes against a regular player.

The entertainment and education one can get at an event like The Derby City Classic can be valuable. This year, I missed the 2011 DCC and am sick about it. It’s the first one I’ve missed in many years. I would have loved to see Alex Pagulayan win the Banks, Dennis Orcollo win the 9-Ball, and Shane Van Boening win the One-Pocket and All-Around title. I’ve told many friends and students that seeing this event in person is completely different than watching the Accu-Stats DVD’s and streams by TAR and Accu-Stats. They only capture a fraction of the pool played. Looking back, some of my favorite matches were not on the TV table. Matlock vs. Reyes, Deuel vs. Daulton, Reyes vs. Putnum, and Parica vs. Frost were all amazing 1-Pocket matches that weren’t caught by any cameras. Seeing these types of clashes in person, I can hardly explain the stratospheric heights the execution and drama reach.

Please do yourself a favor, get to a pro event and play if you can.

Mike

Note: In the ’90′s, I attended many of the of the WPBA, Camel Pro Billiards Tour, MPBA, PBT and PCA events around the Midwest to watch the pros play. The first really high profile event I went to was the WPA 9-Ball World Championships in Arlington Heights, IL in 1997 where Johnny Archer and Allison Fisher won.

Continue Reading

Thirty-One Tips: 26. Know the Rules

Posted on 26. Jan, 2011 by Mike Fieldhammer.

Know the rules.

Well worth the time to know which rules rule.

Many players in the United States enjoy participating in pool leagues. We’ve got many choices including BCAPL, APA, VNEA, ACS, UPL, TAP, and countless other regional or local acronyms to pick. Trouble for an active pool player is to know which set of rules is being used at various tournaments as well as casual play in a pool room or tavern. The official global federation that has a very complete list of rules is the World Pool-Billiard Association known as WPA. I think they have a pretty good rules committee and revise the rulebook every few years. It seems that every league organization customizes the WPA rule set to best suit league and tournament play for their customers. You must be familiar with each set so you can take advantage of fouls by your opponent, avoid making fouls, and so that you aren’t taken advantage of by being ignorant to the prevailing rules.

Some examples of league specific rules:

BCAPL: In 8-Ball, a scratch on the break shot is now ball in hand anywhere on the table not just behind the head-string.
VNEA: In 8-Ball, if the table is open(if no player has stripes/solids as their group of legal object balls yet) you may call safe and establish your group by legally pocketing an object ball.
APA: In any game, jump cues are not allowed.
WPA: In any game, the table or rail cannot be marked with anything.
VNEA: In 8-Ball, the eight ball is neutral after the opening break shot and may be used as the first ball contacted in a combination shot to establish stripes or solids.
BCAPL: In all games, phenolic(Non-Leather) tips are forbidden on break cues. Phenolic and some other man-made materials can be used on jump cues.
APA: In 9-Ball, calling a push out after the opening break shot is not allowed.
APA: In 8-Ball, Stripes or Solids is determined on the break shot if there is no foul and only one suit is pocketed. The table is still open if nothing drops or one or more of each suit is pocketed.

These are just highlights of a few rules that differ depending on which set of rules is in play. Do your homework and know the rules so you don’t make any silly mistakes.