Common Themes for Great Performances Under Pressure
By NYC Grind Contributor, Mark Finkelstein
This week I want to look at some common themes in high class performances and how these themes can help us improve our pool playing. For example, what does the ballet, the super bowl and the world series all have in common? High pressure? Performance anxiety? Fear of losing or looking bad? Choking? Yes, all these factors play a part in high level performances.
But how do the stars manage to perform in these circumstances? What is their secret? How do the great ones manage to put together near perfect performances when they have the world watching under extreme pressure?
I want to look at two things in this article that all the greats pay particular attention to. Work daily on these concepts, and your ability to perform under pressure will definitely increase.
First is attention to detail. Is your equipment in top shape? Is your tip, shaft, glasses, break cue, jump cue, and chalk all in great shape, or do you take them for granted? When was the last time you looked at your jump cue or break cue’s tip? Are the balls clean, the table brushed, the rack tight, the table clear of obstructions, the lights adequate, and the chalk good? Or do you take these things for granted? How about the table. Does it roll off? How are the pockets cut? Are the rails on straight? Are the seams where the slate is joined smooth?
Are these things you check out or think about, or do you just play? Now let’s look at you as a pool player. Do you stay hydrated, eat properly, exercise, stretch, get enough sleep? How much do you practice? What do you practice? How is your mental game? Do you compete? Gamble? Play in tournaments?
Great players pay attention to all these details and more! In a game as precise as pool, little things matter. Just to show you what I am talking about, here is a picture of the cue ball, the Centennial Ball set, and the 9 ball (which is a different kind and is slightly bigger than the Centennial Balls). These balls were used on the “action table” in a room that I visited. The action table was double shimmed and very fast.
Becoming familiar with the intricacies of the equipment can make for an advantage in match scenarios.
When I asked the room owner if she knew about the 9 ball being slightly bigger, all I got was a big smile! I wonder how many players were under cutting the 9-ball and hanging it up for the owner?
The point I want to make here is that a fanatical attention to detail underlies all great performances.
The next underlying skill of all great performances is rock solid fundamentals. I have written about this for the last two years, and will continue to stress it’s importance. Staying true to the physics of the game are one of the big secrets to pool.
Thanks to Inside Pool we got to see the stream from the Derby City Classic. I really appreciate that. If you get a chance, make sure to support Inside Pool, and thank them for sponsoring that stream.
I got to watch one match that was for $100 per game playing 9 ball. The coin was moving back and forth and the players were going at it really hard. We had action. What was disappointing to me though was their carelessness, lack of attention to detail and rock solid fundamentals. A few miscues, a lot of bumping into balls and causing trouble, playing position on a ball and then looking at it to see they got in the wrong place, over hitting shots and getting on the wrong side of a ball, too much english, bad patterns, too much cue ball movement, and hitting down on the cue ball were some of the errors that I saw.
Here were two good players going at it, but they were not well schooled in the fundamentals, and it cost them each a lot of games. I have a test for you that will let you know if your fundamentals are sound or not. The object of this drill is to make 20 of these shots in a row. Make the one ball with a stop shot, reset the cue ball and make the 2 ball, etc. Set up a straight shot and shoot it in. Repeat this 20 times and you can say your fundamentals are sound.
Common Threads in Excellence - CueTable Diagram
However, if you have troubles with this, miss shots, or crumble under the pressure, it may mean your fundamentals need work. See an instructor, video tape yourself, or have a solid professional player look at your form. Find out what your fundamental flaw is and fix it! This is a drill I have all my students work on, and they are better for it.
MENTAL TRAINING TIP:
This week I want you to focus on what you are saying to yourself when you play pool. I want you to pay particular attention to the voices in your head. At this point, I don’t want you to make any value judgements or comments, just be aware of what you are saying to yourself. Pay attention to what you say when you miss, or fall behind. Make sure you write what you say down in your pool notebook. It will be useful later on in this program when we start untangling some of your bad habits.
That’s it for now. Pay attention to details, work on your fundamentals, and have fun playing pool.
See you on the road.
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Mark Finkelstein is the House Pro at Slate Billiards on 21st Street in Manhattan.
If you have questions, or would like to see a particular topic addressed, you can email Mark at mfinkelstein3@verizon.net.
