tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84617045939791606252024-02-06T20:30:36.532-08:00Pool MinnowSucking less at pool one day at a time.poolminnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01903754856710586485noreply@blogger.comBlogger148125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461704593979160625.post-26799212840501290572017-08-18T21:55:00.001-07:002017-08-18T21:56:34.548-07:00Wow, almost 6 yearsHard to believe that its been almost six years since I last blogged....
Pool has remained an important, but smaller part of my life, and now enough time has passed that I think I may have something new to say. Or at least it might be beneficial for me to write about it. I suppose I could just keep a private journal, but something about blogging that somehow just draws me in more regularly. I guess its thw fantasy that someone is actually listening.
poolminnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01903754856710586485noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461704593979160625.post-37893431927803300142011-10-08T08:32:00.000-07:002011-10-08T09:06:25.298-07:00Trust issuesI wanted to make it at least a month without posting now that I'm retired, but I also really wanted to share an interesting thought from<a href="http://www.peaksports.com/free_newsletter.php"> Dr. Patrick Cohn's Sports Insight Newsletter</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>Trust in your skills is the ability to let go of controlling thoughts during execution and rely on what you have already trained in practice. Trust is not the same mental skill as confidence. Trust happens during execution, whereas confidence precedes execution. The more confidence you have in your ability to hit the jump shot in basketball, for example, the greater likelihood of you trusting your shot.</blockquote><br /><br />I guess I had never really thought about the distinction between trust and confidence...but I can think of moments where I got down on the shot and I was confident I was going to make it. For some reason, I wanted to <span style="font-style:italic;">make sure</span> I made the shot, so instead of trusting my stroke and letting it flow, I tried to control it, and missed. <br /><br />Having made some changes fairly recently, I don't really trust my stroke right now. Its a new, unproven relationship. If I fall into a rhythm where I'm not really thinking about anything, my stroke works great, better than ever, but to trust it in a moment where I'm thinking "I need to make this ball," I can't help but try to grab the steering wheel (sending the ball crashing into the rail). Trust can take time do grow, I guess, but its just so strange that when things are most important, our instinct can be to do <span style="font-style:italic;">the</span> thing that will mess us up. And that's just one of the reasons why we can't stop playing this crazy game, I guess.<br /><br />------<br />**Dr. Cohn is a sports psychologist who coaches junior and professional athletes and has a number of mental toughness training resources, including a podcast, newsletter, a subscription website (which has some free stuff on it), CD/book programs (which <a href="http://www.borderbilliards.com/samm-diep-confidence.html">Tyler Eddy mentioned in an interview with Samm Diep</a>). His podcast "Get Psyched For Sports" alternates between answering a listener question and interviews with athletes or other sports psychology experts--its a great free resource.poolminnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01903754856710586485noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461704593979160625.post-14618906858655099102011-09-15T20:07:00.000-07:002011-09-16T07:29:50.320-07:00The time has come the walrus saidMore than a month has gone by since my last, very brief post. In that time I've considered a topic here or there, composed a few lines as I waited for the bus, figuring at some point, I would sit down at a computer and post at least <i>something</i>. And then yesterday, I realized that maybe, perhaps, for now, I was done. Not that I don't have anything more to say, but for whatever reason, I'm not drawn to say it here. So, I am announcing the retirement of Pool Minnow, sort of.<br /><br />Having a blog is a little like having a goldfish. It doesn't have to be high maintenance, but you do need to feed it a little bit every now and then. It can survive awhile without changing the water, but even if the fish is okay, you feel guilty and if you wait too long, well, it just dies. The whole time it takes up space on your counter and on your to-do list, and even if you stay on top of the care and feeding, someday, its still destined to be a floater. (I don't know if that's really a good analogy, its been over 20 years since I owned any fish.)<br /><br />I was a true beginner when I started this blog, and I'm still several trips to the sun and back away from being an expert. I've managed to fumble my way towards the mediocre middle...still waiting for the day when I'd feel like I earned the right to even wear one of OMGWTF's "HACK" shirts. (I still consider myself "sub-hack"). But somehow it seems right to kind of finish things here, and move on to a new phase. I'll probably post from time to time, pimp the latest RadioLab story, that kind of thing. Maybe at some point I'll be inspired to come back or start even start a new blog (although I'm kind of attached to the name).<br /><br />Blogging has been a great experience in ways I never imagined. I always knew it would be a good way to record my experience and reflect on my life in pool, but my favorite thing about it has been connecting with people (both virtually and in person), who I would have never otherwise met, most of whom are in my blogroll. So thanks for reading, commenting, subscribing and allowing me to be a part of your online procrastination. It has been an honor.<br /><br />Well, see you in the pool hall! (But don't interrupt me when I'm practicing!!!:-)<br /><a href="http://youtu.be/MDthMGtZKa4?t=26s"><br />Whee!</a>poolminnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01903754856710586485noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461704593979160625.post-50089172397660774422011-07-17T22:22:00.000-07:002011-07-17T22:29:30.829-07:00DeterminationA super quick blog post....I watched the end of the British Open today (yes, golf, not pool). I'm not a big golf fan, but I enjoyed watching Darren Clarke's last couple of shots to win his first major at the age of 42, on his 20th try in this particular event. He apparently gave credit to his success to this piece of advice: "Don't let your game determine your attitude, let your attitude determine your game."<br /><br />Perhaps easier said than done...still inspiring to see it happen.poolminnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01903754856710586485noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461704593979160625.post-78643453944913184392011-07-06T19:13:00.000-07:002011-07-07T07:18:43.704-07:00How would you play this?: Its the little things.....Okay, this isn't a pool table scenario I'm asking about, but a match scenario (besides I still haven't figured out cue table): <span style="font-style:italic;">When someone is distracting you during a match, what do you do?</span> <br /><br />Here are a couple of scenarios that happened recently:<br /><br />1. My opponent nervously twitches his feet or swings his legs back and forth every time he sits down. I doubt that he's even aware he's doing it. But every time I shoot in his direction its like two giant Nike hummingbirds in my view. <br /><br />2. A friend of my opponent comes to sweat the match, and then engages in a conversation with the tournament director in a normal conversational voice. But the way the seating is arranged, they are very close to the table. Its impossible to not hear every word of their conversation.<br /><br />Did this affect the outcome of my match? Maybe, especially the second case. But, the blame really lies in my own distractibility. If the focus wasn't there in the first place, maybe I'm just kidding myself and I wasn't going to play that well, period. <br /><br />In the first case, the foot-twitcher, leg-swinger, I didn't say anything until after the match. He's a nice guy who wouldn't want to shark his opponents, but because I lost it kind of seemed like sour grapes and that was my excuse for losing (even though that's not how I felt). Plus, its too late to do me any good. <br /><br />In the second case, the chatty TD & by-stander, I probably gave a couple of passive aggressive looks of death that went unnoticed. I just wasn't comfortable saying anything to them because it seemed like they had a right to be there.<br /><br />In both cases, I got especially irritated because I thought these people <span style="font-style:italic;">should</span> know better, and be more courteous (a thought that surely helped fuel any death looks). <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />In principle,</span> I think its my job as a player to block out distractions, so I'm reluctant to say anything unless I consider the "distractor" a friend. Otherwise, I just need to suck it up. After all, if I were in the Philippines, I'd have to deal with much worse.<br /><br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />In reality,</span> while there are some states of deep concentration where nothing can bother you, the truth is that most of the time, even when your playing well, we aren't that well-protected from our immediate surroundings. Stuff gets to me, to everyone (or at least a lot of people). So, another way to look at this is that the problem isn't just my inability to block out the distraction, but its also my discomfort with conflict. Maybe I should be more assertive?<br /><br />But, there are downsides to saying something. Speaking up about a distraction (or even delivering looks of death), is admitting a weakness to your opponent. And in the past where I've tried to be more assertive, I've ended up feeling like I sharked myself more by saying something because the request was not well-received.<br /><br />What works for you? Do you keep it all inside and just deal?poolminnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01903754856710586485noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461704593979160625.post-9321668482910773932011-06-15T22:55:00.000-07:002011-06-16T04:37:40.196-07:00This is NPROkay, so this is how much of a pool nerd I have become.:<br /><br />I saw the title "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/This-NPR-First-Forty-Years/dp/081187253X">This is NPR</a> " in the window of a bookstore and my first thought was not that this was a book about National Public Radio, which it is, but "Wow, someone's made a book from the Non-Pool Related Forum (commonly referred to as NPR) on AZBilliards." This may not be odd for some people, but I listen to A LOT of National Public Radio, and have only once actually read the NPR Forum on AZ Billiards. I guess that pool is just always there as a first response for my brain to make sense of the world. hmmm time to get out more, I guess.<br /><br />Anyway, this is just a segue in to saying congratulations to my friends at Radio Lab (which you can listen to on NPR) for recently winning a Peabody Award. A good friend of mine was one of the original producers, and many years ago I made some small contributions to the show when it was just starting to find a following. If you love science and good storytelling, you'll enjoy RadioLab.<br /><br />I was going to link to all the Radio Lab episodes I'd put a pool spin on here in the blog, but when I did a search I could only find two. Alas, many of the posts I remembered were among those I composed in my head while sitting on a bus or train, and just never got written. They do a lot of stories on the brain, which obviously apply to the mental side, but I find connections a lot of their material. ( I guess that pool is just always there as a first response for my brain to make sense of the world. hmmm time to get out more, I guess.)<br /><br />Anyway, the two that made it from brain to blog:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://poolminnow.blogspot.com/2010/06/are-we-crazy.html">Are we crazy?</a></li><li><a href="http://poolminnow.blogspot.com/2008/08/lies-lies-lies.html">Lies, lies, lies</a></li></ul>Check out more episodes or subscribe to their podcast at <a href="http://www.radiolab.org/">radiolab.org</a>. One of my recent favorites includes a story about a woman named Zelda used the Ku Klux Klan to help her stop smoking (Check out the episode <a href="http://www.radiolab.org/2011/mar/08/">Help!</a>).<br /><br />So congrats to Jad, Ellen & crew. You are masters of your craft!poolminnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01903754856710586485noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461704593979160625.post-15617139762895781842011-05-23T19:03:00.000-07:002011-05-23T19:49:43.068-07:00The odds of threeI had some time on the commuter train this past week, and got around to reading through the 9-Ball section of Phil Capelle's <a href="http://www.billiardspress.com/index.html">Play Your Best Pool</a>. Right in keeping with my nostalgic look back on the thrill of running 3-balls in my last post, Phil offers this analysis of the odds of running the last 3 balls on the table.<br /><br /><blockquote>"You'd be surprised at how often the majority of pool players fail to negotiate the all important last three balls. One reason is simply the numerical odds of pocketing three balls in a row....Once you can regularly get out from the 7-ball, you'll be beating a lot of players that you thought were pretty good up until now."</blockquote><br /><br />So here's how he breaks down the math:<br /><br /><ul><li>If you make 70% of your shots, you have a 1 in 3 chance (34%)</li><li>If you make 80% of your shots, you have a 1 in 2 chance (51.8%)</li><li>If you make 90% of your shots, you get out most of the time, but still dog it in about 1 in four tries (73%)</li></ul>These figures are a little depressing. Its pretty startling to think if I'm looking at an easy out with shots that I miss one out of ten tries (and that's including getting the right position in many cases), the stats say, I blow it a quarter of the time. That doesn't seem right, but if I was honest about it, it's probably true.<br /><br />I'm not sure I really want this going through my head as I walk up to the table after my opponent has missed the seven. But, I guess its good inspiration to remember to never take any shot for granted, and bear down on the last three. It would be nice to be the kind of player who beats their average if its the three that can win you the game.poolminnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01903754856710586485noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461704593979160625.post-29018652424525154382011-05-04T22:17:00.000-07:002011-05-04T22:55:51.313-07:00The good ol' daysI spent a little time tonight reading through some of my older blog posts (can't believe I started 4 years ago. Where does the time go?) One thing that really struck me was how proud I was when ever I had a three-ball out. (It was kind of my measure for success at the time).<br /><br />It made me a little nostalgic for those early beginning days. I had to work hard for those three ball outs, and sometimes I still do. The difference is, now, if I fail, I'm much harder on myself. And even if I succeed, there's just not the same pay-off, because I'm supposed to get out. Successful execution is probably more of a relief than anything.<br /><br />Can you think back and remember how satisfying it was to get any ball in the pocket the first time you picked up a cue stick? nothing like it..<br /><br />I'm not exactly sure what my point is here....whether its to appreciate the little things (i.e. successful shots no matter how basic), and approach the world with the proverbial beginner's mind, or if its just to observe that the further up the hill you get, sometimes the steeper the climb. I do miss those little 3-ball victories.poolminnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01903754856710586485noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461704593979160625.post-73175607082174011852011-04-17T20:53:00.000-07:002011-04-17T22:49:54.964-07:00Yes, I've heard of one pocket!!!!Its early on a Sunday and the room is almost empty. I picked my favorite table...in the middle of the room, with tighter, but not the tightest pockets. One side has seating in between it and the next table, so its good for drills. I'm working on a one-rail position drill. I'm shooting pretty well, but I've been a little unfocused...and I'm really trying to get back on track. <br /><br />Then, this guy I've never seen before hovers over my table (this hasn't happened in a long time):<br /><br />Mosquito: "How you doing?"<br />Me: "Um, I'm fine"<br />Mosquito: "You ever hear of a game called one-pocket?"<br /><br />Oh sweet lord. Really? Really? If I were playing in a bar, this would be a perfectly reasonable question, but in a pool hall, where I'm clearly a regular, that holds a monthly one-pocket tournament? <br /><br />I answer "Yes. If you're looking for a game, you should ask for Billy." He says something more but I've returned to my drill. He walks away, but I suspect what is coming next.<br /><br />There are at least 10 tables available. With a whole room of tables, my new friend, mosquito, decides to take the one closest to me. <br /><br />I never look over at the table, unless I'm checking to see if I will interfere with his shot. The whole time though, I feel like he's trying to get my attention. Everything he does, his warm up strokes, his comments to himself, somehow I feel like he's performing for my benefit.<br /><br />It turns out he had a pre-arranged game and eventually the other guy shows up. I start to think that maybe I was wrong, and I'm just full of myself. It also occurs to me that I'm hungry and my blood sugar is low, and I should probably give up on practice and get food. I play for a little longer and then start to pack up.<br /><br />Immediately, mosquito turns around (in the middle of his rack): <br /><br />Mosquito: "Where you going? Its too early to leave!"<br />Me: "I've got lots to do."<br />Mosquito: "No, no, its too early. What you going to do now?"<br />Me: "Stuff. I was lucky to find time to come down here in the first place."<br />Mosquito: "Well, that's my kind of woman who comes down on a Sunday to shoot pool..blah, blah" <br /><br />What am I supposed to say? Gee, lucky me, cuz that's the reason I came down to shoot pool in the first place...I ignore the comment.<br /><br />Mosquito: "So, do you know any bars in the City that are good for pool?"<br />Me: [I give him the name of a good pool bar that I never go to.]<br />Mosquito: "Do you go there?"<br />Me: "No." And I leave, unfortunately, with the sense that he was not discouraged.<br /><br />In a world where there exist violent dictators, serial gropers, and American Idol, this is not the worst thing going on. When this kind of thing happens in a bar, so be it, or even the bus, which is a public place after all. Its annoying, but I can cope. But in the pool hall, as expected as it is, it just offends me. Pool is a sanctuary of sorts for me, and its a sanctuary that I pay for by the hour. Please let me practice in peace!<br /><br />I'm fortunate, as this hasn't happened in a long time. There used to be one or two regulars who were a problem, but I haven't seen them in awhile, and even they got the idea that I wasn't interested in being chatted up and left me alone. <br /><br />I guess its back to the corner table with the buckets for awhile...poolminnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01903754856710586485noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461704593979160625.post-18300561915218844472011-04-11T20:20:00.000-07:002011-04-12T08:04:34.215-07:00The benefits of exhaustionIt was the end of a long day. I started playing in an event at noon and finished around a quarter to seven. Actually, that's a short day by pool standards, but I was disappointed with the results, and I think that drained a little more energy from me.<br /><br />As I was driving home, I realized the timing was just right to hit a Saturday night tourney near by. The inner debate began:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Don't Go:</span> "You've really had enough pool for today. Its a little crazy to play another tournament."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Go:<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span> "Yeah, but do you really don't want to go home a loser. This is your chance to win at least one match."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Don't Go:</span>"Yeah, but you're pretty tired, how depressing would it be to lose in two tournaments in one day."<br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Go:</span></span>"Even if you lose, its good experience. Big tournaments often start at noon and go into the night. This will be good for your stamina. Besides, maybe you'll be warmed up."<br /><br />"Go" wins out, not for any reason other than "I want to" and I pull up to a parking place just in time to get one warm up game before the tourney starts. The good news is I'm playing pretty well. The atmosphere is relaxed, and it feels much more like the games you play for fun AFTER the match is over. You know, as soon as the pressure is off, suddenly the game feels effortless. <br /><br />I end up in the finals. I've already exceeded my expectations, and I am pretty tired, so I ask my opponent to split. He really wants to play it out, which was fine, too. I close my eyes for a minute and breathe. Its not that I'm feeling any pressure, but I can feel the tiredness starting to catch up with me, and just the edges of crankiness are starting to show. When I'm cranky, I don't stroke smoothly. Its like I take out my crankiness on the cue ball and punch at it and hit too hard. So, before that takes root, I just try to accept being tired and relax through it.<br /><br />Towards the end of the first game I realize that my opponent has a few quirks. He has a really idiosyncratic way of lining up his shots. He walks up to the table and stands behind the shot with his feet tightly pressed together, slightly leaning over the table. Then keeping his head perfectly still take little tiny steps moving his body into position. The process was done with a distinct rhythm (think Charlie Chaplin or maybe Fred Flintstone bowling). It was oddly graceful if somewhat un-natural. Then, to add the final touch to this unique ritual, upon settling into his shot, he kind of flicked his tongue in and out in an effort to concentrate.<br /><br />The truth is pool is filled with some strange birds. And really, if any of this helps him shoot better, then by all means he should keep doing it and never mind what anyone else thinks. The thing is, this stuff gets to me. There's something about this kind of un-natural ritualistic movement that distracts me. And as far as tongues and facial expressions, I've made it a point to try to ignore what people look like when they shoot, because sometimes its too funny and it becomes all I can think about. This leads to being annoyed at myself for being distracted over such a small thing.<br /><br />Obviously, on this night, I was not successful at ignoring my opponent. I noticed all the oddities. And I noticed that they were annoying. But, I was <i>not</i> annoyed. It was as if in my relaxed tiredness I was somewhere very far away, where all those petty little annoyances couldn't get me. I was able to conserve what little energy I had left. I won the match in straight games and went home.<br /><br />I remember reading about a pain management technique where patients view the part of their body that hurt through the wrong end of a telescope. Seeing their foot or hand as very small and far away, was a fairly successful way to manage the pain. (Or without a telescope, doing the same with visualization). My experience in this tournament makes me think that the small and distant imagery might be a useful technique for dealing with opponents who are irritating. (Without the telescope, of course, unless you're Earl Strickland).<br /><br />Anyway, I hope it works. Tomorrow in league, we're up against a team that has a player known even by his friends as "Scrunch Face." He's the nicest guy, but dear lord, its like playing a muppet. Wish me luck!poolminnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01903754856710586485noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461704593979160625.post-77736077807315380052011-04-06T19:09:00.000-07:002011-04-07T08:11:30.072-07:00The flesh is willing, but the mind is weakBack when I first started this blog, I considered myself a choker. I saw my pool game improving, but when it came down to finishing the important game, I couldn't do it. It wasn't surprising. I could look back in my life and think of so many experiences where I had the opportunity to live up to my potential, and didn't....moments where I grasped defeat from the jaws of victory or never got out of the gate. I would have never said this out loud, but deep down I KNEW I was a loser.<br /><br />But pool was an opportunity to change that. I decided to change the perception that my ability to win or lose was somehow an inherent part of my character, and instead to approach it as a skill that could be learned. Its funny, now it seems so trite to say that, but at the time I really had to shift my thinking.<br /><br />I got my hands on some great books (some that I've mentioned here), worked on some of their training programs to change perception and develop skills to handle pressure situations. I saw progress, but when I couldn't wait any longer, I bit the bullet, and shelled out more than I wanted to for the "Overcoming Contenderosis Self-Hypnosis" CD's. It was A LOT MORE than I was comfortable spending, especially since I thought I might be getting ripped off (Although an email from FastMikie helped me feel better about that. Nowadays you can buy the individual CD's separately at Bebob Publishing, but at the time you had to buy the entire set.) But I figured that having made the investment, I'd be more likely to put in the time to see if it worked.<br /><br />Within a week, I began a 10-match winning streak. I felt invincible. But then the moment I lost, despite my efforts to contextualize it as normal and inevitable, it was like the bubble had been burst, and all my new found faith dispersed. I went on a losing streak. <br /><br />But I stuck with the self-hypnosis and continued to seek out pressure situations. In retrospect, that initial success was just a placebo effect. I hadn't yet put the time in needed to build the "muscle memory" of my mind. After several months, I learned what it felt like to consciously relax deeply. I could listen to the beginning of the recording, or take a couple of deep breaths, and all the tension in my body would just melt. I could then skip ahead to listen to the very end and listen to "you're about to wake up. And when you do you will be fresh and alert, as if you have just slept." I'd open my eyes, and, sure enough, others would comment, "What happened? You look so refreshed." <br /><br />It didn't work 100% of the time, but I could feel and see the difference in my performance from the studying, the self-hypnosis and getting experience in pressure situations. I started liking pressure. I felt that's when I played my best.<br /><br />In the past year, I haven't spent much less time on the mental game. Partially, because I was happy with what I had learned, and partially because I was struggling with some bigger issues of motivation (fake it til you make it!). And, lets face it. Those self-hypnosis tapes start to get pretty boring after you've listened to them a zillion times. I figured I needed to take a break from it.<br /><br />Now I'm finding motivation again and I'm not faking it. I care what happens in my matches. Of course, I still see myself as that same pressure player, but when I actually walk up to the table, it doesn't feel like it. I guess I thought that motivation was the real problem, and that once that barrier was removed, all my dormant mental skills would appear as soon as I really, really wanted them to. And now I'm realizing that is like thinking you will weigh fifteen pounds less just because you find the right dress.<br /><br />I guess I will have to get back to work....<br /><br />So, anyone have any mental game book recommendations? I'd like to re-read the ones on my shelf, but would like to pick up something new, too. I've got Pleasure of Small Motions, both James Loehr books on Mental Toughness, and Zen Golf by Joseph Parent (which is awesome...a great recommendation from Liz Ford).<br /><br />And, I just want to say thanks to Caroming the Combination for his recent post on <a href="http://caroming-the-combination.blogspot.com/2011/04/thinking-too-much.html">Thinking too much</a>, and reminding me that the mental game takes practice. <br /><br />[Also, if anyone is as crazy as me, and is interested in trying the Overcoming Contenderosis CD's I have some definite opinions about which ones are worth trying. Self-hypnosis isn't for everyone, but I was please with the results.]poolminnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01903754856710586485noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461704593979160625.post-89352066017464836402011-03-30T07:56:00.000-07:002011-03-30T08:08:02.527-07:00Feeling groovyJust a quick post to say that I've been too happily busy to blog much. Things seem to be falling into place. I love the new league and look forward to it each week. I'm getting in practice time, finding the discipline to really work on my weaknesses (instead of banging the balls around). I even wrote down a training plan for my practice sessions this month, which is the kind of thing I usually think about doing, feel I should do, and then don't. And, a couple of friends with skills have volunteered to work with me on my 9-ball game. It feels like good opportunities are finding me. <br /><br />Not sure if it's that spring is here, or if it's just the pendulum swinging the other way, but its nice to feel like I'm headed in a good direction.poolminnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01903754856710586485noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461704593979160625.post-20309764483865350872011-03-09T21:30:00.001-08:002011-03-09T22:51:38.167-08:00Was I really that bad?After making a big deal of becoming "league-free," I have to fess up: I'm on a team again. It was kind of a misunderstanding, but its a BCA team playing 8-ball on big tables, so its still a change of pace. When it happened, I decided to run with it. These things happen for a reason, right?<br /><br />Anyway, last night was my first night playing for this team. I don't know anyone on my team or the opposing team team. I only know a handful of people in the league. We were playing one of the better teams in the league. <br /><br />I know its best not to think this way, but I couldn't help wanting to show my new teammates I can play at least a little. Not an easy task, because for whatever reason, I've been feeling awkward and impatient at the table lately, especially playing 8-ball. <br /><br />I lost the first game, although the first inning was not a complete embarrassment. Besides, I'm just warming up, right?<br /><br />Then, in the middle of my second game, my opponent from my first match calls a time-out on me to let me know that I am playing so badly that he assumes I have never played real 8-ball before: "Pool Minnow, this is 8-ball. You know you don't always have to go for a shot. 8-ball is like chess. You must try to use strategy." <br /><br />This was ironic, because I was actually going for a two way shot, with the hope I would get a good leave and block a pocket if I missed. I had called the pocket, just in case. My shot wasn't a great shot, but it was the best one that my tired-self could see in that moment. He pointed out a much better shot that was both more strategically advantageous and easier to execute. But, since he was on the other team, and wasn't supposed to be coaching me anyway, I felt I should stick to my original plan. <br /><br />I went for the shot...<br />missed by a diamond and a half...<br />didn't block the pocket...<br />and scratched. <br /><br />Wow. I showed him!<br /><br />And that was pretty much the highpoint of my evening.<br /><br />Oh well, I guess there's nowhere to go but up!poolminnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01903754856710586485noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461704593979160625.post-47303791141500399992011-03-02T20:22:00.000-08:002011-03-02T21:49:21.869-08:00Nobody puts Baby in the cornerI think I may have lost my mind in Reno this weekend at the US Bar Table Championships. Watching all those great strokes was inspiring, but it got me to thinking: its virtually impossible for me to get in the practice time I need to really improve in the way I would like.<br /><br />I have a full-time job. Actually, its more than a full-time job. I have no car, and either pool hall in the city is 2 buses away, so I have to plan for about 2.5 hours to get in 1 hour of practice. At the end of a long day or a long week, its sometimes hard to drag myself on public transit, even if I really want to practice. <br /><br />So this is what I'm considering: taking out my couch and putting a pool table in the corner. Yes, in the corner. Think about it....there are an awful lot of drills you can do with only two sides. I kind of like the idea of it not being a fully functional table. I'm thinking the limited access will make me want to do drills rather than just hit balls around.<br /><br />The deal would be to do it for one year, and then sell the table (unless I really loved the set up). At the same time, I'd give up cable for the year (which is just a waste of money) to help pay for the table in case I can't find something cheap on Craigslist.<br /><br />So here's the part I'm unsure about....it does kind of mean that I'm devoting a large part of my everyday living space to pool. I'm fortunate to live in a 1-bedroom, so I would effectively start living in a studio with a pool training room, almost completely taken up by a pool table. (i.e. you can't flop down on the green felt at the end of a long day to relax and watch House. It would take up a lot of my space.)<br /><br />Is this crazy? <br /><br />Or given the amount of mental space that pool already takes up, does it make perfect sense? <br /><br />Is there anyway to know unless I try?<br /><br />Well, the tape measure is out and I'm working on the redesign of my apartment. Not sure I will actually go through with it, but stay tuned.poolminnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01903754856710586485noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461704593979160625.post-68141172532765533132011-02-02T21:42:00.000-08:002011-02-02T22:18:49.071-08:00and never looked back...Yes, in case you were wondering, I have stayed league-free. And I'm happy about it. There were those who doubted I could really do it. Even now when I say I'm taking a break from playing league, some people think that means I'm playing only one night. Others were sure that once the season rolled around that some invitation to join a team would pull me back in. There were invitations, and they were declined.<br /><br />I've been to league nights. Sweated friends' matches. Enjoyed a spirited beverage or two. And never once have I regretted not being in the line up. I'll admit that I can feel a slight loss of edge, not having that weekly competition, but the reality is I think that was slipping anyway.<br /><br />And now the fun begins. I've long wanted to go back and take a good look at my fundamentals and rebuild, something that just seemed too hard when I was competing weekly. That may have just been an excuse. Truth is I dread doing it, but know it must be done if I want to get to another level. <br /><br />Aargh. <br />The video. The dreaded watching myself on video. <br />The drills. The dreaded drills that I loved when I first started and I did until I couldn't stand them anymore. <br />The awkward, not-comfortable feeling of changing well-grooved habits. ick. <br /><br />Oh well, I'm a masochist anyway, so sign me up.poolminnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01903754856710586485noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461704593979160625.post-45785542466864723122011-01-11T06:37:00.000-08:002011-01-11T08:14:23.977-08:00Why pep talks don't work...I came in second in a tournament this weekend, after missing an easy 8-ball hill-hill. It was the classic scenario. The seven ball was the tough one. Make it, and the 8 & 9 were easy shots with natural shape. I just got down on that 8-ball and thought a second too long, took an extra practice stroke....lordy, I have no idea what kind of stroke came from my arm, it was some kind of twisty-exorcist kind of craziness!<br /><br />I just laughed, as I've been in one of those awkward periods where nothing feels quite right--not my cue, not my stance, not my stroke, not my bridge...I'm just off. I've come to accept this as a "refinement" phase, so I was surprised and happy just to be in the finals.<br /><br />A fellow competitor who I've gotten to know a little bit decided to stay to root me on. Once I made it to the semi-finals he said that he was going to stay to watch me win this. He kept saying things like "You can do it." " I know you can win this thing." "All the way." Sometimes he sat next to me during the match, and when my opponent missed he'd say, "There you go!"<br /><br />It was really awkward for me because he's a really nice guy and meant well. I know that I wasn't exuding confidence (refinement phase and all, you know), but I was comfortable where I was. Despite all his positivity, his comments made me feel less confident. They were meant to build me up, but they actually made me feel small.<br /><br />Here is my translation of the pep talk:<br />"I'm not sure you're going to win this match. Its possible you could win this match, but I think you need some help. I'm going to try to encourage you to by being really positive, because I'm not confident you will do it on your own."<br /><br /><br />I feel a little bad even writing this because I know that he really wanted to see me win, and maybe for some people those words would have been really encouraging and helpful. If he had said, "That's a really tough match, you don't have a chance," it would have been much less distracting.I didn't ask him to stop, and perhaps I should have. I tend to believe that I need to develop the skills to block out anything that is unhelpful. Maybe I just need to work on how I internally translate those type of comments. Its not the first time that I've been felt undermined by them.<br /><br />The mental game is so personal...what works for one person doesn't work for the next. Hell, what works in one moment, doesn't always work in the next. I think one place where people misstep is they forget to start with the present....accepting whatever mental state you (or the person you're coaching is) are in. Good mental coaching doesn't build confidence....it uncovers it. The pep talk, if not done right, is trying to cover up whatever is wrong with something pretty. It tries to compensate for doubt, which for me, makes it harder to let doubt fade away.<br /><br /><blockquote><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204); font-style: italic;">Confidence is an unconditional state in which you simply possess an unwavering state of mind that needs no reference point. There is no room for doubt; even the question of doubt does not occur. --- Venerable Chogyam Trungpa from Shambala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior.</span></blockquote><br /><br />(This post needs some serious editing, but I haven't posted in awhile, so I'm just going to let her ride...Happy New Year!)poolminnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01903754856710586485noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461704593979160625.post-83984971228805894242010-11-18T22:02:00.000-08:002010-11-18T22:54:14.039-08:00Two weeks noticeTwo more weeks and I will be officially league free.<br /><br />Yep, I finally did it. After several years of oscillating from over-committing to "just once a week" I realized it was time to just take a complete break.<br /><br />Its kind of an odd feeling. I've been playing continuously in the same league since I started playing pool. But over the last couple of months I realized that I achieved most of what I wanted to in league (for now), and that I needed to devote more time to tournaments, practice and non-pool activities.<br /><br />One of my instructors used to say, "Always leave the table wanting more." Lately, league has felt a little bit like having a second job (that doesn't pay very well!). In the past, I have found value in pushing past the "league fatigue" to <a href="http://poolminnow.blogspot.com/2009/03/raising-floor.html">find a new motivation </a>in order to keep going. But now its time to move on.<br /><br />A few months ago, when I was in the middle of <a href="http://poolminnow.blogspot.com/2010/09/waking-up.html">my tournament blitz,</a> I kind of knew I was headed for burnout city. I went ahead anyway because my gut told me that it would somehow force a change that was necessary. And it did. It broke my addiction to league. Okay, maybe its not league per se, but my addiction to my comfort zone. Now that I've spent more time in arenas that are new and challenging, I'm not that interested in going back.<br /><br />So, as of week after next, I will be a free agent. I'm not sure what that means, except that I will only play pool when I really want to and not when I have to. Just writing that makes me want to go play pool NOW. I'd say that's a good sign.poolminnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01903754856710586485noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461704593979160625.post-23532447175674118412010-10-19T06:27:00.000-07:002010-10-19T06:52:00.003-07:00Just a little bitOkay, so now I have not one, but two longer almost completed posts in need of editing, but no time to finish them, so just a brief recap on the APA Singles Regionals a couple weeks ago: I lost.<br /><br />I made it to the finals in 8-ball and semi-finals in 9-ball undefeated, and then just ran out of gas. Most people compete in either one or the other but not both. My plan, as I had written about, was to just drop 9-ball, but the week before a friend added me to his roster without asking, so I could compete if I wanted to. (At the end of the day, I think that playing 9-ball probably hurt my chances of going all the way in 8-ball, but I have no regrets. I thought I was going to be crushed in my 9-ball bracket, and in the first few matches played so well, that I really surprised myself.)<br /><br />Last October, I did about the same, but felt great--It was such a tremendous improvement over previous regional tournaments. This time I was really disappointed that I had stagnated, and that I was undone by fatigue for a second year in a row.<br /><br />So, the next week, I started working a little bit of exercise into my daily schedule. And then a couple things became apparent to me:<br /><br />1) I am in TERRIBLE shape! Oh my god. I had no idea I had let my general conditioning slip this much. Just a quick 20 minutes was challenging. This is bad news, except that I know last year at this same time, I was in relatively good condition. SO that means, that maybe I had progressed, and if I only could get in better shape, I might see a big difference in my ability to go the distance.<br /><br />2) A little goes a long way. It really doesn't take much exercise to boost up my energy level and mood. (I'm writing this to remind myself when I'm feeling lazy and having a hard time remembering whether its worth it).<br /><br />And, then I remembered that although it felt like deja vu, I have gone up a skill level since last year in both games, so all my matches were longer and more competitive, so in many ways, doing about the same probably is progress, even if its just a little bit, I'll take it.poolminnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01903754856710586485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461704593979160625.post-59726888438246525332010-10-09T09:35:00.000-07:002010-10-09T09:56:48.520-07:00Worry less. Laugh more.I'm working on a longer pool related post that needs some serious editing, but in the meantime, I just wanted to blog about my dear friend Jennifer. Jennifer was one of my best friends in college, who died in an accident last year. (I want to say unexpected or tragic, but isn't that just the nature of accidents?).<br /><br />After college, we drifted apart, wrote the occasional birthday email (how did she always remember mine?), saw each other at weddings, and then a year or so before her accident reconnected on a more regular basis on facebook. At the time of her accident, her husband posted an update on her status that "it could be worse." I took that to mean she would be okay, and for some reason expected that if anything important happened, facebook would be sure to let me know. It was two months later that I received a voicemail from a mutual friend saying there was something I should know, and I raced home to facebook to read all the updates that hadn't made my news feed...and that Jenn had been gone for a couple of months.<br /><br />Its amazing how some people become so core to who we are, even though your lives move off into entirely different directions. In the moment that I realized the truth, my knees gave way, it was so startling. I've lost friends before...but they all had a more fragile grasp on life, somehow it wasn't surprising. But Jenn was so strong and passionate about living, it just didn't/doesn't make sense.<br /><br />The anniversary of her accident is coming up in a few weeks. Her family has organized a memorial jazz concert entitled "Worry less. Laugh more." which has been the theme of all the events in her memory. <br /><br />As I think about the past year, I realize that I have worried more, and laughed less. The laughing part, I'm not that bad at, but the worrying gets way too much of my time. So, Jenn, this is just to let you know that I'm thinking of you, and this year I promise: Worry less, laugh more. Miss you.poolminnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01903754856710586485noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461704593979160625.post-28222650821443650702010-10-01T05:57:00.000-07:002010-10-01T14:18:47.414-07:00Boxed inThis is the last weekend of my tournament blitz--the APA Singles Regionals. Its a 5-hour drive to the middle of nowhere, and its going to be hot, hot, hot this weekend. I swore that last October would be my last time going there (the national office has already said they would let me play in another location, if I gave them enough notice). But I do enjoy the comraderie with my leaguemates.<br /><br />Anyway, its a weekend of barboxes, and I thought I post up one of my favorite series of barbox videos...Corey Deuel v. Niels Feijen, with commentary by Shawn Putnam and Troy Frank. There just doesn't seem to be much bar box 8-ball with commentary on video. I try to watch a few racks of Corey before every 8-ball tournament. Watching Corey's patterns really helps me see the table, and I also seem to pocket better. I think its a good reminder for my unconscious....the balls are supposed to go *IN* the pocket.<br /><br />This is the first of 9 You Tube videos. I'll try to post all 9 later, as its kind of a pain to navigate to all of them in sequence. But here's the first for now. Enjoy! (This first rack is sick. I love the position he gets on the 1-ball)<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MLLn01c2h4A?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MLLn01c2h4A?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>poolminnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01903754856710586485noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461704593979160625.post-20432250165581529572010-09-24T16:32:00.000-07:002010-09-27T07:46:20.634-07:00Why did the chicken cross the road?Just a few thoughts before I head into another tournament weekend...<br /><br />I recently rediscovered my copy of <span style="font-style: italic;">Mental Toughness Training for Sports</span> (Loehr, 1982).When I say rediscovered, I mean literally, as it had been missing and I found it lodged behind my mattress. I'm not sure I've ever read this book cover to cover, but I like to periodically open it up and just read what I find. Its one of several books I keep with me at tournaments to keep my mind occupied while waiting. It helps me keep good thoughts in and and anxious, bored, squirrelly thoughts out.<br /><br />Today, the book opened up directly to the section on Self-Motivation. How appropriate. So here is a rather longish excerpt (copyright experts feel free to berate me, I'm just to lazy to cut it down too much)...<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);">"What do we do to maintain high levels of self-motivation, and what do we do to get it back when it's lost?.....Success is the universal antidote...your objective...is to program a </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 0, 153);">diet of regular success</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);">."</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);">"There are big successes, like winning Wimbledon or the Super Bowl, and there are little ones, like slapping the puck past he goalie on a break-away or sinking two pressure free throws to ice the game. All too frequently, the success of the little ones is muted by the failure of the big ones. Success and winning become scrambled."</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);"><br /><br />"In a world where winners are everything and losers are nothing, making the wrong connection is easy. The right connection pairs success with effort, accomplishment and forward growth, not with winning the external contest. Steady success is the key to motivation. It's not a once-every-six-weeks affair. Its got to be constant. And big successes don't materialize over night. The are the natural consequence of the accumulation of hundreds of little successes."</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);"><br /><br />"As one of the premier all-pros in the NFL wisely said <span style="font-weight: bold;">'You don't sneak up on success. You take it one inch at a time...'"</span></span><br /><br />Hmmmm....interesting...a regular diet of success. Amidst a sea of brutal competition....what would that look like? Will it exclude cupcakes?..... or perhaps require them? I will ponder.<br /><br />Unfortunately, the book is out of print, but you can find it on <a href="http://product.half.ebay.com/Mental-Toughness-Training-for-Sports_W0QQprZ4458781QQtgZinfo">half.com</a>.poolminnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01903754856710586485noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461704593979160625.post-73515889039926987022010-09-17T06:29:00.000-07:002010-09-17T07:26:56.651-07:00Waking upI'm in the middle of a tournament blitz right now. I know this is normal for many of you pool nuts out there, but normally I play a tournament only every few months. But I did make it a goal to play more tournaments, so I started "throwing my hat over the wall", and just signing up. But, because I don't keep a calendar, I never realized that I had committed to a tournament almost every weekend. I'm in the home stretch, with the final four having started last weekend. I get three weekends tournament-free after that.<br /><br />I thought about canceling a couple, for the sake of sanity and to avoid burn out. But something told me, that even if I wasn't exactly looking forward to it that I should just push through it. I've never done this before. Maybe something unexpected will come of it.<br /><br />The competition is so much tougher at these events. Most of them are not handicapped. Doing well means winning at least one match by getting a lucky draw, and an unusually high number of nine-ball combos. I have worried how this was affecting my confidence. I've made the mistake many times of comparing my own level to others around me, wondered if all my efforts were paying off, thinking, "Shouldn't I be playing better by now?" "Am I stuck at this level?" "What if this is as good as I can get?"<br /><br />I go. I play. I get my single win. Then I kinda want to go home. There is no hope, no belief that I could win this tournament. And this might be okay, even healthy, if it weren't for the fact that it means that in that last match of the day, I'm not fighting. Losing is not a good feeling, but losing after having given up, is far, far worse.<br /><br />Last weekend, that's where I was. <br />My first match: I drew one of the top 4 players. I started off okay. And while I did try, I didn't really feel much pressure to do my best. <br />Second match: I played a newcomer to the tour. I got up 6-3, and then my opponent said that she didn't feel well, couldn't come back anyway, and con<br />ceded the final game. (Okay, well at least I got my one win).<br />Third match: Again, I came out pretty strong, and was actually playing pretty well. I was indifferent to the outcome, and found myself down 6-1. Then my opponent missed and left me a straight in 9-ball. Okay, 7-2. That's less embarrassing. Next rack I got to the 9 first and missed, and left her a very make-able shot. She missed leaving the 9 just of the rail next to the side pocket. Now something started to happen. I started to wake up. I couldn't cut it down the rail for fear of a scratch. The angle for the bank was a little wide. But I got down and committed a full, power stroke and the 9-ball zoomed straight into the opposite corner. My opponent was clearly rattled and started missing. I started playing well, and had two outs I'm really happy with. I got to 6-5, when my opponent got a lucky roll after missing an 8-ball, hooking me just enough to make it difficult to do much. I actually made a decent safe at least leaving her long, but she got out anyway. But I was down Hill-6, and had a shot to win.<br />A top player on the tour came up to me and said to me,"You fought HARD." Yes I did. It was a good reminder. Who cares if they're better than me? Its not the win. Its the fight. That's what I'm here for.poolminnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01903754856710586485noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461704593979160625.post-57147219054817666802010-09-11T08:14:00.000-07:002010-09-11T08:30:28.710-07:00Get free stuff!No, not here, Silly! HERE: <a href="http://www.massiveunderstatement.com/">OMGWTF</a>, the blog.<br /><br />OMG is giving away a handmade key chain to the winner of her raffle. Just post a comment to the latest post and request one of the remaining numbers, which are (as of this posting):<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 204, 204);">27</span><br /></span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">30</span><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-size:180%;" ><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">34</span></span><br /><br />I don't understand how 34 could still be available. Someone should snap it up now!<br /><br />What? You don't need a key chain? Sign up anyway. If you win, give it to me :-). I really do need a key chain. I'm eying the Spineless Bastard, Pinky and the Cherries.<br /><br />The raffle cannot take place until all the numbers are chosen, so hop to it. <a href="http://www.massiveunderstatement.com/">Pick a number!</a>poolminnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01903754856710586485noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461704593979160625.post-13458013877233720982010-08-31T22:39:00.000-07:002010-08-31T23:07:36.731-07:00What was I thinking?I am about to do something I've never done before...quit a team mid-season. Actually, its not really "mid", as the first match was just yesterday...but I'm such a goody-two-shoes that having said "yes, I'll join" on Sunday and then playing on Monday, makes me feel that I'm fully committed with no way out.<br /><br />I just got back from Vegas on Saturday, found out my current APA 9-ball team disbanded, and I would need to find a new team to maintain my qualification for Singles Regionals next month. So, I quickly jumped on the first team that came along. When I arrived to the match Monday night, I found out that half the people had left the team (which I guess was why they needed me), and I was greeted with great enthusiasm, as - a) I was now the best player on the team (by 3 skill levels) and they needed me for time outs and to teach the new players how to play in my spare time, and b) I was one of two people on the team who could keep score. I had forgotten to let the captain know that I was thinking of playing the minimum 4 matches. He clearly had a different idea.<br /><br />This was, of course, on top of:<br />a) my residual feelings of dissatisfaction with my home league that I was left with after Vegas. I couldn't help feeling that these people were better, because the people they played with were better.<br />b) the growing realization that I hate APA 9-ball.<br /><br />And as I fretted after the match thinking "what have I gotten myself into?"...counting the weeks on the schedule, mourning the free Mondays I could have had, the Monday night tournaments I would have played, all because I had paid the entry fee for the 9-ball singles.<br /><br />Then, as I added all of that up, I realized that my Mondays were so much more valuable than any entry fee I had paid....and if I were to be successful and qualify for Nationals, I would need to play yet another season of APA 9-ball and then travel to Vegas to play an APA 9-ball tournament. None of which I want to do.<br /><br />So, I came to my senses and realized to not throw good money after bad, and just quit. (Well, the actual quitting has yet to be done, and I'm going to just do it outright. No 4 matches. I want off the team. (Okay, I'll admit I'm writing this in part to make sure I do it)).<br /><br />Anyway, I feel like this is a big moment....putting MY priorities first. My time is too precious. My pool time either better be fun, or helping me reach my goals. No more treading water. Its time to start swimming ruthlessly.poolminnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01903754856710586485noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8461704593979160625.post-63057284779750616932010-06-27T06:36:00.000-07:002011-04-21T21:44:52.738-07:00Are we crazy?When I first joined a pool league, I never imagined that I would become so involved in the competitive aspects of the sport. I just enjoyed playing pool. <br /><br />It never occurred to me that there were people who would spend a week of vacation in Vegas, at a tournament, that would require you to start 4 hour matches at 11pm, and then get up the next morning to do the same thing at 8am. I have a love-hate relationship with this part of pool. On the one hand, there's nothing more exhilarating than pushing through the exhaustion to play well when it really counts after a marathon of a tournament. On the other hand, sometimes I dread devoting a whole weekend for an event, knowing I could come up empty handed and completely spent at the end. (Okay, never really empty-handed because you always come away with the experience). <br /><br />I watched some of the stream from Vegas OMGWTF v Borana match in May. Their match started around 11pm, and I fell asleep around 1:30 or 2:00. I woke up about 7, wondering what the outcome had been. If I had gotten my butt out of bed to restart my computer, I could have watched the end of the match live, because it was still going!!! It was inspiring. <br /><br />But then sometimes when I try explain what I'll be doing on my vacation this year, or talk about how impressive the OMGWTF/Borana match was, I kind of wonder if we're just not at least a little bit crazy?<br /> <br />Fortunately, we're in good company, as there are plenty of other past-times (read: obsessions) that make all-night pool seem like rose gardening. Back in May, RadioLab aired an episode on Limits, and people who try to ignore them, which really puts it into perspective. Also, they discuss some interesting research that shows that physical limits, as we know them, are not necessarily absolute, but a way to keep our bodies from using up all its resources. Even better, there seem to be some ways to trick our body into giving up the extra reserve (although one of them involves exhaustion so extreme that it causes paranoid delusions. But hey, whatever gets you across the finish line, right?)<br /><br /><object width="350" height="36"><param name="movie" value="http://www.wnyc.org/flashplayer/mp3player.swf?config=http://www.wnyc.org/flashplayer/config_share.xml&file=http://www.wnyc.org/stream/xspf/148237"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.wnyc.org/flashplayer/mp3player.swf?config=http://www.wnyc.org/flashplayer/config_share.xml&file=http://www.wnyc.org/stream/xspf/148237" id="WNYC_Mp3_Player_148237" name="WNYC_Mp3_Player_148237" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" wmode="transparent" height="36" width="350"></embed></object><br /><br />A couple of stories featured:<br /><br />Julie Moss who entered the 1982 iron man without any serious training, or serious competitive intentions, and then found herself in the lead, without carbohydrates.<br /><br />and,<br /><br />Race Across America, an eight-day bicycle race across the continental U.S. Jure Robic, a Slovenian cyclist has won the race 5 times ( he won again earlier this month after the RadioLab show aired). The guy reportedly slept only 8 hours during the entire race.<br /><br />Anyway, the next time I'm feeling sorry for myself that its late, I'm tired, hungry and don't want to play my match, I'll be thinking of these guys.poolminnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01903754856710586485noreply@blogger.com1