Mika Immonen Goes Full Circle… from US Open Champion to Galveston World Classic Champion: Exclusive Interview with Jerry T

By NYC Grind Contributor, Alison M. Fischer

The 2009 US Open 9-ball Championships is quickly approaching, and in retrospect, reigning champion Mika Immonen’s year has come full circle.  Undoubtedly, “The Iceman” is currently one of the most dominant pool players in the world, and he reaffirmed this status with his recent win in the 10-ball Open at the inaugural Galveston World Classic.

A major win like the US Open can impact players in different ways, but Immonen’s landmark win at the ‘08 Open has indeed launched him into a higher standard of competition.  With wins throughout the year at the Qatar Open, The All-Japan Open, The Mezz Classic, The Blackpool Open, and numerous regional tour wins, Immonen has continued to build his momentum, leading to a gritty win at Galveston.

However, Mika’s trip to Galveston didn’t start out so great.  Prior to the World Classic, Mika had been in Portugal for the Predator International 10-ball Tour, where he felt a bit under the weather, and went directly from Portugal to Texas.  He arrived in Galveston for the 8-ball Open event, but did not fare too well, falling to Francisco Bustamante in the first round, then to John Schmidt a few rounds later.

But, Mika Immonen’s main focus was on 10-ball.  Mika recently spoke with NYC Grind’s Jerry T about his experience at Galveston, and mentioned that an intrinsic part of his preparation for the 10-ball event was his physical training–working out and running at the beach.  Physical and mental sharpness are key for top performance in pool, and Mika is a prime example of this.

And the Galveston World Classic 10-ball field definitely required Mika to be in top form.  Top American players like Johnny Archer, Shane Van Boening, and Corey Deuel, along with the Filipino contingent including Efren Reyes, Alex Pagulayan, Warren Kiamco, and Dennis Orcollo are just a few of the names that graced the Galveston 10-ball field.

At the World Classic, Mika premiered his new Mezz MI-3 cue, which is the 3rd generation of the Mika Immonen cue line.  This beautiful cue features the national flag of Mika’s home country, Finland, in turquoise and mother of pearl inlays.  He also began using a Kamui Black soft tip for the first time at Galveston, and he is also sponsored by Kamui Tips.

On his journey to the 10-ball finals, one of Mika’s most testing wins was against Filipino Rodolfo Luat.  While Mika led the match 7-5, Rodolfo ran 3 consecutive racks and was about to win a fourth to lead 9-7, but missed the 10, hanging it in the pocket–leaving him tied 8-8 with Mika.  From there Mika broke and ran 2 racks to take the hill, and after Rodolfo missed a tough shot in the following rack, Mika claimed the match.

This kind of perseverance helped Mika push through the following round, where he faced former US Open Champion, Shane Van Boening.  Mika described this match-up extensively in his blog, icemanmika.blogspot.com, where he told that Shane had a commanding 8-4 on him, but he came back to tie 8-8, then battle to hill-hill, where he broke and ran a tough rack to win the match.

He then faced another young gun, 22-year old Mike Dechaine from Maine, in the match for the hot seat, where Mike jumped to win the first two games.  Although Mike went through the impressive Galveston field to land in the winner’s side finals, Mika’s seasoning in high-pressure matches proved to be no match for him, and the Iceman went on to win 11-3.

This guaranteed Mika a spot in the finals, where he would eventually face Filipino Warren Kiamco. Warren had a very long road to the finals after a first round loss to Dennie Strickland, defeating fellow Filipinos Dennis Orcollo, Ronnie Alcano, Rodolfo Luat, and a semifinal win against Efren Reyes on his path.

The finals were a true double elimination format, in which Mika would have a rematch with Warren Kiamco, as they previously faced off at the 2008 US Open in the semifinal match, in which Mika battled to a 11-9 win.  In the first match of the finals, Mika struggled… mentioning in his blog that he had a tough time getting a handle on the speed of the rails, and the cloth was very fast.

Mika would lose the first set 11-5, and move on to a second and final set in a race to 9. In this set Mika would have to go back to the drawing board and try to recover from the heavy loss.  He talked about this process in his blog, “It took a couple of tough runs and methodical work to start gaining my confidence back. Even then I felt like I was fighting the windmills. It was a total uphill battle the whole way. But I just stuck in there, thinking positive. I had to force myself to think positive.”

Warren and Mika would battle to a hill-hill tie-breaking game in which Mika broke but had no shot at the 1 ball, and was forced to play a rail-first kick, in attempt to play a safety.  Instead, the 1 ball landed in the corner pocket, but snookered on the 2 ball.  Mika played a kick safe, but hit it too thin and left Warren a tough shot in the side, with an angle to break open a cluster, but he missed the two entirely–leaving Mika the table to run out, along with the title of Galveston World Classic Champion.

However, the final out in the last game was not without nerves, even for the “Iceman.”  As Mika described in his blog, “Nothing seemed as easy, as the weight of the situation had me really nervous.  I had to take extra time for each shot just to make sure it was the best possible solution every time.”

Overcoming nervousness and maintaining overall mental control are some of most common challenges a competitor faces, and even though Mika Immonen is playing the game at it’s highest level today, he is still growing and developing his game while evolving through process.  One of Mika’s main areas of focus is mental training.  “I like reading stuff about mental training,” Mika said, “I’m trying to improve that department constantly, you can never learn too much.”

Although Mika is known for having a rather emotionless approach to the game, along with other top European players like Ralf Souquet, Thorsten Hohmann, and Niels Feijen, he acknowledges that sometimes you need to release a bit.  “I have a lot of love for the game, and I want to practice and play it with integrity.  But I am very competitive, so have moments when I am a little hot.”  But, Mika says ideally you don’t want to  be emotional when you are playing.  “There are times to let some steam out, but then you need to come down before the next shot.”

In his interview with Jerry T, Mika also discussed the importance of your mental perception of the pool table and with the game itself, with sort of a zen approach… you should not make the pool table your enemy.  “Find a way to connect with the balls and the table and be a unit… be friends with the table, otherwise you are not going to win.”

Many players undermine themselves in their frustration with missing, but Mika suggests an alternative to this: “Take the adrenaline and frustration and turn it into a new level of focus,” says Mika.  “Ideally, when you do things right and you have the right fundamentals–you approach the table in the right way.  You will be able to identify why you missed a shot, and what went wrong.”

Mika’s also shared other advice to aspiring players… “Try not to only rely on natural talent, but try to improve your approach.”  Reading is an important aspect of development for Mika, and he recommends books such as the timeless “Art of War, by Sun Tzu” and “The Inner Game of Tennis,” by W. Timothy Gallwey.

Physical training goes hand-in-hand with mental training, and that includes running.  “Running is very individual,” says Mika, “Like pool, you’re fighting your inner demons all the time.  Trying to hang in there.  It’s all about keeping the faith.  Keep winning for yourself.  That’s why running has given me a lot of strength.  When I get in good shape for running, it’s like I will automatically be mentally strong.”

Mika Immonen is also developing projects outside of his own game, including his instructional DVD series, Mastering Pool, which was released earlier this year.  The response on Mastering Pool has been very positive, and he has plans on releasing a Pro Edition, which will feature fresh material, as well as the most important highlights, along with new instruction models.  You can learn more by visiting www.mastering-pool.com.

Aside from instructing, Mika is also very involved with the cue company that he represents, Mezz Cues USA.  He mentioned that although the economy is tough for Mezz, just like any company, there is still progression and their product continues to get better with evolving technology, including dual-core butt construction.  Mika is also excited about their new break shaft, called the Deep Impact Pro.  This shaft has a united joint, and the cue has gotten great reception.

Although most of the time, Mika is steadily traveling for tournaments, since returning to NYC from Galveston, he’s finally taking a break to rest.  Before the US Open, Mika plans on resting, eating well, working out, and playing pool… plus spending time with his girlfriend Celine.

With Mika’s return to the US Open as the defending champion, the world will be watching to see how he fares this year.  He hasproven he has the ability to dominate… but does that increase his love for the game?  “It’s a fun habit to win tournaments,” says Mika.  “Winning is an addiction in a way.  You definitely get more hungry, but there’s also more pressure.  It’s hard to stay on the top–you have to be on board, yet balanced.”

But, what is most rewarding for Mika is knowing that he positively effects aspiring players.  “The best feedback is when a fan or player tells me ‘Your stroke is so beautiful that it inspired me to start playing’… Inspiring people to fall in love with the game for the first time, or all over again.”

If you have an appreciation for the game but don’t get a chance to play it as much as you would like… be sure to look out for Mika while at this year’s US Open.

The 34th Annual US Open 9 Ball Championships is the most prestigious pro tournament in the US, and Mika Immonen will be the player to beat in a field expected to top 250 players.

Be sure to tune into all the action which will be streamed live from October 18th through the 24th at www.accu-stats.com

Fore more information on the US Open 9 Ball Championships check out www.usopen9ballchampionships.com

Be sure to follow “The Iceman” Mika Immonen’s journey at his blog: www.icemanmika.blogspot.com