Pool Synergy Volume 2: Losing the Nerves and Finding the Zone

By NYC Grind Contributor, Alison M. Fischer

Welcome to the second edition of Pool Synergy… a collaboration of pool bloggers who come together every month to write on a common theme.  December’s topic was created by this month’s host, Samm Diep of PoolTipJar.com which addresses an important story in each writer’s pool career that taught them to be a better player.  Click Here to see all of the bloggers who contributed to this topic.

There are many hurdles and stepping stones that players encounter in their early years of competition, and one of mine came at the 2008 Wisconsin State BCA Championships.

As a fledgling pool player, the the fundamental mechanics of the game came relatively easy to me.  My shotmaking sharpened, and then position play fell into place after I put in a lot of hours on the tables in my college rec room.

My first taste of serious pool competition began in 2004, in the chilly north woods of Wisconsin and Minnesota.  Up until this point, my competitive experience consisted of leagues and local weekly tournaments, but in September 2004, I traveled to my first “real” tournament at the Northern Lights Casino in Walker, Minnesota to play 8-ball against other women from around the region.

In retrospect, my first tournament was relatively successful.  I won my first two matches, and then fell to a closely-matched opponent in my third match.  However, I did not have such warm and fuzzy feelings after my fourth match of that event.

In what would be my last match of the tournament, I faced a player significantly more experienced and knowledgeable than myself.  Her demeanor and game were both intimidating and virtually unwavering, and I cracked under the pressure.  The shots I normally would have made easily, could then not find their pockets… and yes, I berated myself for my perceived incompetence.

How do you reach the point in your game where you let go of the “pressure nerves” and play the game like you know you can play it?  During the past five years since my escapade at Northern Lights, I have experienced varying degrees of match nerves, sometimes accompanied by the frustration and anger of failing to meet my own expectations… usually in direct relation to my confidence level, or lack thereof.

Of course, all this nervous nonsense derives from the incessant fear of ego loss… the fear that I will not meet the standards of my peers, and therefore be valued less. I envied and dreamt of having the ability to effortlessly move around the table from shot to shot like the top players do… at times, it seemed like an unreachable goal.

However, in 2008 I met my coach, mentor, friend, and NYC Grind founder, Jerry T.  After watching me shoot for the first time, he told me, “You’re doing a lot of things right, but there’s no style in your play.  You have to go to the table with a swagger, like you own the table…no fear.”

I thought about this for a minute and realized that I had been playing with such fear of being judged that although I did play well, I had no presence at the table.  I could not be a good player without believing that I was a good player.

I needed to break through to the proverbial “zone”–knowing what to do and not second-guessing or overthinking.  In Bob Fancher’s “Pleasures of Small Motions” he discusses how in order to play pool at your best, you need let your unconsious mind do the bulk of the work while you’re at the table.  This was my task at hand.

Well, the time came for the 2008 State BCA 8-ball Championships, and although I had missed the cutoff to be moved from the “B” division to the “A” by one place–finishing 3rd–I opted to enter into the “A” instead… and lost my first match. 

But, all was not lost.  I started off the following day fresh and ready to compete.  I won from behind, and I won ahead.  I maintained my confidence and stayed focused on the task at hand.  In my final match of the night, beginning at 11pm, I faced an opponent I knew was tough, but did not let myself believe she was above me.  Tied at 2-2 in a race to 5, I pulled away and didn’t look back. 

With the score 3-2, my opponent missed her second shot and left me a wide open table.  Although I was nervous, managed I shut off my thoughts and just ran out.  I flew through the solid balls on the table, simply connecting the dots.  This was an ability usually relegated only to practice!   In a matter of seconds, I had cleared my balls, and looked at the table, astonished.  I had accomplished what I thought was impossible.  I played confidently, and let my unconsious knowledge do the work!

I continued on to the final day, winning two more matches before I faced the same player that had defeated me in the first round.  Although I did not win, I played with more heart and put up a tough fight, before losing hill-hill… to finish 5th place after that first-round loss.  I exited the tournament feeling happy and accomplished, not defeated and discouraged.

I had gone from being a self-critical player afraid of her own shadow, to one with the confidence to play at her ability and lose with grace.  Now I if I could just find time to practice…

 

 …Be sure to check out more stories of pool lessons at Pool Synergy, click here.