Billiards Speak

This isn’t a joke. The zone or whatever you want to call it is real. You can’t force it to happen. You can’t will yourself into ‘the zone’. It isn’t exactly concentration. It is more focus. There are short periods when everything just fits together. You know you are going to make shots. You know you are going to win. With practice and play you can begin to see glimpses of what the zone is like. Maybe you already have.

Anyway, I think the best move when you get near the end of the rack is to simplify your position play. Go for a wider safe zone and rely more on your ball making skill and less on position. That is especially true when balls are clustered together. Trying to get tight shape and missing it is a letdown. That is not what you want to have happen when you are so close to a victory. Any makable shot on the 9 ball is better than no shot on the 9 ball. And if it is your turn you always have the option of shooting a saftey and making the other player decide to take a risk. If you decide to shoot the shot take a moment compose yourself. If doubts creep in, back off, chalk your tip, walk around the table, take a drink, whatever but don’t ‘pull the trigger’ until you are sure you will make the shot.

From ‘Finishing the Rack’… continued 

3) You get through the rack and then, at the moment of victory, you miss the ‘money’ ball. Oh, yeah we’ve all been there. It is a sick feeling. All those fine shots count for nothing if you miss the money ball.
If you haven’t seen it rent the movie “The legend of Bagger Vance”. If you’ve seen it, watch it again. Watch at least the last 45 minutes or so. The two critical shots are the one in the woods and the last putt. For those 2 shots Junuh is ‘in the zone’. Bagger calls it ‘the field’. The reality of ‘the zone’ isn’t quite like the Hollywood version but it is close. Everything else kind of fades away and it is just the cue ball, the object ball and the pocket. You aren’t really there. Time seems to slow down. You are just watching the ball go in the pocket. There isn’t any doubt it will go in because it has already happened.

From ‘Finishing the Rack’… continued 

(1) You miss an easy shot before you get the winning shot. Often the shot was so easy you can’t believe it didn’t go in. The reason you miss is your mind isn’t on the shot you are shooting right then. It is on position or the next shot. You are not ‘in the moment’ you are asleep at the wheel. Pool is (usually) played one ball at a time. When you play to win, you focus on each shot as if it was your last. If you don’t, chances are good; it probably will be your last shot in that rack.

(2) By trying to get perfect ’shape’ under pressure either tight muscles or adrenalin causes just the opposite. The cue ball gets out of position requiring even tougher ‘shape’ for the next shot. The trick is to realistically evaluate your chances of getting a tight position play. If your chance of success is 50% or less under casual situations, it is nearly impossible to make this shot under pressure. It is unfortunate we actually pull off some of those shots under pressure. Remembering that one impossible shot we made, keeps us from remembering the three-dozen impossible shots we missed. That one great shot does make a good ‘war story’. The problem is, trying to duplicate it, under pressure, probably cost you enough to have bought a really nice cue.

From ‘Finishing the Rack’… continued

Does it seem like you can run quite a few balls but just seem to have difficulty making those last few? Or you can run out to the 8 ball or 9 ball only to miss a fairly easy shot on the game-winning ball. If so you certainly aren’t alone.

I find, most often, when people have a problem finishing the last few balls in a rack it is because of the mounting pressure and anticipation of winning. Or, it is anxiety over not wanting to miss with so little to go to win. Sometimes it is just a lack of confidence or the memory of “blowing it” in a similar situation. Either way the result is usually the same.

From ‘Finishing the Rack’… continued