The Mental Game

The following is an excerpt from my book, Building the Perfect Game. This selection is taken from Chapter Two, entitled Positive Strokes. It has been modified into article form.

There was once in your life when your ability to concentrate was supreme. It was long before you learned how to think or understand what words were. It was when you were a helpless baby. Your brain was empty and like a sponge. You were able to focus completely on what was at hand without any distracting thoughts. As you grew older, learned how to talk and then to think you gradually became aware of that inner voice that that is constantly with you today. It is that inner voice that you can’t shut up no matter how hard you try that interferes with your ability to complete running the rack or winning a match. It is ever present telling you that the shot is too hard, that you are going to miss, that the other guy has all the luck and on and on and on. One of the worst times for me is when I am close to winning a match against a really good player, that little voice kicks in telling me how good I am. It’s telling me how everyone is going to think what a great player I am when I win. The next thing I know I’ve got my head stuck so far up there I’m screwing up about everything I try.

What is "Dead Stroke"?

Dead Stroke is characterized by several different occurrences within your mind and your surroundings. You feel as though you can beat anyone. You feel as though you are capable of doing anything at the table, engrossed in your task and oblivious to your surroundings. The cue IS an extension of your arm and you perform flawlessly as you maintain complete control over your emotions and your actions. Throughout your performance, you maintain high self-confidence, strong focus on the task at hand, a fearless attitude, and self composure. Quite simply, your mind and body are working in complete harmony to create the phenomenon of "Dead Stroke".

My wish is that you come to terms with this great game. We are just players in a vast arena. We are part of it all and for many of us, we hold our heads up high. For we are the champions of the game. The measure of a great player is in how he handles the ups and downs of pocket billiards. How you handle the tough loss is just as important as how you handle the incredible victories. For to swagger over a win, or cry over a loss, is to lose either way. We must be the champions we strive to be. And weather we stand in the winners circle surrounded by fans, or weep in the losers corner we know in our hearts that "this to will change." We are but pilgrims on a never ending journey. It is great to be in the game.

Excerpt from “The Growling Point”

Goal Setting

It’s one thing to want to be the best, and it is something completely different when you sit down and write out a pattern of attack and figure out how you are going to get there. Developing skills for competition and killer instinct is important, but without a map on how we plan to get where we want to go, our attempts can be futile. You can have all of the killer instinct available in the universe, but if you do not have an effective game plan, you’ll be off in the wind like a bullet without a target. If we turn that around, we can have an awesome plan of attack, but if we do not possess the ability or mindset to drive the stake through the heart of our competition, we can be perceived as passive.

What happens when a Match Player competes with a Gambler? Nothing. A Match Player will not compete with a Gambler. There is a distinct difference between the two players. The Match Player is seeking the ultimate game, while the Gambler seeks to destroy. The sweetest words a gambler will hear is "I am broke" while the words that sing the melody of this great game to the Match Player are, "nice game".