Spring session
Rack ‘em up
League is on holiday. The Spring session of the Fort Bragg Pool League for 2023 may become very tough to find or even keep a regular playing position with a team. Hopefully, you and others have figured out how to increase the playing time for subs regular and long-time players. Substitute players may not get table time because the competition is so fierce no team can afford to lose. The Tip Top Lounge Team # 1 was an exceptional team this past season, and at 3 games ahead of their closest rival, they skated into first place.
During Fall League 2022, those same team players lost 47 individual games, but as a team, they were undefeated. Milano Hotel and Bar Team #1 is in second place, with team players losing 71 games and 3 team losses. Welcome Inn Team #1 came in third place with their team players losing a total of 84 games and having 6 team losses. Golden West Saloon Team #1 came in fourth place, with team players losing 93 games and 7 team losses. Angelina’s Grill and Bar Team #1 and #2 and Tip Top Lounge #2 tied for fifth place, all with 9 team losses. Angelina’s #1 lost 101 games, while Angelina’s #2 lost 90 games. Tip Top Lounge Team #2 lost 110 games. Welcome Inn Team #2 lost 142 games. Golden West #2 lost 150 games, both with 15 team losses. Milano #2 lost 153 games and 17 team losses.
The top 5 players in the league were just 3 games apart at the end. Jubilee was leading the league, with John Borba and Victor Munoz tied at one game back when time ran out. Randy Gibson was just one game behind them, and Roy Yanez was a game behind Randy. When you are part of a group leading in the competition, you will probably not want to give up even one of your games to a substitute player. The competition can become intense when it is that close and could go either way for first place. You know, teeth grinding, silent swearing kind of intense? If you have time, watch a pool player who is trying very hard to win, and intense concentration may show on their face if they have a lot on the line. When playing someone you loathe losing too, the game suddenly has a lot on the line. The outcome is important, so don’t let it show.
Ian Rubesch used to remind players that under pressure, fundamentals are the first things that go bye-bye. So, when the going gets tough, remember to concentrate on using the fundamentals of pool playing to win the game. You might have seen Hugh Foster and his near-perfect fundamentals when he was playing pool. In his personal life, he had time for meditation. He spent years learning to have an influence on his inner thoughts. Hugh didn’t lose his fundamentals under pressure because he learned how through constant practice. When Hugh played in pool games, his concentration was on the “how to” of pool playing and other rules of how to win, which he also had a mastery of. Tuning out noise and distractions while concentrating on something that requires precision isn’t easy but improves with regular efforts of patience and practice to be familiar with how it feels physically with good fundamentals. You practice often to learn how it feels because it needs to become your normal physical feeling for every game. When you do it often enough under low-stress conditions, you will be more comfortable in competition at keeping your fundamentals front and center.
Video is the best way to improve stance and stroke. It will shock you with proof of how we pop up to look after our shot or swing the magic stick around trying to control things beyond our control.
Cue sticks are not magic wands, and we all know that, honestly. Except if you watch players, you would observe plenty of
cue sticks waving about, hoping for magic. In fact, it gets even better when they are verbally pleading, While leaning toward or walking and/ or trotting in the direction of, or just the whole body pointing and shaking in a particular way to influence a distant billiard ball that is rolling some 3 feet beyond reach.
Cue Tip: Practice alone to fine-tune your grip and stroke, and learn to stay down after the shot. Practicing where you hit the cue ball can be another best-by-yourself practice. Contact me at mcbohanon@gmail.com.