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Jan 16, 2005 :: The Monk's Monday Lesson #5
Win and deal with it
Take care of the first things, first. Win the match and then deal with what ever comes next. Make this attitude a habit. Win and deal with it.
One time my opponent leaned over the table and a gun fell out of his coat pocket. I won the game. Win and deal with it.
When we are about to perform an action that includes consequences, our brain begins to debate the value of that consequence. We must turn that part of our brain off. There is no room for debate. Winning is non debatable. We win first; then deal with the consequences.
Every time you win, you experience the following: You are in the spot light. More attention will be upon you when you stand in the winners’ circle. Others get mad at you. You will experience increased expectations. You will be expected to repeat that performance. You face confrontation. You will be disliked. It is lonely at the top. People are jealous of you. The reality is that winning brings forth some negative experience.
Some players who understand the conditions of winning actually refuse to win when faced with the victory. It is called choking. I don’t like the term choking. I prefer to call it, “refusing to win.”
No matter what you call it, win and deal with it. Just win the game. When you win the game, you must win the match. Winning is action. Take action. Win the game. From now on, you would rather win by nine than to win by eight. Winning is your only value.
What does a Karate Master have in common with a Khampa warrior? How does a pocket billiards master figure into this? They both seek to build strength and endurance, to polish technical skills, to conquer aching muscles and to overcome fear of failure and serious injury. Read my article “Master meets Master” and follow Pamela as she searches for a Khampa warrior to meet.
Monk's Next Workshop in Florida
The Monk and his staff will be at Trick Shots in Orlando Florida on Sat. Feb 19 beginning at nine in the morning. A free follow up day is scheduled for Feb. 20th beginning at nine in the morning. Two days with The Monk. Your cost is just three hundred dollars. There will be four master teachers on hand to give you the personal attention you deserve. Don't miss out on this one time visit by The Monk. Call for more info. 1-603-566-6229
After this match
(A side note from Samm’s Side Pocket)
The other night, while I was racking the balls during a league match, my opponent says to me, “You could at least smile.” I could?!?!? Really??? Since when did playing a match against someone entitle them to a smile from me? Regardless of whether it was for money, for league, or for the U.S. Open, I do not “at least” need to smile at anyone. So, I politely responded, “We can be friends after this match.”
Don’t get me wrong. I am always respectful, cordial, and gracious towards my opponents. However, I do not feel it is necessary to be friends or friendly during a match. Anyone, friend of foe, that has recently played a match against me knows that once the coin is flipped or the balls are lagged, I am no longer your friend. In fact, I am ready to destroy you.
This was another difficult transition for me, as I have always been the social butterfly who mingles with everyone between matches and chats with my opponent about the latest news. It was not until recently that I realized I could still be everyone’s friend, only after my match(es). My peers will not respect me any less for not socializing with them during our match.
So now, I make my rounds before and/or after the tournament and stay fairly incognito. Then, during my match, I will sit away from my opponent. The farther away I am, the less likely I am to end up in a conversation with them. Forget who you’re playing. It doesn’t matter. Once the last ball drops, you can ask them what kind of cue they’re shooting with or where they got those shoes. During the match, I don’t even like to make eye contact with my opponent unless it’s necessary.
In his prime, The Monk has been quoted saying, “I love you before this game and I will love you after this game.” What’s wrong with that? You can not win by allowing your emotions or relationship with your opponent effect your performance during that match. Just finish them! The friendship will still be there afterwards.
The Monk's Tip of the Week
Many players will battle back from a deficit only to lose in the end. When you are trailing by a huge number, your only thought is to get back in this match. You put all your focus on that difficult task. When you finally catch your opponent and tie the score, a part of you thinks you have succeeded. After all, that was your goal. So you lose your intensity the moment you reach this plateau. You let up for a brief second and you end up losing. Then you tell your friends, “I battled back from being down but I lost hill-hill in the end.”
You did not “come to win” on every shot. You came to tie it up. “I Came to Win” is the mind-set that will put you over the top. An “I Came to Win” player is never tied up at hill-hill. She sees each shot as a challenge in itself and continues the same level of play until there are no shots left on the table.
Sometimes we agonize about breaking open a cluster of balls and focus all our ability on that task. When we open the cluster and get our clear chance for the run out, we blow it. Stay in the present. Place no value on any shot. All shots are the same. All shots have the same value. There are no hard shots. There are no easy shots. There is only this shot. See the shot, know the stroke and then shoot the shot.
You know you’re a D Player when…
A special “Thanks” goes out this week to Jojo from the Phillipines for your contribution.
18. Your instinct is to play a combination or carom to pocket the 9 ball; regardless of the difficulty of the shot.
19. You announce that you will gamble with anyone in the bar for any amount of money, but immediately demand a spot from the first person that takes you up on it.
20. You jingle the change in your pocket as your opponent is shooting (usually on the last ball).
21. You point to the table where you meant for the cue ball to be after every single shot.
This second lesson calls for a tighter line into and out of the corner to achieve the desired position. We want to pocket the 9 ball in the side pocket. Naturally you will be using a nice crisp punch stroke so you control the cue ball into and out of the corner. It is in the stroke. You are the master and have complete control of the track line.
Master this series of shots as it will enable you to handle a host of problems in future games.
