Just paid my entry fee for a City Tournament: Islamabad Cup- How to go about it

[Sidd]

Hello again guys!

After much reluctance I was swayed by my snooker mates in the club to enter in to Islamabad Cup. They think I have a chance... I personally don't think so honestly but then really wanted to play in a tournament after a long time so I just paid my entry fee.

The format is very interesting and exciting. There are 4 big clubs of Islamabad including mine who would hold 1st round internal matches and the top 8 will be selected from therein. So there will be 64 players from the city who will play 2nd round and inter-club matches and then there will be the last 32. They will play in the best club in the city which is in blue area Islamabad. From that point will come the top 16 and they will be taken to Islamabad Sports Complex for the quarter/semi and finals. The complex is a house to a nice arena with relay and starchan tables of international standard where Pakistan (country) level competitions are held with spectators and all that...!!!

The downside is that it a total knock-out tournament and in order to keep going you have to keep winning... Loose one match and you are out. First and 2nd round matches are best of three only.

NOW: my first round opening match is against my real-time nemesis at my club. in our total encounters he has won 7 times and I merely 4. So you can see the pressure. I know I can easily beat him with 1. not missing once in the balls and giving him easy chances and 2. safety play (his safety is not that good)... but anyway I am determined and overly excited...!!! My first opening match is within a week or so.

How to prepare for a tournament and what could be the things to concentrate on? I was even thinking of early morning brisk walk every day to get all systems running fine but well any tips and advice is welcome and expected. I am playing a tournament after a long time now. All the previous ones I played were years ago. Many thoughts crossing my head...

Calling on terry, Vmax, Throtts, Pottr, CoachGavin, Nrage, Aceman and all other friends out there....!!!

[ace man]

So you're finally going to a tournament. Glad for you. It would be a shame to miss those as you seem to play quite a lot.

I have a few ideas:
- don't party all night right before your first match
- don't use alcohol or pot trying to calm yourself down (I suppose you and I won't, but plenty of players in my country do that... )
- prefer plain water or ice tea maybe during the match...no Red Bull, Coca Cola, Fanta or large amounts of coffee
- you might want to clean your cue - you don't want it sticky during the match
- if the tournament has a full dress code, like waist coats or bow ties, then expect to feel a little uncomfortable...because that's not what we usually play in...even if the dress code is only minor like nice shoes, appropriate trousers and single coloured shirts...it will still feel different...expect that
- don't think about break numbers, you're not there to post a record
- expect a few mistakes, especially at the beginning
- play a lot of safeties, perhaps more than you normally would
- best of 3 can be a lottery sometimes, expect close frames finishing on last 3 or 4 balls, many black ball games too
- don't stress out too much over results, enjoy it, after all, win or lose you're playing the game you love
- don't analyse your mistakes during the match, leave that for after the match
- this tournament is just one of many, take it also as practice for further competition

Others will think of more, but hopefully there is something useful for you in there. I just wish I could follow my own advice...seems like I never do.

[DeanH]

great advice there ace man, I also have seen the following:
- have everything ready the previous day, clothes/shoes, cue, small drink bottles, a light snack (some venues are notoriously expensive when inside), small change...
- get to the venue early (but not too early - like sitting in the car park and being the only one there when the security guy wakes up and opens the gate )
- have fun

all the best Sidd

[pottr]

Dress comfortable, clean your cue the night before and arrive in plenty of time.

If you know what time you will be playing your match try and have a practice a day or two before at the same hour.

Avoid the temptation to practice at the venue before and during the tournament. If you absolutely must, just five to ten minutes max. That will be enough to get your arm going. All of your practice is already in the bank.

Keep calm, don't let your mistakes bother you and think your shots through.

I'm sure you'll do fine, I look forward to reading about it.

[Terry Davidson]

Sidd:

Good luck. Remember in match play safety becomes much more important and before you take on a pot, while standing up behind it think to yourself 'what percentage do I make this shot in practice (practice counts playing against another player in your own club) and if it's 70% or lower then look for a safety shot and do not take on that pot.

This percentage goes down when on strange tables, bring it back to 60%.

Remember, you're there to win. It might be ugly if you're using more safety play but a win is a win!

Terry

[Bazil]

I'm not much of a snooker player - but I've played competitive sports to a decent level my whole life. There's NOTHING like a real competition. Can imagine how excited you are!

Just don't forget - this isn't your job, you're not a professional! You'll still eat and you'll still pay the mortgage whatever happens.

So there is no reason to feel pressure, but there is every reason to enjoy it! Very best of luck!!

[Sidd]

Thanks for the responses guys. I shall keep that in mind.

Terry: You are so right coach. I have played club tournaments in the past and best I have gone to is quarter-finals (I wasnt much of a very decent player then) and i still remember I used to loose for two main reasons and I know that 1. Pressure (I got under pressure and then everything went against me) and 2. taking half chances and those tempters and giving away easy chances. I shall try my level best not to be tempted and take it easy and rely more on safety and good safety putting my opponent under pressure for sure.

Bazil: Thanks for that man. I am like this I just take it too seriously when it comes to snooker but am not a pro and even the prize money for this tourni is not equal to the price of a good English cue I shall try to remain relax and enjoy; no matter what.

Aceman and DeanH: Excellent advice; shall follow that.

Pottr: I wont practice during the tournament. The opening round is a best of three anyway. I normally dont cuz if in practice something goes wrong it sticks with you. If I win my next match would be within 3-5 days so i can practice a lot in the free days.

OK now the match is tonight! Its at 6pm.. Here is what I have in mind. some of the things might seem funny, as under, but I am an OCPD and this maybe a little amateur tournament but for me well this is MY CRUCIBLE so:

1. I shall reach the club by 5pm so i can relax and settle down with ease.
2. I shall wear my dress pants and shirt with a sleeveless sweater. (there isnt any dress code; last night i saw them playing in jeans and trek suits with trainers etc) but for me i have to wear formal dress with dress shoes. Call it my OCPD thing but I just cant and wont go to my crucible resembling some hooligan I shall put on my favourite expensive perfume. So with this I will feel great.
3. Cold water is available there so i can buy my bottle easily. No fizzy drinks and shall eat less in lunch etc...
4. I shall take both my cue towel and my sweat towel. Under pressure I tend to get sweat drops on my temples and forehead often so would need that.
5. What else ummm yeah my chalk has that deep star that I always get so i shall take a new one (my cousin sent me some triangles from UK) so that will be good.
6. During the match when it isnt my turn I shall try to remain focused on the match and nothing else...Lets see now

Whatever happens; I shall post details tomorrow...!!!

[Sidd]

OK so I went for the match and lost miserably from a much easier opponent. My match with the other player got mixed up and I was asked to play this junior player. I was glad that my opening match has become comparatively easy now. Won the first frame like a breeze lost the second but was comfortable then in the final something happened... my cueing went away I got under pressure (even though I knew my oponent is not good) but something got me... Can you believe the max he potted in a break agains tme was like 15 or 17 cuz he could not make more than two colours.... !

What happened... hmmmm ... one or all of the following:

1. I had lost a quarter final once back in 99 to an easy opponent and that got on to me so much that I never played another tournament till this one. During my final frame I had flashbacks of that 99 tournament and thought perhaps this is the repeat of that... and the same happened.. I think this pressurised me.

2. I had started gripping too tight perhaps but I only realised so after the match ended in my defeat and I had to think on what happened... I can easily see that yes I was gripping tight unintentionally.

So I wont linger and say this was wrong or that happened ... no excuses.. I played the match on the table on which i play 4 hours a day 5 days a week since the last 6 months... simple truth is I lost in the opening match against a very easy and low standard player... This tells me where I really stand and who I, as a snooker player, really am.

What to do now... where to go from this point onward. Never thought I was that bad...!!!

[mythman69]

What to do now... where to go from this point onward. Never thought I was that bad...!!!

Just keep playing and enter some more comps (the more the better). Everyone has bad comp games. Just try to do better next comp.

: )

[ace man]

Sidd, you can't possibly know where you stand after only one single event! You say that you played your last tournament in 1999? Well, if that's the case then you might as well say that you've never played tournaments. Only after a season or two, say after 10, 20 or even more events you might get an idea of how strong is your competitive matchplay, your opponents...etc. Come on, you scored 50+ breaks before. Not many players can do that, even in casual frames. Best of 3 is nothing. In a longer match, you'd crush that poor kid I'm sure.

What to do now? Well, that's easy. Have another practice session to "wash off" poor tournament performance. You'll forget this poor play quickly. With any luck you might clear your mind after an hour or so. Then apply for next event when it comes. Don't give up on those as it is evident that you're much better than most guys who play there...I don't even need to see you play. You seem to play quite a lot. Whatever technical faults you think you may have, your opponents who don't put as much time at the table as you do surely have twice as many if not more.

There's no snooker player in a world who hasn't lost to a player below his ability...many times. I play in a lot of competitions (snooker and US pool, local level, national...etc), but sometimes I still lose to clowns. There are also times when I beat the very best players in country comfortably. Lots of ups and downs...incredible oscillations...etc. Currently working on reducing those...

[vmax4steve]

OK Sidd so it was a first round match in a tournament, your first for 14 years, easy opponent you say but you lost a best of three after winning the first, starting thinking about previous defeats you say, tightening the grip on the cue.

Bet your arse you weren't thinking at all during the first frame, second frame you started thinking about winning the match and third frame you started thinking about losing the match.

Raymond Van Barneveld, world champion darts player says,

" Your mind must be empty."

Think about that before you play again and then don't think at all when you do.

[Terry Davidson]

Sidd:

Obviously you need to re-think your mental attitude as vmax correctly states above. In addition get this through your head...you are playing against the TABLE and NOT your opponent. You must treat every opponent with respect but you seem to refer too much to your opponent's ability (or lack thereof).

The other thing you need is to believe in your technique. As I've told you many times before, you are changing and adjusting your technique much too frequently and besides which you tell me you almost never get any solo practice. You just CANNOT work on your technique when you are playing someone even if there's no pressure as you will always attempt to win the frame anyway.

Pick an overall technique and then STICK WITH IT and do not change it. Find a facility somewhere which has free tables during the time of day you want to practice (it doesn't matter how ugly the tables are) and GET SOME SOLO PRACTICE and cement in your chosen technique and DO NOT CHANGE IT. Your brain needs time to adjust to your technique and you are just not giving it a chance to make the necessary adjustments. As you are not professional standard there will still be some glitches in your technique and your brain definitely needs time to make the necessary coordination adjustments.

The absolute best way and probably the only way to do this correctly is to get some solo practice and remember to stay down on the shot and watch the object ball with your eyes ONLY, without moving the body until well after the ball has hit the pocket or cushion. This is how your brain will get the feedback loop it requires to learn.

It also sounds to me like you are playing in a social environment with probably the same opponents every day on the same table every day. If you want to play better in tournaments you also need to get out and about more, get that solo practice and also play different opponents on different tables, including really bad tables with chipped and light balls

Terry

[Sidd]

Sidd, you can't possibly know where you stand after only one single event! You say that you played your last tournament in 1999? Well, if that's the case then you might as well say that you've never played tournaments. Only after a season or two, say after 10, 20 or even more events you might get an idea of how strong is your competitive matchplay, your opponents...etc. Come on, you scored 50+ breaks before. Not many players can do that, even in casual frames. Best of 3 is nothing. In a longer match, you'd crush that poor kid I'm sure.

What to do now? Well, that's easy. Have another practice session to "wash off" poor tournament performance. You'll forget this poor play quickly. With any luck you might clear your mind after an hour or so. Then apply for next event when it comes. Don't give up on those as it is evident that you're much better than most guys who play there...I don't even need to see you play. You seem to play quite a lot. Whatever technical faults you think you may have, your opponents who don't put as much time at the table as you do surely have twice as many if not more.

There's no snooker player in a world who hasn't lost to a player below his ability...many times. I play in a lot of competitions (snooker and US pool, local level, national...etc), but sometimes I still lose to clowns. There are also times when I beat the very best players in country comfortably. Lots of ups and downs...incredible oscillations...etc. Currently working on reducing those...

Thanks for the much needed support. Really needed that badly. You must know how it feels to consider breaking the cue and saying no to snooker for life but then the love of the game makes you decide otherwise Yes if it were a longer match things might have been different. Yes you are right not playing a tournament for years and then only playing it sudenly cannot make you a good match player all of a sudden.

i went in and played some frames yesterday and lost them all really cuz my mind was completely engulfed in that tournament match loss.. I felt completely shattered and was missing everything. but today i will go in a much focused and disciplined form and do my best in a relax manner. Try to concentrate on the job in hand and not to ponder over useless things.

thanks for all your words again, really means a lot mate!

[Sidd]

OK Sidd so it was a first round match in a tournament, your first for 14 years, easy opponent you say but you lost a best of three after winning the first, starting thinking about previous defeats you say, tightening the grip on the cue.

Bet your arse you weren't thinking at all during the first frame, second frame you started thinking about winning the match and third frame you started thinking about losing the match.

Raymond Van Barneveld, world champion darts player says,

" Your mind must be empty."

Think about that before you play again and then don't think at all when you do.

Very well put indeed Vmax. Yes in the first frame after a couple of shots i knew he was not a good player and I could easily taken him on. The result was that on green my score lead was like 38 he needed snookers even made one I escaped and then took the green and brown to take the frame. Durign the second I was thinking absolutely on winning and ending the match. Wanted to take on the second frame by all means so that i can defeat him i.e. wash out by 2-0 then in the third during mid-frame I had sweat on my forehead and was thinking that if I loose this it will be a big blow and I wont be able to face my mates... And it did happen just like that.

i shall try to have nothing in my mind next time for sure.. easier said than done but I shall have to figure out a way.

MY damn OCPD is playing tricks on me again hahaha I knew i was tightening the grip and could not play well so after that match i have been trying to play with a loose grip and seem to have lost my timing all together...!

I shall try not to have those thoughts in mind but go and play in a relax manner. LEts see!!!

[Sidd]

Sidd:

Obviously you need to re-think your mental attitude as vmax correctly states above. In addition get this through your head...you are playing against the TABLE and NOT your opponent. You must treat every opponent with respect but you seem to refer too much to your opponent's ability (or lack thereof).

The other thing you need is to believe in your technique. As I've told you many times before, you are changing and adjusting your technique much too frequently and besides which you tell me you almost never get any solo practice. You just CANNOT work on your technique when you are playing someone even if there's no pressure as you will always attempt to win the frame anyway.

Pick an overall technique and then STICK WITH IT and do not change it. Find a facility somewhere which has free tables during the time of day you want to practice (it doesn't matter how ugly the tables are) and GET SOME SOLO PRACTICE and cement in your chosen technique and DO NOT CHANGE IT. Your brain needs time to adjust to your technique and you are just not giving it a chance to make the necessary adjustments. As you are not professional standard there will still be some glitches in your technique and your brain definitely needs time to make the necessary coordination adjustments.

The absolute best way and probably the only way to do this correctly is to get some solo practice and remember to stay down on the shot and watch the object ball with your eyes ONLY, without moving the body until well after the ball has hit the pocket or cushion. This is how your brain will get the feedback loop it requires to learn.

It also sounds to me like you are playing in a social environment with probably the same opponents every day on the same table every day. If you want to play better in tournaments you also need to get out and about more, get that solo practice and also play different opponents on different tables, including really bad tables with chipped and light balls

Terry

Dear Coach,

You are spot on as always. Yes I do get sort of carried away by the opponent's gameplay level. I will surely ensure to play the table and not the oponent from this point onwards. When I play a better player I have the fear of loosing in m mind oh this is a good player oh what am i goona do now how to put him in pressure how to this and that and when i play a lesser player i have these thoughts like oh he is an easy oponent so what if he leeds by 21 i can take him etc etc ... end result I Loose From BOTH...! I must and from this point onwards shall always play the TABLE...!

As for technique, you are correct there coach I have become a prisoner of this technique thoughts ... I cant get rid of them no matter how hard I try. I want to but cannot.. Whenever things arent going my way I unintensionally blame it on one of the technique aspects and then try to correct that adjust that but well sometimes things improve sometimes things dont.

Can I be frank here. 2 of my 3 big breaks i.e. 50 odds were the ones I made before joining this forum. I literally knew nothing about technique and just played with my passion. Had no idea about aiming sighting grip elbow drop stance pauses backwing lengths delivery etc etc etc... I always went in for smashing time and played ok and over time improved myself and developed my 54 and 57 breaks like that. I would play good and bad both but kept trying... I was such a carefree soul having no throughts in mind but potting and positioning.

In those days, I had just learnt one thing really. I watched a documentary on video tape back in 90's and heard Steve saying that while practicing his dad used to have a cue on his head and whenever he lifted his head his dad would slightly hit him with the cue. So I learnt to remain still on the shot and since the start follow Steve's words and never lift my head or get up untill either the OB has gone to the pocket or the CB has come to rest... My mates sometimes joke on this and say get up Sidd your photograph has been taken LOL Screws were a nightmare for people and for me screw shots were a favourite and i could execute deep screws to perfection without technique knowledge.

So I would play well on days and on other days i was zero and i still remember my first post on this forum was about consistency. I came here to learn how to be consistent and then the more i got involved the more I got surprised that there is so much of things that i need to learn. So I took em all one by one and today honestly speaking if you ask me to write a thesis on snooker I can write it for 500 pages but if you ask me to play the game I would be a kid in kindergarten.

But I have a resolve and no matter what happens ... I will follow that target and try my best to achieve it... the resolution is "I am not going to my death bed before a 100 break- no matter what happens"