Pool at Ten Thousand Feet - Part Two

While the thin air seems to have no noticeable effect
on the physics of pool (the interaction of the balls),
there is a definite effect on the shooter.
Sleep is interrupted with frequent waking,
due to shortness of breath,
endurance is significantly reduced,
the effects of alcohol come more quickly,
the dry air causes minor nosebleeds and headaches,
and more water intake is needed
to keep vision, thinking and reflexes sharp.

In all, these conditions are not conducive to good pool.
I wouldn't want to play a tournament at this elevation,
but it would be interesting to see everyone else deal with it!

The photo above shows the log cabin's pool table.
There is no TV, so there's plenty of time to read
a few pool books I brought along:

The Pro Book by Bob Henning
The Advanced Pro Book by Bob Henning
The Great Break Shot by Charley Bond

Pool at Ten Thousand Feet

In a recent physics experiment,
I traveled to a remote cabin in the Rocky Mountains,
at the 10,000 foot level,
to determine if the thin air would have any effect
on shooting pool.

It doesn't.

However, it is more difficult to breathe!
Especially when hiking.
We saw lots of bear, elk, bobcat and deer tracks,
and fresh droppings from all these animals,
but never saw the real thing.

Lots of things to do, other than shooting pool:
Fly fishing (didn't catch anything),
vertical hiking (up to 11,000' level),
pistol shooting (40 cal.),
ATV adventures (way radical),
and teaching pool to my host on his new table.

Mostly, it was pool...

The Sorto String

Today's lesson consisted of a humbling 7-3 loss
in Masters' format (8 and 9 ball),
and a 100-57 loss in straight pool,
at the hands of El Maestro.
He seemed pleased with the new table.

For the ultimate in humility,
he challenged me again to practice
an exercise I call the "Sorto String".

Place the 1 ball on the cushion at the center of the foot rail,
and the other balls numbered 2-9 in sequence,
somewhat evenly spaced,
in a line extending through and past the foot spot.
Cue ball in hand on the first shot.
Now shoot all the balls into the same corner pocket.
On each shot the cue ball must touch the foot rail.
It is a foul to contact any other rail, or any other ball.

It took me a lot of shots just to get the right hit on the 1 ball.
And I can get to the 6 or 7 with some focus,
but I have yet to pocket all nine balls,
even after trying it at least 100 times.

The key to success with this exercise is precision position,
making minute adjustments to stroke and english as needed.

It seems easy for Tony,
but I have never seen anyone else do it.
He did it on his second try today.

------------------------------------

I finally achieved this exercise, and got it on video.
Click here for the video on youTube.com

The Sudden Emergence of An Over-Abundance of Players

El Maestro calls with news that
two friends want to join him during
his normal Saturday lesson with me.
They want to check out the new table.

Several emails arrive with offers to shoot pool
(on my new table of course).

Overload!!!

I suddenly realize that my priority
is to prepare for some upcoming tournaments.
That's one of the big reasons for
upgrading to the competition table.
I need to stay focused now more than ever.
All my non-practice time needs to be serious
challenge matches with superior players.

This will delay casual visits to "shoot some racks"
until after the first week of November.

Therefore, please accept this apology
for the delay in sharing this great new toy.
I hope you all will understand that the weeks ahead
deserve my total focus.

Namaste'

Gold Crown IV - Day Two: Buglets

Annoying tidbit:

The ball catchers at each pocket
allow the first ball in to
roll silently around the inside perimeter
for many seconds after the ball drops.
And then, quite unexpectedly,
when you are already down on your next shot,
you get this kerplunk sound as the ball finally
settles into the central depression.

I'm already thinking of solution for this,
but hate to spend time reinventing a
Delayed Kerplunk Prevention Device,
so if you know of a fix, please let me know.

Gold Crown IV - Day Two: Mikie Likes It!

Slicker'n weasel snot!
That's my picturesque description of
the playing surface on my new Gold Crown IV
with fresh Simonis 860.

Fast, yes. But also slippery, like a road with icy patches.
Unexpected results. Challenging. And fun!

And it feels Oh, so Gooooooooooood.

Gold Crown IV - Day One

A brand new out of the box(es) Gold Crown IV
was just installed in Mikie's Fun House this afternoon.

They were still hanging the bridge holders
when Terry The Installer says
"It's ok to shoot some balls, if you want..."

And I start thinking
Hmmmm.... the first ball I shoot on my new table...
that could be an omen, maybe...
so maybe I should be sure to make it...
so maybe I should line up an easy one...
but instead, I set up an obscene reverse cut, long...
and then I wail at it and it drops like it was going home!

Now there's an omen I can like!

First impressions are that the new 860 Simonis
is like shooting on ice.
Balls noticeably skid when hit.
Draw is effortless.
All ball action is magnified a lot.
I have to dial back on stroke.
(It almost looks like I *have* a stroke!)

The table looks a lot better than I thought it would.
Overall I am very pleased,
but this is only day one.
Stay tuned for detail reports.

Sunday Afternoon Challenge Match

Kevin J. wanted a piece of me,
but all he got was a can of whoop-ass.

We played Masters format
just like yesterday with El Maestro.
Quiet during games. OK between games.

We lagged. I won and chose to break.
He chose to play 8 ball first.
At the end of the 5 games of 8 ball,
the score was 4-1, Fast Mikie in the sun.
Nine ball went 4 games of the possible 8.
Final score: Fast Mikie 7, Kevin 2.

He started off shooting extremely well,
but the problem was Closing.
And I just took advantage of my opportunities.

I won one 9 ball game with a strong offensive safety,
giving him zero chance on his turn
and giving me ball in hand for the runout.

Although that safety was a beautiful touch shot,
drawing 90 degrees sideways for several inches,
and nestling snugly between a ball and the rail,
that game was won more on
correct thinking rather than shotmaking.
A valuable lesson...

Practice Performs Miracles!

"Practice makes perfect" may be an overstatement,
but practice sure does make Better.
This morning I'm practicing behind the back shots.
Shooting rotation pool where every shot is
with the cue behind my back.
Good physical exercise, that's for sure.
And some of the body positions that are required
are more extreme than many of my yoga "asanas".

Why I chose to practice behind the back shots
was probably influenced by El Maestro's suggestion
during yesterday's practice
that I should practice left handed shots.

El Maestro made the point that
it would be good for me to review the Basics
and that shooting left handed would force me
to look at, and practice, each Element of Shot Making.

I replied that teaching me to shoot
left handed is a low payoff exercise...
My left hand is so completely uncoordinated
that it is laughable.
It would take an eternity of repetition to
build coordination into muscle memory.
My objection was really fear of the unknown,
fear of looking stupid,
fear of being weak.
I used my Intellect to invent a reason,
but it was driven by Emotion.
If I were to take my emotions out of it,
I would have practiced left handed.

I wanted to spend my time on Lessons that
would pay off in the short term. (Greedy)

I couldn't see that time practicing the
the Elements of Shotmaking
is always a good investment
as it enhances every shot.

So yesterday I was the Rebel,
and today I am the Student again.
I must have given El Maestro's words some good thought
while sleeping in my hammock last night.

Later in the morning, I did experiments
with reverse english with heavy follow
on long straight shots in the corner pocket,
bringing the cue ball four cushions to
the opposite end of the table.

Practice performs miracles!

When Is A Win Not A Win?

Tony "El Maestro" Sorto arrived around 2pm
to give me my regular Saturday lesson.

First we played some 9 ball, but
using bank shots and kicks ONLY!
What a great way to learn these shots...

Next, I told him I wanted to play a match,
in the Masters format
(up to 8 games of 9 ball and
up to 5 games of 8 ball,
in a race to 7).
I also wanted to give it my total focus,
and let there be no talking whatsoever
during the match.
Usually we both have the motor-mouth
going, talking about pool and everything
else under the sun, including some
good natured sharking.
This time I wanted to practice what it
would be like when playing in the
finals of US Amateur Championships.

The rule was that any talking whatsoever
by one player would be treated as a foul,
and give ball in hand to the other player.

Amazingly, we spoke only once in the match,
to clarify a rule, then went back to silence.

I got off to a great start in the 9 ball games,
getting up 3-0, but El Maestro came back strong.
We finished the 9 ball games tied at 4 games each.

The 8 ball games were very hard fought,
with one game going what seemed to be
at least 20+ safeties.
Amazingly, I got on the hill first,
then Tony caught up and we were
facing each other for the match with
only one rack left.
Many more safeties ensued, as both of us
were playing each other very tight.
But Tony finally broke free and ran
the remaining stripes only to get himself
out of shape on the 8.
He made the 8, but scratched after
his cue ball caromed off one of my solids.

It was at this exact moment that I let out
a blood-curdling yell of triumph,
as Tony unscrewed his cue.

It was certainly one of the most hard fought
matches I have ever played.

But was it a true "win"?
Is it a victory when your mortal enemy
has you at his mercy, and then trips and
falls on his own sword?

Did I win, or did I merely survive?

Big Money!

Just got the news:
The prize money for each of the
four members of Destiny's Team,
(El Maestro, Fast Mikie, Tony B. and Tom O.),
the first place team in the Masters Division,
is a whopping $115.oo each.
A new personal best in cash winnings
from a pool tournament.

Of course, my share goes to my favorite charity,
The Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience
(The Spinal Cord Injury Project)
at Rutgers University.

Even more important than the money
is the MVP trophy for my undefeated session,
which "they" say I'll be getting "soon".

Challenge Match

Five hours of pool tonight with Malve.
We started off with 3 sets of 9 ball.
I won them all: 10-5, 5-0, and 5-0.
My break was working better.

Then we switched to straight pool,
and I got off to a good start
with the score 27 to -2,
but Malve came roaring back,
and got to 50 first!
However, we were playing to 100.
And the final score was
Fast Mikie 100, Malve 69.
He had a high run of about 20.
My high run was a weak 15.

He was itching to play some more,
but I was wiped out and hit the shower,
while Malve hit the road.

New Custom Cue Case

In one more step along the path to excellence in pool,
today I ordered my new Jim Murnak Cue Case,
with custom "Fast Mikie" carved into the leather.
In mahogany, two butts, plus 4 shafts,
plus jump cue handle.
Signed by the artist himself!

I might still be learning,
but I'll look good...
(at least until I start shooting)

I was seriously considering a case by Jack Justis,
and was continually putting it off,
and I'm thinking it was because those cases are
so very good looking they are almost too showy.
Something "vintage" is more appropriate
for my low-key style.