Keeping Your Composure by Max Eberle

Webster’s Dictionary states that composure implies the controlling of emotional or mental agitation by an effort of will or as a matter of habit. Composure is the ability to remain calm and focused enough to perform up to your capabilities. To consistently respond to stressful situations with empowering thoughts, feelings and actions. To let go of past mistakes and breath out anxieties about the future. Laughing in the face of seemingly gargantuan pressure and concentrating on the task at hand.Why would you want to have composure? Maybe you want to make great comebacks, play your game against a top player, be a champion, or impress a potential significant other. Whatever the reason, composure is a good place to start when you are striving for positive results. It is similar to approaching life from a well balanced center. If you do your best to keep balanced, you will have a better chance at staying afloat if something racks your boat.

Gaining composure could mean changing the way you think about certain aspects of the game. I am sure you know a few players who go berserk every time their opponent gets a good roll. The more bad rolls they get, the more they freak out and start announcing to the world that you are lucky. Meanwhile, they are stuck in the past with a dark storm cloud growing over their head. Granted, there is too much luck in nine ball, but until the rules are changed to call all shots, it is necessary to understand that ROLLS HAPPEN and you should be happy to BE AT THE TABLE. If you find yourself on the short end of the rolls during a match, just think to yourself "things will turn my way", and do the best with what you have.

For example, what if you were on the hill with a seven game lead and your opponent came back to tie the match. You could be in shell shock and flub a possible chance at a win, or you could understand that many matches are close anyway and all you have to do is concentrate on each shot in this final game.

When you have a big lead it is especially important to bear down even more and realize that if you go to sleep you have no chance at winning, no lead is a safe lead. The same thing applies when you are coming from behind. No lead is insurmountable. Just think "I’ll hold him there and then pass him".It is amazing to see what happens when you are unflappable. The more you understand match dynamics, the less likely you will be taken by surprise, and the more you will be giving the surprises.

Composure has a lot to do with knowing and remembering the truth about yourself and any given situation. Whether the heat is on or off, it is good to remember what you are capable of (physically, mentally, and spiritually) and let this give you confidence. Letting go of fears and doubts is one of the main challenges every pool player or any person in life for that matter, must face.

The illusions of fear and doubt have no power unless you have allowed it the power. Once you learn to recognize illusions, it will be easier to get rid of them, for they will disappear. If the truth is that you play at a certain level, then you want to do your best to remove any interference. Often blockages are very subtle and it would be wise to take a deep honest look into the causes. Once you have targeted any interference, it is necessary to actively and willfully diminish it by turning its positive counterpart into a habit. Some habits die hard, but in the business of uncovering the truth I think it is worth it. If you are often too tense, learn to relax. If you are doubtful, learn to generate feelings of courage and confidence. If you have trouble concentrating, turn pool into a study on concentrating. Whatever the malady, there is a remedy, and a little discipline goes a long way.

Not enough can be said about the benefits of preparation. Before a big match, tell yourself that this will take everything you have and that you must go deep to your basic core where your strength lies. If perhaps you have never beaten this player, tell yourself, that was then…this is NOW and I am due for a win. Michael Jordan says that before he shoots a big foul shot, instead of thinking about the millions of people watching and everything at stake, he puts himself in a familiar place like his old high school gym where he feels comfortable. Being physically and spiritually fit are also great bonuses. Also, the link between your body language and your mental/emotional states is amazingly close.

It is good to work just as hard on your composure (mental game) as you do on your physical skills. Talk to experienced players and champions about this and read plenty of books like The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallway, The New Toughness Training for Sports by James E. Loehn, Ed.D., or Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsh to name a few. Be well.

Max Eberle is a world-class professional pool player and instructor. He is a four-time West Coast 9-ball Champion, two-time ACU-I National Collegiate 8-ball Champion, and former BCA Junior National 8-Ball Champion. He is a former WPA World Straight Pool Championship Bronze Medallist, top five-ranked UPA touring professional for two years, and has high runs of 196 in straight pool and ten consecutive racks of 9-ball on a regulation table. An in-demand private instructor and film/television performer, his students include celebrities and pool players of all ages and skill levels. He has traveled the world competing, entertaining, and teaching. An artist for life, he resides wherever inspiration, and his cue, take him. Mention PoolBum for a $5 discount on his DVDs. You can find out more at: Max Eberle