Anthony Beeler
HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU CARE? ANTHONY BEELER
Throughout the past 35 years, I’m confident that I have either made or witnessed every mistake possible in pool. When it comes to attitude on the pool table, it is critical to have a balanced view.
W
hile this might sound simple, I can guarantee that maintaining a positive attitude will be a very difficult thing to do under given circumstances. Every pool player in the world could use help in this area.
Finding the balance between caring too much and not enough might look different for everyone. We each bring our own personalities to the table. However, I know that leaning too far in either direction does not usually work out in the long run.
All of you know this by now, a tournament takes a long time to play. Each round usually has its own unique challenges. If I had to pinpoint one of my biggest flaws as a player, I reacted too heavily based on the result of each game. Losing a game or two might send me into a panic – suddenly, I’m walking faster and worrying about what my next mistake might be. Conversely, an early runout or two might have me feeling a bit too good, wondering just how well I was going to play. Be mindful that there is no such thing as perfection. We are humans, and it’s impossible to control our emotions completely. There are still matches where I am a little more erratic than others, but I know I’m doing far better than I used to. Additionally, after being around top-level players, I can tell you that they very rarely show emotion. On the other end of the spectrum, there is a desire to go on “tilt” when the going gets tough. I used to play a very unproductive game against myself. Let’s say my first match was a disaster; I might say to myself, “Oh, just forget about this tournament.” And then, all the sudden, after 4 good
8 | Billiards Buzz • February 2022
