My match this week was a thrilling, back-and-forth affair between me (a "grinder", who thinks about each shot before taking it) and my opponent (a "rhythm player", who just takes the shot that looks right and figures that he will get a decent enough leave to make the next shot). He was definitely the better shotmaker, and after a slow start (I was ahead about 20-4 at one point, but all of my matches seem to go this way) he recovered to take a lead by about 10-15 balls in the middle of the match.
I kept grinding it out, though, and because of what I have been reading I am getting a better understanding of what to do. Down 68-62, I had a pretty open rack, and I got into a rhythm of my own. I ran off the last 11 balls, which was a win for me because I only needed to get to 73 in this match (my opponent needed to get to 75)!
Afterwards, my opponent complained that I was the slowest player that he had ever faced, and that I took him completely out of his game. This was pretty much what the last opponent said after our match, too...but the fact is that I have 30 seconds to decide on a shot, and I have always been well within that time limit. Also, as I have pointed out to BOTH opponents (strangely, people do not seem to complain so much about my pace when they beat me), it is not my job to make sure they are comfortable and in rhythm! In fact, it helps me if they are cold when they come to the table, as long as I have not taken more time than I am allotted.
Why people seem to have the idea that I should facilitate their shotmaking is beyond me.
Next match is Saturday afternoon.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment