Crossroads by  Frank  "TheBarber" Almanza ãTricks of the Trade Inc.

 

Crossroads

In many matches that I have played in, there usually came a time when the layout of the table would put me at a crossroad. A smart decision had to be made if I wanted to secure a win. Experience told me how important it was to look at all options and to be able to distinguish the differences between them.

The necessity for a win could be so important that the best decision needed to be made. One of the last choices would be for me to select a do or die situation. Which could be defined roughly as a 50-50 proposition. This may be fair odds for other things, but not good for my purposes.

Having been in that position too many times, I knew that the die part factored in far too many times as opposed to the do part. I would never accept standards for success if they weren’t in the high percentage range. The voice of experience said that now was the time to decide. I didn’t want to have to second-guess myself later. So, let me pour you a cup of experience, drink it slowly, digest, and enjoy. So now the Barber speaks….

You look at the table and are staggered with what appears to be an infinite amount of choices. That’s probably not true, but it sure seems that way when the heat is turned on. Sometimes it’s difficult to decide what to do when you are surrounded with so many options and the thinking isn’t clear. Even a simple three ball run out can leave you like you don’t have a clue. Some choices look real good and others not so good.

The better selections, with the higher percentages, all have happy faces on them, but usually there’s one with a genuine smile, but how do I know where that little bugger is hiding? How do I know which is which? What number do I push on this jukebox if I’ve only got one quarter and there are so many good tunes to choose from?

Most of the ugly ones, with all their little frowns, can quickly be nixed out. Shots like combos, banks, jump shots, difficult safeties, the easy to pocket the ball but difficult for position type, etc. You know the type. The kind we try to avoid but they’re always staring at us trying to entice us. I put these into the "do or die " category. The kind that when you succeed, everyone comes unglued with amazement, but when they fail, they really look ugly.

Don’t get me wrong, if you realize there’s nothing with a higher percentage than the do or die, then that’s when we roll up our sleeves and get to work. Maybe this is where the expression "take your best shot" came from.

Having played for so many years I realize that to be at peace with myself, after any match, was to feel that whatever I selected to do would be the same that I would select to do any other time with the same situation. In other words, whether things materialized the way I wanted them to or not, I would go away with the contentment that my decision was the most sound. The time to make a decision is only after looking at all my options.

Sort out all those little happy faces and look for the one with the biggest smile, and then go for it. If things don’t work out and you lose because of your inability to physically perform the way you anticipated you should have, you can live with that. We do miss sometimes you know. But there’s really no excuse for consistently making poor mental decisions. Granted you may not make the best decision all the time, but mental mistakes need to be kept to a minimum. Decide now and be at peace later. Physically executing all the shots with 100% consistency all the time is only in our imagination, although sometimes we do, and I might say, for extended periods of time. It’s for these days that we love this game.

Now, back to reality. You’re going to have your fair share of misses, the same as anyone else, except for the pros that might have a little less. Not to say that you should be happy after a miss, but like they say… " #%$& Happens".

The pressure of the situation should not, for the most part, affect our mental decisions. Although I know it can happen to some degree. Sometimes, under duress, it’s difficult to keep a cool head and our thinking becomes blurred to the point that we don’t see the big picture. We have the tendency to make unsound decisions. To give yourself time for your mind to settle down and adjust, take a deep breath, doctor your cue tip as you ponder your options.

The decision that we make at this time is what we will have to live with. Gather your experience and try to find all the possibilities available to you. After carefully analyzing, make your decision from what you feel is the best. If you think you’ve found all the happy faces there are, there’s probably still at least one more, see if you can find it. Many higher skill level players have developed a sense to uncover some very unusual and effective choices

To sum this up we can say that before we get down on the shot we should try to see all the possibilities available to us. Select what you see to be your best choice, go forward without looking back, and take your best shot. If it doesn’t work, at least you knew it was the best choice. We will miss enough times, much more than we think we should, but it happens. That’s why searching and finding that beaming little happy face is so important to lead us past the crossroads.

Amongst all your options there might even be a safety play that you might unmask and find that’s where the best smile lies. Always give deserved consideration to safeties. Part of the game you know. If you don’t know, you should. Next time we’ll talk about safety play and what a powerful tool it is.