Pixel Pool | APA 9-Ball Handicap Full Match (Commentary)

[@cliffhemstock6963]

I’m an APA 9 with 3 1/2 yrs experience. I’m a well studied student of mark Wilson. Really enjoying your commentary videos! keep posting

[@OnTheSnap]

Hey Cliff, welcome. Glad you are enjoying it!

[@meinldrummer0924]

I swear to everything I played a tournament match a bit ago against the guy on the table next to you-blue shirt, grey shorts. I’ll never forget that shooting stance he’s got. If thats John G. tell him I said hi!

[@OnTheSnap]

That's him! I'll let him know 👍

[@meinldrummer0924]

@@OnTheSnap Holy cow, that’s unreal. Before clicking on this video, I wasn’t a sub or even a viewer of yours, but it showed up and I’m prepping for my APA playoffs this week so I thought what the heck. Small, small world we live in haha I’ve now subbed and loving your content so far. Your gameplay and commentary are educational and I like your attitude about the game. Thanks for posting!

[@OnTheSnap]

So nice of you to say, and great to hear! Thanks for subscribing 🥳

[@OnTheSnap]

Good luck in playoffs!

[@a_canal]

Just a bit of constructive criticism. Please lower music a touch. Nice shooting!

[@OnTheSnap]

Thanks! Some others felt the same way. I'll make sure it's quieter in future videos.

[@cosc137]

@4:20 Not loving the 6 where it is now; I wonder if the carom off the 6 was available. Still may have been too much angle to hold the cue ball anyways, and may have also been too risky not knowing where the 6 would end up. Bad luck getting stuck behind the 9, tho. @10:35 You were going to hit the 9 ball, so left english would have been sweet off that left rail. @11:20 You can see Woody's back forearm is not plum. @11:52 Anthony: Man, that hair is bright AF 🤣🤣🤣 @22:50 WOW what a cut!!! @23:05 He gave you this 9??? Not that I don't believe in you Anthony😂, but this is not a gimme. @24:30 Yes, you seemed to be hitting a little harder than usual, but not by much, you seem comfortable, and I think that increased your accuracy. Right after I said that @25:23 🤣🤣🤣, but you may have added a little more umph than a comfortable over-hit. @29:30 Wow what a shot, Woody!!! @30:30 Great back and forth kick safes!!! I feel like I'm watching Derby City😁😁😁 @36:40 Commentator's curse🤣🤣🤣 @39:10 Woody should have hit that firm. @40:50 Great Shot, Anthony!!! @41:40 I like to use outside on a shot like this to help minimize undercutting, and may have prevented contacting the 9. Would have spun out better for the 5 in the side or top corner as well. What do you think? @46:55 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 @48:05 Go Bob Ross!!! @51:55 Wow, inside on that. Worked out well😅😅😅. I see the pros put a hair outside, go to the bottom rail then to the right rail (about 3rd diamond from the bottom), and bounce off by the side pocket heading towards the 9. @52:30 You and I are perfectionists on the table, and I know that mindset that you are in. You took 10 points that rack, but did not position like you imagined. We are like pitchers that gets the W, but are not happy because we did not get the no-hitter 😡😂😡😂😡😂 We need to do something about this😅😅😅 @53:20 I like to follow the cue ball to the bottom rail, then back up to lock on the 6. The stroke is a little harder, so you will be sending the 2 into that traffic up top @59:00 I have seen Efren hit this with inside english and it keeps the cue from going up table off the 2nd rail. Cue speed also dies off the 2nd rail. Might not be a smart play in this case, but very useful if you can get this down. I should start practicing this shot. 1:00:30 I have also seen Efren use low inside to go bottom rail, right rail, and head towards the 8. I should practice this shot too. Shame on that 6 ball scratch; you would have gotten the W. You played well tho. We can't win em' all. Enjoyed it. Look forward to your next match!

[@OnTheSnap]

Shape from the 4 to the 5 was pretty simple, I just hit it really bad. I do think the carom was available, but no need to complicate it from there. To be honest, I was surprised he gave up that long 9. Certainly not a gimme. High outside was definitely the way to play that 4-ball at 41:41 to get side-pocket shape on the 5. The perfectionism is fading for me, luckily. As I focus more on having a good process, and feeling the game, I focus less on the specific outcome. He talks about this a lot in Pleasure of Small Motions. 6-ball at 59:04 was touchy either way. Typically, I'm not scared to use some inside, and it certainly could have helped here. I think at this point I was just trying to scrape together even sloppy shape. Thanks as always, Ryu!

[@raferb]

The guys who streamed the 2024 US Open in Vegas, Post-Up (at Griffs) had some cool background music that all the followers really got into. Here's the "Freedom" song that had the chat go crazy every time it came up in the rotation... "Let the party begin"... kzbin.infoTLS_-SvEFm8?si=rStPZDw8Hddz0mfE&t=10091

[@OnTheSnap]

Ooh good one. I'll look into this.

[@procrastinator6902]

Another close one! I think the game from last week was decided by a single ball as well. Those really hurt

[@OnTheSnap]

Two weeks in a row of Last Ball Drama, can you believe it? I was stung by this one for sure, but like I said in the Comms - I played well and have a lot to feel good about. Need to reframe that junky mindset.

[@procrastinator6902]

@@OnTheSnap Agreed, the overall playing wasn't bad at all but those close losses always get to me worse than a one sided beating. I really have to try hard to regain my composure sometimes, I blew position and scratched on my final ball before the 8 ball on what should have been a break and run in a tournament the other night. I ended up giving my opponent ball in hand (they were low enough skill level that them running out really wasn't a concern even with the open table) but I came close to stupidly just giving them the rack because I very nearly shoved the cue ball across the table on account of being angry at myself.

[@OnTheSnap]

@@procrastinator6902 It's amazing just how emotionally invested we get in our internal process, sometimes completely irrespective of the external factors. Fascinating in some cases to come back to some of my matches which were filmed weeks before I do the commentary and compare my emotional state in the comms box to the state I remember from being in the match. Sounds like a tough one in that tourney, man. Skill Slippage (as I'm coming to call it) is real as well; we relax when we know we're able to get away with some sloppy play against lower SL players. Terrible for our long-term growth in the game. High-level competition and drills like Playing the Ghost are where it's at for improving our relationship with pressure, and mitigating perfectionism.

[@procrastinator6902]

@@OnTheSnap You're absolutely right on that, and it's become a bad habit of mine that I need to work on. Living in a smaller area, I usually am at least somewhat familiar with my opponents and how well they play and often will make decisions against lower skilled opponents that would almost certainly cost me the game against better ones.

[@chrisdirienzo4235]

I do like the background music. I think you could even play around with different music. Keep up the great work.

[@OnTheSnap]

Really helpful. Glad you like it. I will be experimenting with other tracks and making sure the volume is good.

[@chrisdirienzo4235]

Volume seems good to me. Sorry forgot to add that. Also as someone who is still learning, I do like when you say where you hit on the cue ball.

[@rickwilliams3515]

Speed control and decision making gets us all. You are a good shot maker. Just work it out is what I tell myself!

[@OnTheSnap]

Thanks man. I like that mantra!

[@drewmartin6240]

How do you overcome a downswing of bad shooting, im a 7/8 and the last month or so has just been brutal, really been in my head about it and when I get in my head I just tend to keep shooting worse because of it

[@OnTheSnap]

Great question. Those slumps are so hard to shake off, and they do tend to perpetuate themselves, as you described. The way I tend to think about it is verbal vs. physical - what I tell myself about the shot versus how the shot actually looks and feels. Not sure if you've had a chance to read Pleasure of Small Motions yet. If not, I definitely recommend it. Crib notes version is that we spend all this time practicing and learning these skills in order to make them automatic. The brain recognizes that if we are going to perform the same action repeatedly, we might as well myelinate those connections and thereby make them more efficient. As a result, we have Practice Mode and Performance Mode. Practice is work, performance is, theoretically, that automatic flow state - do what you already know how to do. In the context of an actual match, it can be hard to remember these things. What I like to do is simple sensory grounding to try to drop back into the body. Take a lap, focus on what I physically feel (how is my posture, how do my feet feel in my shoes, what temperature is this surface, etc.), go to the bathroom to splash water on my face and back of my neck. Anything that helps us drop out of our head and into our body will begin to break that cycle. When you step up to the table, imagine how the shot is going to sound, feel, and look, then just allow your automatic body to execute it. Focus more on having a good process, it *feeling* good, than getting a good result. If we have a good process, the results take care of themselves. So much to say about this topic!

[@drewmartin6240]

@@OnTheSnap thanks for the response man! I definitely agree taking your time to get back into your natural rhythm is super beneficial because the more I think about a shot the more I complicate it rather than playing loose and trusting my stroke

[@PeggyCataldi]

Music a little loud but I like it

[@toddrobertson1398]

Im ok with the music. But turn it down a bit my friend..

[@OnTheSnap]

Good feedback - others have said the same. Will be making the adjustment in future videos!

[@von291]

At 38, he’s a 5

[@OnTheSnap]

Ope, my mistake. Thanks!

[@toddrobertson1398]

We are a lot a like. I broke and ran on someone at apa and over all was playing great and was still annoyed and the guy I was playing said your the only guy I know that can run tables and still be pissed at yourself and he’s right lol not every game can be perfect. You’re not going to play perfect. You got to just deal with the next problem whether it’s how you wanted to play it or not. It’s so easy to say but it’s hard in the moment.

[@OnTheSnap]

It's going to be a big learning curve for us, but it ultimately leads to a better mood, and better play. That's a pretty good motivator!

[@toddrobertson1398]

@@OnTheSnap heading to acs nationals in Vegas in 2 days so I’ll have to put my mental game to the test.

[@OnTheSnap]

@@toddrobertson1398 Good luck out there, brother. Let me know how it goes.

[@georgepotter353]

left the last video after 4 minutes due to the music. Leaving this one less than 1 minute in.

[@OnTheSnap]

Good feedback. I've been experimenting with the music and have had some mixed comments about it. I did run a poll recently and it seems like most people are against it. I'm considering removing music from them moving forward. Thanks for commenting; it really is helpful.

[@ronaldboyer1111]

Lower volume by half😂

[@OnTheSnap]

Will do 🫡

[@xJeRCx]

I found myself (similar skill) in the same boat a little while back in regards to the perfection aspect. Had to literally talk myself into leaving myself in quadrants instead of pinpoint position. Remember, we're pretty good at shot making. It's OK if we need to show that from time to time, even if our aim is to make it look easy!

[@OnTheSnap]

That's validating to hear, thanks for the comment. I am working on this aspect, and getting results, but still slip into the older way of thinking from time to time. Every little bit of progress counts!

[@toddrobertson1398]

Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good enough

[@toddrobertson1398]

@@OnTheSnap I typed that before you mentioned me in the video 😂 thanks

[@davegreen1104]

that music doesn’t add anything and its way to loud

[@OnTheSnap]

Thanks for the feedback!