Billiards Digest — House Pro Tony Robles

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BD House Pro
Tony Robles

A longtime teaching pro at Amsterdam Billiard Club in New York City, Tony has dozens of regional and national titles to his name, including the 2004 BCA Open Championships.

Instruction Articles:

• September 2010
Through & Through

• August 2010
Along the Rail

• July 2010
The Small Stuff

• June 2010
Three in One

• May 2010
One Ball At a Time

• April 2010
Going Thin to Win

• March 2010
Know Your Game

• February 2010
14.1 For 8-Ballers

• January 2010
Setting It Straight

• December 2009
Hanging Out, Part II

• November 2009
Hanging Out

• October 2009
Control Your Speed

• September 2009
Busting Out of a Slump

• August 2009
Easy Errors, Part III

• July 2009
Easy Errors, Part II

• June 2009
Easy Errors, Part I

• May 2009
Body Language & Breaking

• April 2009
The Break: Body Language

• March 2009
Must-Reads from Robles

• February 2009
Position: Four Square

• January 2009
Romancing the Stance

• October 2008
Look Out for Boingy Rails

• September 2008
Build a Better Break

• August 2008
Q&A: Ask the Pro

• July 2008
‘Buzz’ Kill: Stay Down

• June 2008
Stop Shots Safeties III

• May 2008
Stop Shots Part II

• April 2008
STOP-SHOT Safeties

• March 2008
How to Keep Winning

• February 2008
The Dreaded Straight-In Shot

• January 2008
Trying the Soft Break

• December 2007
The Hard Way Makes It Easier

• November 2007
How to Sight the Cue

Win from Your Chair

October 2007

You might think you’re powerless once you miss a ball and have to sit down, but you can win a match from your chair. If you believe in your ability to win, it doesn’t matter what your opponent does. If you can stay calm and focused, you’ll be ready to win.

By the same token, you can beat yourself in your chair. I see players punish themselves for their mistakes, creating a negative mindset that feeds on itself. Then they get anxious waiting for their opponent to make a mistake, instead of staying calm and focused.

Here’s my routine for staying in the match, even from 10 feet away:

• When I miss, the first thing I do is accept the fact that I screwed up and make up my mind to move on. Lots of guys will miss a match-winning shot and get angry with themselves. And if they get the table back, they’ll miss again. If you are blinded by rage, you most likely will go with the first option that you see instead of taking your time to see what all the options are.

• I mentally run over my list of fundamentals. Am I setting up correctly? Am I staying down on the shot? Are my backstroke and stroke acceleration smooth? This is constructive thinking, and it helps keep out negative thoughts. And if I can diagnose my miss, I feel better and more prepared for my next trip to the table.

• I stay calm and keep focused on the table. If my opponent makes a great shot, I think, “OK, good for you, but wait and see what I can do when I get to the table.” You know how much that energizes a person?

• I ask myself two questions: 1) How bad do I want to win?; and 2) Do I want to win badly enough that I will do whatever it takes? If the answer is “Yes,” then I know that I am ready to play.

Featured Video: Harriman's Drawing
(courtesy Accu-Stats)