Här på webben har vi ju testat lite olika grepp. Ett är ju att highlighta klubbkvällarna i ett segment som kallas ”Tankspridda fragment”. Sen finns det ett annat segment som heter ”Spotlight” där vi sätter fokus på en viss spelare. Nu testar vi ett nytt grepp. En djupintervju med en av våra spelare. Vem passar då bättre att ta på pulsen och lyssna av än vår egen Hari Pillay? Sagt och gjort, vi satte oss ned och betade av lite frågor…
Hari, du har ju haft en grym start på den här säsongen. 6 starter, 4 segrar i A-finaler och 1 seger I B-final. Kommentar till ditt spel?
– I was motivated by getting into the last eight by the end of the season. I knew I had missed several club mondays so felt that I had fewer opportunities than the others to score points and needed to play well. I got lucky, I took my chances, I played aggressive when I needed to and defensive at other times. I think I made myself hard to beat.
Hari in action
Intressant, det har ju verkligen betalat sig för dig på klubbkvällarna. Däremot tog det stopp redan i kvartsfinal i KM, hur kommer det sig att spelet inte fungerar i KM? Är det nervositet eller nåt annat?
– To be honest I do struggle in tournament play. I don’t have much experience with the format, the waiting around, the chatter in between matches, the many different thoughts that go through your mind, etc.. I find it harder to play my game, I suppose. In the match against Ola B. I had a chance to win the games before he did. I did not play the table like I usually try to do and allowed other things to distract me. Thinking on a shot is an absolute no,no in Pool. When you’re down on the table addressing the white ball, preparing to deliver the cue, you should not be thinking about anything at all. But I was guilty of allowing this at crucial times and ended up messing up my chances.
– I have done this before, many times. And I am certain I will do it again. But every time it happens you learn to control it a little better.
Hari och Tore kollar på Uffes sprängning.
Jag vet att det är fler som känner som du, att det är mycket babblande mellan matcherna och så, så du är inte ensam om att känna så. Vi lämnar tävlandet och byter spår. Du har börjat köra med kolfibertopp/Revo för ett tag sedan, men nu har du bytt bort den mot en överdel i lönnträ (Predator Vantage) igen. Vad beror det på?
– There was a time not that long ago when I could not tell how far away the tip of my cue was from the cue ball when I was down on the table addressing the white on a shot. It was a strange feeling so I changed to a wooden top and immediately started playing better shots because I could see the line better.
– The cue points approximately to where the cue ball is heading and is an important element of that right feeling you have when everything is aligned properly. So I decided to buy a wooden top for my cue. Weird thing is the problem I experienced with my carbonfibre top does not bother me any more. So now I play with both, depending on how I am feeling on the day.
Om vi istället tittar på vår klubb, Club 20. Du har ju varit med några år nu, och har stor erfarenhet av spel både i England och även runt om i Sverige t ex Umeå. Hur bra är vi i Club20? Hur står vi oss mot ex.vis Umeå som ju är en mycket större klubb?
– I cannot answer this in a simple way… In Chess you have to learn how the pieces move before you can play. At first you don’t know how best to use the pieces but through playing many times you begin to develop an understanding of the game: when to attack, when and how to defend, when to develop your pieces, and so on. Pool is similar in that you first learn how to pot balls before you can begin playing the game. Take a moment to think about that. The game is not just about potting. Everyone everywhere can pot a ball. But can they pot the same ball when they really need to and in the way they intend? That’s when controlling your mind and emotions come into play. There is a lot of psychology involved.
– In golf, Putting is a game within a game. Most people with an interest in golf can hit the ball to areas they are aiming for with irons and drivers. But the Putter poses a different challenge. Putting and Pool are similar when you consider the back swing and delivery. A compact movement delivered with intention. There are only about a million small things that need to go your way for the thing to be a success and attempting to think about all of them while you’re trying to make a ball is impossible to do. You rely instead on feelings of correctness – “it feels right” – and you deliver.
– What does this have to do with our club’s players, Umeå, England, etc? Everybody can play. Good, bad or ugly depends on a lot of things. Perhaps one concrete thing I can say is that in Umeå they play a lot more Safety than we do. If their players think it would be better to play safe in a situation than take on a “difficult” shot, then that’s what they will do. All over the world amateur players think playing safe is cowardly, but I disagree. Good safety play is a part of the game for a reason. Like playing defensively in Chess. Like learning to duck-and-weave in Boxing. It’s not possible to deliver a knockout punch every time. Of course it’s spectacular when it works but the truth is it is not a good strategy. To beat a player who is a great potter you have to give them next to no chance of playing like they want to. To beat a tactician you have to out-think them. It’s a side of the game we don’t practice enough at our club.
Hari sänker en ”ters” i miljön
Min bild av klubbkvällarna är att det är fler spelare som kan vara med och ta sig till A-final och rentav vinna en kväll, jämfört med för bara 2-3 år sedan. Tycker du att spelet eller nivån på spelarna ändrats sedan du gick med i Club 20 fram till idag?
– Absolutely! Anything can happen when you play a winner-takes-all frame. Luck and fortune play their part during every game but it’s definitely more meaningful during a single frame to decide winners. If it were over a greater number of frames then the person playing the better Pool would usually win, but a single frame can be won by either party.
– On a club night, people are interested in knowing who they are playing. They look at the draw and decide how each match will likely unfold, who they are probably going to meet, etc.. Thinking of your opponent is largely unnecessary, I believe. Just play the table. Play your game, express yourself, enjoy the experience. Why worry about missing when you could put that energy into making the ball? If you feel it’s too hard to take on, then play safe instead. If all you can see is problems on the table, choose one and solve it, leaving it as awkward as you can for your opponent when it’s their turn.
– When I watch people play I study the person more than I watch what they do on the table. I believe people at our club have become more focussed on their own game and do their best on every shot. Sometimes thinking about what to do ends up with “aah fuck it! Let’s just see what happens”. A great strategy at times and perhaps amusing, but it doesn’t always work out.
– As well as there being a willingness to practice a little more, there’s more conversation about the game itself at club evenings that shows a deep understanding and love of the game.
Hari, in his natural habitat… Dominerar på bordet med ett gäng gubbar som kollar på
Om du fick ge ett råd till spelarna i klubben. Vad ska de träna på?
– Learn to play your game. Everyone plays the game differently, so play the game that is right for you. If you do that and fail, you will be disappointed, sure, but you will learn a lot about yourself. If you do that and succeed, you will get a lot of confidence that simply reinforces your game. You will improve very fast because you are not trying to do what you think is the right thing to do, but are doing what you think is right. It’s a subtle difference with a huge impact. Go with your gut more than your thoughts, when making decisions on the table, and have the courage to play it like you want to.
Vilket är det vanligaste felet du ser spelarna göra nere på klubben?
– Changing their mind while down on the shot. You are about to hit the white when you make slight adjustments before delivering the cue. That hesitation, that uncertainty, that bad feeling; you should be dealing with these things when you are standing behind the white ball looking at the shot BEFORE you go down to address it.
– If it doesn’t feel right get up and start again. If it still doesn’t feel right maybe it is not the right shot to play? All I know is that players making adjustments while down on the shot usually do not get the result they are hoping for.
En sista fråga. Är det lönt att ha nån strategi i 8-ball på klubbkvällarna? Och vad ska det vara för strategi?
– I’m a believer in playing the table. See possibilities, see potential problems, think of it like a maze. Be prepared to change your plan after every shot. No one controls the white ball exactly as they would like to and it’s not often you have to be so precise with your positioning, so loosen up and play into areas. “Good enough” is a great mindset. The closer you get to the finish line the slower you have to play. You will be anxious, your heart is thumping in your chest, you are aware of everything around you, your thoughts are all over the place … Breathe. Slow down. Enjoy the rush. Play.
Vi tackar Hari för dessa insiktsfulla svar. Kanske kan någon av oss få med sig en liten idé eller ett tips till sitt spel. På måndag räknar vi med att det blir ännu en praktisk lektion från Hari vid bordet. Bäva månde motståndarna.
Eder hovreporter
Petri