In Billiard Digest Jeanette Lee speaks some words of wisdom when asked the following question by Joey Land, Scottsdale, Ariz. “How do you prevent negative thoughts from taking over when you miss a shot or are struggling at the table? Once the wheels start coming off, I can’t seem to get back on track.”
And she responded with “I think we all get off track. That’s just human nature and part of the deal with competition. I remind myself to stay in the present. It is better to be prepared with no opportunity than to get the opportunity and not be prepared to take advantage of it. I can’t be ready to capitalize on my next shot if I’m focused on something that happened in the past. All champions have to learn to get out of their own way. If you believe this, you have to actually practice clearing your mind of the past by staying focused on redeeming your mistakes and playing hungry. This doesn’t come naturally. We have to work to stay in the moment, stay hungry and believe in ourselves. And this has to be true in practice as well as in competition. You can’t just wait for yourself to start playing better or feeling like a victim when you don’t. You have to practice it, believe it and earn it to become the champion you are meant to be.”
About Jeanette Lee
Jeanette is also known in the billiard community as The Black Widow. Lee is a Korean-American who grew up in Brooklyn, New York during the 70’s. She’s now a proud mother of 6.