In my lifetime, one of the greatest stories about pool is the growth of pool leagues. Nationwide involvement in pool leagues has probably doubled in the last ten years.

    If you have ever attended a league tournament, it is clear that the level of sheer excitement is very high, and that’s what draws people in. You will seldom see this type of excitement and energy at a professional tournament. The exception is pro team tournaments. Some of the highest-profile team events are the Border Battle, the Mosconi Cup, and the Patriot Cup.

    Team events of all kinds raise the bar on emotional involvement. Pegging a geographic base creates a fan base. Probably the biggest sporting event in the U.S. is the Super Bowl. Football just happens to be a team game. In fact, all of the most popular sports in the U.S. are team sports.

    A few years ago, a friend of mine went to the World Snooker Championships in England. He was impressed with the English snooker fans. They were very polite and very quiet when the players were shooting. If a player made a great shot, the fans would applaud, but in a very subdued way. For those of us who have experienced the Mosconi Cup at York Hall in London, my friend’s tale of buttoned-up British spectators might come as a surprise. During the Mosconi Cup, the crowds at York Hall roar for their home team. Of course, it’s the same in any bar in the U.S. The fans respond rather vocally when the home team scores. The fan involvement makes team events fun to watch.

    Now, let’s turn to team play in pool and discuss some of the challenges competing in team events present. On the pro level, the number of players on a team ranges from four to six, and the players are the cream of the crop. During most of my career, there were few team tournaments out there; almost everything was individual play. Moving from individual play to team play requires an adjustment mentally. Often over the years, I have been asked, “What are the most important factors in winning?” or “What are the three most crucial points when competing?” Many times I have answered the two questions with the same answer. The three most crucial points to winning are: Concentrate, concentrate, and concentrate. This is true for the individual game, and it’s perhaps even more crucial to team play.

    Having played on teams with Buddy Hall, Johnny Archer and Earl Strickland, I am always reminded of the quote from Vince Lombardi, the legendary football coach for the Green Bay Packers in the 1960s, “Winning is not everything; it is the only thing.” To say that Buddy, Johnny and Earl are competitive and mentally tough is an understatement of some magnitude.

    Unfortunately, when it comes to team play, the performance of any one player is not enough to put you in the winner’s circle. It requires a majority of players on one team to beat the majority of players on the opposing team. For example, in 2004 at the Border Battle (Team USA vs. Team Canada) in Toronto there were four players on each team. They played a combination of singles and doubles matches. To win, you needed to win seven matches. The final score was 7-5, which means the losing team could have tied the score at 6-6, allowing them to force a tiebreaker. Just one more mistake by the winners, or one less by the losing team, and the score could have been reversed.

    Often the difference between winning and losing turns out to be a thin line like this. For some players, it turns into an unmovable wall. When that happens, it’s not a physical problem. It’s mental.

    All games, matches and tournaments are basically won or lost one ball at a time. In other words, a major key to winning is bearing down on every ball. Any ball or shot could decide the match. You need to focus one hundred percent of your concentration on each and every shot. It’s the only way to execute consistently. What’s more, it should be within every player’s capabilities. It doesn’t mean you will never miss again, but it is within your power to concentrate 100 percent every time.

    Of course it will take practice and training to be able to concentrate on every shot. But if you make it a goal and work toward it every time you play, you will be able to get there. The ability to focus and concentrate without losing your train of thought is what mental toughness is all about. With mental toughness, you’ll be able to play under highpressure situations such as team play. One caution, though: I didn’t say you would always feel comfortable.

    Team play, whether professional team play or weekly league play, is more demanding mentally than individual play, because the other players on your team are depending on you. Because of the added pressure, it is easy to lose your concentration. Pressure also tends to create discomfort, which makes concentration more difficult and good execution harder to achieve. Winning team play requires you to toughen up mentally. Remember: Concentrate, concentrate, concentrate.

    In 2003, going into the last day of the Mosconi Cup, Team USA was trailing 8-6. We had to win five matches while holding the European team to a maximum of two match wins in order to win the cup. This was the same European team which had beaten the U.S. team in 2002. One of the players in our team meeting said, “Today we need to bear down one ball at a time.” He was stressing the importance of not losing concentration, because we had almost no room for error. The advice worked for us, and we won the cup.

    Another idea you’ll want to hold onto during the pressure of team play is to keep your eyes on the cue ball until it contacts the object ball. Watch until you see that collision. Failure to do so will result in catastrophe. Team play is pressure-packed. Your team is depending on you. Don’t forget, though, that you are playing the game to have fun. Keep your focus going and your eye on the collision, and you could end up the hero.