Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-02-13
Joe Mayer Explains Effects
. on Players in Condition.
ing Nervous System, for
4 Championship Matches
LIKES NERVOUS START
Nv Joe MAYER

i branch OF snOrt, nrmly OelIcve, II
tAe preparation for a championship bill.
Nard match. The reason for this Is
tA,t It's the nervous system the player
:, irving to put, in shape, rather than
he muscles Of he body.
n. nlayers has been plainly evident the
Ssst few days nt the Manufacturers
Nah here, where the tournament for the
Srternakional 1872 amateur billiard
rNamp'onship will s.art tonight at 8
o'clock. ...
J I suggested in q. previous article that
sntries for a championship tournament
were not apt to become too popular
;ust before the tussle. The reason 10
;&Sst & the players aim to keep to them
ssircs. Personally, I know that when
4 was due to play in big match. l
sct,ally started playing the game the
risht before. That is. ! was Playing
would 20 to bed playing 1t and
vrobably wake up once or twice and
tsen piaying it till / went to sleep
c,sin. Ry thisi do not mean that i
srss figuring out the shots ahead. Far
t,om thnt. for II would be Impossible:
r"t nv whole thought was concentrated
~ that match and continued to De all
the next day till the match started that
night.
ssThinking" Billiards
7 d;d not want It to be otherwise.
A,d NOT want to think Of thing In the
Sorld but that match. I did not recog.
c,ze friends I met because l didn't see
chem. II ANYBODY accosted me hur'
rled away. nte alone. ~
, I remember one time steaNng lnto
che dining room at the Union League
rhen / was the sonly one In there. !
w W.. :, ,o 6nd a waiter. I played that
Ss% .m.,cS n While I ate. And I was in great
.""sry .""Ssryors'' condition when the match
finally started. A.. ..,
s.ront tHis week are the same way.
HSsy aren't very good company be,
..n:. thew ore conditioning their mental
nowers. and 1t makes them appear
fesr mysown championship days are
mast hut I can sympathizc with thelr
thouohts today and as their host l am
ioins NV best to keep them from being
7 told previously Of the physical side
~ training, It Is all TO get the nerve
srstem in perfect condition. The diges.
tion must be perfect to have perfect
nerve system. which In turn must De
esriect TO be in good stroke for q match.
IA ali in the mental condition. In
nthsr days I had q barometer on my
own CSn nervous condition. II picked up
fba cue and It felt heavy. knew ! would
Sa IN best form. I could let the cue 90
fbe work. If it felt light. almost ret
! was beaten before the start. ] had TO
tmuscle" it, use force, and 1t wouldn
work. This sense Of weight was mental
condition.
Had to Be Nervous
/ never could play unless was nerv;
ans. I mean literally nervous, and l
think this applies to most players.
II YOU are present at the opening
match tonight, look for this sign. II q
player steps up absolutely calm with all
Kinds Of confidence which you feel Is
not forced, look out. The chances are
chat player will be beaten. -,
On the other hand, II he's visibiy
Hsrvous, he ought to have good chance;
For your confident player starts all
right. but in tho pinch he breaks
down" His muscles relax He devel-
cps a glass arm" lie can't make
He has started with NERVE
Ind winds up with NERVES.
The nervous player. on the other
hand. gets into his best stride as he sets
fue on ball. He gives the best that's In
him the more the match progresses: ,.
like to see q player perspire. That
tneans again that his nerves are right.
Everything is working tor him; me
player must be warm. II he's cold he'h
never play good billiards,
His mental powers and nervous sys..
fem must be keyed up. Everything must
be tuned in perfect accord.
Concentration
He must think nothing but billiards.
This Is why billiard players are hard
to get along with before match.
unless YOU understand what 1t Is all
about. Anything to affect concentra-
ton will cause bad results.
Concentration takes peculiar forms.
Personally ! can not make a speech. l
have tried many times. But l look at
the audience. sec them staring at Inc
and it's all off.
On the other hand. can 60 before
that same audience and play game of
billiards because ! wouldn't even know
they were there. am concentrating
30 on billiards that 1t is actually as II
no one were watching.
Many a time some one has said after
~ards-''you'r a fine sort of fellow
..,-don't recognize your friends when
they come to see you play. 1 spoke to
you and you never tumbled. What 8
the matter! Too stuck up when every
oody's there looking at you"
will reply that didn't know he was
shere, didn't see him, and It S the truth.
My mind is on that game and nothing
else. has to be- The players here are
The same. They have Concentrated"
themselves into their present high
status as players.
Whisper Disturbs
=, | was playing game with Edouard
Stoudil, the French champion, the other
DAY. He was at the table and | hap.
pencd to whisper to friend who came
IN, Roudil missed his shot and gave.
me nasty look.
had forgotten and that little whisper
ancctcd him so that he missed an easy
shot, His concentration had been dis.
turbed.
do YOU wonder the stars have to
'snore their surroundings to succeed?
r,MMy My next article this week. In the Evening
inateS.. fssr fromr dsY w bs A., Ii"c"urcs ~ the
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