Setting up a Training Program Dutch Style - Introduction

Over the next few weeks I will be going into each category in depth, but here is the basic recipe for a pre-season training regimen as defined by Johan Ruysink.  It is pretty brutal when Johan conducts a training bootcamp with his country's top players (Niels Feijen, Nick van den Berg, et al.) The schedule is for two weeks or more, five days on, two days off - for ten hours per day (broken down into multiple sessions.)  The idea behind it is similar to weight-lifting - no pain, no gain. Push yourself hard, and your body and brain will have to work to repair themselves, making you a stronger player in the end. 

The system is broken down into five areas of training and each is completed before moving on to the next. These are Johan's terms and then my take on what they mean

1. Single Shots:  Rote training focusing on alignment, stroke and aim with very little attention paid to fine cue ball control.
2. Dynamic Shots: Practicing types of shots and cue-ball reactions (stun, natural roll, draw) in situations that are a little different every time.
3. Dynamic Exercises:  It's heavy-duty drill time! Evil things, like Bert Kinister's "The Ladder."
4. Playing Formats:  Practice games that are played with a partner that make you focus on different objectives.
5. Disciplines and Sparring:  Practicing the actual games (playing the ghost, practicing straight-pool, etc.)  and then on to playing those games with others.

At the end of each session, 20 minutes of training is thrown in on shots that require a unique body movement or position, like the break, shooting jacked-up or jump shots.  The idea is that once you practice these types of shots for 20 minutes your arm and body will be pretty much useless :)

A concept that is essential to this training is that your physical energy should start high and be consumed, but your mental energy should start low and build.  In the beginning you are all arm - hitting shots repetitively and at a quick pace without the laser focus that you would use in a match.  As you progress through the system, your focus and thinking become deeper.  I think there is a nice and logical flow to this kind of program.  You make sure that the basics are there and start layering upon them one step at a time.

Next installment... Single Shots

Things I Learned in Belgium and Holland - Part 1 of Many

I have been having trouble organizing my thoughts about my trip.  I am working on posting some of the assessment and training drills but they aren't ready yet.  There is so much that I want to share... in the interests of expediency I am going to just start writing things and not worry so much about the big picture.

1. Johan is a fascinating person and it was my pleasure to get to spend the week with him and his family.  It felt like the week was one long conversation that was primarily focused on pool but touched on many of the important aspects of life - music, religion, politics, family, philosophy and humor.  Johan has played every sport known to man and his life has had many, many incarnations so far (he wouldn't have it any other way.)

2. Pool in Holland started in the Coffee Shops.  Not sure why this surprised me at all.

3. I can't believe the lengths I will go to while playing pool to avoid my weaker shots.  My problem shots? Cutting the ball without English, using stun (especially near the rails), and draw with speed control among others.  My patterns are many times geared so that I can avoid the things that I'm not as good at.

4.  Europeans treat the break shot in Straight pool like a break shot.  Break shots are left at a slightly shallower angle and are hammered in using stun, stun follow or stun draw.

5.  The Dutch think it's weird to put too many things on a sandwich.  I taught Johan's kids that Nutella and peanut butter on the same sandwich is not bizarre, it's tasty.

more to come...

European Update and Liz Ford, Writer? (Me make good words)

After five days of training, I am going to spend the next two in match-ups with two European players, Tamara Rademakers and Katrine Jensen.  Johan will be acting as my coach during these sessions, helping me warm up, helping set my mental state before each match, making me take a break if I need it and completing some post-match analyses.

I'm not sure what it's going to be like as I've never had a coach, only instructors.  The closest I've come to on-site help is working closely with a few of my scotch doubles partners.   I've always been envious of Jasmin and Xiao-Ting for having coaches that travel with them.  I'm sure it is good at times and annoying at times, especially when you are losing or you have a bad attitude (a pool-player? never!)

I'm pretty excited, but I have inputted so much information into my brain in the last five days, that it is going to take me some time to be able to collect and summarize my thoughts.  When I get back to the U.S. I hope to write formally about my experience over here as it has been illuminating, to say the least.

 Columnist Liz is serious, but cuddly.

Speaking of writing, I am now a resident columnist over at PoolDawg.  My articles will be geared toward newer players in the hopes of getting more people interested in the game, all from a place that is south of cheeky and north of snarky. Hopefully, that is nowhere near Stfuland.  Is that where the people who WRITE IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS live?

It is getting later and I am getting weirder, so time for bed and hopefully dreams of something other than pool.

Ugh, Hello from Belgium...

Just a quick update to say hello from just south of the Netherlands, in Belgium.

It is day two of my training with Johan Ruysink and my weaknesses are being revealed to me one after another.  It is pure torture...

I have hit so many balls in the last 30 hours that I've lost my feel entirely and now I am starting to lose my mind.

I think this is all part of Johan's plan.  He has alluded a few times to "breaking me down" and I think he might be achieving his objective.

I long to be a lazy American again :)

Mint Salon

I wanted to give a plug this morning for my two favorite ladies of hair over at Mint Salon, Allison Burr and Charlene Dougan. Allison cuts my hair and Charlene keeps me blonde (it was her idea in the first place.)

They are offering my readers $50 off cut and color (first-timers only!) Just tell them Liz Ford sent ya. Women and men are welcome.

I have been a regular at their salon since they opened and they were kind enough to help style me for my photos. I never feel more like a New Yorker than when I go to their all-white loft space in Hell's Kitchen. Sometimes I go there just to hang out on the couch :)

This is a picture of their handiwork:

I am off to The Netherlands tonight and I will be keeping everyone updated on how Johan Ruysink does as a drill sergeant.

Picture Preview

Okay, so I had way too much fun making some new pictures...
Even though there is more work to be done in Photoshop, I thought I'd post a preview.

I chose the image above as the picture that is going to be included in my $60 contributor thank you package (also includes $10 PoolDawg gift certificate and a lesson dvd... still available pre-sale for $50... just click the donate button to the right.)

I want to take a minute to thank, profusely, the people responsible for making this shoot happen:

Photographer: Sam Muglia

Hair: Allison Burr and Charlene Dougan of Mint Salon

Make-up: Willow Mayor
Creative Consultant: Elke Dochtermann

Clothes Stylist: Jennifer Barretta

Production assistants: Greg Thrasher and Haley Deckle

I am getting ready to go to The Netherlands tomorrow night. I'm excited but still in a little bit of denial that I will be leaving the country for nine days. I spent the weekend in Atlantic City at the Blaze Tour finale. I finished one round out of the money, but I was playing very well.

I'll be checking in all this week with updates and some more pictures.

Photo Shoot

Tomorrow I am going to be taking some new promotional pictures.  I have enlisted the help of all my friends to help push me towards a more "marketable" look. 

Hmmm, marketable...

I am going to suck it up, quite literally, and push myself to up the sex appeal a little. Just a little, hopefully remaining cute and not at all desperate.

True to form, however, I'm sure that I will find a way to put some humor into the pictures.

The best advice I've gotten so far?:

"Bah, you shouldn’t even worry about it.  You’re not going to look desperate unless you decide to really skank it up, and even then you still wouldn’t look desperate.  Just have the photographer do a variety of different poses and avoid the sweaters and cardigans."
 - Anonymous

I'm not sure I know what anonymous is talking about...