In the infant stages of my pool game, I was constantly reminded of the importance of practice and repetition. I was building muscle memory and honing my skills. If I went for more than one day without practicing, I could feel my game suffer. It seemed like I was taking an immediate step back and in some cases would even need to relearn things.

Once you start playing seriously, one of the best things you can do for your competitive game is to get out of town. Travel to a tournament in another town, even another state, and compete. It’s easy to become so comfortable in your own zip code that when you do finally have to leave town for an event, the foreign pressure becomes so overwhelming that you can’t perform.

I recently started keeping a Gratitude Journal. This means that each night, I commit to reflecting on the positive thoughts from that day that I am grateful for. This can be anything from winning a tournament to having a wonderful, loyal dog to being thankful I have internet access. No matter how tough life may seem, there is always something we can be grateful for. That’s the objective of the journal, to train your brain to reflect on the positive, because it can get so easy in life to only remember the negative.

This article is the anniversary edition of PoolSynergy, a monthly collection of the best writing on pool. This month’s theme is “Three Tips” hosted by our fearless leader John Biddle, PoolStudent.com. I thought I'd have a little fun with this month's ...

Living in Colorado, I'm so fortunate to have a handful of the big players in the industry right in my own backyard. One of which is the Billiard Congress of America. For this month's heavy topic, I paid my friends at the Billiard Congress of America a little visit to see what they think of these questions.