Samm Diep, “Cherry Bomb” House Pro at Rack ‘em Billiards and Mile Nine in Aurora, Colorado. Author of You Might Be a D Player If… (101 Classic Moves That All Pool Players Can Appreciate). Visit www.sammspocket.com Fun & unique products for pool players. Also check out pooltipjar.com Random smatterings of pool thoughts & articles. How do you prepare for a big event? Are you the “Cram-Practicer”?  You know the player that rarely practices and thinks that if they play  10 hours a day for the week leading up to the tournament that it will  actually make a difference. Are you the “League Player”? That’s the  player that only plays three nights a week, their three league matches,  and believes somehow that will count towards a balanced practice. Or,  are you the “Steady Practicer”? This is the student that spends hours a  day in the poolroom shooting drills and learning new things. They  work hard and are realistic about their expectations.   Ever heard the song lyric, “We only get what we give?” (“You Get  What You Give” by the New Radicals, circa 1999) How true, and what  a novel concept. What we get from pool and from our performance  depends on how much effort we give to it. If we don’t practice, we  can’t expect to play consistently. If we keep working hard and  competing regularly, we will ultimately win more matches. We  eventually get what we give.  World Champions Ralf Souquet, Mika Immonen and Thorsten  Hohmann are perpetual students of the game. At their level, it would be  so easy to relax and lighten their practice load. Besides, they’ve earned  it, right? They have won numerous titles and prizes. They can shoot  any shot and they fear no one. They should be allowed to take a break  from their practice, right?  On the contrary, they are three prefect examples of getting from the  game what they give. Regardless of the countless notches on their  belts, they continue to practice between tournaments and in between  matches. They understand the importance of tournament preparation,  even at their level. To them, “giving” not only includes their time on  the table but it also includes maintaining good active health. They are  athletes and their training encompasses mental, strategic, as well as  physical conditioning.  At tournaments of all sizes, whenever there is an open practice table,  one of the first players to jump on it is former US Open Champion,  Shane Van Boening. He is always hitting balls. Whenever he’s not in  competition, and he has a free moment before his next match, he’s at  the table. A lesser player may wonder, “Why would someone like  Shane need to practice so much? He’s already a champion.” Obviously,  this is not a new concept for him. That is how he became the great  player that we see today. He understands the value of practice and what  he gets out of it.  In the words of the great Malcom Gladwell (author of Outliers),  “Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good. It’s the thing you do  that makes you good.” The greatest players didn’t get where they are  by chance. They gave and gave to the game and in turn, they reap the  benefits.