Mental fatigue in sports is real: Pankaj Advani
TNN | Dec 13, 2023, 12.00 AM IST
Pankaj Advani is on a roll. With his recent win at the World Billiards Championship, he now has 27 world titles to his name. But the ace cueist admits that competing can get intense. “There’s a lot of pressure. And mentally, it gets very taxing,” he says. In a chat with us, he talks about this pressure, his training regimen and the need for more initiatives by the sport federations.
‘I AM NOT TOO OBSESSIVE ABOUT MYSELF ANYMORE’
I was a short kid, fascinated by the sport, who would follow my brother around observing his technique and when I took my first shot, the ball went into the pocket. Not long after, I was competing in and winning competitions. As a kid I was in the public eye, every single day I would see my picture in the newspapers. They would call me “tiny tot Pankaj” or “child prodigy”. There was so much excitement and my family and I would eagerly wait to read the stuff written about me. It’s different now. I generally don’t read what’s written about me. I’ve got to a point where I’m not too obsessive about myself.
‘I DO NOT TRAIN FOR LONG HOURS’
When I go for my practice sessions, I don’t do a huge number of hours. I will put in one or two hours and give it
my best. Once I feel like I have done that, I’m off the table. Invariably almost all cue sport players have neck, back,
and shoulder issues because of the amount of straining the sport requires. There’s a lot that needs to be put in in
terms of mobility and flexibility on a regular basis. So I practice yoga, strength and conditioning and it has really
helped me.
‘THERE IS A CONSIDERABLY LESS FOLLOWING FOR CUE SPORTS’
There are so many youngsters and people who play cue sports as a recreation across the country today. There is
no dearth of talent but the following is considerably less. I think the following will only increase if the sport is
televised more, if there’s visibility of the top players and how the game is played around India. I also believe there’s
also a lot of politics going on with the international bodies and the federations that gets in the way
‘I DISCONNECT FROM THE WORLD WHEN COMPETING’
This is my job and it does take a lot out of me, both mentally and physically – but more mentally. There’s a lot of
pressure; it’s very intense during competitions. During a championship, I don’t follow much of the news or go on
social media or even interact much with my family. It’s only after I come back from a tournament, that I start
connecting with my friends and family again. When I’m not competing, it’s basically my vacation. Even though
it’s a sport, I go through a phase where I’m like, “I don’t want to touch a cue table for some time” and I try not to
entertain thoughts about it either.