About To Give Up

[DrCue'sProtege]

I am at my wits end. No progress at all. Nearly 18 years ago I picked up this hobby and have gotten a little better but that's it. I cant runout for sh~t anymore. And my Gold Crown IV, now with the 4.25 inch pockets, is even stingier than ever off the break. I broke 44 times this afternoon and evening and had one good chance to runout and one decent chance to runout. 2 out of 42. The other 42 times were hopeless for anybody. And I hosed up both chances I had.

Maybe I should just sell everything and give up. The way things are right now that sounds like a good idea. I am just beating my head against the wall right now.

r/Mike

 

[Allen Brown]

I am at my wits end. No progress at all. Nearly 18 years ago I picked up this hobby and have gotten a little better but that's it. I cant runout for sh~t anymore. And my Gold Crown IV, now with the 4.25 inch pockets, is even stingier than ever off the break. I broke 44 times this afternoon and evening and had one good chance to runout and one decent chance to runout. 2 out of 42. The other 42 times were hopeless for anybody. And I hosed up both chances I had.

Maybe I should just sell everything and give up. The way things are right now that sounds like a good idea. I am just beating my head against the wall right now.

r/Mike

I'm no instructor, but the most important question is....What type of wall is it?

Some people will be along shortly to give you answers and suggestions. Don't give up just yet.

 

[BeiberLvr]

Geez, I cant even make this draw shot anymore. It doesn't really get any more simple than this. It took me five (5) tries to make this a while ago.

r/Mike


https://pad.chalkysticks.com/09936

What exactly are you looking for when you make these constant self deprecating posts?

You've received countless bits of excellent advice here, and I'm sure from the many instructors you've had outside these forums. I'm assuming you've put in the work and the practice, but it's going to take time. It's like you expect to have this game mastered the minute you get some advice.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[bbb]

bowling is fun...:grin:

 

[oldroller]

Well then

Adios,how much for the table?

 

[Barnabus McDoug]

This has been going on for over 12 years. You sir, get two thumbs down.

Post from 4-20-2004

i lost it friday night, just lost it. after another frustrating night of racking and breaking with hardly any decent chances to run out i lost it.

the clincher was when on 3 straight breaks i made a ball and 3 straight times a ball rolled into my path at the last moment. i totally lost it on the 3rd time. i threw the sneaky pete, it shattered into a few pieces. i grabbed a couple of balls and slung them, one went through my paneling. i was pretty much yelling at the top of my lungs like a crazy man.

i am going to place my Bible on the table when i get home tonight, and get some of that Holy Water the Catholics use and sprinkle the table. at this point in time i will try anything. i am at my wits end.

M

Post from 4-26-2004

well, i might have learned my lesson tonight. started racking and breaking again tonight, ran a couple of racks in a row early on. went to supper, had a cigar, watched some Cardinals baseball. back to break and rack some more, ran 3 more racks, back up to finish the cigar and some more cardinal baseball.

so i go down about 9:30, and for the next hour or so absolutely no luck whatsoever. never had a shot, had droughts of no balls going in, balls roll into my path, cue ball getting kicked in, etc, etc, etc. i was so mad and frustrated i couldnt hardly see straight. finally after about an hour of this frustration i make 3 balls, and of course, the '5' ball rolls right into the path between the '1' and cue ball.

i couldnt hold it in any longer, and i lost it again, grabbed what was left of the cue i broke, and flung it as hard as i could. wish i wouldnt have done that. it hit my old buddy Tom "Dr. Cue" Rossman's autographed pic that i had in a glass frame and broke it, pieces of glass went everywhere. i had to spend a long time cleaning up glass, and running the vacuum. managed to even cut myself ever so slightly a couple of times.

hopefully i've learned my lesson now.
i just hope and pray one of these days i will quit going through those long streaks of not having any chance of running out. i take this game oh so very seriously, have a burning desire to get better, and this crap frustrates the living sh-- out of me. seems like it just goes on and on and on and on and on and on. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

DCP

Post from 4-29-2004

well, bet ya cant guess what i did tonight? another miserable, miserable night of racking and breaking. screwed up 2-3 racks right from the get go, then ran one very shortly thereafter. the next couple of hours was pure misery again.

no rolls, nothing but horrible spreads, balls constantly rolling into my way, and the last one that caused me to lose it was when i hit one into my side pocket at an angle that it surely should have gone and it popped out for some reason. i am gonna get pics of the way that cloth is cut and post them here for everyone to look at and tell me what you's think.

anyway, that was the final straw tonight. i grabbed the cue ball, and let out a quite loud yell of frustration, and flung the cue ball as hard as i could. knocked one of my Dog/Pool pictures off the wall, and the cue ball went right through the paneling, through the insulation, and into the garage. i think it clanged off my new 4 Wheeler, i never did find it out there.

DCP

Post from 1-6-2005

tonight was a horrible, horrible night at the table for me. the rolls were horrible, my play was horrible, and i bet Helen Keller could have beat me like a drum tonight. i broke rack after rack after rack after rack, and only managed to run out once. however, most of the time the balls just didnt roll good for me, i probably only had a handful of really good opportunities where i felt i really screwed up.

i am sort of at that stage where i just dont know what to do. something tells me i should just give up, and not try and get any better, and just hit em around like a weekend player/beer drinker. but then again, there's an old saying that goes "Winners Never Quit."

no, i didnt break anything tonight, but i did fire the '1' ball off the table, and lost it behind the insulation, but i did eventually find it. plus i took a sideways jab at a ball with my Predator Shaft, and fortunately i let up just enough where it didnt hurt it.

dunno what else to do.
perhaps the only thing left to do is try the hypnosis thing.

sorry for ranting and complaining again.

DCP

Post from 9-30-2005

28 breaks, and only one (1) chance to runout, and it was very difficult. had a stretch of about 7-8 racks where nothing went in. and of course, had the usual occur, that being having no chance at all several times, and a handful of spreads where i failed to get a shot by about 1/8" of an inch, which as always is very frustrating.

after about the 25th break, when the 4-Ball rolled up on the cue ball, thus giving me no shot by about 1/16 of an inch, i just flung the cue down on the table, and stood there and stared in disgust for a couple of minutes.

the next break, 2 balls went in, and had no shot. the next break nothing went down. the 28th, and last, break i made 3 balls, and i stood there and watched in disbelief as the 8-Ball rolled up at the last moment in between the cue ball and the 2-Ball.

at that point in time i just couldnt take it anymore. i actually knelt down and began to cry. yes, i cried. it finally got the best of me. i spend TONS and TONS and TONS of hours practicing, working on things, and these HORRIBLE spreads and rolls just continue to plague me.

after about 5 minutes of just sitting on the floor, asking The Lord why this always happens to me, i just put the cues away, shut the lights out, and gave up for the evening.

i'm not sure what my future in pool is now, or even if there is a future. maybe i should do like some recommend and take 2 weeks off, then quit. i just dont know what to do about getting these horrible rolls 98% of the time. i am at my wits end. giving up seems like its rapidly becoming the logical conclusion at this point in time.

DCP

Post from 5-23-2006

my bad luck/rolls just continue and continue. 90% of the time i dont have any chance to run out. and 5% of the time it would take a superman to get the rack out.

that leaves 5%. so, what usually happens is as soon as i start to break the bad rolls and impossible spreads start, i get down in the dumps, usually mutter out loud "Well, Here We Go Again" or "Great, Another Night Of This Sh~t" and it just snowballs from there.

then, of that remaining 5%, when i do get a chance, i am so mad and frustrated that i cant even make a gimme and i am useless the rest of the evening.

i dont know how many times last night balls would just simply roll into my way/path, and block me.

i have to be the unluckiest breaker in the history of 9-Ball...........

DCP

Post from 6-25-2006

i am worthless.

i get fooled on shots as to where the cue ball is going, i miss shots i have practiced 10,000 times, i fail to run racks that are just about a cosmo, my speed is off, i have no confidence, i ask myself out loud why the balls did what they did when i know it was me that screwed things up, i blame shots not going in on the side pockets (might be some truth to this), and just am generally not a very good player.

DCP

Post from 9-1-2006

i came oh so close to grabbing the '5' Ball and firing it through the paneling last night. my bad luck just amazes me sometimes. after working on some shots for about an hour, i decide to break some racks and see how things go. of course, it was another night of horrible rolls off the break. after about 2 hours of this and only a handful of decent chances (a couple i ran out, a couple i messed up) i decided i was going to end on a high note and stay here until i ran the next rack.

for the next 30 minutes there was just no chance, none, zero, zilch, off the break. i am getting exasperated, and finally on the next break the balls began to fall left and right. they were finding the pockets everywhere, and i ended up pocketing five (5) balls on the break! then i notice the spread i was left, which is the WEI diagram below. i just gave up. said the heck with it. unscrewed the cue, turned the lights out, and gave up.

perhaps i should just take two weeks off, and then quit.

Post from 7-6-2007

the break shot in 9-Ball just kills me anymore. i cant get any decent spreads, dont make balls, end up with hail mary type layouts that only Efren on his BEST day could run out. this has been going on and on and on and on and on for years and years and years and years.

DCP

Post from 7-12-2007

i was suffering from horrible rolls off the break tonight, and when i did have a couple of chances i managed to mess them up. i had the below spread to finally run a rack, and i have no idea what happened after that. i thought i was going to finally run a rack. i hit the 8-Ball pretty hard, it rattled around the pocket before it fell in, but.............

THE CUE BALL JUST DIED COMING OFF THE RAIL!!!

and i ended up around Point A with no shot, and another botched runout. i got so mad!!! i KNOW i hit that shot too hard if anything, i dont know what happened!!! i was so mad and frustrated i just grabbed the cue ball and slammed it down on the table, and it bounces up and into my lights, and just smashes one of my long 4 foot flourescent lights and glass and pieces of the light are splattered all over my table.

i sat down on my chair, and just stared at the mess, wondering what i have to do? its like the laws of physics dont apply when i play. finally i got up and picked up the big pieces of glass, went upstairs and got my sweeper and swept up ever so gingerly the smaller pieces off the cloth. i dont believe there is any damage done. i was lucky. i replaced the light and am back in business.

DCP

Post from 12-21-2007

just never going to get there? in spite of all the time and practice you put in at the table? in spite of all the nice equipment you have? in spite of all the lessons you take? in spite of the occassional really good night when you think its all starting to come together? in spite of all of the books/dvds/espn shows/magazines you accumulate?

DCP

Post from 10-19-2010

some may recall a few years ago how i always - and i mean ALWAYS - complained about the horrible, horrible luck/rolls i get off the break. in case anyone is wondering, it continues to go on and on to this day.

DCP

Post from 6-3-2016

I am at my wits end. No progress at all. Nearly 18 years ago I picked up this hobby and have gotten a little better but that's it. I cant runout for sh~t anymore. And my Gold Crown IV, now with the 4.25 inch pockets, is even stingier than ever off the break. I broke 44 times this afternoon and evening and had one good chance to runout and one decent chance to runout. 2 out of 42. The other 42 times were hopeless for anybody. And I hosed up both chances I had.

Maybe I should just sell everything and give up. The way things are right now that sounds like a good idea. I am just beating my head against the wall right now.

r/Mike

 

[FranCrimi]

I am at my wits end. No progress at all. Nearly 18 years ago I picked up this hobby and have gotten a little better but that's it. I cant runout for sh~t anymore. And my Gold Crown IV, now with the 4.25 inch pockets, is even stingier than ever off the break. I broke 44 times this afternoon and evening and had one good chance to runout and one decent chance to runout. 2 out of 42. The other 42 times were hopeless for anybody. And I hosed up both chances I had.

Maybe I should just sell everything and give up. The way things are right now that sounds like a good idea. I am just beating my head against the wall right now.

r/Mike

You have to start setting smaller goals. You're trying to do too much all at once. Forget about break and run. It's not that important unless you're competing against a monster player.


The break is a completely different animal. If you really want to practice your break, then that's all you should do for that session -- break, observe the results, and rack. Make an adjustment, then break, observe the results, and rack. Repeat for as many hours as you can stand it, and keep making adjustments along the way.

Do not try to run out if you get a good break. That's not what practicing your break is about. Trying to run out will only diminish your energy, and you will need every bit of it to practice your break.


If you want to practice running out, then throw out the balls on the table and practice running out. No breaking.

You and 98 percent of the people who play pool are not ready to put breaking and running out together in practice. The only thing you will accomplish is to exhaust yourself and drive yourself crazy.

 

[Colonel]

You have to start setting smaller goals. You're trying to do too much all at once. Forget about break and run. It's not that important unless you're competing against a monster player.


The break is a completely different animal. If you really want to practice your break, then that's all you should do for that session -- break, observe the results, and rack. Make an adjustment, then break, observe the results, and rack. Repeat for as many hours as you can stand it, and keep making adjustments along the way.

Do not try to run out if you get a good break. That's not what practicing your break is about. Trying to run out will only diminish your energy, and you will need every bit of it to practice your break.


If you want to practice running out, then throw out the balls on the table and practice running out. No breaking.

You and 98 percent of the people who play pool are not ready to put breaking and running out together in practice. The only thing you will accomplish is to exhaust yourself and drive yourself crazy.

Good advice here, free of charge. If what you're doing isn't working you have to approach it differently or it doesn't change.

 

[justadub]

If you aren't enjoying playing this game, then sure, give up. I'm an advocate for people to stop doing things they don't like doing. Pretty deep, huh?

That doesn't mean I like to encourage anyone to "give up" on anything. I just recognize too many people that are genuinely unhappy. I've been one of those people at times. Do what makes you happy, if at all possible.

Personally, I think you're just frustrated, and expect too much. That doesn't mean you should give up. Only you can say if its really that bad. If you can't find any enjoyment out of playing pool, after all this time (and money) invested, well that's pretty sad.

I get frustrated with my game too, sometimes fairly often. Still, I love playing pool. That's what keeps me coming back, and trying to find even some small amount of improvement, in some area. I also try to play pool with friends when I can, because....wait for it.....it's fun. There is a time for serious pool, and there should always time for fun, too.

Don't really have to be an instructor for this one.

 

[M.G.]

Start to go back and enjoy the game. It's a game! Invite friendly people, play and have fun again.

If you want to practise, practise one thing, for example the break. Adjust and try. Go for medium speed and control.

Try buying another (cheap) cue you'd normally would not have.
A players with a skinny shaft, a Snooker cue (~9mm), a heavier cue, a lighter cue. It doesn't matter. Now try and feel the difference to your normal cue, try out stuff without expecting anything, getting a new feeling.

Don't ever mix up your person and your self worth with the result of the game.

Some nights I've been unbeatable, actually running some 20 balls in 14.1
Some nights the break really works and a couple of shots afterwards, too. No run outs.
Some nights I cannot get position at all.
Some nights I cannot play cut shots, I cannot play straights.
Some nights the white has a magical attraction to the pockets.

But I enjoy playing with a friend, laughing, talking about how to play the next shot.
And that's what it's about.

Cheers,
M

 

[StraightPoolIU]

You have to start setting smaller goals. You're trying to do too much all at once. Forget about break and run. It's not that important unless you're competing against a monster player.


The break is a completely different animal. If you really want to practice your break, then that's all you should do for that session -- break, observe the results, and rack. Make an adjustment, then break, observe the results, and rack. Repeat for as many hours as you can stand it, and keep making adjustments along the way.

Do not try to run out if you get a good break. That's not what practicing your break is about. Trying to run out will only diminish your energy, and you will need every bit of it to practice your break.


If you want to practice running out, then throw out the balls on the table and practice running out. No breaking.

You and 98 percent of the people who play pool are not ready to put breaking and running out together in practice. The only thing you will accomplish is to exhaust yourself and drive yourself crazy.

Sorry for bumping a thread that is a couple weeks old, but I thought this post was such excellent advice. It's something I guess I inherently knew because I almost never practice breaking and running. I practice my break separately, and when I practice run outs I usually play the ghost. I never really thought about why I do it that, way but this makes so much sense.

 

[BeiberLvr]

Sorry for bumping a thread that is a couple weeks old, but I thought this post was such excellent advice. It's something I guess I inherently knew because I almost never practice breaking and running. I practice my break separately, and when I practice run outs I usually play the ghost. I never really thought about why I do it that, way but this makes so much sense.

I agree. My problem is when I'm working on just my break, if I get a good break, I just CAN'T at least try to run out.

 

[randyg]

What is the definition of insanity?

Mike, sounds like you need to change your way of thinking.

randyg

 

[Ralph Kramden]

I am at my wits end. No progress at all. Nearly 18 years ago I picked up this hobby and have gotten a little better but that's it. I cant runout for sh~t anymore. And my Gold Crown IV, now with the 4.25 inch pockets, is even stingier than ever off the break. I broke 44 times this afternoon and evening and had one good chance to runout and one decent chance to runout. 2 out of 42. The other 42 times were hopeless for anybody. And I hosed up both chances I had.

Maybe I should just sell everything and give up. The way things are right now that sounds like a good idea. I am just beating my head against the wall right now.

r/Mike

If your playing the ghost always give yourself ball in hand after the break. Trying to run out every time from where the cue ball lies after breaking balls, is very difficult for everyone.

Try this game.... http://sites.google.com/site/poolandbilliard/Home/1-2-3 .... See how many times you run out. BIH after every break. If you can't do it, breaking isn't your problem.

.

 

[BilliardsAbout]

I am at my wits end. No progress at all. Nearly 18 years ago I picked up this hobby and have gotten a little better but that's it. I cant runout for sh~t anymore. And my Gold Crown IV, now with the 4.25 inch pockets, is even stingier than ever off the break. I broke 44 times this afternoon and evening and had one good chance to runout and one decent chance to runout. 2 out of 42. The other 42 times were hopeless for anybody. And I hosed up both chances I had.

Maybe I should just sell everything and give up. The way things are right now that sounds like a good idea. I am just beating my head against the wall right now.

r/Mike

I appreciate that you ask good questions here at the forums, but you should let Dr. Cue, or me or some other good instructor give you a lesson in person. I've had quite a few players come to me in a plateau or downward spiral and get back on their feet in just a single hands-on lesson. So have other teachers here, many times.

 

[pooltchr]

Sometimes it's just some little thing you may not even be aware of that is throwing you off. Spend some time with a qualified instructor. Internet forums have limitations that you don't find with an instructor standing by your side.

 

[Plagueis]

Maybe start playing 8 ball?

Either way I'm sure nobody got better at anything by getting upset

 

[GoldCrown]

Take a short break. Relax and start again.

 

[bbb]

Take a short break. Relax and start again.

take a short break ....relax .....try bowling...:thumbup:

 

[Nonyamuff]

I got down for a bit due to I was thinking too far ahead. If I was looking 4 balls ahead I would miss the second shot. I had to cut back to next ball thinking for a while then gradually work back up to planning runs.