It's bugging me and I want some answers.

P

poolmaster

Devilish
Silver Member
Why do we continue on making the same mistakes over and over again?
This problem is bugging the crap out of me. If it was only me doing it then
I would be forced to believe that I have some kind of mental problem but
everybody does it, even pros.

It would be easy to explain if you were not aware that you making a
mistake. We are aware of what not to do and we still continue on doing it.

Example #1 - Taking shots for granted. How many times are we guilty
of that sin?

Example # 2 - If you're down on the table and ready to shoot but
something doesn't feel right but you still execute the shot. We all are
guilty of it.

Makes me laugh to see that we preach to other people about what not
to do but we do it ourselves. The solution seems so simple, just don't
do it , so why are we keeping on doing it?:confused::confused::confused:
 
Lack of focus. Its what seperates us from the world champs. Focus. And they extra focus over the years is what makes the difference
 
easy to say - hard to do

Mere mortals are allowed only moments of perfection
But you must keep trying,not with your methods and muscles
but with your spirit
The times you get there make up for all the failures
EVEN THE BEST ARE ONLY TOURISTS IN THE LAND OF DEAD STROKE
....that's how i read the entrails
 
poolmaster said:
Why do we continue on making the same mistakes over and over again?
This problem is bugging the crap out of me. If it was only me doing it then
I would be forced to believe that I have some kind of mental problem but
everybody does it, even pros.

It would be easy to explain if you were not aware that you making a
mistake. We are aware of what not to do and we still continue on doing it.

Example #1 - Taking shots for granted. How many times are we guilty
of that sin?

Example # 2 - If you're down on the table and ready to shoot but
something doesn't feel right but you still execute the shot. We all are
guilty of it.

Makes me laugh to see that we preach to other people about what not
to do but we do it ourselves. The solution seems so simple, just don't
do it , so why are we keeping on doing it?:confused::confused::confused:
Click to expand...


Your post got me thinking about a guy I use to play about twenty years ago. We would meet every afternoon and play 9 ball for $2 a game. The guy was a meal ticket and would go off for $30-40 bucks every day. This went on for a couple of years.

The guy would make the same mistakes all the time. One example: He would be up table with his cue ball and have an object ball near a corner pocket down table within a few inches of the rail with his next ball up table near the head rail. He would hit the object ball full in the face with extreme high english and of course, the cue ball die on the end rail because of the high english. He would always stand up and scratch his head and wonder why the cue ball would never come back up table.

I started feeling sorry for him and after about six months of watching this happen on a daily basis, I showed him how to hit the shot. The next time we played, it was like I'd never said a word.

I ran into him about six months ago and watched him play a little. Guess what? Whack! with high english, full in the face, cue ball stalls. He still stood up and scratched his head afterwards. LOL

Some people never learn.

Stones
 
" If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten"

Think of how many times you have put 4-5 hrs in shooting ONE shot that you have a problem with??? Can't think of it? We are all guilty.
 
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I'm really curious if anybody can come up with an answer. Maybe this is
one of those things, that you just can't explain it. This isn't only few
people's problem, it's everyone's. This game seems so complicated
sometimes, it drives me up the wall.:eek:
 
For me, the reason most of these type of things happen is two fold.
One, the shot is easy, or shoud I say easily makeable, so I get lazy. I don't put the same mental effort in it as I would on a much more difficult shot.

Two, lack of discipline. If the shot doesn't feel right, I have to have the discipline to MAKE myself get up and start all over. Just like in Vegas, I have to get up from the black jack table when I'm ahead rather that sit there and give it all back. It's hard to get up while you winning...it takes discipline.
Those are my two cents.
 
Well, from what I've seen in the 50yrs of pool. Divorce your wife, forsake your kids, disown your family, take a few drugs and things will clear up so you can focus. :banghead:
 
3andstop said:
Well, from what I've seen in the 50yrs of pool. Divorce your wife, forsake your kids, disown your family, take a few drugs and things will clear up so you can focus. :banghead:
Click to expand...

Sheesh...maybe I should just take up knitting!
 
Someone smarter than me said this:

"Doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result, is the definition of insanity."

Knitting may be a good option, of course then that one bad knot will give you nightmares..
 
Man'o'man;

Post #1, especially example #2 describes me to a tee. I always swear that next time I'll straighten up and take another look but then I forget.

I plead old age, what's your excuse.

Dave Nelson
 
I'm guilty too. My worst habit is changing my mind or not being confident when I am down on a shot and not getting up to reset. I do it all the time and probably miss 75% of the time.
 
poolmaster said:
Why do we continue on making the same mistakes over and over again?
This problem is bugging the crap out of me. If it was only me doing it then
I would be forced to believe that I have some kind of mental problem but
everybody does it, even pros.

It would be easy to explain if you were not aware that you making a
mistake. We are aware of what not to do and we still continue on doing it.

Example #1 - Taking shots for granted. How many times are we guilty
of that sin?

Example # 2 - If you're down on the table and ready to shoot but
something doesn't feel right but you still execute the shot. We all are
guilty of it.

Makes me laugh to see that we preach to other people about what not
to do but we do it ourselves. The solution seems so simple, just don't
do it , so why are we keeping on doing it?:confused::confused::confused:
Click to expand...


We do it because we don't take the time to figure out what's wrong.

It's easy to say we take the "simple" shots for granted. But dig a little deeper and you can learn that the simple shots are, in many cases, not so simple. All the little variations the game demands we master to properly execute one simple shot is easily overlooked. Simple shot with: draw, stop, follow, english, jacked up off a rail, and with a wide variety of distances the cue ball must be sent for the next shot, to name a few. IOW, it's a simple shot, but not really.

But, it's not just the shot itself. It is our mechanics and all the little variations that inevitably sneak in under our radar and change how we setup for each shot. Even the exact same shot can represent a challenge: Are you gripping the cue in the same spot? Standing in the same place? Accomplishing the same footwork? Using the same bridge? Head/eyes in the same locale? Using the same sequence to get into shooting position? Same eye movement? Warm up strokes? Grip adjustment the same? And so all that is a challenge too.

And so what happens? We face the simple shot and get into shooting position (one way or the other) and our wetware instinctively knows something is amiss. And, especially if it's a competitive situation, it's most unlikely that we're going to want to show any lack of confidence and well, getting up and down on a shot is a bit embarrassing. (I guess less so than missing the shot itself.) So we press on, shift our weight a bit, alter the height of our bridge, change the speed of our stroke, and pull the trigger, usually with not so good results.

So what is the answer? I guess more time at the practice table. But that doesn't mean just shooting balls. It means being aware of your body mechanics; trying to be consistent about them, and taking the time and effort to analyze why we miss the simple shot: setting it up again and again until it is consistently made and realizing that the simple shot with follow is not the same simple shot as the simple shot with low left.

Because, after all, that would be a different "simple" shot :-)

Lou Figueroa
 
Paul Mon said:
My signature line says it best..........Paul
Click to expand...

I've loved that line from the first time I heard it! I think it sums up every sporting activity you can think of. I think Lou put it very well. Other than that, I'm not sure there is a real answer.
 
Brain farts

PT109's response was spot on, as well as elegant as hell. We are human beings, my friend. The difference with the pros? They do it less often.
 
How many of us take the same amount of time studying and evaluating a "simple" shot that we do on a really tough shot?
Simple shots allow us to vary our pre-shot routine, and that is not a good thing.
Picture this: You have a 60 degree cut shot into the corner. You walk around and look at the line for the object ball. You get down and line up your cue on the object ball to determine the exact contact point, then return to the cue ball and get ready to shoot.

Now, you have a short 10 degree cut shot into the same pocket. Do you study the shot the same way??????????????

Consistency comes from following the same process on EVERY shot.

Steve
 
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