What do you think holds most players back ?

It could be many things as has already been stated, but maybe we need to define what is meant by 'holds most players back'.

If true desire is there, I would think that the only thing that could hold one back would be ones self or a flat out lack of sufficient talent to gain the ability.

Now as to desire, that can be changed by many things as has also already been stated.

I can't remember where I heard it said or even who said it, but I can hear it, 'I just don't want it any more'. When one says that, it's all over, unless it's a Rocky sequel & Adrian says, 'WIN'.

Maybe that's the knid of Movie the game needs to helps it image.

Just my $0.02.
 
Matt90 said:
Time ? Discipline ? Work /Career ? Family ? or do they get to a comfort level and get ok with staying there ? Just curious what has held others back from getting to where they want to be as a player.I know with me I had to make my career a priority and am building up a new business,I just don't have the time I would like to play and give my all to my work .It's a choice I made and I am ok with it .
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You come to a crossroad and you have to figure out the right way to go or the wrong way. At that point in your life you wont realize you took the wrong way, until you no longer have a wife and family left. Then you wake up! And when the job is gone you really feel the crunch.

But, you can always start all over again and make the right choice, pool or job and family.
Many Regards,
Lock N Load.
 
I think the biggest thing that makes a player is DESIRE to hit a shot well.
Some players get more of a thrill than others....and they can also choke
more than a player that doesn't care as much.

If you've never felt like THIS kid
https://www.google.com/url?url=http...nk+man&usg=AFQjCNHQro_DWhCV_OX7F54h8p4JNIOmKA
on a crucial shot, you'll never play as well as you are capable of.
You get out of the game what you put into it....
...if you don't care too much for the game and don't try hard enough...
...your lack of passion will be justly rewarded.

regards
double hemlock
 
• sloth

There are many things that hold us back both in pool and in life.

Sloth is at the top of the list, imo.
 
I think Robin Dodson and Jay Helfert on a stream of POVPOOL once said something along the lines of pool is just a game. You can be the greatest player that ever lived, but at the end of the day it's just a game. You have to worry about the more important things in life and come back to pool when you can. Don't make it the priority.
 
Yes and No

JoeyA said:
There are many things that hold us back both in pool and in life.

Sloth is at the top of the list, imo.
Click to expand...

Pride is excessive belief in one's own abilities, that interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of God. It has been called the sin from which all others arise. Pride is also known as Vanity.

Sloth is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work.

Joey ,
If we are going as deep as the 7 deadlies here ,let me shed some light on that .Being to prideful and having false belief in your abilities could cause one to slack up and not practice aka sloth.From personal experience I can tell you sloth is tough to overcome..... I found out that if I have passion for what I am doing the sloth all but disapears. Pride however has left many a pool player broke and busted.
 
ChrisBanks said:
As a river diverts in many directions, the strength of the current in each direction diminishes.

And so it is with the river of your mind. Diverge it in many areas, and none of them will be as strong.
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Very nicely stated.

As so many have stated in several different ways, I agree that it's all about money and the ability to make a decent living. Some have different priorities and diffenent levels of drive to be great than others, but there are so many that get sidetracked by having to make a living elsewhere, or elsehow, because they can't do it in pool. It's sad, really, that it's just a part-time hobby for lots of potential greats.

I don't know how much $$$ the top 100 players make gambling...not much elsewhere but probably not enough, as even the top 5 have a tough time in tourneys and cups and such. Look at the $$$ in the top 100 in darts, or fishing, or beach volleyballorgolfortennisororor... Same 'ol stuff, advertising and tv revenue isn't there.
 
Matt90 said:
Pride is excessive belief in one's own abilities, that interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of God. It has been called the sin from which all others arise. Pride is also known as Vanity.
Click to expand...

The above is why whenever I find myself enjoying the way I'm playing too much I remind myself & others that I'm just holding the cue for Him & tommorrow it could all be gone. I try to enjoy it just enough while He allows me to play just well enough to make it enjoyable.

Best Wishes,
 
measureman said:
There it is.
I've been watching pool players for over 50 years and sooner or later most of them reach a certain level and stay there.
It's the same with all other sports or games.
There are always exceptions to this but for most this is the way it is.
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I have played many games in my life, golf, tennis, pool, shooting, fishing, cards and I have noticed everyone has a peak level they reach. If a person has been playing on a regular basis for over five years, chances are they are playing at their top speed. There are exceptions, but this is what I have noticed in the last 40 years. Natural talent is number one in determining the level everyone will reach in all games. I would put dedication number two, and pool would have to be your number one priority to reach a top level. I don't think it wise for anyone to pick pool as your top priority though.
 
Matt90 said:
Time ? Discipline ? Work /Career ? Family ? or do they get to a comfort level and get ok with staying there ? Just curious what has held others back from getting to where they want to be as a player.I know with me I had to make my career a priority and am building up a new business,I just don't have the time I would like to play and give my all to my work .It's a choice I made and I am ok with it .
Click to expand...

Man interesting question, i liked Matt 90 answer,


Maybe the biggest factor is that there is no future in pool, money wise like Golf or other sports, if pool players do that much traveling for a job other than pool they would be paid at least $150k easy, so we take a step back to look after our $$$$$, there goes half if not all your practice time

Significant other and kids will rob your playing time

Private work (your own business) take all your play time, family time, friends time until you are able to depend on someone to run it for you

Pick one of the above to give up for pool sake, provided you still have good health and eye sight, i am sure it is not easy!!!!
 
backplaying said:
I have played many games in my life, golf, tennis, pool, shooting, fishing, cards and I have noticed everyone has a peak level they reach. If a person has been playing on a regular basis for over five years, chances are they are playing at their top speed. There are exceptions, but this is what I have noticed in the last 40 years. Natural talent is number one in determining the level everyone will reach in all games. I would put dedication number two, and pool would have to be your number one priority to reach a top level. I don't think it wise for anyone to pick pool as your top priority though.
Click to expand...

Natural talent is defined as God given talent that cannot be achieved easily by practice, such as good voice, beauty, character, and some.

Pool playing does not need any of the above, and excellence is achieved through hard work, practice, and acquiring good solid knowledge as well as advanced knowledge, so as golf, and many other sports.
Look around, there are close to thousands of pro players are all got natural talent?
Take a good example, Lance Armstrong, everyone though he had gifted heart! it turns out to be he is doping the hell out of himself to win.
 
pt109 said:
Forget the clock, Joey....
.....gonna put you on a sundial.....:smile:
Click to expand...

It is only a little embarassing. :D I really hadn't realized just how much time had passed.

This was the hill-hill game against Robb Saez at CueSports about a year ago. It's a bar table and there are very few balls left on the table. If I miss the object ball, miscue, jump the cue or object ball off the table or scratch, it's really over. There were no safeties that I could conceive. I had practiced this type of shot after watching Joe Villapondo's video for kicking. I really wanted to hit this ball without scratching and was hoping to actually make the ball. The table had a slight lean to it and you couldn't hit any shot very softly or the cue ball would roll off. After practicing probably over two hundred kicks similar to this one (on the 9 foot tables), I thought I knew where the cue ball would go but I just kept counting the diamonds over and over. Then, I would say to myself, "but I may be able to hit the object ball by doing this or what about this?" The possibilities just kept racing around in my head and I kept coming back to "Do what you have the most confidence in" and that's when I settled in and gave 100% to the shot and pulled the trigger. After hitting the object ball, Robb had an almost straight in shot but he couldn't afford to hit the cueball softly so he put a little mustard on it and missed the object ball, leaving me an easy runout.
 
To thine own self be true.

Matt90 said:
Pride is excessive belief in one's own abilities, that interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of God. It has been called the sin from which all others arise. Pride is also known as Vanity.

Sloth is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work.

Joey ,
If we are going as deep as the 7 deadlies here ,let me shed some light on that .Being to prideful and having false belief in your abilities could cause one to slack up and not practice aka sloth.From personal experience I can tell you sloth is tough to overcome..... I found out that if I have passion for what I am doing the sloth all but disapears. Pride however has left many a pool player broke and busted.
Click to expand...

Matt,
I'm not sure pride has much to do with holding one back from pool. All you have to do is put yourself in harm's way (playing in tournaments or gambling with better players) on a regular basis and it will soon become apparent just where you are located on the food chain. If you are constantly saying that the reason that you keep losing is because your opponent got the rolls, or you were just plain unlucky either on the break or you got sharked, or you weren't feeling well or you were nervous, or you didn't hit your high gear or you didn't hit your average gear (you get the idea), then that is just plain stupidity.

When I play against better players, it is a measuring stick for me. The arse whippings humble me and teach me to work on my imperfections of the game, not to make excuses to cover my hurt pride and I believe that it is the same for most players.

Those who think they play better than they really do are far less in numbers than those who just don't want to put in the work.

I hate to say it but I believe that those who think they play better than they really do are not prideful as much as they are delusional.

If you want to make a change, you have to take a look in the mirror.
 
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