i think i am losing my love for the game

L

lorider

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Either that or it has gotten to the point I just cant play my best unless it means something.

I used to always be on my game every night.....sure we all have a bad night every now and then. Sometimes here lately its like it just dont matter if I win or lose.....unless I am.losing bad lol.

In Sunday night double jeapordy I faced a 6 in 8 ball in a 5-4 race. I lost 5-0. First time I have ever been shutout in 8 ball. The only other time I have ever faced this guy was in 8 ball ltc's and i won 4-3. After the match my line of thought was..no big deal...i beat him when it mattered.

I wound up facing him in 9 ball later on that night where he is a 7 and I am a 5. Its a 55-38 race. The match started out pretty much like our 8 ball match. He was shooting good and I was shooting bad. After the 3 rd rack I was wondering just how bad it was and asked the scorekeeper what the score was. I was down 6-24. I thought to myself ...dang this guy is outright embarrassing you. Either shoot like you know how or just unscrew your cue right now. Well I caught a gear ...or 2 and went on a 32-20 roll against him and won the match 38-44.

Monday night was a little different. I guess I was in the frame of mind to really shoot. In 8 ball I faced a 500 that I have never seen before. Turns out he never played league before ...just tournaments. I am a 463 and it was a 46-54 race with me going to 46 . I won a close match by 47-51.

I played the same guy in 9 ball later on that night. It was a 62-72 race. He won the first rack 14-0. I thought ..uh oh this aint starting out too good. I went on a roll from the 2nd rack on winning 5 out of the next 6. Winning the 6th rack 14-2 and the 7th and one 14-0. For a 72-37 win. One of my best games in a long while.

Tuesday night tap I guess I was back in a funk like Sunday night. I played 8 ball first and just like Sunday I lost 5-0 in a 5-3 race. My 2nd ever shut out loss and they both happened the same week. When I sat down a team mate asked me what happened ? He said you played him a few weeks ago in the finals and shut him out. I replied that tonight did not matter....last time was for 1,200.00. My team mates laughed at that.

Later on I played 9 ball in a 4-3 race with me going to 3. Just like Sunday I am down 2-0 real quick. Again I say...either put up your cue or start shooting. I win the next 3 In a row to win the match 3-2.

I just cant figure out why my head aint in it every night like it was Monday night. Shouldn't be losing matches like I am and definitely should not be shut out like I was.
 
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You are going down the undeniable path of a player. It has to mean something. That something is money pure and simple. League is for funsies. Money is for real. Wanna REALLY see how good you are , bet $$$.
 
lorider said:
Either that or it has gotten to the point I just cant play my best unless it means something.

I used to always be on my game every night.....sure we all have a bad night every now and then. Sometimes here lately its like it just dont matter if I win or lose.....unless I am.losing bad lol.

In Sunday night double jeapordy I faced a 6 in 8 ball in a 5-4 race. I lost 5-0. First time I have ever been shutout in 8 ball. The only other time I have ever faced this guy was in 8 ball ltc's and i won 4-3. After the match my line of thought was..no big deal...i beat him when it mattered.

I wound up facing him in 9 ball later on that night where he is a 7 and I am a 5. Its a 55-38 race. The match started out pretty much like our 8 ball match. He was shooting good and I was shooting bad. After the 3 rd rack I was wondering just how bad it was and asked the scorekeeper what the score was. I was down 6-24. I thought to myself ...dang this guy is outright embarrassing you. Either shoot like you know how or just unscrew your cue right now. Well I caught a gear ...or 2 and went on a 32-20 roll against him and won the match 38-44.

Monday night was a little different. I guess I was in the frame of mind to really shoot. In 8 ball I faced a 500 that I have never seen before. Turns out he never played league before ...just tournaments. I am a 463 and it was a 46-54 race with me going to 46 . I won a close match by 47-51.

I played the same guy in 9 ball later on that night. It was a 62-72 race. He won the first rack 14-0. I thought ..uh oh this aint starting out too good. I went on a roll from the 2nd rack on winning 5 out of the next 6. Winning the 6th rack 14-2 and the 7th and one 14-0. For a 72-37 win. One of my best games in a long while.

Tuesday night tap I guess I was back in a funk like Sunday night. I played 8 ball first and just like Sunday I lost 5-0 in a 5-3 race. My 2nd ever shut out loss and they both happened the same week. When I sat down a team mate asked me what happened ? He said you played him a few weeks ago in the finals and shut him out. I replied that tonight did not matter....last time was for 1,200.00. My team mates laughed at that.

Later on I played 9 ball in a 4-3 race with me going to 3. Just like Sunday I am down 2-0 real quick. Again I say...either put up your cue or start shooting. I win the next 3 In a row to win the match 3-2.

I just cant figure out why my head aint in it every night like it was Monday night. Shouldn't be losing matches like I am and definitely should not be shut out like I was.
Click to expand...

Take up one pocket!
 
Man. Sorry to see you're having a hard time and not
able to really enjoy yourself.
Do you have some stuff going on in other areas
that might be the cause of your distractions?
Stress is the mother of all factors.
Leads to depression. All sorts of imbalances can occur.
You playing with the same stick or switched up?
New equipment can upset your groove for a little.
As long as you enjoy playing, the frustrations are temporary. Ride it out and ask others to see if they
notice you've developed any new bad habits.
If you haven't changed the way you play the game,
maybe it's something else???
I really hope you keep on with it.
Pool is some the best meditation and therapy out there.
I couldn't imagine giving it up freely.
 
According to your rank in league and Fargo, you are about a C, C+ player, it's not odd to lose at that level, even with handicaps. You would have a lot of misses and mistakes which means you give your opponent chances to win. I am betting your losses where not you running out then missing a single ball or making one mistake, there were likely several back and forth shots during a game. Once you start running out, you will be giving your opponent less chances to take a game from you..

I've lost 3-0 to people I beat 6-1 or 6-0 other weeks. Last Wed weekly I lost to someone that made maybe 6 shots the whole match and lost 4-2 because I hung up two 9 balls and setup a dead combo on the 9 when trying a safe. He'd miss, I would run 7-8 balls, then miss the 9, lose. It should have been a 5-1 win for me if I did not set him up for those wins.
 
You are a member of several leagues it sounds like. Maybe you are suffering a little burn out. If you are in a spot where your team is good enough to win without you, maybe you should spend a few weeks either on vacation from pool, or show up and just do the scoring...I find a lot of the time a small break is just what the doctor ordered
 
Ive been havi g the same issues lately & i 100% think its due to stress & depression. Ive been getting spanked lately at league. As a matter of fact, im 0-3 so far this new session. However, i have severe back issues but i only shoot 1 night a week just to get out of the house. Im super depressed because the back issues keep me in the house all day everyday & super stressed trying to get approved for permanent disability. Alli do is worry about things & i really believe its affecting my play.
 
You know lo, you play an awful lot. Maybe you should just cut back some for a while.
Just go with the one(s) that are fun for a couple of seasons. Weren't you playing
with your girl friend for a while a little bit ago? That had to be kinda fun, and if you're in
a situation where you can play mostly when you want to, like not every week, you know.

I think you play a lot and I think you put a lot of pressure on yourself to do well and take
care of your team. Maybe just lay back for a while, for a couple of seasons with out the
pressure of being captain, see if the desire doesn't come back like next summer.

I don't know what the weather's like where you are, but this time of year can be like
"weather death" for me, I hate it and there are days or weeks that I don't feel like
doing anything.

Did you say one of your APA teams already qualified for LTC's? Stick with that one.
Around next Spring the sun comes back, the days warm up to shorts and t-shirt weather,
a cold beer or tall margarita is always better, maybe the prospect of a trip to Las Vegas
with friends will light that fire again. Just a thought
 
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People do age, get under stress and want it too bad that it worries them.
Its time for break and some rest and take up One Pocket that improves all games.
 
I played one pocket with a friend for a few hours one time . Aint bashing the game at all but its not my cup of tea.

Things have not exactly been hunky dory at work lately but most times I leave those problem behind when I leave the job. Depressed ? Kinda been that way for the last 12 years since my business folded lol. Nah seriously....i got over that several years ago and count my blessings every day that I am in decent health for being 63.

I have an old injury to my shooting hand that flares up every now and then ...bit its been an ongoing issue for the last 5 years.

Too many league nights ? That's a possibility. I am the captain of 2 apa teams and am more or less obligated to be there but i do usually miss a night or 2 during a session. Some nights I choose not to play and just keep score. I did not show up.to either usapl or tap last week simply because i did not want to go. So yea...getting burnt out is a possibility.
 
I'm gonna get some flack from this but here's my DR Phil moment,

You have the ability to play well and probably have. But in your own mind you think your current true ability is your A game , So when your true speed shows up (your B game) you have good but fair matches and you don't think much about it win or lose. Now bring into play your C game which creeps in more than anyone will admit you start to dismiss the importance of the game or downplay the effort to match the results to save your pride (in your own head, no one cares about your game other than yourself anyway)

Most true athletes have done this one form or another and the only real remedy is to be truly honest with your abilities and expectations. And when your A game shows up ride that sucker for all it's worth until it fades, then play your best until it shows up again! Eventually the swing will become closer and closer. The key is self honesty! Play every game with no excuses
 
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Celophanewrap said:
You know lo, you play an awful lot. Maybe you should just cut back some for a while.
Just go with the one(s) that are fun for a couple of seasons. Weren't you playing
with your girl friend for a while a little bit ago? That had to be kinda fun, and if you're in
a situation where you can play mostly when you want to, like not every week, you know.

I think you play a lot and I think you put a lot of pressure on yourself to do well and take
care of your team. Maybe just lay back for a while, for a couple of seasons with out the
pressure of being captain, see if the desire doesn't come back like next summer.

I don't know what the weather's like where you are, but this time of year can be like
"weather death" for me, I hate it and there are days or weeks that I don't feel like
doing anything.

Did you say one of your APA teams already qualified for LTC's? Stick with that one.
Around next Spring the sun comes back, the days warm up to shorts and t-shirt weather,
a cold beer or tall margarita is always better, maybe the prospect of a trip to Las Vegas
with friends will light that fire again. Just a thought
Click to expand...

You make some valid points cell about playing too much. Truthfully I was thinking that a while back and quit Tuesday apa 8 ball. After some reflection I also quit Friday night scotch doubles. I wanted to quit Monday night apa double jeapordy but the captain begged me out of it and we compromised to me showing up every other week.

So I was down to a manageable " to me ...not so to others lol " once a month masters on Sunday afternoon..sunday night apa double jeapordy I am captain of and Thursday apa.9 ball I am also captain of.

Then last session tap started in our area on Tuesdays and I was asked to form a team. I said no way in heck. I did want to see what tap was like and did agree to join a team. We came in first last session in 8 ball and won 1200.00.

Usapl started up this session on Mondays and the lo just happens to be the guy who was captain of my Monday team o had been wanting to quit. So I just had to try out usapl lol. So now I am back to Sunday,Monday,Tuesday,and Thursday.

Now about the girlfriend situation. She is now and ex girlfriend and no it was not all that great playing with her . She hated time outs called on her but I just could not help myself when I saw her start to make a mistake.

There are times I just dont want to leave the house and go play.

Kinda obligated on the 2 teams I am captain of. Tap is pretty cool. Short races and not very many low rated players.

I am really digging usapl. Its new to all of us ...including the lo and its been a learning curve with various rules. We had been playing much like tap but had some new rules added this week...only the 3 rd week ..no 4 weeks. I skipped Las week just cause I did not want to go. We changed to alternating break...rack your own and the 9 is wild like apa . We were calling the 9. A few more lower level players in this league than tap but not bad.

Doing some soul searching about quitting one of my apa teams but probly won't lol.
 
BmoreMoney said:
You are going down the undeniable path of a player. It has to mean something. That something is money pure and simple. League is for funsies. Money is for real. Wanna REALLY see how good you are , bet $$$.
Click to expand...



Quite the opposite. Your too stressed, that's why your inconsistent. Your too focused on winning, not playing and enjoying yourself. You don't need to win at pool to pay your bills so there is really no reason to bet on your performance. Go back to having fun.
 
mvp said:
I'm gonna get some flack from this but here's my DR Phil moment,

You have the ability to play well and probably have. But in your own mind you think your current true ability is your A game , So when your true speed shows up (your B game) you have good but fair matches and you don't think much about it win or lose. Now bring into play your C game which creeps in more than anyone will admit you start to dismiss the importance of the game or downplay the effort to match the results to save your pride (in your own head, no one cares about your game other than yourself anyway)

Most true athletes have done this one form or another and the only real remedy is to be truly honest with your abilities and expectations. And when your A game shows up ride that sucker for all it's worth until it fades, then play your best until it shows up again! Eventually the swing will become closer and closer. The key is self honesty! Play every game with no excuses
Click to expand...

I really appreciate your I put DR. Phil. No sarcasm Intended....just the flak you was expecting lol. It just may be that I dismiss a loss as not being important...to soothe my ego. Truthfully I don't have much of an ego.I honestly dont think I am as good as people have claimed I am. Even my lo has jumped on the you are better than your handicap when I beat a 9 by 15-5 in our last 9 ball ltc's .

I know it a fact that people dont always play their best every time out. Just too many variables to mention that affect your game. What I want to know dr Phil is why I wait until an opponent is putting the smack down on me during a match before I bring my A
game out of storage. Perfect example is Sunday playing a 7 in 9 ball. He outscores me 4-1 in the first 3 racks for a score of me 6... Him 24. I find out what the score is and out score him 2-1 the rest of the match and win 38-44. S/ l 5's should not be capable of doing that and consequently I have been called a sandbagger a boat load of times. Honestly I do not sandbag. Its just a problem focusing sometimes until I am losing bad .

So what's your opinion dr Phil ?
 
Cory in DC said:
Take up one pocket!
Click to expand...

Yes indeedie. I did a few years and it renewed/increased my love for pool. I play for fun...no betting. It's game in a game. A game that never gets mastered and keeps a player thinking. It's adrenaline. To a new player its a new beginning. Don't get tired or disgusted with pool...start over with 1P.
 
I'm in the same boat as you. Too much pool can be a bad thing. Started playing in APA again last year in the summer after a few years off. Did pretty good just shooting 9 ball for a session, but then got talked into joining a 8 ball team as well. Luckily they were on the same night so it just meant one long pool night which is not necessarily bad cause you get your money's worth.

Then my old BCA team wanted to get together again and that was third team I joined. This league is on Tuesday nights which I knew would probably start to suck a few weeks into the session due to the back-to-back nights. Ended up not being half as bad as I thought cause most of the guys are old college friends, so it was more fun than serious. Did all three teams for another 2 sessions.

Finally, I got talked into joining a TAP league this summer/fall session making it 4 teams. So every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I am/was at the pool hall. Truthfully, this league is probably the most competitive and fun to be in, but I am too burned out and don't care anymore.

You know whats worse than shooting bad? Not caring and not wanting to play while being essentially forced to play. So...it's time for a break. Come back and shoot when you want to and have the itch to play again. It will be back sooner than you think.
 
LHP5 said:
I'm in the same boat as you. Too much pool can be a bad thing. Started playing in APA again last year in the summer after a few years off. Did pretty good just shooting 9 ball for a session, but then got talked into joining a 8 ball team as well. Luckily they were on the same night so it just meant one long pool night which is not necessarily bad cause you get your money's worth.

Then my old BCA team wanted to get together again and that was third team I joined. This league is on Tuesday nights which I knew would probably start to suck a few weeks into the session due to the back-to-back nights. Ended up not being half as bad as I thought cause most of the guys are old college friends, so it was more fun than serious. Did all three teams for another 2 sessions.

Finally, I got talked into joining a TAP league this summer/fall session making it 4 teams. So every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I am/was at the pool hall. Truthfully, this league is probably the most competitive and fun to be in, but I am too burned out and don't care anymore.

You know whats worse than shooting bad? Not caring and not wanting to play while being essentially forced to play. So...it's time for a break. Come back and shoot when you want to and have the itch to play again. It will be back sooner than you think.
Click to expand...

Yep....you in the same boat as.me.lol. You said it right. Just dont care. Until you start getting a real beat down during a match and the competitive fire starts burning .

I think one thing that really gets me is the travel time now. I used to live in Memphis but now I live in the boon docks. I live 35 miles from work. With rush hour traffic it takes me an hour to get to work. The afternoons are not so bad...usually 45inutes to get home which is around 4:15-4:30. Leave home af at 6:30 at get to most places we play around 7:15 and start league at 7:30. Apa nights ots usually 11:00 or so getting out and getting home close fo 12:00. Get up at 6:00 to go to work and do it all over again the next night for 3 nights in a row. It was not so bad when I lived in Memphis. .. I could be at most places we play in 10 minutes or less. I dont want to sound like Justin but I just can't afford to move back to Memphis right now.

Its not too bad some nights but when I have a hard day at work it makes it rough doing all that driving back and forth on league days. Working 7 hours a day..2 hours travel back amd forth to work ..4 hours at the pool hall. 1 1/2 - 2 hours driving back and forth to the pool hall makes a long day.
 
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Dr phil can't tell you why you wait but....
After I won my first bigger tournament (lucky match ups) I had the same issue. I fooled myself into thinking the game at hand wasn't important and I'd play half heartedly. I'd get down and realize how bad it was and try and make the score less embarrassing. Why you do it, why I did it????? I don't know!!!! but I fixed it by coming to terms with the fact you are only as good as you are in the present, the past wins mean nothing! I don't think it has anything to do with how much you play, it wasn't until I started to really do drills 3-4hrs a day when I realized how great this game was! After do drills for a few months it taught me how important the shot in front of you is, not the game! I basically learned to play each shot as if that was a game by itself. Strive for perfect pocket placement, perfect speed, perfect shape, etc. do this over and over! Doing this removes all thoughts of score, pressure, opponents skill, etc. because you are playing yourself!

It could of been from me playing 20plus hrs a week, the drills etc. but I believe the one shot at a time mindset made the most improvement in my game over anything else I've done! Scores/opponents don't matter but a bunch of perfect shots do!

I do believe people (myself included) have a built in excuse mechanism in their brain that wants to justify poor performance, and I think not trying your best is just an excuse
 
Simple question. Are you playing to win or playing to not lose. I'm no DR Phil either but if your playing to not lose you might be afraid of winning. I did say might.
It's been said before; pool is 99% mental and the rest is in your head. It could be you're just getting bad rolls? Last, have you tried playing some straight pool?
 
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