Sick of Playing Pool
I hope you find something you can enjoy.
I hope you find something you can enjoy.
OLD THREAD: I'm sick of playing pool... :(
- Thread starter Roy Steffensen
- Start date
Roy, I've dusted off a seat on the rail next to me for youl. :thumbup:
You can still enjoy pool without competing in major tournaments. In fact, when I enjoyed pool the most was when I was playing in my weekly leagues and monthly tournaments at my neighborhood watering hole. I was a 6 out of a 7 on the Busch League in the '70s. I'd say I could hit 'em pretty good, and I must admit, it did feel good spanking the men on a field of green, just to see the embarrassment they exuded when getting "beat by a girl."
Everybody has their specialty. You may excel in some things that others can't, but I will tell you this. My partner told me that he could have never advanced his game without hitting thousands of balls every day. I mean thousands and thousands of balls every day. There is no shortcut. Greatness doesn't come without hard, hard, hard work and practice.
In order for him to achieve greatness, he sacrificed a great deal in his life, but it was his choice. Pool was literally his life, and the older pool player mentors were literally his family.
Today, I like walking away from pool, so that I can earn a living to pay for my humble abode. I enjoy eating prime rib on Christmas and filet mignon once a week. It is nice to shop at high-end stores and buy whatever I want, whenever I want. It is a very secure feeling to have a home and a family that cares about me, to include my Sammy dog.
Some pool players make sacrifices in life to be great. You'd be surprised who's popping pills, drinking alcohol, or smoking marijuana before their tournament matches. They have to do it before the hit their first ball. Some older pool players have passed away, dying alone, with no family or friends to comfort them, and nobody remembered how great they were 20 and 30 years ago. Pool has selective memory, unlike other sports. There is no respect for the great ones, like there is in football, soccer, golf, basketball, baseball, tennis, et cetera.
Maybe the grass isn't greener on the other side of the fence, Roy. Yes, you can still enjoy pool without winning every event you enter, if you want to. Pool should be fun. When it's not, then, yes, take a break, but try to smell the flowers every now and then in your life. If you don't have any flowers, then find them. Pool might be great again after you discover those flowers. I'll bet you have more flowers surrounding you than you may realize.
You can still enjoy pool without competing in major tournaments. In fact, when I enjoyed pool the most was when I was playing in my weekly leagues and monthly tournaments at my neighborhood watering hole. I was a 6 out of a 7 on the Busch League in the '70s. I'd say I could hit 'em pretty good, and I must admit, it did feel good spanking the men on a field of green, just to see the embarrassment they exuded when getting "beat by a girl."
Everybody has their specialty. You may excel in some things that others can't, but I will tell you this. My partner told me that he could have never advanced his game without hitting thousands of balls every day. I mean thousands and thousands of balls every day. There is no shortcut. Greatness doesn't come without hard, hard, hard work and practice.
In order for him to achieve greatness, he sacrificed a great deal in his life, but it was his choice. Pool was literally his life, and the older pool player mentors were literally his family.
Today, I like walking away from pool, so that I can earn a living to pay for my humble abode. I enjoy eating prime rib on Christmas and filet mignon once a week. It is nice to shop at high-end stores and buy whatever I want, whenever I want. It is a very secure feeling to have a home and a family that cares about me, to include my Sammy dog.
Some pool players make sacrifices in life to be great. You'd be surprised who's popping pills, drinking alcohol, or smoking marijuana before their tournament matches. They have to do it before the hit their first ball. Some older pool players have passed away, dying alone, with no family or friends to comfort them, and nobody remembered how great they were 20 and 30 years ago. Pool has selective memory, unlike other sports. There is no respect for the great ones, like there is in football, soccer, golf, basketball, baseball, tennis, et cetera.
Maybe the grass isn't greener on the other side of the fence, Roy. Yes, you can still enjoy pool without winning every event you enter, if you want to. Pool should be fun. When it's not, then, yes, take a break, but try to smell the flowers every now and then in your life. If you don't have any flowers, then find them. Pool might be great again after you discover those flowers. I'll bet you have more flowers surrounding you than you may realize.
I quit for a 10 year period, but not by choice really (well I suppose you could say by choice). I got a DUI 12 years ago and when I lost my license I told myself that if I got caught driving around it would be with a carload of groceries, or while visiting my parents and not leaving a pool hall/bar.
At first it was painful to not play, but by the time I got my license back (at the urging of a very nice officer who caught me driving 2 months after I could get my license back) I just didn't feel like it anymore. Every now and then I would get a spark to play when I saw a table, but the spark didn't make fire.
One of my friends called me out of retirement to help out his league team. I came in and played, just looking for a good time and not caring about winning or losing. After losing two matches in a row the spark turned into forest fire and I started to really love the game again.
My advice is to take some time out and do other stuff. While I was out of pool I joined an ASA softball team and treated batting practice like it was pool....spending hours on the field and eventually knocking any meatball tossed my way over the fence. At the same time I competed in powerlifting and dedicated myself to the point of destroying anyone, but two or three people in my weight class who were juiced to the core.
When I came back all the other things I dedicated myself to helped me enjoy the game a whole lot more. In bench press competitions for example a 2.5lb improvement is as much of a mountain as one extra break and run per/100 racks on average, but sometimes you can't see it till you can compare it to something else.
At first it was painful to not play, but by the time I got my license back (at the urging of a very nice officer who caught me driving 2 months after I could get my license back) I just didn't feel like it anymore. Every now and then I would get a spark to play when I saw a table, but the spark didn't make fire.
One of my friends called me out of retirement to help out his league team. I came in and played, just looking for a good time and not caring about winning or losing. After losing two matches in a row the spark turned into forest fire and I started to really love the game again.
My advice is to take some time out and do other stuff. While I was out of pool I joined an ASA softball team and treated batting practice like it was pool....spending hours on the field and eventually knocking any meatball tossed my way over the fence. At the same time I competed in powerlifting and dedicated myself to the point of destroying anyone, but two or three people in my weight class who were juiced to the core.
When I came back all the other things I dedicated myself to helped me enjoy the game a whole lot more. In bench press competitions for example a 2.5lb improvement is as much of a mountain as one extra break and run per/100 racks on average, but sometimes you can't see it till you can compare it to something else.
Not that I am a rock star at this game...like Eric, I too know my limitations...but I so totally get this, Jay! There really is nothing quite like those moments of 'brilliance'...when it almost seems like an out of body experience, you're playing so spot on! And those are the moments that I try to remember, when I get down on my game. Those moments where from the crack of the rack breaking everything is just perfect...CB speed and control, position...the unshakeable 'quiet' of being in the zone until the final ball falls...and then stepping back into the reality of the room around you....like stepping out of a dream.
That's what keeps me coming back...and likely always will.
Lisa
I guess you were right!
Took me more than 10 years, but I’m back!
Used my cue maybe 15 times in 10 years. Now I have been playing atleast a day every week the last months, and am now enjoying pool again. Really love it. My game is far off from what it once was, but when I now miss and play poorly it actually trigger me to work smarter and harder to eliminate mistakes. I am eager to put in time to get better.
You can take a man away from pool, but you can’t take pool away from a man!
Welcome back.
Look back at your life.... from within you'll find aspects of work & play that you liked and hated.
As I would put it, the Tillers (boat term) of life.
The situations that I didn't told me allot about myself, often I learned more about myself from my mistakes, than my successes.
I've always worked and played and raised a family.
Had jobs I enjoyed and some I hated.
Like missing a straight in.
Here's your answer.
From within those ''moments'' there were aspects that you liked, even in the jobs you hated.
Focus on what triggers you to enjoy ''whatever it may be'' that you do, use those thoughts to direct you to your destination.
bm
As I would put it, the Tillers (boat term) of life.
The situations that I didn't told me allot about myself, often I learned more about myself from my mistakes, than my successes.
I've always worked and played and raised a family.
Had jobs I enjoyed and some I hated.
Like missing a straight in.
Here's your answer.
From within those ''moments'' there were aspects that you liked, even in the jobs you hated.
Focus on what triggers you to enjoy ''whatever it may be'' that you do, use those thoughts to direct you to your destination.
bm
It’s ridiculous how many times I’ve heard so many players talk about quitting pool, but very few of them follow through with it. Starting a thread about it here tells me you’re likely one of those who is not really ready to quit. Suck it up and work through it, it happens to all of us.Pool has been my biggest passion for so many years now, and I've spent countless hours practicing and playing this game. I've had the pleasure of travelling around the world playing pool. I've played in qualifiers for the World Championships, Eurotour's, Derby City Classic and in front of thousand people at a shopping mall in Manila.
I've met hundreds of great people, made so many friends, and I really do love the pool family.
But, I feel I've reached a level where I can't make any more progress in my game, without sacrificing too much, and it really saddens me.
To play pool isn't fun for me anymore. I can't find any joy in practing, and I hate to compete now because my game is getting weaker every day, and has done so the last 2 years. I miss balls I know I should make, and it makes me uncomfortable at the table.
I know the only way to get back to play ok again is to put in even more hours, more dicipline and spark that good feeling of winning and playing good again.
But to be honest, I practiced so hard for a couple of years and jumped several levels in my game, putting in 3, 4 and 5 hours a day, and I really can't see me doing that again.
The last 2 years I've played in less than 10 tournaments, and I've practiced about same amount of hours in 2 years as I did in 2 months when pool was everything.
I still love hanging around the pool family, and I really, really, really wish the desire to play comes back to me again...
I know a lot of people who have been away from pool for some years and then returned, I just never thought I would be one of them. I thought pool would always be there.
I'm still planning a trip to America again for some pool-tournaments, but maybe I will just be a fan at a WPBA - event or something
Just wanted to share it with you and hoping someone who "hit the wall" themselves can share some stories
Thanks
Yeah, but still what I say is true of everyone who ever whines about quitting, including myself!
Does anyone love thier wife any less because she now has a few wrinkles and things are pointing farther south then they used too?
In essence only, pool is the same. The eyes get dim, the stroke starts to go, it get harder (or even painful) to bend down into a stance properly. But it is a great game. And I love it more then ever. Just because I'm not great at it does not diminish the allure.
In essence only, pool is the same. The eyes get dim, the stroke starts to go, it get harder (or even painful) to bend down into a stance properly. But it is a great game. And I love it more then ever. Just because I'm not great at it does not diminish the allure.
One time a guy from my hometown pool room lost so much money he loudly declared that he would never step foot in a pool room again. He was really in a bad, sour mood. I spoke up and said "yes you will". He said "wanna bet on it?". I said yes and we bet $100. He was so upset he never thought about how he could possibly ever win that bet. I should look him up to see if he owes me that 100.
My all time sports hero was / is a DC area bookie named Mickey (Peaches) McGuire, who at one point owned Roman Billiards in Silver Spring and then later used Randolph Hills Billiards as his home base. When that room closed in 1982, he then gravitated to Champion Billiards in Silver Spring and then finally Champion Billiards in Rockville. He used to talk about playing Minnesota Fats back in the early 1950's, and how he'd spent his 21st birthday in jail in Milwaukee. He was married to the same woman until she passed just a few year before he did, and he put 4 children through college on the strength of that 10% vig. A total mensch all the way.
On his 80th birthday in 1993, on the occasion of the weekly 9-ball tournament at Champions in Rockville, a group of players, led by Jenny Gale, gave him a surprise party with cake and song. It was a really heartwarming scene. Tom Wirth was running the tournament that night, and I'm sure he'd remember it.
But what made it (for me, anyway) a hundred times more special was that Mickey then went on to win the tournament, beating one of the top players in the area (Freddy Boggs) in the final, firing a long 9 ball down the rail to win a hill-hill match. I was 49 at the time, and at that very moment I set a long range goal to duplicate his feat. I still get in the money once a month or so at Triple Nines in Elkridge, and as I approach my 80th birthday in 2024, I'll be thinking of how Mickey provided inspiration for every pool player who knows that there's always room for improvement.
On his 80th birthday in 1993, on the occasion of the weekly 9-ball tournament at Champions in Rockville, a group of players, led by Jenny Gale, gave him a surprise party with cake and song. It was a really heartwarming scene. Tom Wirth was running the tournament that night, and I'm sure he'd remember it.
But what made it (for me, anyway) a hundred times more special was that Mickey then went on to win the tournament, beating one of the top players in the area (Freddy Boggs) in the final, firing a long 9 ball down the rail to win a hill-hill match. I was 49 at the time, and at that very moment I set a long range goal to duplicate his feat. I still get in the money once a month or so at Triple Nines in Elkridge, and as I approach my 80th birthday in 2024, I'll be thinking of how Mickey provided inspiration for every pool player who knows that there's always room for improvement.
Chris, I don't believe you were a member here when Roy started this thread, let alone when Roy was very active in this forum. I for one will not criticize his posts, his words, or his decisions. I suspect there is a lot more to this man than you know.
Dave
I admit, I know nothing of Roy, but running a pool room for 27 years, the number of players of all levels that announced that they were giving up the game is countless. Very few of them follow through with their proclamation.
I was just making that point, but glad to hear that he is back playing, which I guess is why he reintroduced the thread. He certainly took a way longer break from the game than most of us have.
Your experience running a pool hall would teach you a lot about people, I respect that. I know that Roy was extremely active in the pool world in Norway and internationally. He was also very active in life, not the least of which was being elected to the Norwegian parliament, likely an all-consuming situation. The forum is better for having both of you as contributing members.
Dave
Countless + 1. Twenty minutes ago I ruined a perfect break-and-run by hanging the 8. Swore I was giving up the game.
I think I'll go shoot another rack.
Maybe a new stick would help . . .
you need to have competition and pressure. that is why you need to gamble at pool. make games and bet your cash on them.
no one gets good at anything without a big reward at the end of the rainbow. for me pool was only fun if i was betting enough so if i won it made my day, and if i lost it hurt.
i still play whenever but my minimum bet is a 100 a game and still find good action when im in the mood.
no pressure to win=no fun.
no one gets good at anything without a big reward at the end of the rainbow. for me pool was only fun if i was betting enough so if i won it made my day, and if i lost it hurt.
i still play whenever but my minimum bet is a 100 a game and still find good action when im in the mood.
no pressure to win=no fun.