Getting mad when playing against better players

not a good thing to get mad if you want to win
its more a game of whos mind is better under control/ focused and strategy , less about making balls imo

justnum said:

Player better players is not any fun.

Playing players that are worse feels great.

When they are worse its more relaxing and taking chances is easier.

When playing better players, every shot is stressful because the price of missing is much higher.

Just ranting

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All valid points. But slaughtering lambs won’t get you far either. I have made some incredible runs when playing weak players and it does make me feel like Efren.

The beauty of competitive pool is in mastering the discipline of choosing the correct shot every time, not in being able to execute chance shots.

justnum said:

Player better players is not any fun.

Playing players that are worse feels great.

When they are worse its more relaxing and taking chances is easier.

When playing better players, every shot is stressful because the price of missing is much higher.

Just ranting

Click to expand...

Then youre doing it wrong.

There is an old Buddhist proverb about a man being chased by a tiger through the forest.

The tiger chases the man off the edge of a cliff, and he slips down, catching himself on a vine. As he is hanging, the tiger lurks above him, growling and swiping at him.

He looks down, and sees another tiger, equally eager to have him for a meal should he fall.

Then he notices a strawberry on a vine within his reach. He reaches out and takes the berry. He eats the berry and smiles, thinking this is the sweetest strawberry he has ever eaten.

Many have interpreted the proverb to mean that the tiger who chased him off the cliff is the past. The tiger waiting below him, the future. And no matter what they hold for you, you should live in and enjoy the moment.

Now, that is all horseshit. It is about mans foolishness in the eye of danger. His willingness to give into the pleasure of eating the berry, and disregarding that he would be better served dealing with the situation at hand and trying to save himself.

But that doesnt lend itself to a feel good moment.

Quit chasing the easy happy, and learn to chase the thrill of trying to get better and win, knowing that it will not be easy, and might not seem as fun or as tasty as the strawberry.

But in the end, the happiness you will have by playing better will serve your purpose better than a brief indulgence.

Grasshopper. :thumbup:

justnum said:

Is that a way of saying I am stupid.

I felt stupid after that comment.

Its like I don't know the correct shot to play, so that immediately makes my style of playing pool wrong.

Playing chance shots is wrong. You make it feel like a math class, with only one way to win, your way. I hated teachers like that.

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you should have felt stupid after your original post

IMO, the best way to get better is to play better opponents.

Yes, losing sucks. I frequently play a world champion and lose, but the knowledge I gain is priceless.

YMMV

You should be playing opponents that you are better than, equal to, and lesser than. This way you get the full spectrum.

Just stay home and you'll be fine....

I took it as meaning that true proficiency isntmaking hard shots, rather it is realized when you take and make a high% of easy shots.

Surely you have watched top level pool and noticed how easy those players make it look?

justnum said:

Is that a way of saying I am stupid.

I felt stupid after that comment.

Its like I don't know the correct shot to play, so that immediately makes my style of playing pool wrong.

Playing chance shots is wrong. You make it feel like a math class, with only one way to win, your way. I hated teachers like that.

Click to expand...

justnum said:

Player better players is not any fun.

Playing players that are worse feels great.

When they are worse its more relaxing and taking chances is easier.

When playing better players, every shot is stressful because the price of missing is much higher.

Just ranting

Click to expand...

I can't tell if this is a joke or not. The cure to having more fun playing good player is to get good yourself. Or play only players your level.

This is actually a thing I see a lot with mainly league players, they mistake handicaps to "skill" or "winning" so when they come up against better players if playing even or just watching them in a match, they feel helpless. Some bear down and get better, some sit in corner and complain about the handicaps that it's not high enough for the good player or low enough for them instead of playing. I am not even close to exaggerating that, I was in on a league night, and listened to a table full of low level players do nothing but ***** about handicaps for 2 hours.

In several tournaments I play in the same thing happens, people come in to play, see they can't win, and instead of learning new stuff of practicing the right things they quit playing there.

justnum said:

Player better players is not any fun.

Playing players that are worse feels great.

When they are worse its more relaxing and taking chances is easier.

When playing better players, every shot is stressful because the price of missing is much higher.

Just ranting

Click to expand...

The mix I love is:

50% of play against an equally skilled opponent (not necessarily a friend). This teaches me to stay with the game and fight to win.

25% of the time someone who destroys me. This keeps me hungry, wanting to get better.

25% of the time someone I destroy. This teaches me to win and dominate...

Don't forget, this doesn't count towards Practice Time Hours (which I believe in logging)...

RiverCity said:

The tiger chases the man off the edge of a cliff, and he slips down, catching himself on a vine. As he is hanging, the tiger lurks above him, growling and swiping at him.

He looks down, and sees another tiger, equally eager to have him for a meal should he fall.

Then he notices a strawberry on a vine within his reach. He reaches out and takes the berry. He eats the berry and smiles, thinking this is the sweetest strawberry he has ever eaten.

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clearly, he should have thrown the strawberry at the tiger above him, and while the tiger was distracted eating the strawberry, he could have escaped :thumbup:

I enjoy playing stronger players. I’m
not supposed to win. If I do I feel great about it.... also
makes me stronger. Playing weaker player is boring and not challenging. Do what you are comfortable with. May I suggest to learn to be gracious about every shot and game win or lose. Getting pissed off is worthless.

It's not all bad, that is I don't think you should ever be happy about losing, unless you're
playing a potential "evening" or "late-night" partner and you're working toward another goal,
(if you're on a date and hoping to get your chain yanked)
but that's another subject for another thread, if you get my drift..... anyway, you should never
be happy about losing. As well, if you're playing league the decision of who you play or
the level of player they are is sometimes not in your own hands. Regardless, remember to
always keep it civil and to be classy

Playing a better player, for me, is a sort of measuring stick. A chance to apply what I've
learned and worked on. Am I better than I was the last time I played? Playing a lesser
player is a chance to try some thing out in a game situation that I might not normally do.
Am I underestimating myself? Is this shot or play something I can add to my repertoire.

Just remember that every situation is (or can be) a learning situation and a chance to
improve. Use it to your advantage, make the most of an opportunity

RiverCity said:

Then youre doing it wrong.

There is an old Buddhist proverb about a man being chased by a tiger through the forest.

The tiger chases the man off the edge of a cliff, and he slips down, catching himself on a vine. As he is hanging, the tiger lurks above him, growling and swiping at him.

He looks down, and sees another tiger, equally eager to have him for a meal should he fall.

Then he notices a strawberry on a vine within his reach. He reaches out and takes the berry. He eats the berry and smiles, thinking this is the sweetest strawberry he has ever eaten.
...

Grasshopper. :thumbup:

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No wonder those tasty things are so damn expensive.

GoldCrown said:

I enjoy playing stronger players. I’m
not supposed to win. If I do I feel great about it.... also
makes me stronger. Playing weaker player is boring and not challenging. Do what you are comfortable with. May I suggest to learn to be gracious about every shot and game win or lose. Getting pissed off is worthless.

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I agree. I actually play better against higher rated players than lower rated players.
It seems I focus more against better players and really look forward to it.

depends on how mad you get.

Just coz someone plays better than you does not mean you can't win a fight with her.