Pool Not Being Fun Anymore?

Zphix

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hey guys,

So... pool just doesn't seem that fun to me anymore. When I'm at a table I mostly feel like I can't concentrate all that much and I end up just free-wheeling around the table for a little while. I haven't won a league match in like 7 weeks now (as a 9) mostly because I have some weird mental disconnect right now - I get frustrated in ways I never used to and it's taking less and less for me to get to that point BUT this is only related to pool/while at a table.

I was thinking about getting lessons from Scott Lee because I thought that maybe improving my stroke so I could pocket more consistently would help but the lesson fell through and now I'm wondering if it'd even be worth it for me to take a lesson if I'm just falling out of enjoying playing pool.

Any of you guys ever go through weird periods like this?
 

RiverCity

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hey guys,

So... pool just doesn't seem that fun to me anymore. When I'm at a table I mostly feel like I can't concentrate all that much and I end up just free-wheeling around the table for a little while. I haven't won a league match in like 7 weeks now (as a 9) mostly because I have some weird mental disconnect right now - I get frustrated in ways I never used to and it's taking less and less for me to get to that point BUT this is only related to pool/while at a table.

I was thinking about getting lessons from Scott Lee because I thought that maybe improving my stroke so I could pocket more consistently would help but the lesson fell through and now I'm wondering if it'd even be worth it for me to take a lesson if I'm just falling out of enjoying playing pool.

Any of you guys ever go through weird periods like this?

Started playing pool in 1979 or 1980, and to be honest, it stopped being "fun" 25 or so years ago for me.

When I was a dumb kid, I had aspirations of "going pro", but after playing some low level pro players, I realized how big the gap truly was, and then realized that a part of getting to that level requires a talent of obsession in practice which I did not have. And this is coming from someone who has played 60 hours a week at my best playing times, on top of working 40+.

I spent the next several years trying to close the gap, but to no avail.

I have spent the last 20 working on smaller goals, such as local tournaments etc. Some successes here and there, but mainly just scuffling around and picking my spots.

To say I dont enjoy the challenge would be a lie, but the enjoyment of just knocking balls in the holes died long ago.

You need to find what motivates you and go from there. Having fun is great if you got it, but its not a prerequisite to enjoying some aspects of the game.

There are guys who will go into a pool hall and you will only see them on a corner table, shooting the same shot over and over. My suspicion is it was a shot that cost them somewhere down the line, and now they chase mastery if only for that one shot. But it holds something for them, as they keep doing it.

There are folks who want to be top gun in their local league, and thats enough for them.

There are people who want to be state champions, and that is their drive.

Its all about what you really want. If you are chasing something, and the target seems like its not going to give you something, then neither is the chase.
 

jrctherake

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Maybe you should take a break from pool in general or maybe try a different game.

If I spend to much time playing 9 and 10 ball, I get bored quick. To help bring the interest back, I change to 14.1 for a time and then play AR for a bit.

Also, try a new room from time to time. Sometimes, we need new blood to keep things alive and intense.

Maybe give the nuts to a known nit and try to outrun them.

Good luck,

Jeff
 

pvc lou

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Yu rack a-disciprine, daneil san.

wax off wax on.


Hey guys,

So... pool just doesn't seem that fun to me anymore. When I'm at a table I mostly feel like I can't concentrate all that much and I end up just free-wheeling around the table for a little while. I haven't won a league match in like 7 weeks now (as a 9) mostly because I have some weird mental disconnect right now - I get frustrated in ways I never used to and it's taking less and less for me to get to that point BUT this is only related to pool/while at a table.

I was thinking about getting lessons from Scott Lee because I thought that maybe improving my stroke so I could pocket more consistently would help but the lesson fell through and now I'm wondering if it'd even be worth it for me to take a lesson if I'm just falling out of enjoying playing pool.

Any of you guys ever go through weird periods like this?
 

Z-Nole

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hey guys,

So... pool just doesn't seem that fun to me anymore. When I'm at a table I mostly feel like I can't concentrate all that much and I end up just free-wheeling around the table for a little while. I haven't won a league match in like 7 weeks now (as a 9) mostly because I have some weird mental disconnect right now - I get frustrated in ways I never used to and it's taking less and less for me to get to that point BUT this is only related to pool/while at a table.

I was thinking about getting lessons from Scott Lee because I thought that maybe improving my stroke so I could pocket more consistently would help but the lesson fell through and now I'm wondering if it'd even be worth it for me to take a lesson if I'm just falling out of enjoying playing pool.

Any of you guys ever go through weird periods like this?


Go fishing. It's that simple. Then it will all come back. Always works for me.
 

Sunchaser

Belgian Malinois
Silver Member
Your not not having fun...your not bored...your content. Its easy to mistake one for the other, and important to differentiate the two. Your comfortable at the table. Familiar with the balls and equipment. Recognize all the same faces and places. Have shot recognition for all the same positions youve seen and played 1000 times.
And then your not having fun...feel bored...unchallenged...
Thats actually contentment your feeling. It can happen at home, at work, with wife, religion, any hobby or things now taken for granted...
Your content. Now thats a special place to be. Easy to achieve but hard to recognize. Now go play some pool and have fun. It really is that easy. Matt D.
 

jackpot

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Are you kidding ?

Not fun ? You took up the best game in the world, became better at it 95% of the people that play. The only game in the world that you can play year round 24 hrs. A day, play well your entire life, hob nob with and even become friends with the best players in the world,
meet, the most colorful characters imaginable have stories that most people only dream of, play in tournaments, and gamble with the greatest players that ever lived, and use a beautiful work of art to play the game with. All of us were lucky and. Blessed to be involved with this game, that's the way I see it anyway. Not fun ? Someone should slap you.
Jack
 

Black-Balled

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Pool really is a silly thing to know how to do, a distraction from the real world.

Don't feel bad of you put it down for a while. People's interests change all the time.

Pool will be there when/ if you want it in your life.
 

deanoc

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Don't mind Jack,he is an optimist

He actually loves pool,and thinks other people should too.

Maybe you should spend more time with the family,or on the job.
Workhard ,get a raise and enjoy yourself?
 
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trentfromtoledo

8onthebreaktoledo
Silver Member
Try learning ONE POCKET! It will either make you break your cue and quit or it will make you wanna play more!!! Be sure to find some good players willing to put up with you being "new" to the game.

I have never wanted to break a cue before, until I started playing one pocket. So, I took a couple weeks off from it and that helped tremendously.

It is such a challenging game, but, once you start to figure it out a little, it may make you a one pocket junkie!

You mentioned getting lessons from Scott Lee, pursue that, he is one of the best. Having good fundamentals will no doubt gain you some confidence and most likely send you in a good direction.

Good luck to you!

Trent from Toledo:thumbup:
 

td873

C is for Cookie
Silver Member
Any of you guys ever go through weird periods like this?

I think everyone goes through this, so you're not alone. If everything is clear in life otherwise, then I would suggest entering a tournament or just doing drills. [I find that my pool suffers if I'm too stressed about work, house, kids, whatever].

The mind is fickle. Don't sweat it. Eventually you'll be back to normal.

-td
 

poolhustler

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Without going into a long drawn out story … my simple answer is yes! Many times... I take a break every once in a while. My desire to play wanes as I get older....
 

xXGEARXx

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Try learning ONE POCKET! It will either make you break your cue and quit or it will make you wanna play more!!! Be sure to find some good players willing to put up with you being "new" to the game.

I have never wanted to break a cue before, until I started playing one pocket. So, I took a couple weeks off from it and that helped tremendously.

It is such a challenging game, but, once you start to figure it out a little, it may make you a one pocket junkie!

You mentioned getting lessons from Scott Lee, pursue that, he is one of the best. Having good fundamentals will no doubt gain you some confidence and most likely send you in a good direction.

Good luck to you!

Trent from Toledo:thumbup:
I have to second one pocket. That is my favorite game. I played plenty of everything else, but once I found one pocket, it made my love for the game deepen. There is NO other game you can play that makes you think as much and it will actually help your other games. Especially with banks and safety play. My cue ball control and my overall touch of the game is better from playing one pocket. No doubt.
 

garczar

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hey guys,

So... pool just doesn't seem that fun to me anymore. When I'm at a table I mostly feel like I can't concentrate all that much and I end up just free-wheeling around the table for a little while. I haven't won a league match in like 7 weeks now (as a 9) mostly because I have some weird mental disconnect right now - I get frustrated in ways I never used to and it's taking less and less for me to get to that point BUT this is only related to pool/while at a table.

I was thinking about getting lessons from Scott Lee because I thought that maybe improving my stroke so I could pocket more consistently would help but the lesson fell through and now I'm wondering if it'd even be worth it for me to take a lesson if I'm just falling out of enjoying playing pool.

Any of you guys ever go through weird periods like this?
Take a break or quit. Simple.
 

couldnthinkof01

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I just don't play and do other hobbies.
Then, one day I wake up and get the itch.
Sometimes it's a day or two.
Sometimes it's a few years.
It sounds to me like your just burned out.
It happens.
 

BC21

https://www.playpoolbetter.com
Gold Member
Silver Member
I have a friend that fits this mold. He doesn't enjoy the game anymore, and he's actually asked me how I can still have such a strong passion for it, how I can still enjoy playing after 35+ years. I don't know how, and I don't know why he quit loving it.

I think it's because he hit a peak a few years back and became content with his game, accepting the reality that it's probably the best he will ever be. It's like he took all those years of learning the game, all the love he had for it, and tucked it all into a box and put it up in the attic, then switched off the light and closed the door. He'll still play every now then, but that box remains closed in the attic, collecting dust.

I've never lost the fun or love of playing. When I'm playing great I never wanna quit, and when I'm not playing great I wanna keep playing until I start playing great.

Maybe it all comes down to what RiverCity posted..... "If you are chasing something, and the target seems like its not going to give you something, then neither is the chase."

For more than 35 years I've been chasing improvement, even in the tiniest increments. Maybe that's the key.
 

Mick

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Try learning ONE POCKET! It will either make you break your cue and quit or it will make you wanna play more!!! Be sure to find some good players willing to put up with you being "new" to the game.

I have never wanted to break a cue before, until I started playing one pocket. So, I took a couple weeks off from it and that helped tremendously.

It is such a challenging game, but, once you start to figure it out a little, it may make you a one pocket junkie!

You mentioned getting lessons from Scott Lee, pursue that, he is one of the best. Having good fundamentals will no doubt gain you some confidence and most likely send you in a good direction.

Good luck to you!

Trent from Toledo:thumbup:

I was going to suggest straight pool.

If you're looking to make pool fun again, there's no cuesport more fun than straight pool. The zen you fall into when on a really good run is like nothing else in pool. Also, getting good at straight pool will improve your skills for every other game you play. Scoring looks like it's tedious, but there's some great apps out there that make it a non-issue.

The hard part is finding someone to get hooked on it with you, half the fun is talking strategy with your buddies while you play.
 

BC21

https://www.playpoolbetter.com
Gold Member
Silver Member
I was going to suggest straight pool.

If you're looking to make pool fun again, there's no cuesport more fun than straight pool. The zen you fall into when on a really good run is like nothing else in pool. Also, getting good at straight pool will improve your skills for every other game you play. Scoring looks like it's tedious, but there's some great apps out there that make it a non-issue.

The hard part is finding someone to get hooked on it with you, half the fun is talking strategy with your buddies while you play.

I agree. And the scoring isn't difficult with a set of scoring beads.
 

hotelyorba

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
For more than 35 years I've been chasing improvement, even in the tiniest increments. Maybe that's the key.
I fully believe that is true, and I've been doing the same (not for 35 years though, just a measly 8-or-so and some 15 years of ballbangin' before that).

I do find myself in a rut from time to time, though. And I am currently in one, too. I think it has to do with that continuous improvement not going linear, but more in a 'one step forward, two steps back'-kind-of-way. At least it can feel like that from time to time. But then I know at some point there will be a breakthrough of sorts, and I'll be full of inspiration again.
So I can't wait for that to happen again.
 

Tin Man

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Lots of great replies. I think if you add them up they all work together to form a good strategy.

A lot of my approach to all things mental game related is to eliminate expectations and live in reality. For me it helps to make motivation a challenge that is part of the game.

When we start playing, motivation is abundant. A combination of novelty, visible improvement, grandiose dreams of what lies ahead, and all kinds of other things fills our fuel tank. The idea that we could ever run out of motivation seems absurd, probably how early settlers felt about the woodlands of the NW. The resources seem unlimited!

As years pass these things evolve. The game isn't so novel anymore. We don't see visible progress. We've accomplished many of our goals, or resigned ourselves we won't accomplish many others. And through the goals we've hit we've seen that there is no external reward that will come from our endeavors. I know when I was a kid I wanted to beat everyone and prove I was something special. As I grew up a bit my competitive fire changed. I no longer needed to prove anything to myself or to others. And considering I had a professional job and wasn't a busted out teen, making a score wasn't the rush it used to be.

Where many people go wrong is they get frustrated with this. They feel betrayed, like they are entitled to being motivated. Or they take it as a sign that they shouldn't play anymore. Instead, why not look at it as part of the game? If you played a computer game with a fighter jet that had fuel restrictions then managing fuel and finding ways to refill would be part of the challenge. When you take this approach to motivation, instead of whining that you're not feeling it you'll find yourself asking "how can I manage my motivation levels?"

The answers are very individual and we've seen a lot of good suggestions. For me, I find that I need a good mix of things to keep me hungry. I play national level tournaments where I am challenged but competitive. I fire at some international level tournaments even though I'm drawing near dead so I can keep mixing it up with elite players. I play with my daughter and help out some of the kids in the youth league. I spend time doing instruction which really reignites my passion for the game. I watch classic videos of the pros I saw on TV when I was a kid, something about that brings me back. I make sure to mix up my practice so I'm not in a rut.

Even with all of this I have days I don't feel it. Sometimes I force myself to push through. Other times I allow myself a few days off to refresh.

Whatever works for you works for you. My main point is to embrace managing motivation levels as part of the challenge of the game. When you do you'll go from being furious that you're burned out to curious as to how you can reengage. With a beginners mindset you'll often find the solution for you, and will discover that a fire still roars in your belly if you just find a way to create a new spark.

P.S. Posting on the forums helps me too. Spending time with others that have the pool bug is always good!
 
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