“I beat myself…”

My first seasons in competition I was only home trained. Full of optimism and a heavy stroke.

I used to tell myself I just need to play my game. The excitement in a pool room nourished me through many years.

I would beat myself up over what I thought I practiced intensively. After a loss I would beat myself at the table then I would put myself into prison and only give myself table time after a hard earned insights were gained.

You are beating yourself if you think you can actually compete on 10 hours of practice weekly at a decent level without a strong set of fundamentals.

This is why pool needs official practice time in the clubs in America. Players don't know how to work on fundamentals then we get second rate shooters at the Mosconi, because no one has a good player development routine. Every sports has an open practice, pool needs more of that exposure. What is Shaw's practice routine like? Does he have sparring partners?

America has a lot of business sense, but America lacks on a formal pro pool development program. This is where the top pro players should cash in on their on coaching programs. I would pay $20 a month for some coaching and drills by any Mosconi player. Then have an event for all the students to have a mini tournament in the room of the pro.
 
dendweller said:
I took it more as just playing with him a little more. Think he said can I ask you a question which Eddie took seriously and maybe thought he was going to get some enlightenment. instead he got the do you think I should loose weight.

Guess there's a lot of ways to read it, maybe that's what made it a good scene.
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There is a whole thread here somewhere dedicated to the question what did he mean. Of course none of us know unless the writer spelled it out somewhere. While a few thought the same I do, it is a minority opinion. I stick with what it would probably have meant in the pool halls I frequented. Doesn't mean I am right. I find it interesting that people of different backgrounds and different ages hear the same thing and take very different meanings from it.


Cameron Smith said:
I always cringed a bit when someone would say “I’d rather miss the shot than miss position”, after they missed wildly but had the cue ball end up where they wanted. I mean sure, your position was excellent if you were indeed trying a 4 railer into the side pocket, but if the ball actually went straight in the cue ball would be somewhere else entirely.
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I hate missing part of a shot, shape or pocketing the ball. If you fail to pocket the ball and miss the shape you had planned also, it is likely to be a mistake in execution. If we make a ball and blow shape or miss pocketing the ball and get the exact shape we were trying for that means the error was in the planning stage. I would rather deal with issues in execution occasionally than fight with to me an even more fundamental error, flawed knowledge of the game.

I remember when I was learning I had that half the shot mentality too. "Well at least I made half the shot." Not true, I blew the shot at the conceptual stage.

Hu
 
What is the real issue here? Is it a worry that someone who wishes you good luck before a match in insincere? A hypocrite because he doesn’t literally mean it? A shark move? Saying ”Good luck” or similar phrases before a match is no more than a common courtesy and is a custom as old as competition. It’s seldom, if ever, meant literally and shouldn’t be analyzed against such a yardstick. And for those bothered by someone saying “Good match” when both players know the loser really shot like crap, I’d suggest there’s nothing wrong with a comment designed to at least try to make someone feel a little better about how they did when it’s not literally true. A little customary grace and reliance on tradition is hardly something to be condemned or obsessed over.
 
There was a regular who used to say, "Good shot," after you had tried a somewhat inventive shot and missed badly. I think he sincerely meant that it was a good idea.
 
Clusterbuster said:
What is the real issue here? Is it a worry that someone who wishes you good luck before a match in insincere? A hypocrite because he doesn’t literally mean it? A shark move? Saying ”Good luck” or similar phrases before a match is no more than a common courtesy and is a custom as old as competition. It’s seldom, if ever, meant literally and shouldn’t be analyzed against such a yardstick. And for those bothered by someone saying “Good match” when both players know the loser really shot like crap, I’d suggest there’s nothing wrong with a comment designed to at least try to make someone feel a little better about how they did when it’s not literally true. A little customary grace and reliance on tradition is hardly something to be condemned or obsessed over.
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A nice post, as I was the one who first posted that the match winner saying “good match” to the loser was not very helpful.
 
Bob Jewett said:
There was a regular who used to say, "Good shot," after you had tried a somewhat inventive shot and missed badly. I think he sincerely meant that it was a good idea.
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We have an older player that often says “good shot” to you as the ball approaches the pocket, even when it may not go in. Or how about a player that says “good or great shot” to you as the ball is pocketed and he doesn’t bother waiting to see where the cue ball ends up, which might end up being snookered or even in the bottom of a pocket. Please at least wait until the shot is completed, as it may not be a good result.
 
Everyone wants to see players practicing the shot after a big miss. Its called selling table time, make sure the pros dont screw up the gossip.

Even practice after a big win is fun. That is when my stroke is fully out. Having the best emotional time after the victory.

If I am about to beat myself up over losing, you can expect I will reinforce it with areas of needed support.

The first was controlling pre-win excitement. You know what its like, she is right in front of you but you cant wait. It comes out too soon and there is no going back. It was a one time shot that got spent too early.

The guys I heard just said: Stay down. Now it makes sense.
 
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easy-e said:
Heard a guy talking about his performance in a recent tournament. He said “I beat myself, he didn’t beat me.” I’m starting to really dislike that phrase. Just give the other guy a little credit. Next time I hear this guy talk about a match or tournament he wins I’m going to correct him, “you didn’t win, your opponent lost”.

Any other phrases out there that are getting old to you?
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When the same player reports to the TD that he won his match and nearly always adds “I got lucky”.
 
Where I play if we hear, “I beat myself!” The usual response is, “yes you did, and you will next time too!”
 
ChrisinNC said:
When the same player reports to the TD that he won his match and nearly always adds “I got lucky”.
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Because of that very thing, I usually say "I was fortunate to escape" or some such, which means essentially the same but isn't so cliche and seems a little more sincere. (Which is the true intent, in my case)
 
ChrisinNC said:
We have an older player that often says “good shot” to you as the ball approaches the pocket, even when it may not go in. Or how about a player that says “good or great shot” to you as the ball is pocketed and he doesn’t bother waiting to see where the cue ball ends up, which might end up being snookered or even in the bottom of a pocket. Please at least wait until the shot is completed, as it may not be a good result.
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A friend who is usually very careful about pool etiquette had an involuntary "good shot!" slip out when I fired in what I call a crossover bank. What was funny was that was closely followed by, "Did you do that on purpose?"

Hu
 
ShootingArts said:
I always congratulate my opponent and compliment them a bit extravagantly. The less they deserve it, the more effusive the congratulations are likely to be! Friends get a firm handshake and congratulations, usually brief and sincere.

I was primarily a gambler so people telling me I was lucky or got all the rolls suited me fine, I often tried to claim the same. I heard how lucky I was a lot and always agreed. People that thought I outclassed them wouldn't be back. People who thought I was lucky might become a regular customer.

True asses or people I really dislike will get a brief comment congratulating them from across the table. If they want an after match handshake they will have to come to me although I usually think it is the loser's place to go to the winner.

Being a racer I often used the same comment when I crashed or did something that took myself out of contention in other forms of competition, "I crashed and burned." That was reserved for comments to friends though.

Generally I give my competition more credit than they deserve in public, I'm honest with myself in private. Rating my performance accurately tells me what I need to do if anything.

I suppose that the comments that irk me are about a player getting bad rolls after their inning has started. They didn't really get a bad roll when the other player shot and they certainly didn't get one when they shot. The balls moved in exactly the manner the shooter's efforts ordained.

Hu
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Well said. You should write the road players' Bible. Lol
 
hotelyorba said:
In Holland, most peope say "have fun" or "enjoy" at match start. I like that, we're all playing to have fun after all, but it does not mean I wish my opponent any luck (good or bad).

Something I heard sometimes after losing a match, is that the opponent who beat me would talk about how much bad luck I had. I don't know if that was an 'insult after injury'-type of deal, but I never liked it.
Honestly, for the longest time I have been the type of player who got hung up on their own bad luck, but eventually I learned to stop thinking like that because it's not constructive at all. Sometimes I'm just not good enough which means: there's room to improve, or at that particular match my best game did not come out. Or the opponent was just better than me, but that never was a problem to me.
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I give a fist bump and say 'good luck' here in Shanghai, and I often get a puzzled look, but the sentiment then shared back to me. People here are very respectful when playing. Whether I have played good or terrible, they will compliment my game - the only times they haven't is when I have demonstrated poor temperament in the game (banging the table after missing, or sulking in my chair). then they give a little fist bump or handshake at the end and leave you to your own drama :ROFLMAO:
 
ShootingArts said:
People who thought I was lucky might become a regular customer.
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Our Gypsy lifestyle led to us moving all around on the west coast. At every new location I would join the pool league. Not because I enjoyed it but because it could lead to an introduction to a new customer or several. 🤷‍♂️
 
easy-e said:
Heard a guy talking about his performance in a recent tournament. He said “I beat myself, he didn’t beat me.” I’m starting to really dislike that phrase. Just give the other guy a little credit. Next time I hear this guy talk about a match or tournament he wins I’m going to correct him, “you didn’t win, your opponent lost”.

Any other phrases out there that are getting old to you?
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"I beat myself" is simply code for my opponent made less mistakes than I did.
 
Clipper5 said:
"I beat myself" is simply code for my opponent made less mistakes than I did.
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True enough, but some people can't admit they were beaten by a better competitor that time around. We can play mental games with ourselves shooting pool but shooting pistol competition was more ruthless, able to review every stage of every event I shot. I was having some local wins at the top level and feeling pretty good about myself. Then a careful review revealed the real truth.

Dropping a point or two didn't mean the end of the world but losing a whole bullet's worth of score, ten points out of six hundred, to put it gently was an aw pooper! That was my real level at the time though and the times I didn't shoot any aw poopers were about the same as the times I shot two or more. Truth was one lousy shot out of sixty was the skill level I was at and needed to rise above.

Harder to analyze pool play especially since I don't want to analyze my performance in the middle of any competition except in the roughest ways so I know about where I am at in the field. After getting rested is the best time I think. We can take emotions good or bad out and things are still fresh in our minds.

Hu
 
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