3 fouling an 11 year old

You did the right thing. Not everybody gets a trophy, and everyone needs to get their ass kicked now and then.

If you'd treated him with kid gloves, he'd turn out to be another liberal, expecting success without earning it.

All the best,
WW
 
Forgiveness or being charitable or kind to this kid would have been a disservice.
Sure helping build his confidence is always one of the goals but don't do it falsely.

3 foul is part of some pool competitions but not all of them. It will be encountered
and would have been any less annoying or crushing to that kid if it the 3 foul came
from another kid his own age? It was going to happen and personally, having a
better, stronger, more skilled player do that to you is a lot easier to swallow than
say another 11-12 yr old competitor doing it or even worse, say a 10 yr old girl.

It is more important that the youngster understand that when you have to win, like
the situation you were in where you can't afford to miss, you use strategy, cue ball
position and resulting ball in hand opportunities to hook you opponent, hide him so
badly he'd have to kick multiple rails with a billiard type shot to even get a peek at
the object ball. He'll quickly learn this is something that even the better players use
because pool is not all offense and any related slop to stay at the table. It is actually
a game of intelligence, shot selection, masteriy of cue ball position and smart strategy.
 
Except when you are playing at a new location by yourself, and the opponent is much bigger, very drunk and has a short temper, and several short tempered drunk friends. Then, you might reconsider.

That is a good point, n the case you talk about it will take an hour to explain to them what a 3 foul rule is in the first place.
 
If he cried after the game, you did the right thing ;) I could not imagine my son crying after a baseball game. And that's blood, sweat and dirt. Some days you win, some days you don't. I'm sure his dad loses enough to him to keep him happy. Maybe he doesn't.

But, it's a tourney, go for the win. you taught him the 3 foul rule up close and personal, He should buy you lunch for the free lesson ;)
 
I was playing in a tournament the other day, I am a 10 and he was a 1. I had to give last 5, wild 8 and a game on the wire to this kid. At one point I was down 3-4 with him on the hill. I had to go to 6 and he had to get to 5. Made it Hill-Hill, he broke dry and scratched.
The balls weren't very spread out and not an easy run out by any means.
So I 3 fouled him on the hill for the win. I felt like an a-hole because he was 11 and of course a few tears came about me 3 fouling him.
I thought about it before hand and figured I would give him the courtesy to treat him like an equal, and it would provide a lesson to him.
Should I feel bad, or did I do the right thing?
You did the right thing.
He (or someone else) made the decision to put him into a tournament with adults.
At that point he surrenders any "rights" (?) to being treated differently.
Drill the varmint and teach him if he's planning on swimming with the big boys...he better be ready. Otherwise, stay in the kiddie pool.
You can bet if you lost, the loudmouths would be trashing you endlessly about "losing to an 11 year old kid" and he would be grinning from ear to ear and strutting like a peacock.
Have no regrets.
 
I was playing in a tournament the other day, I am a 10 and he was a 1. I had to give last 5, wild 8 and a game on the wire to this kid. At one point I was down 3-4 with him on the hill. I had to go to 6 and he had to get to 5. Made it Hill-Hill, he broke dry and scratched.
The balls weren't very spread out and not an easy run out by any means.

So I 3 fouled him on the hill for the win. I felt like an a-hole because he was 11 and of course a few tears came about me 3 fouling him.

I thought about it before hand and figured I would give him the courtesy to treat him like an equal, and it would provide a lesson to him.

Should I feel bad, or did I do the right thing?

I once 3 fouled an 11 year old girl I was playing in 14.1. I'd spotted her 80 in a race to 100, and I was having trouble making anything. I explained to her what was going on and what I was trying to do. Gave her some chances to get out of it.

She didn't listen. She learned (and my daughter grew from that a bit). She plays more mentally aware now.
 
If the kid has any intention of competing seriously he will need to develop a thick skin sooner or later. Pool is one of the few things in life where you can rarely blame anyone else for the outcome - blessing and a curse, all of the glory or all of the blame.
If losing to better players does not motivate you to play better/ practice more than he won't last long competing anyhow.
You did him a favor.
 
once i played a pretty bad girl in early stages in a tourney, i was in stroke and destroyed her completly.......after the match she was very thankfully that i played full speed (she meant others dont do it and dont take her serious)
bit of a different story but yes, you did the right thing, even when it hurts yourself! hopefully the kid learned something out of it!
 
No mercy ever to anybody.Full throttle,no prisoners.I'm disappointed you didn't 3 foul him every rack.
 
In a tournament many years ago I drew a very good friend.

I'm a significantly better player than he. So, I beat him 4-1, go sit down on the rail, and another friend sits down next to me and whispers, "Did you let him win that one game?" I took a moment and said, "Please. Don't ever accuse me of something like that again." There was a pause and then we both busted out laughing.

Lou Figueroa
it's a pool player thing
 
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Using the rules

I was playing in a tournament the other day, I am a 10 and he was a 1. I had to give last 5, wild 8 and a game on the wire to this kid. At one point I was down 3-4 with him on the hill. I had to go to 6 and he had to get to 5. Made it Hill-Hill, he broke dry and scratched.
The balls weren't very spread out and not an easy run out by any means.

So I 3 fouled him on the hill for the win. I felt like an a-hole because he was 11 and of course a few tears came about me 3 fouling him.

I thought about it before hand and figured I would give him the courtesy to treat him like an equal, and it would provide a lesson to him.

Should I feel bad, or did I do the right thing?

Its a hard lesson sure enough. I trust he will think about it a long time and you will also. It's difficult to deal out tough love sometimes but it will send a message and if he truly loves the game it will make him a lot better more rounded player.
 
Last week, I 3-fouled a 45 year-old.

He cried too. Probably longer and louder than that 11 year-old.

Strength comes from tears and a lot of hard work - and it also comes from not being coddled during the process.

I have no problem with what you did ... just don't brag about it on the internet.

:grin:
 
Sheesh...did you give him a wedgie, take his lunch money, and stuff him in a locker for good measure while you were at it? :D
 
I was playing in a tournament the other day, I am a 10 and he was a 1. I had to give last 5, wild 8 and a game on the wire to this kid. At one point I was down 3-4 with him on the hill. I had to go to 6 and he had to get to 5. Made it Hill-Hill, he broke dry and scratched.
The balls weren't very spread out and not an easy run out by any means.

So I 3 fouled him on the hill for the win. I felt like an a-hole because he was 11 and of course a few tears came about me 3 fouling him.

I thought about it before hand and figured I would give him the courtesy to treat him like an equal, and it would provide a lesson to him.

Should I feel bad, or did I do the right thing?



If you played by the rules, and it sounds like you did, you have nothing to feel bad about.

Rules are rules. It's the name of the game.

If you and the kid were playing casually that's different.
But he's in a tournament and he knows it.
 
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