Back Playing

[TxShane]

Hey everybody. I have been lurking on the site for YEARS and finally decided to start contributing my vast knowledge (ROFL) to the site. But seriously, this is a great site and figured I needed to contribute what little I could from time to time.

I played from about 15-16 until I was about 22-23. Never played in leagues of any kind and dont plan on doing it now, but my options are somewhat open I guess. As far as my speed... could string a few racks of 9 ball fairly consistent and strung together 7 racks together a few different times. Mainly played on barboxes and loved to gamble and play in local tournaments around town. (was a GOOD tournament every day of the week back then) Marriage and one beautiful girl later (3 yrs old now), I have not played serious pool in roughly 10 years.

The 'itch' has gotten the best of me and I am at a point in my life where I feel I can start playing again without thinking about 'life' the whole time I'm trying to make a ball.

I sold all my cues a long time ago except one production cue and one case. (forgot I even had it until I recently moved) Found the cue and case and that was the start of my 'itch'. That was only a month or so ago and I have been playing about once a week for the last month at a local pool hall on 9' Brunswick GC with tight pockets and WOW am I out of stroke. lol I figured it would take some time to get some type of stroke back, but DAMN, I didn't know it would be like this!! Of course, I used to play 75% of the time on barboxes, but wanted to start back on 9' tables this time around.

I live in the Houston area and know a lot of the local players, but haven't really been in contact with anybody for several years. Maybe I can sneak up on a few of them!!? LOL

Any advice from players that took a long leave of absence and now shooting about the speed they used to shoot at would be appreciated! I do notice my eyes seem a bit blurry at times when I get down on a shot, but I have 20/20 vision. I would say my aiming is off a little, but I think it is more in the line of my fundamentals.. (stance / staying down on the shot / etc.)

Too much rambling for one post.. questions /comments are appreciated! Looking forward to getting to know a lot of the folks on here!

 

[ShootingArts]

20-20 vision

Twenty-twenty vision literally means your eyes are up to an accepted standard for normal at twenty feet. An extreme case but I knew somebody that was legally blind that could probably read an eye chart perfectly at twenty feet. I can't read a newspaper at arm's length but I can read it at eight feet. As we get older our depth of focus decreases. Where once you might have had cue ball, object ball, and pocket in fairly sharp focus at the same time you may have some in noticeably less focus now, particularly on the nine footer.

I have found recently that a major issue has been of my own making. I have trouble seeing ball edges clearly at table length. After giving up ball in hand a few times I started overcompensating and hitting everything with about an eighth inch minimum overlap or using a little inside english to be sure I made contact with the object ball and I was missing a lot of fine cuts. I have went back to really trying them and not sweating giving up ball in hand. Did a bunch for my game and I'm starting to cut them pretty good again.

It was almost twenty years of rust on my game and it takes hours on the table to shake it off, just like it took hours on the table to play good pool to begin with. I didn't find any shortcuts, maybe somebody else has though.

Welcome to the forums!

Hu

Hey everybody. I have been lurking on the site for YEARS and finally decided to start contributing my vast knowledge (ROFL) to the site. But seriously, this is a great site and figured I needed to contribute what little I could from time to time.

I played from about 15-16 until I was about 22-23. Never played in leagues of any kind and dont plan on doing it now, but my options are somewhat open I guess. As far as my speed... could string a few racks of 9 ball fairly consistent and strung together 7 racks together a few different times. Mainly played on barboxes and loved to gamble and play in local tournaments around town. (was a GOOD tournament every day of the week back then) Marriage and one beautiful girl later (3 yrs old now), I have not played serious pool in roughly 10 years.

The 'itch' has gotten the best of me and I am at a point in my life where I feel I can start playing again without thinking about 'life' the whole time I'm trying to make a ball.

I sold all my cues a long time ago except one production cue and one case. (forgot I even had it until I recently moved) Found the cue and case and that was the start of my 'itch'. That was only a month or so ago and I have been playing about once a week for the last month at a local pool hall on 9' Brunswick GC with tight pockets and WOW am I out of stroke. lol I figured it would take some time to get some type of stroke back, but DAMN, I didn't know it would be like this!! Of course, I used to play 75% of the time on barboxes, but wanted to start back on 9' tables this time around.

I live in the Houston area and know a lot of the local players, but haven't really been in contact with anybody for several years. Maybe I can sneak up on a few of them!!? LOL

Any advice from players that took a long leave of absence and now shooting about the speed they used to shoot at would be appreciated! I do notice my eyes seem a bit blurry at times when I get down on a shot, but I have 20/20 vision. I would say my aiming is off a little, but I think it is more in the line of my fundamentals.. (stance / staying down on the shot / etc.)

Too much rambling for one post.. questions /comments are appreciated! Looking forward to getting to know a lot of the folks on here!

 

[Ratta]

Hi TxShane,

welcome back ^^
Like you i made a break for about 10 years without any contact with those *funny plastics clumps*, lol. I begun just playin solo and having fun training solo. Worked just on my fundamentals to *burn them in* again. And i really liked it a lot, just to play on my own and have fun- it was satisfying to *be with me and the balls*. After 3-4 weeks a started again playing with my mates, which were still playing in league and also started to play official tournaments. All were a bit hard, bc i m forced to have a totally other stance caused by eyes (very bad now-no panic i think i m far older^^, and the body isn t the same like 10 years ago....ROFL).
But in my opinion it was more than worth to begin again with this beautiful game- i started to give again lessons, started in a official instructor program to get an official license. This games gives me so much, and the students also...just love to be back,
I hope all works for you like for me Shane
It s just about to get the satisfaction you expect, nothin else. You have now family..so what do you want more than a bit fun in your freetime:grin-square:
Just have fun-no matter what you expect from your game.

lg from overseas,

Ingo