I wanted to start a thread of my own on this rather than hijack the thread that inspired me to write this.
I'm writing this from the perspective of one (me) older player, as mostly a suggestion and hope to broaden the younger players concepts, and mixed in there will be a slight rant of frustration seeing and reading of the degradation of the great game of pool.
Recently a member started a thread asking how long it took to run your first rack of 9 ball.
My first thought after reading this was, geez, the younger players today are really selling themselves short on this wonderful game of pool and setting themselves up for some measure of disappointment by making 9 ball some kind of standard of how well they play.
Somewhere down the road they will be asked to play a game of 1 pocket or straight pool. All that rack smashing and running seven or eight balls, giving themselves a false impression of what a good pool player is, will be crushed. only to be disheartened when they realize they simply are not as good as they thought they were even after running out 9 ball racks.
Wasting time on 9 ball as a standard of your pool accomplishments is like trying to get good at board games by playing checkers when the ultimate challenge that you have not even entertained learning is chess.
If you really want to accomplish something to be proud of, something that would be more the result of skill than luck of the "smash em to hell and back" 9 ball break, I strongly suggest putting that 9 ball crap on the back burner and do this.
Set up a full rack of balls ( they do come 15 object balls to a set ya know) on the table, peel off the top ball and set it up to make that shot and open the remaining rack and then .... run 17 total balls using the rules of straight pool.
Your accomplishment when you achieve it will have been primarily from skill, planning, and execution. Just the opposite of what most likely will be the reason you get through your first 9 ball rack.
Then, as you increase your total run number into the 20's and 30's your focus, concentration and confidence will soar!
Break the 50 ball run and then, go back to that measly crash and burn 9 ball rack. Run though it and realize for yourself how empty the accomplishment was.
Once you become proficient at running multiple racks of straight pool, you will be a player that can play ANY pool game with confidence rather that a 9 ball player who's eyes become opened to how one dimensional that game was to your efforts to learn to be a good player, especially when you are confronted with a 1pocket or straight pool challenge and realize you have been practicing checkers and now someone has asked you to play a game of chess.
Practice the game that will broaden your learning both physically and mentally. That's straight pool, that's my perspective, and that's my sincere effort to let you see the light. :deadhorse:
end of suggestion and rant. :thumbup:
I'm writing this from the perspective of one (me) older player, as mostly a suggestion and hope to broaden the younger players concepts, and mixed in there will be a slight rant of frustration seeing and reading of the degradation of the great game of pool.
Recently a member started a thread asking how long it took to run your first rack of 9 ball.
My first thought after reading this was, geez, the younger players today are really selling themselves short on this wonderful game of pool and setting themselves up for some measure of disappointment by making 9 ball some kind of standard of how well they play.
Somewhere down the road they will be asked to play a game of 1 pocket or straight pool. All that rack smashing and running seven or eight balls, giving themselves a false impression of what a good pool player is, will be crushed. only to be disheartened when they realize they simply are not as good as they thought they were even after running out 9 ball racks.
Wasting time on 9 ball as a standard of your pool accomplishments is like trying to get good at board games by playing checkers when the ultimate challenge that you have not even entertained learning is chess.
If you really want to accomplish something to be proud of, something that would be more the result of skill than luck of the "smash em to hell and back" 9 ball break, I strongly suggest putting that 9 ball crap on the back burner and do this.
Set up a full rack of balls ( they do come 15 object balls to a set ya know) on the table, peel off the top ball and set it up to make that shot and open the remaining rack and then .... run 17 total balls using the rules of straight pool.
Your accomplishment when you achieve it will have been primarily from skill, planning, and execution. Just the opposite of what most likely will be the reason you get through your first 9 ball rack.
Then, as you increase your total run number into the 20's and 30's your focus, concentration and confidence will soar!
Break the 50 ball run and then, go back to that measly crash and burn 9 ball rack. Run though it and realize for yourself how empty the accomplishment was.
Once you become proficient at running multiple racks of straight pool, you will be a player that can play ANY pool game with confidence rather that a 9 ball player who's eyes become opened to how one dimensional that game was to your efforts to learn to be a good player, especially when you are confronted with a 1pocket or straight pool challenge and realize you have been practicing checkers and now someone has asked you to play a game of chess.
Practice the game that will broaden your learning both physically and mentally. That's straight pool, that's my perspective, and that's my sincere effort to let you see the light. :deadhorse:
end of suggestion and rant. :thumbup:
