Ever know a match is about to go bad

42NateBaller

42NateBaller

AKA "Drambuie Dave"
Silver Member
I had one of the worst matches of my life last night. It started ok, but quickly took a bad turn. And even when it did, I was in denial for time.

I matched up with a guy I normally beat, but we're usually competitive; a good test of skill and nerve. I break the first 8-ball rack cleanly, and proceed to run down to my final 2 balls before the 8 when I miscue. I haven't miscued in weeks, so I was shocked and disappointed. This would have been an easy out and I was spotting him a game.

I expected my opponent to run out on the open table I just gifted to him. Nope! He rattles a pocket. Ok, that can happen early in a match, so no big deal. Right? We then proceeded stink up the joint with missed shots, and a few more miscues. When we made shots, we got position, but the misses really piled up. I remember thinking just hang in there, be confident, it will all come back and I'll be just fine. Never happened.

I end up losing on the hill, by missing a fairly long cut on the 8 that was near the rail. Not a really difficult shot, just the kind you hit with medium speed and center on the CB. If I didn't have a shaved head, I would have pulled all of my hair out!

So, when I got home I jumped on my table for a little workout. Shot just fine. So WTF!

Any other stories out there?
 
Black-Balled said:
Self fulfilling prophecy.

Or, sometimes you're the hammer, sometimes you're the nail.
Click to expand...

...and if you're the MC HAMMER these days, you'd rather be the nail.
 
Break it down...
 

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I was thinking my story was more like a country song, but I forgot to mention Willie Nelson, trains, momma, pickup trucks, etc.
 
Get us off tilt!

Everybody surely goes on tilt at times. How do you get off tilt??? :angry:

Besides the standard:

"Think positive. Focus. Breathe. One shot at a time. Stay down and stroke through..."

What other things have people done to successfully get off tilt?
 
being on tilt

KoolKat9Lives said:
Everybody surely goes on tilt at times. How do you get off tilt??? :angry:

Besides the standard:

"Think positive. Focus. Breathe. One shot at a time. Stay down and stroke through..."

What other things have people done to successfully get off tilt?
Click to expand...

Sometimes you just can't outrun your own mind.........
 
KoolKat9Lives said:
Everybody surely goes on tilt at times. How do you get off tilt??? :angry:

Besides the standard:

"Think positive. Focus. Breathe. One shot at a time. Stay down and stroke through..."

What other things have people done to successfully get off tilt?
Click to expand...
I consume massive amounts of Jack Daniels and come back the next day. If that doesn't help I repeat and try again.
 
42NateBaller said:
I had one of the worst matches of my life last night. It started ok, but quickly took a bad turn. And even when it did, I was in denial for time.

I matched up with a guy I normally beat, but we're usually competitive; a good test of skill and nerve. I break the first 8-ball rack cleanly, and proceed to run down to my final 2 balls before the 8 when I miscue. I haven't miscued in weeks, so I was shocked and disappointed. This would have been an easy out and I was spotting him a game.

I expected my opponent to run out on the open table I just gifted to him. Nope! He rattles a pocket. Ok, that can happen early in a match, so no big deal. Right? We then proceeded stink up the joint with missed shots, and a few more miscues. When we made shots, we got position, but the misses really piled up. I remember thinking just hang in there, be confident, it will all come back and I'll be just fine. Never happened.

I end up losing on the hill, by missing a fairly long cut on the 8 that was near the rail. Not a really difficult shot, just the kind you hit with medium speed and center on the CB. If I didn't have a shaved head, I would have pulled all of my hair out!

So, when I got home I jumped on my table for a little workout. Shot just fine. So WTF!

Any other stories out there?
Click to expand...

Do you play with a laminated tip? If so, that could be a reason for the miscues.
 
buzzsaw said:
I consume massive amounts of Jack Daniels and come back the next day. If that doesn't help I repeat and try again.
Click to expand...

MAryjane and Jaegermeister is another potential solution :eek:
 
42NateBaller said:
I was thinking my story was more like a country song, but I forgot to mention Willie Nelson, trains, momma, pickup trucks, etc.
Click to expand...

You forgot gettin drunk.

I had a very similar match last night....lost to a much inferior player and only due to poor shots. Needed two balls to win...set up easily for the last two and chooched the first one....man was i pissed at me.....
 
I have had many-a-matches like this.

Just recently I played someone who kept making comments about how hung over they were (this was a morning match) and I already played maybe two balls above them. We get to the table, I get bad on the 8 and miss a tough 9 the first game. I miscue on the 8 next game and scratch on a tough 7 the next. The 9ball was made by my opponent on one of the games, too. I'm sure I hooked myself late in another game, too, the way it was going. LOL! I think I lost 5-2 or something... It went by in a flash, I was doing all the work and completely screwed myself. LOL!

So, yeah been there, done that. I feel for ya.

If there is a way to stop the tilt, I'd like to know, too. :) I can usually stop/reverse it in a longer race, but in a race to 5 it's just simply brutal.
 
simple...
The better player won that night...
We aren't machines... our skills/abilities fluctuate...
Everyone seems to think that "we play our best ALL THE TIME".
 
It works both ways. Sometimes I get that feeling that i'm just going to destroy my opponent in a match even if I'm down 3-0, but come back to win 7-3.

Self fulfilling prophecy at work. It's a mental game. If you're not playing your best pool, you're the reason why.
 
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