Feel like quiting!
- Thread starter mbippus
- Start date
Don't quit.
Someday you will have a quantum leap in your game.
Someday you will have a quantum leap in your game.
Pool is one sport or game that does not deal with the question of slumps properly. In poker you know that it will all balnce out. Just remember fundamentals and try to keep your emotions in check. Good practice as suggested by others and get a mentor or teacher to tell you whats going on. Talk to someone close as to your personal state. A close personal friend or mate can tell you things that you might not be aware of.
If you are gambling notch it down a bit. Take the pressure off yourself. Maybe play a softer opponent or someone who you feel comfortable with. Rebuild your confidence. And above all keep your head down.
Good luck. We've all been through this and remember if you quit you are the only one who will hurt.
If you are gambling notch it down a bit. Take the pressure off yourself. Maybe play a softer opponent or someone who you feel comfortable with. Rebuild your confidence. And above all keep your head down.
Good luck. We've all been through this and remember if you quit you are the only one who will hurt.
Time off
Take a week off, no pool!
It will be alright. When you come back your game could be on a new level, never know? 
It happened to me like that a couple of times. I won't tell you what the other times produced!!!
mbippus said:Have you ever had such a bad run that you seriously considered quiting playing serious pool? I have been playing pool seriously for about 2 years. I've read some books, joined a league, bought a table, practice almost everyday, and have greatly improved.
But this last week i have played the worst pool in my life--seriously.
Very discouraging especially when there is $$ on the line.
Suggestions?
mb
Take a week off, no pool!
It will be alright. When you come back your game could be on a new level, never know? It happened to me like that a couple of times. I won't tell you what the other times produced!!! 
Scott Lee
Your time spent with Scott will be money well spent.
Banger
Your time spent with Scott will be money well spent.
Banger
Absorb and process...yes (but certainly not everyone is able to do this)...retain...NO, not without review; which is why I record the lessons onto dvds, for the student's permanent review. Many times I have given someone a lesson, and even YEARS later, they were having a problem, and reviewed the material from their lesson...and it was right there on the tape/dvd. Problem solved!
When we do multi-day pool schools, each day is 8 hrs long. The students seem to have no difficulty absorbing and processing the information, and come in the next morning refreshed, and ready to absorb new information. They go home with a big workbook, and a definite plan of how to apply the information.
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
When we do multi-day pool schools, each day is 8 hrs long. The students seem to have no difficulty absorbing and processing the information, and come in the next morning refreshed, and ready to absorb new information. They go home with a big workbook, and a definite plan of how to apply the information.
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Dawgie said:
Don't quit! It sounds like you love the game. Losing sometimes is part of the learning curve.
We all have wanted to quit after losing a little cash. It's part of the school of hard knocks. The good part is that it bothers you to lose, which is a good thing.
Take a few days off, regroup and come back with more dermination. These experiences are what will make you a better player. If it didn't bother you to lose then there might not be any hope.
I have been playing for many years and can't tell you how many times I wanted to quit. Stay with it, it will get better.
We all have wanted to quit after losing a little cash. It's part of the school of hard knocks. The good part is that it bothers you to lose, which is a good thing.
Take a few days off, regroup and come back with more dermination. These experiences are what will make you a better player. If it didn't bother you to lose then there might not be any hope.
I have been playing for many years and can't tell you how many times I wanted to quit. Stay with it, it will get better.
One of those best breakthroughs I've ever had in pool was when I came to the realization that it's ok to have slumps. When I first began playing pool I would get very discouraged with a poor performance or during a time when I seemed to be getting worse... this discouragement and negative attitude only compounded my problems and added to the pressures I was already feeling to get back in stroke. After playing for several years I came to be more familiar with how your game can sometimes be like a roller coaster ride and took the bad days for just what they were... bad days and nothing more. Once I had this revelation it relieved a lot of the performance stress that I had before and I found that I could actually get back to top form a lot faster. After a while you develop the ability to figure out what you're doing wrong in shorter and shorter periods of time which enables you to play your best whenever you desire. Most people will play great every once in a while and they think to themselves "Man, I wish I could play that way all the time...", when in reality they can... they just don't know it.
Take the advice here, take a break and go back at it.
A few weeks ago I shot the worst ever...I mean ever....it was in a league. I stopped for a solid week. League night came and I still didn't want to shoot, but I did. Shot ok. The next week came, the last night of league. We're in 2nd place and we're playing the 1st place team...which I considered 3 of the 4 opponents are better than myself. I shot absolutely great. I only missed 2 shots out of 4 games.....the best 4 games I have ever played. I won all the games, but unfortunately my teammates didn't. We ended up taking second and that's was ok by me.
Stay with it...you'll be glad that you did.
Matt
A few weeks ago I shot the worst ever...I mean ever....it was in a league. I stopped for a solid week. League night came and I still didn't want to shoot, but I did. Shot ok. The next week came, the last night of league. We're in 2nd place and we're playing the 1st place team...which I considered 3 of the 4 opponents are better than myself. I shot absolutely great. I only missed 2 shots out of 4 games.....the best 4 games I have ever played. I won all the games, but unfortunately my teammates didn't. We ended up taking second and that's was ok by me.
Stay with it...you'll be glad that you did.
Matt
mbippus said:Have you ever had such a bad run that you seriously considered quiting playing serious pool?
mb
Nope... not even once...
Even Efren has slumps... they are a natural part of the game.. as many others have also observed.. you reach a peak... you learn something new that eventually will take you beyond your new peak.. but you must incorporate it.. and that causes a slump..when you learn something new, it takes time to learn to apply it properly..
For example a beginner learns how to really draw the cueball he made the jump from drawing a few inches to a few feet.. and loves this new found knowledge too much... and begins using it on shots where its not appropriate.. just to show off his new found skill.. that leads to getting out of line and all sorts of havoc to his game... but after shooting for a few more weeks he learns when its the right shot.. and when its the wrong shot..and then he reaches a new peak...
until he acquires a new skill and we start the process all over again..
For an advancing player.. who practices often.. slumps are the result of learning something new. it shouldn't make you want to quit..it should encourage you to master your new skills and learn the next level of that skill..
softshot said:
I have actually never wanted to quit either. I have been through enough slumps over the years to know that something pretty cool is coming on the other side of it.
I know I have a good eye, and I know I have a pretty good stroke...so when it is not going well for me, I begin reassessing other areas of my game...like, am I rushing shots...or, perhaps the biggest culprit for me is that I am popping up on my shots...anticipating the next ball on my 'road map'. When I make the extra effort to stay down on the shot until the ball has gotten to the pocket, my game improves immediately. Sometimes we get complacent and lazy....a good slump will remind you of this, and force you to get back on those fundamentals.
Lisa
That's Why
That is another reason pool is so great. It's a lot like life, We grow in the valley's. These are normal and necessary. Embrace your valley and have patience, It's will pass and you will rise with a new strength.
Ray
mbippus said:Have you ever had such a bad run that you seriously considered quiting playing serious pool? I have been playing pool seriously for about 2 years. I've read some books, joined a league, bought a table, practice almost everyday, and have greatly improved.
But this last week i have played the worst pool in my life--seriously.
Very discouraging especially when there is $$ on the line.
Suggestions?
mb
That is another reason pool is so great. It's a lot like life, We grow in the valley's. These are normal and necessary. Embrace your valley and have patience, It's will pass and you will rise with a new strength.
Ray