Getting bored with pool

justnum

justnum

Billiards Improvement Research Projects Associate
Silver Member
Pool can be fun and it can be a chore.

The fun part is pocketing balls and playing great safes.

The chore is when you know your weaknesses and work to improve on it.


One method to improve as if it were not a chore is to use a handicap in your matches.
If you think your position play is off, limit yourself to only level center cue ball shots.

Doing drills and practicing set shots takes the pleasure out of it.
 
How about working on your weaknesses slowly and consistently, enjoying the process through "practice play" like you mentioned above? Stop doing drills and things you don't like, and chose solo play games that you can incorporate concentrated practice into - and keep track of your improvements over time with scoring..... similar to your handicapping idea?

Bowlliards.

Fargo.

10.5 Straight Rotation.

99 or Olympic Nine Ball if you love 9 ball games.

Solitaire 8 Ball.

One Pocket Points.

Equal Offense.

Just a few ideas.

There is a difference between practice drills and practice play, so I know what you mean. Solo play scoring games have made a big difference for me over the years and are more enjoyable than many match play games ---- the scoring elements help you focus, while allowing you to choose shots that you know you need to practice and are a weakness for you.

Just trying to help and offer ideas



K.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
K2Kraze said:
How about working on your weaknesses slowly and consistently, enjoying the process through "practice play" like you mentioned above? Stop doing drills and things you don't like, and chose solo play games that you can incorporate concentrated practice into - and keep track of your improvements over time with scoring..... similar to your handicapping idea?

Bowlliards.

Fargo.

10.5 Straight Rotation.

99 or Olympic Nine Ball if you love 9 ball games.

Solitaire 8 Ball.

One Pocket Points.

Equal Offense.

Just a few ideas.

There is a difference between practice drills and practice play, so I know what you mean. Solo play scoring games have made a big difference for me over the years and are more enjoyable than many match play games ---- the scoring elements help you focus, while allowing you to choose shots that you know you need to practice and are a weakness for you.

Just trying to help and offer ideas



K.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Great advice. I agree with K2.
(My own side note: If one ever gets bored with doing something--as the OP title
suggests--then just stop playing altogether.)
 
justnum said:
Pool can be fun and it can be a chore.



The fun part is pocketing balls and playing great safes.



The chore is when you know your weaknesses and work to improve on it.





One method to improve as if it were not a chore is to use a handicap in your matches.

If you think your position play is off, limit yourself to only level center cue ball shots.



Doing drills and practicing set shots takes the pleasure out of it.
Click to expand...



Then quit playing, might as well quit this forum as well then. Bye Felicia
 
boogeyman said:
Great advice. I agree with K2.
(My own side note: If one ever gets bored with doing something--as the OP title
suggests--then just stop playing altogether.)
Click to expand...

While 'stop playing' to avoid burnout might read a bit flippant, it is real g-damn true.

I figured out about a decade ago that playing pool between november- march was how i kept interest alive.

Dont tell anyone, but i think i am playing the best pool of my life, st the moment.

Might be the crack though.
 
It's weird how it is not playing at all for extended amounts of time. I broke my hand, was out two months, won my first tournament back. Sometimes I feel great after not playing for a week, sometimes I dont. I really don't want to take more than 3 days in a row off nowadays unless I have to.Burning out is for real too! Can take away mental energy tons
 
If you are getting bored with pool, then you have lost, or never had to start with, your drive to be the best you can be. Doesn't matter if you're really .275 avg. in MLB, you still have to try to be a .400 hitter like Ted Williams or that .275 avg is quickly going to plummet to more like .235. Instead of playing in the majors, you will instead be stuck on a bus traveling to games in AA baseball. The standards of performance true champions set for themselves are more than most mortals would attempt, let alone indulge. How many hours of practice did Kobe put in during his career.......before every game......after team practice ended......before team practice started.......in the off season? How many hours does the most dominant player in basketball put in every day during the off-season? That's why the team built the practice arena near Lebron's house, besides the indoor court at his house? How many hours of range time and practice rounds does the top pros like Woods, Mickelson, Day, McElroy et al. put in year round? How many hours did Willie Mosconi play pool weekly? How much time do the Fischer sisters put in trying to maintain their game?

Spring training in baseball used to be when players got into shape. Today's players, except for pitchers, are ready to play within 2 weeks, not the two months of yesteryear. It simply means players practice year round even if it's just conditioning. No one likes to practice but the truth is you suck it up and challenge yourself. Come by Blue Fin Billiards in Fresno & I'll turn you on to some maniacal drills to use. The truth is only you can push yourself & it will be only as hard as you are committed to improving. Derek Jeter was asked before he retired why was he such a fierce competitor. Know what his answer was? "It doesn't take a lot of talent to try hard.".

Well, that about sums it up. You decide what happens and where do you go from here. Bored with pool.....well, when it happens with a marriage, it pretty much tells you that the outcome isn't going to be as pleasant as it otherwise might have.been. You say you're bored with pool, then quit playing for as long as you can resist. Write down on paper you won;t touch a cue for 2 weeks or 30 days. Then when that period of time is up, add 72 more hrs........just 3 days.....a week more would be even better. You see when you're ready to play again after the hiatus, you only have the itch to play pool. But when you can;t scratch that itch for another week, if you can even hold out that long, then you will have the need to play pool. Wants are never as powerful or as motivational as Needs. You just need to recognize your need for pool and then try to decide how good you can be or better yet, how great you aspire to become.

Remember what Jeter said.......he epitomized the competitive spirit we all would really benefit from emulating. It doesn't take a lot of talent to try hard and that simply means practice time. Nonetheless, it should be smart practice time and to ensure that simply adhere to the core principle......"Always practice with purpose."
 
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When you say, "Getting bored with pool." Is that a question, or a statement?
Whenever I get bored with pool I take a few days off and turn to my next favorite hobby, Cat Juggling.
Oh, the thrill. Tossing as many as three cats at a time into space (the pros can do four). Their beady little eyes as wide as saucers as they tumble and turn, clawing at the air and meowing all the while. It's a beautiful thing to watch.
The element of danger is present, too. Last year at the Cat Jugglers Association of Missouri (or, C-JAM as we call it) region 3 tournament, four contestants were severely injured while competing. Three only suffered cut and bruises, but one guy damn near lost an eye. Because of that, ballistic eyewear has become mandatory.
Aside from the risks involved, Cat Juggling can be a very relaxing, and rewarding sport, and one that you just might want to give a try. PM me for more details. It's the cat's meow! :)
 
Tramp Steamer said:
...
Whenever I get bored with pool I take a few days off and turn to my next favorite hobby, Cat Juggling.
Oh, the thrill. Tossing as many as three cats at a time into space (the pros can do four). Their beady little eyes as wide as saucers as they tumble and turn, clawing at the air and meowing all the while. It's a beautiful thing to watch.
...

It's the cat's meow! :)
Click to expand...
Then you get guys like this one....

CatJuggling.jpg

Those cats are clearly drugged. The great shame and scandal of the sport.

Personally I was only able to get four in the air one time and I have the scars to prove it.
 
Bob Jewett said:
Then you get guys like this one....

View attachment 445911
Those cats are clearly drugged. The great shame and scandal of the sport.
Personally I was only able to get four in the air one time and I have the scars to prove it.
Click to expand...


Yes indeed, Bob, but let me say right off the get go that the CJAA (Cat Jugglers Association of America) prohibits the use of sedative drugs, either for the cats or by the jugglers. Alcohol, however, is encouraged.
By-the-way, that fellow in the picture is none other than Joe Bill Priff, six-time world cat juggling champion, and that trio of felines are out of a matched litter. Very rare. :grin:
 
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