TL;DR Don't get frustrated when the yips come!
The ups and down of being a bar banger. So the spring I had a phenomenal session in 8 ball as a SL5 Took down some big scalps, 4 or 5 break and runs, (two of em on the big table) never lost to anyone ranked below me, and finished I think 11-2, winning the SL5 MVP. Summer session rolls around and I win my first 5 matches averaging maybe 2-3 innings per rack...ahhhh, but momentum and confidence are fickle mistresses!
My LO stopped by one match and mentioned that he was looking through scoresheets and noticed my stats...told me he was surprised I wasn't an SL 6 already and that it would likely happen in the next week or so. I lost that night. And the next week. and the week after. I took a couple weeks off. Came back and lost my next two matches. And these losses are ugly. Against folks I had never lost to before. I noticed that it seemed EVERY ball into the corner rattled and hung up. Heck even the shots that fell in were a toss up. Every position was over ran by mere inches, putting me on the wrong side of the shot line...aaagh.
I limped into tri cups. The only way I can describe it is when you get the yips playing golf. Nothing changes about your approach, swing, follow through, but for whatever reason you JUST CAN'T make good contact and the ball is all over the place. My team made a run to the finals in tricups. During the tournament, I played 2 matches and a sudden death. The 2 matches were with an SL 3 and and SL5. I didn't win a rack. I couldn't have hit the ground with my hat if you gave me 3 throws.
I take the next week and completely deconstructed my shot. From my approach through my follow through. I dusted off my notebook of Mother Drills from my lesson with Scott Lee (RIP) I spent hour after hour and drill after drill focusing on my set- pause- finish and eye discipline. Very tedious and boring.
Fall session starts and I pick up a much needed win against an SL7. The very next week my Skill Level had changed...I had dropped to an SL4! I haven't been an SL 4 in a couple of years. It was a very frustrating and humbling experience. That night I beat an SL6 3-1 in 6 innings with a BnR. The next week I was back up to a 5. Who knows the mysteries of APA ranking. Anyway, I guess I will restart the long climb back up toward SL 6.
This is a very similar thing that happens to me (APA 5 in both 8 and 9) as well, except for some reason in TriCups and Vegas qualifier tournaments I tend to always play above my skill level. I only started playing league the season or two before covid hit, but I play on a couple teams and fortunatly most of them make it the higher level tournaments. So I have about 25 matches between 8ball and 9ball in those tournaments. I only lost 4 of those matches, one of those was to one of the best 7's in my area and I had him hill hill and was SO close to beating him. Only lost because i accidentally just barely knicked a ball coming uptable playing position off the short rail to the 8 ball which was sitting on the opposite short rail and my cue ball pretty much ended up sitting straight against the 8 ball, If i hadn't knicked that other ball i was set up straight in for the win. I went for the bank and missed it, and of course with a wide open table the 7 ran out and won the match. The next match that 7 played, he went up against a 6 and won the entire match in 1 inning. He started off with 3 break and runs, broke dry in the 4th rack, other player missed an attempted safety and the 7 ran out the rack, finished the match with an 8 on the break. Another funny story about one of my losses in the tournament, I was playing a 3 and won the lag, made the 8 on the break, squatted the cue ball in the middle of the table and another ball cut the cue ball in the side pocket, F'n scratch and a loss........ Next rack I almost made the 8 again but broke dry, 3 played a lock up safe (with coaches help) and I kicked at one of my balls and it hit another and knocked the 8 right in, totally never saw it as even a remote possibility, anyways match over since the 3 only needed two games.
Enough league war stories........ for now
I am surprised i have not been raised to a 6 yet, I know other teams have even complained about me and even had the league operator (Ewa Laurence) watch some of my matches during higher level tournaments when I was shooting well above my skill level. However about 3 or 4 times a year I go through these ruts where I can't seem to make a ball, i rattle pocket after pocket and then it gets in my head and i overthink and get nervous on every shot I take. I will try and fight through this for a week or two and get frustrated and just not touch my cue for a week or so. The funny part is, once I pick up my cue again I seem to have an improved game, i start making balls a little more consistently than I did before i started my struggles. I have had players on my team mention to me I should take a week off more often. The moral of the story is instead of trying to fight off the slumps with drills and stroke improvements, just take a break and think about other things.
Ok, one more APA Skill level story, I was raised to a 6 in nine ball for about a week, I beat a SL7 46-14 (9 innings) the next week I was back down to a 5 and have stayed there ever since. Makes absolutely NO sense whatsoever. My winning % in 9 ball was pretty high at the time was well (probably around (80%). I used to worry and get upset about peoples skill levels, however once I took the attitude that the system will eventually catch up and even out let people enjoy the ride while they can. I used to think a lot of people were sandbagging, but I came to realize its just the system for whatever reason hasn't raised them, through no fault of their own. We only have a few legitimate sandbaggers in our league, the only reason they play in leagues is so they can play on single boards with an easy path to get to Vegas, so they sandbag like hell on league nights to keep their skill level low so they can be under ranked for singles competition. I even had one of those players try and get me to play singles boards and tell me how to sandbag and keep my SL down. Needless to say I have never played single boards and probably never will just due to the sand bagging aspect of it.
