How can someone love the game so much, and still suck so bad.

I

Impact Blue

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
How can someone love the game so much, and still suck so bad?

...seriously, wtf man.

I've really been struggling these past months. Recently I've accepted the fact that I lack any and all natural ability in this game. And even then, I remained optimistic. But lately for all the books, DVD's, nightly falling asleep to youtube/propoolvideo streams watching patterns, dreaming of my next cue, I'm just a pool nerd 100%. If ever in action, I'm usually in a good game--no confidence is lacking 'cause I'll railbird their shot choices and ability, yeah, and the pure WANT is there. I love this game.

But so far as personal goals and consistency? I can't get there. I'll go 0-2 in a local tourney, giving weight to some drunk, and it's just done. F-the rolls, f-the breaks, I should have taken him out. But I didn't, or couldn't.

I refuse to accept that I have too high, or unnatural standards for myself. It's just I don't understand for all the spirit and meditation in this game, and in all of its crushing defeats, that when all I want to do is run out a rack of 9 ball..pffh...game over. It's like some unhealthy relationship I'll never leave.

Does anyone else have light or advice on this? Absolutes aside, I still love everything about this game. What's my f-in problem?

(no heart, maybe)

I'm gonna go groom my tip now....
 
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Two words.....POOL SCHOOL.
There are several very good instructors who post here that can help you find that consistancy. Depending on where you live, I'm sure we can find someone near you. RandyG and Scott Lee both travel all over the country with their schools. I might be able to help if you are in the Carolina's area.
Steve
 
I'm just saying, you can't win all the time, so why expect it? You can't win all the time and you shouldn't want to win all the time. If you won all the time, then pool wouldn't be fun anymore.

You ought to play more for fun.

I think you'd be happier if you could be okay with losing. You shouldn't set such high standards for yourself.

:D
 
you need a pool buddy, mate. someone who can play you and knows really how to play. someone to enjoy the game with. bring along a regular pal. that's my advice. in no time will you improve your game, it will also improve your feeling about the game.
 
FWIW, my biggest jumps in speed came right after studying points I need to work on, AND playing like dooky! They seem to go hand in hand, when I'm working hard on my game I rarely play well? when I learn a new piece o the puzzel I can then just forget EVERYTHING and play my top gear.......you know?

Good to see you have the desire!

good luck,
 
sink or swim...

Impact Blue. It's like some unhealthy relationship I'll never leave. [/QUOTE said:
I know what you are talking about, we are in the same boat my friend...



B.
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cubc said:
I'm just saying, you can't win all the time, so why expect it? You can't win all the time and you shouldn't want to win all the time. If you won all the time, then pool wouldn't be fun anymore.

You ought to play more for fun.

I think you'd be happier if you could be okay with losing. You shouldn't set such high standards for yourself.

:D
Click to expand...

See, this is a tough one. I can't say that it's the losses I'm dwelling on; that just makes me play harder next time. But therein lies the faults. The good results aren't coming, for whatever reason.

I'm always more impressed with the moves on a person, or shot choices of a player. Smart patterns, smart games, grinding to the win on the loser's side, or just robbing someone by sheer street intelligence is all awesome to watch. Skill versus skill; you just can't teach experience.

And I've always said I would take a stronger cue ball over phenomenal cuts any day. Sure, finding balance there is key, but the latter doesn't impress me near as much. The cuts will come, but not without the cueball. Argh...

Can I just preface by saying that this post was never intended as fishing for pity. I'm sure this is a common ground for a lot of players, so your advice and experiences are valuable.

Thanks for all the helpful replies.

pooltchr said:
Two words.....POOL SCHOOL.
There are several very good instructors who post here that can help you find that consistancy. Depending on where you live, I'm sure we can find someone near you. RandyG and Scott Lee both travel all over the country with their schools. I might be able to help if you are in the Carolina's area.
Steve
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I can't afford it. I'm trying though.

Hail Mary Shot said:
you need a pool buddy, mate. someone who can play you and knows really how to play. someone to enjoy the game with. bring along a regular pal. that's my advice. in no time will you improve your game, it will also improve your feeling about the game.
Click to expand...

My pool buddies play jam up. They aren't instructors or believe in systems, so it's difficult. I'll see them work the cleanest tournament, or just chop flawlessly in a 50-5 golf game. Either way, they are usually getting paid.

For me, I just let the table do the talking, rather than i.e., woof and take a dump on my stake. But at my speed, that doesn't apply anyway.
 
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I sympathise with you!

I organised tournaments in the UK from 2005-07 and in that time I failed to win one match in a tournament I was organising! About 25 matches!!!

I have this belief that I can play the game when I am watching, yet give me a stick and a tournament and I prove I can not.

I know my issue is actually a lack of practice, I will go 2 months sometimes without picking up a cue due to work and family etc... So for me its about putting the time in. But it has to be the right kind of practice as well
 
been there mate it's frustrating.

here's a little excersise to get some confidence back.

go to the pool hall or your table, put all fifteen balls on the table, and just one or two stroke them all in. forget your deliberate cueing action and stroke, just fire em all in. speed pool like.

i'll bet you anything you wont be able to miss. you will soon realise that you do indeed posess the natural talent and instinct to put the balls in the hole. sometimes i do this and take the hardest shot for my next shot and even if i tell myself "you're going to miss" i still don't.

the point is sometimes we get bogged down with all the hours of reading and practicing and over-thinking - sometimes it's good to do this to remind ourselves that we do actually already have now the ability to pocket balls if we just chill out a bit and let our subconscious do the work a little bit.

forget all your conscious thought about your stroke and not dropping your elbow and perfect speed. just hit the damn balls in the hole!

all the technique and proper form is important yes and for top play you need a good medium somewhere in between. but sometimes we just try to hard consciously and forget that we play our best when we leave our subconscious to play the game.

good luck.
 
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Ok I'll give a realistic response this time instead of quoting a loser like in my previous post :D

I think you should be careful how much information you try to take in at once. You said all the books, dvds, videos, patterns, etc. If you try to take in too much at once it'll confuse you or mess your game / consistency up.

I try to work on one thing at a time. I will find a specific weakness in my game and then try to work on that one specific thing until I'm confident it's resolved. Now for me that doesnt mean setting up that same shot a million times because I dont want to start hating the game.. After I feel it's resolved I'll work on adding another part.

Dont underestimate whoever you play whenever you play. I learned last year that no matter how much you're winning by.. if you think "well they cant win the next 7 before I get 1" then you're breaking your cue down thinking wtf just happened.

And one last little nugget my friend has a problem with that I'm working with him on now... It's when he misses an easy shot and has to sit down. While I run out or stay at the table awhile it festers inside of him that he missed an easy shot. It makes him madder and madder and throws his whole game out of whack. He never lets go of a mistake and that causes more mistakes. Dont do that if that happens.

Play every shot the best and smartest you can regardless of it's some dumb drunk, some little idiot girl, or Shane himself. If you still lose then at least you know you did the best you could and wasnt because of stupid choices on your part.

Good luck.
 
Impact Blue said:
...seriously, wtf man.

I've really been struggling these past months. Recently I've accepted the fact that I lack any and all natural ability in this game. And even then, I remained optimistic. But lately for all the books, DVD's, nightly falling asleep to youtube/propoolvideo streams watching patterns, dreaming of my next cue, I'm just a pool nerd 100%. If ever in action, I'm usually in a good game--no confidence is lacking 'cause I'll railbird their shot choices and ability, yeah, and the pure WANT is there. I love this game.

But so far as personal goals and consistency? I can't get there. I'll go 0-2 in a local tourney, giving weight to some drunk, and it's just done. F-the rolls, f-the breaks, I should have taken him out. But I didn't, or couldn't.

I refuse to accept that I have too high, or unnatural standards for myself. It's just I don't understand for all the spirit and meditation in this game, and in all of its crushing defeats, that when all I want to do is run out a rack of 9 ball..pffh...game over. It's like some unhealthy relationship I'll never leave.

Does anyone else have light or advice on this? Absolutes aside, I still love everything about this game. What's my f-in problem?

(no heart, maybe)

I'm gonna go groom my tip now....
Click to expand...

Why do you think there are so many people in the industry who never compete themselves? The people who work in the industry are more often than not people who love the sport but never had the ability or time to devote the effort required to be successful PLAYING in it. We all have our own ways of contributing to the sport whether it be through achieving greatness climbing the ranks of pro tours or applying our professional skills to benefit pool in general.

I know when I'm too old to hold a cue I will be writing applications and/or designing websites for Diamond or some other billiards related company. I am a pool player at my core and I think you are too.
 
The title of your post says it all...Then it gets worse and worse....It's the power of positive thinking. You have to think you're the best in the world. Even if you're not. Granted you do need some instruction to ensure you're fundamentally correct. But it's all about positive attitude. Fundamentals are the key to everything so you might be doing something slightly wrong where it can be corrected.

Also, to build confidence, before you match up or tournament. Throw a couple balls and the 9 ball out on the table...run the rack. Do this so it makes you feel like you're running out. It will lift your spirits.

Christian
 
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cmsmith9 said:
The title of your post says it all...Then it gets worse and worse....It's the power of positive thinking. You have to think you're the best in the world. Even if you're not. Granted you do need some instruction to ensure you're fundamentally correct. But it's all about positive attitude.

Christian
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Reminds me of Muhammad Ali :) He kept saying he was the best.. until he was.
 
Have you ever sat back and thought that perhaps you are putting too much pressure on yourself?

Obviously your inner dialogue - or your inner coach - that voice inside of your head (that should be encouraging you) that voice is telling you that you suck, and that you're inconsistent. Then add the pressure that you are placing on yourself, and it's no wonder that you are where you are at.

I tell all of my students the same thing - you have to believe in yourself.

I can't believe in you enough for the both of us.

Start looking at the way you are reacting to missed shots, and bad rolls. What you say to yourself immediately after, depends on what file you store the experience in... you can file it one of many files that exist inside your brain...

here's an example
File 1 - I always do this
File 2 - I rarely do this
File 3 - I'm a stupid idiot
File 4 - I suck
File 5 - Learn from this and move on

There are other files up there, but it depends on which one you are loading the most information into. The biggest file will start to nudge the other files to the background until they are insignificant.

Remember an old computer term - garbage in - garbage out.

If you conduct yourself like a champion - if you practice like a champion - and break through these walls like a champion - the winner's circle is unavoidable.

If you conduct yourself like a bottom contender, that is exactly where you will stay.

It all starts with controlling your thoughts. Before you can control anything that happens outside the coconut - you must master control over the inside of the coconut. I don't know where you live, I don't know what the power of your finances are - but if you have a cell phone and some minutes to spare - that's all I charge to provide guidance. You could even send me a PM and I will call you.

If you find a better deal than that, let me know.
 
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Blackjack said:
Have you ever sat back and thought that perhaps you are putting too much pressure on yourself?

Obviously your inner dialogue - or your inner coach - that voice inside of your head (that should be encouraging you) that voice is telling you that you suck, and that you're inconsistent. Then add the pressure that you are placing on yourself, and it's no wonder that you are where you are at.

I tell all of my students the same thing - you have to believe in yourself.

I can't believe in you enough for the both of us.

Start looking at the way you are reacting to missed shots, and bad rolls. What you say to yourself immediately after, depends on what file you store the experience in... you can file it one of many files that exist inside your brain...

here's an example
File 1 - I always do this
File 2 - I rarely do this
File 3 - I'm a stupid idiot
File 4 - I suck
File 5 - Learn from this and move on

There are other files up there, but it depends on which one you are loading the most information into. The biggest file will start to nudge the other files to the background until they are insignificant.

Remember an old computer term - garbage in - garbage out.

If you conduct yourself like a champion - if you practice like a champion - and break through these walls like a champion - the winner's circle is unavoidable.

If you conduct yourself like a bottom contender, that is exactly where you will stay.

It all starts with controlling your thoughts. Before you can control anything that happens outside the coconut - you must master control over the inside of the coconut. I don't know where you live, I don't know what the power of your finances are - but if you have a cell phone and some minutes to spare - that's all I charge to provide guidance. You could even send me a PM and I will call you.

If you find a better deal than that, let me know.
Click to expand...


Well said...

I think I need to save up for some future lessons from you!
1184.gif
 
cubc said:
I'm just saying, you can't win all the time, so why expect it? You can't win all the time and you shouldn't want to win all the time. If you won all the time, then pool wouldn't be fun anymore.

You ought to play more for fun.

I think you'd be happier if you could be okay with losing. You shouldn't set such high standards for yourself.

:D
Click to expand...

I dont think any sports pro got to be pro with that kind of attitude.
Now.. print out Backjacks post. and read it 1000 times. then do it.
:D
 
Blackjack said:
Have you ever sat back and thought that perhaps you are putting too much pressure on yourself?

Obviously your inner dialogue - or your inner coach - that voice inside of your head (that should be encouraging you) that voice is telling you that you suck, and that you're inconsistent. Then add the pressure that you are placing on yourself, and it's no wonder that you are where you are at.

I tell all of my students the same thing - you have to believe in yourself.

I can't believe in you enough for the both of us.

Start looking at the way you are reacting to missed shots, and bad rolls. What you say to yourself immediately after, depends on what file you store the experience in... you can file it one of many files that exist inside your brain...

here's an example
File 1 - I always do this
File 2 - I rarely do this
File 3 - I'm a stupid idiot
File 4 - I suck
File 5 - Learn from this and move on

There are other files up there, but it depends on which one you are loading the most information into. The biggest file will start to nudge the other files to the background until they are insignificant.

Remember an old computer term - garbage in - garbage out.

If you conduct yourself like a champion - if you practice like a champion - and break through these walls like a champion - the winner's circle is unavoidable.

If you conduct yourself like a bottom contender, that is exactly where you will stay.

It all starts with controlling your thoughts. Before you can control anything that happens outside the coconut - you must master control over the inside of the coconut. I don't know where you live, I don't know what the power of your finances are - but if you have a cell phone and some minutes to spare - that's all I charge to provide guidance. You could even send me a PM and I will call you.

If you find a better deal than that, let me know.
Click to expand...

Don't you just hate it when you hear a lot of voices inside your head? :D :D :D
 
U dont know why u lose?

Are u confident u will win or do u think u will lose the match before it starts?
Are u missing clean shots?
Are u capable of getting good shape for 9 consecutive shots?
Are u capable of throwing 15 balls on table and running them out in particular order?
Can u move cue ball up/down side to side to get on balls?
Do u make an easy run out difficult?
U use draw instead of follow often?
Are u getting on the wright side of ob?
Confident shooting rail shots?
Confident shooting off rail?
Confident breaking up clusters?
Are u noticing where the problem ball is first time at the table?
Are figuring out how to get too the problem ball early?
Sewer often?
Do u play safe on a 50% or go for it always?
U making that dreaded one mistake that costs u the game every time?
Do u shot fast? Some shots require more think time then others.

Have a look and a read at this link http://www.poolclinics.com/pdf/TS13.PDF

This is a game of confidence! you think ur gonna lose, u will lose! Learn to play safe against strong players! its a must! Play the best players in your hall often with as little $ on line as possible and if your not 100% focused against the stronger players u will get crushed!
 
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