It was exactly the same for me, it's uncanny. Or maybe it happens to a lot of players? I too felt like a superhero when I beat my friday night nemesis. Looking back I still feel like I played my best pool back then, just because of those games where I crawled back from being 8-2 behind to a 10-8 win. Or not being able to sleep when the exact opposite happened.I've experienced this as well. I used to play 8 ball vs a friend of similar skill level with nothing on the line except pride. Those matchups were unbelievably intense because we were both low-level players who desperately wanted to beat each other. I remember leaving the pool room after losing a really close race to him and feeling like I wanted to jump off a bridge. And if I won, I was on cloud 9 for the rest of the day.
I hear a lot of those lower-level players say 'I know I should make this shot because I made it before' which to them defines their skill level. I used to say the same thing when I was at that level. I think one of the first steps towards wanting to grow as a player, is understanding that all the shots you ever made are of no significance. What matters is the probability that you'll make it again the next time it comes up. And that probability goes up when you start paying attention to technique, fundamentals, stance, all that stuff. Not to forget the mental side.But the better I've become at pool, the less emotional I get about the game because I feel so much more "in control" of everything. When I make a mistake, it usually comes down to not taking enough time during my pre-shot routine, not taking enough time to judge the angle, or missing a shot I need to practice and am low percentage on. I don't really blame myself much anymore because I know my limitations and I know that I can't miraculously shoot like a Fargo 700 just because I want to beat the other guy. I have to play within myself. But I think a lot of lower-level players don't really understand their limitations fully and think that they can just concentrate and focus and bear down and suddenly shoot lights out, and thus they get much more emotional about ebbs and flows in their games.