How long does POOR play keep you down?

WobblyStroke said:
False. Lol.
Just in case others couldn't see ur comment was dripping with sarcasm.

I will say tho that this entire topic comes down to temperment and realistic expectations. I know sub550s league heroes that think they're world beaters and are insufferable when off anything but their ceiling, as well as a cpl 610-625s that enter opens and see themselves as bangers. They take missing gracefully bc they don't delude themselves into thinking they shouldn't. The guys north of 600 def have more reason to feel bad about poor play but the guys nearly 100fr points below them give them the 7 when it comes to the poor play blues.
Click to expand...
BD does play better than most people so no sarcasm there. It might be that I just suck at the game so it seems like everyone else is good at it. I might be one of those guys that can run a rack every month or so. I enjoy playing though even though I don’t really put in the time practicing like I once did.
 
9BallKY said:
BD does play better than most people so no sarcasm there. It might be that I just suck at the game so it seems like everyone else is good at it. I might be one of those guys that can run a rack every month or so. I enjoy playing though even though I don’t really put in the time practicing like I once did.
Click to expand...
Ah seen. I misread ur post. Thought it was directed at me. I didn't mean to come off luke i was talkin s about bd. I know he good. Must be if playin bad b48ngs him down.
 
Until the next day…….the best attribute for a pool player is a short memory.
IMO, dwelling on the past only invites it to manifest again in your future play.

Profit from your mistakes by learning; if you keep repeating the same mistakes,
you still haven’t learned. Don’t focus on your mistakes. Focus on better habits.
 
BasementDweller said:
I haven't been playing at all, which includes hitting balls at home, but I had a free day so I went and played a bar table tourney. It was on Diamonds and I played poorly. Squeaked out a few matches but even those involved more luck than skill.

I'm almost a week removed from this and I can't shake it. I've loved pool for a long time, but maybe I'm nearing the end. I really don't know. I hate playing like crap so much but competing so rarely makes it more frustrating than enjoyable. I used to be able to do it because I had the drive to practice so much more than I do now. So I could show up pretty much ready to go in the past.

I have taken up some new hobbies in the past couple of years so maybe I'll move on. What's sad is if I'm not playing, I lose almost all interest in the game. I think a lot of my interest in professional pool revolves around being able to maybe not compete on a level playing field, but at least compare my game with what the big boys are doing. As the chasm grows, my interest wanes.

Anyway -- how long does poor play keep you down? How do you snap out of it?
Click to expand...

In my 20's it would eat on me for ages. I quit for a while and took up competitive foosball and figured out how bad I sucked at that...even my great play was piss-poor compared to the worst day for the second worst player in any tourney I entered (I was always the worst by far). So, I learned to play because I enjoyed to play.

That attitude stayed with me when I came back to pool. The worst I've had in a looooong time is several hours of being down about my performance.

My mantra is, 'that was yesterday'. Not literally, it is something to say to myself after a bad session, bad match, bad game, even a bad shot. The past is past and every shot is an opportunity to change things around.

Too often people seem to think that the recent past is the new normal. Play great for a year, but one bad night and they get down. Three bad nights and they start saying they are in a slump. A few months and they think that they don't love it, can't play because of no practice, too tired, lost the talent, etc.. Those dogs may follow you home, but you don't have to name them. Once you name those dogs, they are yours and hard to get rid of.
 
Nick8400 said:
Sounds like you are at a bit of a crossroads.

I went thru this with golf about 10 years ago. I went from playing/practicing non-stop. Carried a plus handicap for a long time. And then I started fishing, got married, and the kiddo. Next thing you know I was a weekend golfer and hating the game because I couldn’t score. It took awhile to adjust to. So much of my identity was tied into how well I could play golf.

7 years later I am still a weekend golfer and love the game more than ever. I used to be a golf course snob. Now I am most happy playing the local muni with my dad. I also still play pretty solid. The years of experience and my mental game almost make up for how little I practice.

Things change. Priorities change. I think what we want and get out the game changes. Give it some time. You will find your peace with the game and I bet you will love it, just maybe in a different capacity.

Enjoy the life you have going. The pool table will never be too far away!! Good luck!!
Click to expand...
Well said. 👍
 
Find new life.. a different game. My pool was always poor-fair. It got extremely boring. I took up 1p and having whatever fun I can get out of it. If it's not your livelihood why stop playing.
 
Bavafongoul said:
Until the next day…….the best attribute for a pool player is a short memory.
IMO, dwelling on the past only invites it to manifest again in your future play.

Profit from your mistakes by learning; if you keep repeating the same mistakes,
you still haven’t learned. Don’t focus on your mistakes. Focus on better habits.
Click to expand...

I lost last night to guy I should have beaten easily. Just a lack of focus at key moments in a loud room. I shrug off mistakes within seconds as all good athletes do or should do. But I was irritated enough that I went home and practiced for two hours.

Never bothers me to lose to a better player or someone who shoots well. I only get bothered by my own mistakes or poor play. But I am over it in a few hours or the next morn. I analyze what I did wrong, file away it away and move on.

Life is busy enough. Not going to feel bad about a game I love for very long. That’s not the feeling I associate with the game.
 
Fatboy said:
I don’t play anymore.

I knocked the balls around with Omega Mike for a couple hours on the barbox. I couldn’t run 4 balls until the very end of the night.

If I worked at it, yes I could play ok again. But I don’t have the motivation to play. Where do I find that? And for what reason?

That’s a problem.

I love watching and betting on pool, I’m at Derby having fun. Seeing friends. Action. Cues yay! But playing is a zero for me now.

I’m sure the bug will bite again, it always does.

Fatboy<——ain’t leaving pool
Click to expand...
Same boat here. Still fascinated by those silly balls and don't really see value in doing it as well as I once did or ever 29% better that I ever was.
 
nataddrho said:
Have you thought about other cue sports? My drive to become a highly competitive local player in pool was replaced by the peacefulness and endless learning of three cushion. It is refreshing.

Now I find pockets to be annoying.
Click to expand...
It has been very cool to pick up 3c for me too.

What an awesome head start, to have fundamentals and awareness of what happens when balls collide.

It is a bit annoying to get beat by horrible ball strikers who knows better shots and shot choices though.

I'm on the improve though, so their swiss cheese.games arent going to hold up too long.
 
Think of every shot as an experiment where you get to control many of the variables. You have no investment in the outcome, your only goal being to prove or disprove whether the shot as you set it up was successful. Your execution is one of the variables, of course. Games and races are just extensions of the experiment. It's just like poker - you try to do things to maximize your chances of winning a hand but can't get too spooled up if your 80% hand loses.

(I still throw things when I miss a shot or lose on the river.)
 
BasementDweller said:
I haven't been playing at all, which includes hitting balls at home, but I had a free day so I went and played a bar table tourney. It was on Diamonds and I played poorly. Squeaked out a few matches but even those involved more luck than skill.

I'm almost a week removed from this and I can't shake it. I've loved pool for a long time, but maybe I'm nearing the end. I really don't know. I hate playing like crap so much but competing so rarely makes it more frustrating than enjoyable. I used to be able to do it because I had the drive to practice so much more than I do now. So I could show up pretty much ready to go in the past.

I have taken up some new hobbies in the past couple of years so maybe I'll move on. What's sad is if I'm not playing, I lose almost all interest in the game. I think a lot of my interest in professional pool revolves around being able to maybe not compete on a level playing field, but at least compare my game with what the big boys are doing. As the chasm grows, my interest wanes.

Anyway -- how long does poor play keep you down? How do you snap out of it?
Click to expand...
You can fake the desire to improve and maintain your game.

You need a reason in your head why you play.

If it bothers you to dog....and you want to be a player...the only way is Hard Work.
 
GoldCrown said:
I took up 1p and having whatever fun I can get out of it. If it's not your livelihood why stop playing.
Click to expand...

Wikipedia on 1P:
Only one pocket for each player is used in this game, unlike other games played on a pool table where any pocket can be used to score object balls. The object of the game is to score points. A point is made when a player pockets any object ball into their designated pocket. The winner is the first to score an agreed-upon number of points (usually 8).​
​
 
I had bouts over the years but normally didn't last long. One such time a railbird (old timer) asked me what's wrong with my bridge hand (open bridge) so I said what do you see? He said my thumb wasn't up like it normally was and he was right. I made a more solid v and started potting balls. It could be many variables in one's game that could be off.
 
When I play poorly in a game I am over it by the time I start the next game. If not, it will negatively affect the way I continue to play so I mentally own my mistakes then move on. If I play poorly over the course of a match or tournament I am over it by the time I get home. I will think about it in the hours or days afterward, but only in an analytical sense. I can't say how long it would affect me if I were to play poorly over multiple sessions because that has never happened to me.

I'm not saying that I'm a great player, but rather that I usually play up to the level I expect from myself. Some may say that means I am not expecting enough out of myself, but I am playing for enjoyment above all. I would rather be happy having met my established standard rather than pissed off having fallen short of a slightly beyond reach goal. If I play above my normal standard that's just a bonus for me. Over the years that standard has gotten higher because I like learning, not because I am driven to get better. Will I ever be a champion? Nah. Will I always enjoy playing pool and look forward to each session? You bet!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top