Why do some players have to emphasize this line over and over again? At tournament charts, they don't put an asterix saying "this player is good, but he doesn't practice". I'm sick of those guys. They use this as an excuse for losing, but should they win it becomes even worse...then they use this line to make themselves look real good...how they'd be much better if they did practice a lot? Oh please... It happens at all levels of play.
"I don't practice at all" - good excuse?
- Thread starter predator
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predator said:
I have learned NEVER to listen to what a pool player says... WATCH what he does..
if he is process driven.. if he does it the same way all the time... he practices....
if he improvises and makes impossible shots but misses here and there..
he's a natural who doesn't practice
if he never misses he's both..
guard your wallet..
It's the same thing in Bass Fishing. It's called Dock Talk.
I haven't been out in months.. I heard bob is really on em'. They're catching 5's & 6's in practice.
It's all bullshit. Let em come gameday.
I haven't been out in months.. I heard bob is really on em'. They're catching 5's & 6's in practice.
It's all bullshit. Let em come gameday.
My stock answer: "You ought to try it sometime"
"It shows" is a close second
"It shows" is a close second
"I don't practice at all" -
That comes from a weak ego trying to protect itself. They are afraid of looking bad and want to protect their image up-front.
So... when they lose they can then believe that if they had of practiced, being the talented player they just know they are... if they HAD practiced THEN they would most certainly have won.
If they win... look out! They puff up like a overblown balloon... and then, wait till they lose. BAM!
Completely deflated... shredded. No more self-esteem. The real problem is they have no self-esteem to begin with and that's a shame. It takes a long time of attempting to be what you believe in, to have self-esteem.
That comes from a weak ego trying to protect itself. They are afraid of looking bad and want to protect their image up-front.
So... when they lose they can then believe that if they had of practiced, being the talented player they just know they are... if they HAD practiced THEN they would most certainly have won.
If they win... look out! They puff up like a overblown balloon... and then, wait till they lose. BAM!
Completely deflated... shredded. No more self-esteem. The real problem is they have no self-esteem to begin with and that's a shame. It takes a long time of attempting to be what you believe in, to have self-esteem.
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jrt30004 said:i practice all the time and still can't reproduce my stroke every time .
Maybe it's not the quantity of practice, but the quality. How do you practice? What do you practice? What goals do you set for your practice sessions? Is there a specific purpose for everything you do in practice?
Are you counting throwing 9 balls out on the table and running them as practice???????? (Hint: it's not) If you don't have a consistent and repeatable stroke, guess what you need to be working on in practice.
Just a little food for thought.
Steve
Kind of like back in the day when kids refused to admit they do their homework, but bring home As.
Too cool for school. Yeah, look at me! Whoooo! Like hard work and effort are beneath them.
All the top pros, especially the Europeans, are very proud of their training regiments, and some like Jasmin even have coaches.
I tell everyone who will listen that I trained with Scott Lee, doing everything he said to the best of my ability. I know it has brought my game up.
Too cool for school. Yeah, look at me! Whoooo! Like hard work and effort are beneath them.
All the top pros, especially the Europeans, are very proud of their training regiments, and some like Jasmin even have coaches.
I tell everyone who will listen that I trained with Scott Lee, doing everything he said to the best of my ability. I know it has brought my game up.
I've said it before and I will say it again.
Nothing sweeter than the game winning shot is one of your favorite practice drill shots. You smile with tons of confidence and 'drill it'
Nothing sweeter than the game winning shot is one of your favorite practice drill shots. You smile with tons of confidence and 'drill it'
I use a worse excuse than that...I just say that I suck, but we can play some. I practice, still suck, and still play. Sometimes I suck less than my opponent though, or they gave it to me. 
when playing golf I like to give the ole "I didn't catch all of that" off the tee when I tatoo one...that way when a playing partner sees my teeshot 50 yards in front of his, he thinks, jeesh - hate to see it if he had caught it. I do it with approach shots too - 160y out and hit it to 10 feet - I'll say, pushed or pulled it a little. If I'm feeling really cocky though, I'll tell the ball right after contact - GO IN!!
why make excuses, it's more fun doing the whole reverse psychology thing! Aw shucks, I got lucky. If I'm getting my butt handed to me, I'll just compliment the other guy....
when playing golf I like to give the ole "I didn't catch all of that" off the tee when I tatoo one...that way when a playing partner sees my teeshot 50 yards in front of his, he thinks, jeesh - hate to see it if he had caught it. I do it with approach shots too - 160y out and hit it to 10 feet - I'll say, pushed or pulled it a little. If I'm feeling really cocky though, I'll tell the ball right after contact - GO IN!!
why make excuses, it's more fun doing the whole reverse psychology thing! Aw shucks, I got lucky. If I'm getting my butt handed to me, I'll just compliment the other guy....
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pooltchr said:
thanks for the advice but i think you missed a little of my sarcasm. i am by no means a world beater but i get better every day and have some nice people giving me instruction and guidance and i would never do them the injustice of not practicing. and for anyone who doesn't, they should look up a guy like who can help them in the instruction area. and a little more joking around and sarcasm - if you ever saw the size of me you wouldn't offer me food for thought or any other kind:thumbup:
BVal said:
i feel bad now. i have said different forms of that to guys who we both knew to be better than me, i just got the rolls that day. i don't mean anything bad by it, it's just the way it was. the guys played poorly as opposed to their regular speed and i played - well the way i play. i will say this, it doesn't feel any better when someone better than me tells me i only won because i "got lucky". yes you're right. the fact i try to play at least five to six days a week for three to six hours is having no effect on my game improving. lady luck just sat in my chair for the match.
I know the guy who said didn't mean anything by it. I think he was in shock a little bit and didn't really know what to say cause I did play pretty bad LOL.jrt30004 said:
Even if I believe the person who beat me "got lucky" or anything like that - I always shake hands and say nice shooting or great match and good luck.
BVal
Count me among those who say this. Just six years ago, I was a 25-30 hour a week player, but now I play about three hours a week.
The truth is "I don't practice" is no excuse at all, because I really ought to practice, and if I did it, I might regain the level of play I once knew. It's just an admission of guilt, an admission of laziness, and while it may explain substandard performance, it doesn't excuse it.
When lack of practice is the reason you lose, it's better to plan for future practice than to dwell on the practice foregone. The past is history, but you can do something about the future.
The truth is "I don't practice" is no excuse at all, because I really ought to practice, and if I did it, I might regain the level of play I once knew. It's just an admission of guilt, an admission of laziness, and while it may explain substandard performance, it doesn't excuse it.
When lack of practice is the reason you lose, it's better to plan for future practice than to dwell on the practice foregone. The past is history, but you can do something about the future.
thats funny
I was just setting here thinking how I could make it part of my
daily routine .Instead of just doing it when I have time or feel like it
make time for it.Trust me I have hurt enough and am ready to quit
being one of the ones who say that .Here's what I say "I need to
practice ....you can't complain about not doing it right if ya don't practice"
I would much rather play well and know I put in the work and be quiet
and listen to others say it ....
I was just setting here thinking how I could make it part of my
daily routine .Instead of just doing it when I have time or feel like it
make time for it.Trust me I have hurt enough and am ready to quit
being one of the ones who say that .Here's what I say "I need to
practice ....you can't complain about not doing it right if ya don't practice"
I would much rather play well and know I put in the work and be quiet
and listen to others say it ....
Using "borrowed" lines...
I just got knocked out of a tournament where my opponent beat me 4-0, missed one ball in all four games, executed some great break-outs of clusters to run out....and says to me after the match, "I got lucky".
He said it with such a straight face I really couldn't get ticked at him, it was kind-of amusing actually. He was no Efren...but...
I felt like telling him that the only luck he had was playing againt ME! (Since I did a couple big mistakes in the match) LOL.
EDIT: I just read a couple of the posts just above mine...it looks like the "I got lucky" line is very common!
I just got knocked out of a tournament where my opponent beat me 4-0, missed one ball in all four games, executed some great break-outs of clusters to run out....and says to me after the match, "I got lucky".
He said it with such a straight face I really couldn't get ticked at him, it was kind-of amusing actually. He was no Efren...but...
I felt like telling him that the only luck he had was playing againt ME! (Since I did a couple big mistakes in the match) LOL.
EDIT: I just read a couple of the posts just above mine...it looks like the "I got lucky" line is very common!
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I don't have time to practice any more. At all. So when I am playing leagues and guys will want to match up I say, no thanks, I haven't been playing at all. Usually they think it's just a stall or a way to ask for weight, but it's true and I don't want to play them because I know I'm not in good form.
As for things said after a match. I've learned that if I win anything I say can be 'insulting' if the person I say it to . By the same token, if I lose, anything I say to the winner can be taken as offensive or as a lack of respect.
So now, no matter whether I win or lose I shake hands and say, "good game." or "I enjoyed playing you." Or, if it's someone who I know is volatile, I'll just shake their hand and smile. If they say "you got lucky." I just say "Thank you." (That usually confuses them enough for me to get away )
Many players will say something along the lines of "I played crappy" or "You got lucky" or something. If they do, I just smile, maybe say "Thank you" and walk away.
I really can't see anything productive from having that conversation, especially in a tournament where you need to keep positive for your next match, win or lose. So I try to nip it in the bud.
I really don't like it when I put a guy out of a tournament and he comes and finds me when I'm trying to get ready for my next match and wants to re-hash the ins and outs of "When I missed that three ball in the third game, I knew that was it for me" or "That lucky safe you got in in game 5 was a two game swing..." Even if they're being friendly and sincere about it, I just really don't want to have that conversation.
~rc
As for things said after a match. I've learned that if I win anything I say can be 'insulting' if the person I say it to . By the same token, if I lose, anything I say to the winner can be taken as offensive or as a lack of respect.
So now, no matter whether I win or lose I shake hands and say, "good game." or "I enjoyed playing you." Or, if it's someone who I know is volatile, I'll just shake their hand and smile. If they say "you got lucky." I just say "Thank you." (That usually confuses them enough for me to get away
)Many players will say something along the lines of "I played crappy" or "You got lucky" or something. If they do, I just smile, maybe say "Thank you" and walk away.
I really can't see anything productive from having that conversation, especially in a tournament where you need to keep positive for your next match, win or lose. So I try to nip it in the bud.
I really don't like it when I put a guy out of a tournament and he comes and finds me when I'm trying to get ready for my next match and wants to re-hash the ins and outs of "When I missed that three ball in the third game, I knew that was it for me" or "That lucky safe you got in in game 5 was a two game swing..." Even if they're being friendly and sincere about it, I just really don't want to have that conversation.
~rc