I AM BACK!
I am really surprised with myself. In the past 3 months, i have NOT played a lot of pool. If i remember correctly, i have played about 5 times in the past 6 weeks total.
I recently went to the pool hall determined to prove to myself that i knew what i was talking about in regards to a 3 rail kicking system i knew, as it pertained to a shot in another thread.
That was like 2 nights ago, and up till then, i had played pool like once in 3 weeks before that.
I went in today with the goal of practicing for a 5 hour session.
I also made it a point to bring earplugs to try playing with them as i have serious issues with noise.
So anyway, i am all over the place. I make a hard shot, i miss an easy one, make an easy one, miscue on another etc. etc and basically have no consistency at this point. Then, after about a half hour, once my arm kind of felt like it knew what it was doing and wasn't on vacation anymore, i got to 42+ a few times and then i got to 56+ and then i got to 56 again, and left myself absolutely terrible on the break shot (i didn't want to over stroke the draw and as a result, i hit it like a sissy and didn't stroke it AT ALL and was on the wrong side of the ball as a result), and i was really pissed at myself as i had to shoot the break shot with inside english and come out 2 rails off the bottom rail and HOPE to click the corner balls, to continue my run, and after BARELY managing to graze the balls and getting a shot, i was totally determined that i was going to run 100 balls.
And as is typical when i'm trying to get some serious practice in, almost right after that break shot when i was on 61 balls, and down to shoot, one of the guys from the front of the room walked all the way to the back of the room and started talking to me, and i explained to him that i couldn't really hear him cause i had earplugs in, and he's blabbing away, and leaning against the next table, WAITING FOR ME TO TAKE THE NEXT SHOT!
WHY ME GOD, WHY!?!?!?!:banghead: It's like, totally clueless people are just drawn to me when i try to play serious pool!!!! UN-FREAKING-BELIEVABLE!!!!!
So anyway, he stands there and after some chit chat, he leaves, and i look at the table and have absolutely no idea what to do. He completely took away my focus, so i sat there looking at the balls all confused, wondering what the heck i was trying to do before he showed up.
Needless to say, that rack was just ugly after that. I was shaking my head the entire time till the next rack, cursing him out under my breath for having the nerve to come talk to me while i was on a run.
I am totally serious about getting that t shirt that says, "shut up and leave me alone"
So as it turned out, the next couple of racks were really brutal as i had lots of clusters and the balls weren't working with me cause i was still kind of annoyed and started smashing stuff, and then next thing you know, i was 7 racks in, and looking at a break shot thinking to myself, Did i really just do this out of nowhere?
So i get down on the shot and let her rip, and after the break, i was ready to puke.
The balls didn't move ANYWHERE, and i was looking at a combo for my century where i was semi hooked, and after saucing up the cue ball, spinning around the semi hook and twisting the combo in, i had a straight in shot on an 8 ball that i was real close to, and no real future in the rack but to use a reverse angle uptable break shot to try and keep running.
So anyway, i went to the counter to get myself a celebratory diet coke for my hard earned 100, and came back to the table to try and continue. Of course, i made the 8 but seeing as the cue ball was really close to the 8 ball and i had to draw a little, i didn't want to foul, so i couldn't really stroke it and ended up a little more severe on the 14 then i would have liked.
So anyway, i missed the 14, but did manage to break the balls wide open for a beautiful spread (had i made it) but oh well.
Not too shabby for someone who hasn't played in a while who hasn't played straight pool since the beginning of the summer.
I have to say though, that the earplugs are a friggin WONDERFUL invention. I just completely tuned everything else out.
It made it that much easier to play.
Anyway, this is the shot i went out on.
We'll see if i can come near this again in the next couple of sessions or if i will go back to my usual non caring self.
I am really surprised with myself. In the past 3 months, i have NOT played a lot of pool. If i remember correctly, i have played about 5 times in the past 6 weeks total.
I recently went to the pool hall determined to prove to myself that i knew what i was talking about in regards to a 3 rail kicking system i knew, as it pertained to a shot in another thread.
That was like 2 nights ago, and up till then, i had played pool like once in 3 weeks before that.
I went in today with the goal of practicing for a 5 hour session.
I also made it a point to bring earplugs to try playing with them as i have serious issues with noise.
So anyway, i am all over the place. I make a hard shot, i miss an easy one, make an easy one, miscue on another etc. etc and basically have no consistency at this point. Then, after about a half hour, once my arm kind of felt like it knew what it was doing and wasn't on vacation anymore, i got to 42+ a few times and then i got to 56+ and then i got to 56 again, and left myself absolutely terrible on the break shot (i didn't want to over stroke the draw and as a result, i hit it like a sissy and didn't stroke it AT ALL and was on the wrong side of the ball as a result), and i was really pissed at myself as i had to shoot the break shot with inside english and come out 2 rails off the bottom rail and HOPE to click the corner balls, to continue my run, and after BARELY managing to graze the balls and getting a shot, i was totally determined that i was going to run 100 balls.
And as is typical when i'm trying to get some serious practice in, almost right after that break shot when i was on 61 balls, and down to shoot, one of the guys from the front of the room walked all the way to the back of the room and started talking to me, and i explained to him that i couldn't really hear him cause i had earplugs in, and he's blabbing away, and leaning against the next table, WAITING FOR ME TO TAKE THE NEXT SHOT!
WHY ME GOD, WHY!?!?!?!:banghead: It's like, totally clueless people are just drawn to me when i try to play serious pool!!!! UN-FREAKING-BELIEVABLE!!!!!
So anyway, he stands there and after some chit chat, he leaves, and i look at the table and have absolutely no idea what to do. He completely took away my focus, so i sat there looking at the balls all confused, wondering what the heck i was trying to do before he showed up.
Needless to say, that rack was just ugly after that. I was shaking my head the entire time till the next rack, cursing him out under my breath for having the nerve to come talk to me while i was on a run.
I am totally serious about getting that t shirt that says, "shut up and leave me alone"
So as it turned out, the next couple of racks were really brutal as i had lots of clusters and the balls weren't working with me cause i was still kind of annoyed and started smashing stuff, and then next thing you know, i was 7 racks in, and looking at a break shot thinking to myself, Did i really just do this out of nowhere?
So i get down on the shot and let her rip, and after the break, i was ready to puke.
The balls didn't move ANYWHERE, and i was looking at a combo for my century where i was semi hooked, and after saucing up the cue ball, spinning around the semi hook and twisting the combo in, i had a straight in shot on an 8 ball that i was real close to, and no real future in the rack but to use a reverse angle uptable break shot to try and keep running.
So anyway, i went to the counter to get myself a celebratory diet coke for my hard earned 100, and came back to the table to try and continue. Of course, i made the 8 but seeing as the cue ball was really close to the 8 ball and i had to draw a little, i didn't want to foul, so i couldn't really stroke it and ended up a little more severe on the 14 then i would have liked.
So anyway, i missed the 14, but did manage to break the balls wide open for a beautiful spread (had i made it) but oh well.
Not too shabby for someone who hasn't played in a while who hasn't played straight pool since the beginning of the summer.
I have to say though, that the earplugs are a friggin WONDERFUL invention. I just completely tuned everything else out.
It made it that much easier to play.
Anyway, this is the shot i went out on.
We'll see if i can come near this again in the next couple of sessions or if i will go back to my usual non caring self.
