Is pool really like riding a bike?

sizl

sizl

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I know alot of us has said it before, "playing pool is like riding a bike. Can you really take a break from playing pool for a long period of time and still play the speed you was playing or better? I think some of the responses will surprise alot of you!

I have been playing pool on and off for over 20 years. When I first started I jumped into it head first, I stayed at the pool room until they closed and went back when I woke up. I practiced until I thought I was good enough and then I started gambling. I did nothing but play pool for about 3 years until I got into the bar scene and my priorities changed. Now I was into partying, women and playing pool, and yes in that order. I would play pool only if I needed cash and then I would make what I feel like was enough to "get my party on".

By the time I was 26 I finally had enough of the partying and I went and I got a "real job", and I quit playing pool. It was a very hard transition, but I finally got used to it and I was "booking a winner" every Friday. Finally one day about 4 years later I went to a "big" pool tournament and caught the "fever" again. I started back playing and within the first few sessions I noticed I was playing considerably better. It was as all of the knowledge and information had absorbed into my BRAIN. All of the pre-shot thoughts that had played havoc on my game had gone and every thing just flowed. Their was no more "second guessing" myself and I seemed to be muck more in control of my game.

Several years later I got married and the Lord blessed me with two beautiful boys. That being said, we all know what a toll a family will take on your "playing time". So for five more years I quit playing pool and was just working and being a family man. I got my finances in order and my kids are in school and I have caught the "pool playing bug" again. I started back playing again and to my surprise once again within a few sessions I realized I was playing better than when I quit.

I was just wondering does can anyone relate to this? And I would love some input on WHY we play better after a layoff? And no it is not a "figment of my imagination"! :p

I am sorry if I BORED any of you with some of my history, but I thought it was pertinent information to help you guys grasp my point.


But my question remains the same.................Is pool really like riding a bike? Has anyone else taken a long layoff and started back playing the same speed as you was before you quit? Better?
 
i'll let you know tomorrow...

my background. played pool very sparsely growing up, but then while in college at Iowa started hanging out at Joe's Place when i turned 21. played only once in a while there, but then during my last year of school i had a very light schedule. decided that i wanted to quit paying for every game of pool i played (bar tables, winner never pays), so i started playing a minimum of 4 nights a week. i did that for 3 years, and thanks to the great guys i was playing against (remember, the BCA was headquarted in Coralville IA, a 'suburb' of Iowa City in those days, so there were a lot of good local players), my game went from bad to winning about 90% of every game of 8 i played, usually with ease.

then i took about a two year layoff, but got back into the game in 1999 and played about 3 nights a week. it probably took me, oh, 6 weeks to get to the point where i had my A game back night after night, game after game. that went on until i moved to NYC in march of 2001.

in the 4 years i have lived out here, i have probably shot about a total of 50 games of pool (they guys i lived with when i moved out here didn't play). in fact, my poor Cuetec has only left my apartment once since i have been here - the other times i played was just on a whim, when some bar or club we were in had a table, or when i was back home playing a game or two with my little brothers.

well, i have decided that i want to get back into it. so tomorrow i will be taking the Cuetec to Amsterdam to start my progression into 9 ball. of course, i'm looking at picking up a Predator, so the Cuetec will become my breaking cue, at which it will do fine. so how long it takes to get my game back is an open question...different game, new cue. but i know how to hit the shots, know the angles, and never feel any fear no matter who i am playing. so i think it will just take me several sessions of practice with the new cue and i will be back to where i want to be.

net, it is like riding a bike. oncw you know how to make the shots (offense) and when you cannot, play defense, you know it. it just takes a little time to get the kinks out and the muscles and nerves used to the motions again. at least, i hope so!

sedge
 
If you learned the right way, it's like riding a bike.

BCA Hall of Famer Joe Balsis was one of the greatest junior players ever in the early 1940's, but he walked away from pool, not returning to the serious tournament scene until about 1960, already 40 years old. Still, he picked it up right where he left off, and then riased his game to a higher level, and was surely one of the true greats over the period 1960-75.
 
SJM,

I was away from the game for 17 years. I quit when I was at the height of my game. I can honestly say it wasn't like riding a bike. I lacked the touch and shot making ability I once had but most of it returned. That was 13 years ago. I didn't go at it as hard as I once did (and still don't).

In a sense I felt a bit more consistant as time went along but my shot making ability was down. That is related to tougher shots as opposed to just making the balls you're suppose to make. I'm a bit wiser now and I know my limitations. When I was younger I wasn't very limited. LOL

In more recent times I may not have played for three months but after a few hours it comes right back. I haven't played now for over two months, long story. I will be a bit slower getting it back but I'm not really concerned. I know my ability is there but my vision holds me back to an extent. I can live with it so no big deal. So to answer your question, sort of. LOL

BTW I'm going to play this week. I have always accepted what happens after a lay off, and I still do now. No high hopes but I will run a rack or two.

Rod
 
Rodd said:
SJM,

I was away from the game for 17 years. I quit when I was at the height of my game. I can honestly say it wasn't like riding a bike. I lacked the touch and shot making ability I once had but most of it returned. That was 13 years ago. I didn't go at it as hard as I once did (and still don't).

In a sense I felt a bit more consistant as time went along but my shot making ability was down. That is related to tougher shots as opposed to just making the balls you're suppose to make. I'm a bit wiser now and I know my limitations. When I was younger I wasn't very limited. LOL

In more recent times I may not have played for three months but after a few hours it comes right back. I haven't played now for over two months, long story. I will be a bit slower getting it back but I'm not really concerned. I know my ability is there but my vision holds me back to an extent. I can live with it so no big deal. So to answer your question, sort of. LOL

BTW I'm going to play this week. I have always accepted what happens after a lay off, and I still do now. No high hopes but I will run a rack or two.

Rod
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It's not like riding a bike for most, Rod, but I believe it usually is for the best.

Pool boils down to shot conceptualization and shot execution. I think that shot conceptualization skills can be reclaimed nearly in an instant by top players. Shot execution may not come back right away, but I believe that as long as one is playing the right shots after a layoff, one has every chance to regain one's form very quickly.

Look forward to hearing how you hit em, Rod. Take care.
 
I would rather garden than play pool and spend much more time digging in the dirt planting flowers than playing pool. I go sometimes long periods between playing so I have a lot of exprience in this. It is a silly comparison, Let's say,I have not ridden a bike or layed a lady in years I can mount either one and ride like hell. That does not mean I forget how to mount and pump away. That also does not mean I now ride a bike like Lance or a lady like Fabio. I may be riding but its a real lame performance. I actually ride a 10 speed a couple of times a week and run through all 10 gears several times a week on my old lady as well. Just for the record here.


It's the same in pool, I can go for weeks and still run 5 balls but I have no run out game. It takes me 2 or 3 days of 4 to 6 hours a day to get that back. I can't lay off for 2 weeks, pick up a cue and run 2 or 3 racks. If you are a natural at the game you could do this but these kinds of people are very rare. Give me a weeks practice and I am back doing this.

Pool is a sport like golf or tennis that requires massive and constant repetitive performance of the basic shots or you lose the feel and fine touch of them. You know the shot, you just can't produce it. This is why you need a table in your home so you can play every day.
:D :D :D :D
 
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How good can you ride a bike? Lets face it, almost anyone can ride a bike. Pool is much more difficult. So, no pool is not like riding a bike. Also, I was watching TV a while back and saw what first looked like a motocross only it was kids on bicycles. Now these kids could ride a bike. Could one of these young folks stop for 10 years and go back out there and ride like that? I don't think so.
 
CaptainJR said:
How good can you ride a bike? Lets face it, almost anyone can ride a bike. Pool is much more difficult. So, no pool is not like riding a bike. Also, I was watching TV a while back and saw what first looked like a motocross only it was kids on bicycles. Now these kids could ride a bike. Could one of these young folks stop for 10 years and go back out there and ride like that? I don't think so.
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You are missing my point Captain. Yes anyone can ride a bike and yes it does take a special person to play pool great(or even good). But my point is once you learn to ride that bike you never forget. In my opinion for the good players, I would say that alot of them have taken layoffs and come back playing stronger.

In "Playing Off the Rail" McCumber writes about a player that was incarcerated for years and gets out playing pool better than ever. My point is that "good" players can take a layoff and start back at a higher level. I am not referring to the guy that can't make three balls in a row or that "D" player, they could never really play anyway. I am talking about a PLAYER!
 
I don't think they start back at a higher level. It probly doesn't take long to get back to where you were, but I don't think it would be as quick as getting back on a bike.

There is marit I think to taking a break for a few weeks to let what you've learned in the past few months sink in. Then come back and start learning again.
 
Sizl,

Well its weird that we have such similiar stories because we know each other.
I was always amazed at how well you played during some of your "party days". I was in the same boat due to lack of interest, college, and then
working. I always noticed that if I had been away for a little while it
seemed to come back easily and maybe a shot or two made more sense.

I wonder if it has more to do with age and what occurred while being away form the game. When I quit playing while traveling for work I think I grew up
and settled down. As you know, so did you. Our other buddy did some growing up and is doing well as well. Maybe its the attitude we had
while we were partying and not being focused on anything.
Alot changes in life as we get older. Maybe we begin to focus not so much on "shooting" but rather "playing". I know that we were lucky to be around
the pool scene that we were and maybe after we quit it all started to get through the dead brain cells and make sense.
I know that my buddy JR(not our little old buddy but my big buddy) is playing better now than he ever has in his life. His secret is that he rarely if ever plays. He knows he is playing better and he says it just seems easier than
when we were playing everyday. His difference is that he quit and got married and settled way way down.

I think age may play a part because if one were to quit at age 23 and then restart at age 58 it might not be the layoff that hampers progress but rather
normal body wear. Eyesight becomes worse. Reaction time becomes slower.
The one aspect that I think stays sharp or might become sharper is the
mental part of the game. How many old dudes all seem to have a little wisdom?
Its great to hear you are back playing and you will love your cue. Heck I think I bought the last one you had if its the one you sold Gary. They are
great cues.
You just might should have kept that "playing better crap" to yourself because now I know when I come your way I WANT WEIGHT!!

frankncali- a little personal
a little sidenote....me and Sizl know each other very well and recently a few of our friends have past away. All were involved in pool and were good players. They were in our pool commmunity so to speak. I have fond memories of each one and can tell great stories about them. If you have some local guys at your pool room like these chalk it
up and play a rack or two. Maybe listen to their stories a couple more times.
Before you know it you will have lost some of your pool community.

rest in peace Anderson, Albritton, Carr, and Tice. I know there is a snooker
ring game going on and you guys are stirring it up!
 
Don't know the exact story, but there was an experiment done with college basketball players. There was something like 30 players in all(maybe more), who practiced freethrows for a week straight, one hour a day. the following two weeks, one group of ten still practiced. The next ten practiced throwing freethrows in their mind for an hour. The next ten were not to think about it at all. After a month, the people who didn't think about it sucked, and the people who practiced in their mind were so very close to the make percentage of the first group, when they were all together testing. Long story short... if you visualize something, it can be done.. especially if you have done it before. To raise the bar, you have to be more creative on your own, or continuously play better players to learn more. I started playing when I was 20, and 7 years later, I have had 3 real long layoffs, and I only play in the winter any how. So think it gets harder and harder, and more effort is required each time you come back to it, unless it is the only thing on your mind. But, with age comes responsibility, and that in itself is a hurdle to play anything competitively.
 
frankncali said:
Its great to hear you are back playing and you will love your cue. Heck I think I bought the last one you had if its the one you sold Gary. They are
great cues.
You just might should have kept that "playing better crap" to yourself because now I know when I come your way I WANT WEIGHT!!


frankncali- a little personal
a little sidenote....me and Sizl know each other very well and recently a few of our friends have past away. All were involved in pool and were good players. They were in our pool commmunity so to speak. I have fond memories of each one and can tell great stories about them. If you have some local guys at your pool room like these chalk it
up and play a rack or two. Maybe listen to their stories a couple more times.
Before you know it you will have lost some of your pool community.

rest in peace Anderson, Albritton, Carr, and Tice. I know there is a snooker
ring game going on and you guys are stirring it up!
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Yes that is the same cue that I sold Gary. It played great and it was one of his "low end cues". I can't wait until my new one gets here! :D

And about the "playing better" part, it was just to get the thread started ;)

Some of you "Georgia boys" might have known Albritton and Tice. They were both from those parts and they would bet it up!

I would have to bet on Tully in that ring game, but then again Mr. Albritton had a strange way of getting the cash :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool:
 
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sizl said:
But my question remains the same.................Is pool really like riding a bike? Has anyone else taken a long layoff and started back playing the same speed as you was before you quit? Better?
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I played for 20 years and quit for 20 years(time frames approximate). I was around 12 when I started hanging in the local pool room. This room was there for one purpose, gambling. What you see and learn in a place like that just isn't to be had in a bowling alley or the newer style rooms, IMO. This room became a dangerous place to hang out in by the time I was around 16, due to the teenage gang that was using it as a base of operation. The cops were coming there on a regular basis looking for one of these kids. This really put a damper on owners bookmaking. By the time I got out of the service(I was 21), it was really a dump.
I played until I was 34, my home base was a bowling alley but I played in a lot of the local bars too. The alley wasn't really that bad, we had a couple of people that were hundred ball runners and a roady or two hung out occasionally. I was a couple of racks runner(thirty/forty balls straight pool two/three racks in nine ball/eight ball).
At the time I quit, I was having low back problems and my game was stagnant, plus I was making a lot more money on my job working overtime than I could hanging in bars banging balls till the wee hours. Just put my stick away and didn't play again till last March.
I don't know what gave me the urge to play again, but when I went to the VF Expo last year for the first time, that kind of spiked my interest again. I didn't realize the way had pool grown. I've been shooting fairly steady since, play in a league one night a week and got a small pool room close to home where I practise. Not doing too bad, high run in straight pool: twenty, nine ball: starting to run out from break and string racks together. In eight ball, I've broke and run two of the last ten games and ran out two more when I shot, also lost two due bad safety play. My biggest problems, eyesight, arthritis in my neck(killing my practice time), and consistency(flashes of brilliance/ sessions of mediocrity).
Like getting back on that bike, I think this was much harder. I like the Captin's analogy to the kids that just ride and kids that do the BMX tracks. Anyway I'm going to give the Seniors bracket at the Expo a try next month.

Claymont
 
Often people are very poor judges of how good they used to be. Selective memory can distort the truth and lead them to believe that they once were much better than they actually were. This creates the illusion that they just can’t get their game back when in reality there game may be as good or better than ever. Objective benchmarks are few without going through some structured exercise like the Drivermaker Invitational to really have some way of measuring.
 
breakup said:
Often people are very poor judges of how good they used to be. Selective memory can distort the truth and lead them to believe that they once were much better than they actually were. This creates the illusion that they just can’t get their game back when in reality there game may be as good or better than ever. Objective benchmarks are few without going through some structured exercise like the Drivermaker Invitational to really have some way of measuring.
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I like that point and I believe that is very common. I sure don't kid myself now, I lack skills that I once had. Age is a definate factor. Yes I can run balls, make tough shots and with position. However it is not as consistant as it once was. But then I don't spend near the time and pool isn't what gets me through life.

I lived to play pool, literally at one point and now I don't. Yes it is like riding a bike, you never forget, but those little finess shots are a killer at times. You want to draw the ball one foot and draw it 8 inches or 16 inches over a distance. That is what kills me but I just don't spend the time trying to perfect the motion. Not just draw obviously, there are little factors through out the whole game.

Pool is a fairly easy game if your mentality supports such.

Rod
 
No - Not Really.

sizl said:
I know alot of us has said it before, "playing pool is like riding a bike. Can you really take a break from playing pool for a long period of time and still play the speed you was playing or better? I think some of the responses will surprise alot of you!

I have been playing pool on and off for over 20 years. When I first started I jumped into it head first, I stayed at the pool room until they closed and went back when I woke up. I practiced until I thought I was good enough and then I started gambling. I did nothing but play pool for about 3 years until I got into the bar scene and my priorities changed. Now I was into partying, women and playing pool, and yes in that order. I would play pool only if I needed cash and then I would make what I feel like was enough to "get my party on".

By the time I was 26 I finally had enough of the partying and I went and I got a "real job", and I quit playing pool. It was a very hard transition, but I finally got used to it and I was "booking a winner" every Friday. Finally one day about 4 years later I went to a "big" pool tournament and caught the "fever" again. I started back playing and within the first few sessions I noticed I was playing considerably better. It was as all of the knowledge and information had absorbed into my BRAIN. All of the pre-shot thoughts that had played havoc on my game had gone and every thing just flowed. Their was no more "second guessing" myself and I seemed to be muck more in control of my game.

Several years later I got married and the Lord blessed me with two beautiful boys. That being said, we all know what a toll a family will take on your "playing time". So for five more years I quit playing pool and was just working and being a family man. I got my finances in order and my kids are in school and I have caught the "pool playing bug" again. I started back playing again and to my surprise once again within a few sessions I realized I was playing better than when I quit.

I was just wondering does can anyone relate to this? And I would love some input on WHY we play better after a layoff? And no it is not a "figment of my imagination"! :p

I am sorry if I BORED any of you with some of my history, but I thought it was pertinent information to help you guys grasp my point.


But my question remains the same.................Is pool really like riding a bike? Has anyone else taken a long layoff and started back playing the same speed as you was before you quit? Better?
Click to expand...

IF YOU STAY AWAY FROM PLAYING DRUNKS FOR BEERS OR BUCKS - YOU DON'T EVEN NEED A HELMET AT ALL.

TY & GL
 
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