its puzzling and frustrating

L

lorider

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Like the title says....ita frustrating and puzzling how my game can go from one end of the spectrum to the other ....not only from one day to the next but during the same night

Below are.just a couple of examples from numerous occasions.

Friday night 2 weeks ago. Speaking strictly 9 ball here

Lost 31-22 to a 4 in a 31-38 race...went about 25 innings
Won the next morning 38-23 vs a 7 in a 38-55 race in 14 innings with 2 of my innings ending in safes and the 7 played 3 safes

Last night I played a 6 twice .

First match I lost 46-36 in a 46-38 race in 28 innings with each of us playing 2 safes apiece.

2nd match i won 38-13 in 9 innings with me playing 1 safe and him 2

I honestly try to win ever game simply because I dont like to lose but its unbelievable how my level of play can fluctuate from not only day to day but from match to match the same night. Its no wonder I am called a sandbagger.

Maybe its old age .....lack of focus sometimes...spurts of how I used fo play when I was younger before a 30 year hiatus...combination of all the above. Just wish I had a little more consistency in my game.
 
lorider said:
Like the title says....ita frustrating and puzzling how my game can go from one end of the spectrum to the other ....not only from one day to the next but during the same night

Below are.just a couple of examples from numerous occasions.

Friday night 2 weeks ago. Speaking strictly 9 ball here

Lost 31-22 to a 4 in a 31-38 race...went about 25 innings
Won the next morning 38-23 vs a 7 in a 38-55 race in 14 innings with 2 of my innings ending in safes and the 7 played 3 safes

Last night I played a 6 twice .

First match I lost 46-36 in a 46-38 race in 28 innings with each of us playing 2 safes apiece.

2nd match i won 38-13 in 9 innings with me playing 1 safe and him 2

I honestly try to win ever game simply because I dont like to lose but its unbelievable how my level of play can fluctuate from not only day to day but from match to match the same night. Its no wonder I am called a sandbagger.

Maybe its old age .....lack of focus sometimes...spurts of how I used fo play when I was younger before a 30 year hiatus...combination of all the above. Just wish I had a little more consistency in my game.
Click to expand...

Happens to all of us, only way around it is playing 12 hours a day everyday and even then no guarantee
 
I know exactly how you feel, same problem here. My game, especially under pressure, can take huge swings. I've also been called a sandbagger before and I get it, I can play well above my rating at times...but I can also play below it other times. Just depends which game I bring to the table for that rack (yeah, it can shift rack to rack). It's frustrating.

I'm starting to see it getting better for me, though I still have a very long road ahead. More playing time and more practice has helped me minimize the really bad times and they're getting less frequent at least. I feel like I'm slowly moving the average level of my play up a little as well as tightening up the range a bit by limiting the frequency of the really bad performances. I'm about three years into playing this game seriously and doing leagues so I can track my performance. Just this year have started doing some tournaments too, where I really under perform because of nerves, but figure the more I do them the better that will get.
 
lorider, speaking as a SL5...we've all been there. Inconsistency. It's why we're SL5's and not 7's. We have that occasional mental lapse, and it can be from match to match, game to game, or even right in the middle of a game. Higher skill level players have the same problem, just not near as often as we do.

I consider myself a fairly knowledgeable player. I've taken lessons from certified instructors, read many books, and watched countless hours of pool videos along with gleaning all the knowledge I can by playing better players than myself (which I had rather do in league play anyway). I've also hit "a million balls". But ultimately, my failures are mostly due to execution, both from my stroke and/or lack of focus. I usually know what to do....just can't do it as often as I'd like.

I still have trouble executing shots where English is needed (especially balls frozen on a rail). I still cannot learn how much the amount of squirt changes from shot-to-shot length, and I still over run or under hit the cue ball when semi-precision accuracy is needed for position.

That said, some days everything just clicks for me and I shoot two skill levels higher than I am. It has a lot to do with focus, but there is another variable to this, and that is that I'm just "seeing the balls" well. You've probably heard baseball players when they're in a hitting streak or having a huge hitting game, say that the baseball looked like a basketball coming at them. It's the same with us, but with smaller and non-moving balls to aim at, it's probably not as noticeable.

But, I can (and do) sympathize with you. It is frustrating when you play to a point of total satisfaction, then before you know it you cannot make two or three balls in a row.

Hang in there and just relish the times you feel like you could take on the world.:thumbup:

Maniac
 
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lorider said:
Like the title says....ita frustrating and puzzling how my game can go from one end of the spectrum to the other ....not only from one day to the next but during the same night

Below are.just a couple of examples from numerous occasions.

Friday night 2 weeks ago. Speaking strictly 9 ball here

Lost 31-22 to a 4 in a 31-38 race...went about 25 innings
Won the next morning 38-23 vs a 7 in a 38-55 race in 14 innings with 2 of my innings ending in safes and the 7 played 3 safes

Last night I played a 6 twice .

First match I lost 46-36 in a 46-38 race in 28 innings with each of us playing 2 safes apiece.

2nd match i won 38-13 in 9 innings with me playing 1 safe and him 2

I honestly try to win ever game simply because I dont like to lose but its unbelievable how my level of play can fluctuate from not only day to day but from match to match the same night. Its no wonder I am called a sandbagger.

Maybe its old age .....lack of focus sometimes...spurts of how I used fo play when I was younger before a 30 year hiatus...combination of all the above. Just wish I had a little more consistency in my game.
Click to expand...
League play? What are these races/innings you're referring to? Just curious as to what you're competing in.
 
Maybe pick up a sports psychology book.

"Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect" by Bob Rotella is obviously not about pool but hits many concepts that will be helpful for all athletic/competitive pursuits.
 
BmoreMoney said:
Can't even tell you how many pairs of corduroys got ruined back in the late 90's early 00's ( not from snot)😊
Click to expand...

my old GF used to wear corduroys to the pool hall, but the friction between her legs started so many fires, she was banned..... :o
 
lorider said:
. Just wish I had a little more consistency in my game.
Click to expand...

the difference between lower level players and higher level players in almost all sports is CONSISTENCY.

Thats it. Everyone can make a long put, hit a tough bank shot, bowl a strike, hit a three-pointer, once in a while, the great players just do it more often.

ie stop worrying, you are supposed to be inconsistent. (just less so as you get better)

:thumbup:
 
Bob Rotella's book "Thinking Like a Champion" is also a good read. It helped me some but I still fluctuate from great to terrible in short order at times.
 
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