I've been an IDIOT

Straightpool_99 said:
So, it happened again. I was once again beaten handily at my game of choice, straightpool, by someone who apparently did not know what he was doing. His stroke looked god awful, he was waving that cue around like a lightsaber. And the patterns, my lord, the patterns...I was thinking all this while he was running out the set on me. He started by kicking in a ball the length of the table and had maybe 5 or 6 banks in his run of 80 (in fact in our last game his run was 80 as well). Then I started thinking, wait a minute, my high run is only 71 and this guy has run over 100 many times. In 9 and 10 ball it's much the same story.

Gradually it started to dawn on me that I was being a complete and utter idiot. My high run has been the same for more than 5 years even though I have been working hard on my game. All the "knowledge" and training I've absorbed in that time has been a complete and utter waste of my time and money. It may have been good info, but somehow I turned it into garbage. I realize now, I know nothing, absolutely nothing. In fact it's even worse, I know a lot, but it's all wrong. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is insane, and I'm guilty of it. I'm also guilty of trying to many things. I'm thinking that much like George Costanza I should act completely in opposition to my instincts.

If I'm ever going to progress at this game, I must unlearn everything, every last detail I ever learned. I know of no other way. There is no way to distinguish the bad info from the good in the tangled mess of my mind. Instructors can't help me in my current situation and they are not available here now, so I'll have to do it myself. To anyone I ever gave advice, do the exact opposite of everything I said.
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This is undoubtedly the first step you'll take toward achieving world domination. Just let me know what the view is like and don't forget all the little people.
 
You're right, no one but you can help, you will have to figure this one out yourself. So, instead of pretending to be able to give you good advice, I'll share a similar story.

Two summers ago I decided to get my entire extended family here at the new place for a huge cookout. I had just finished my room in the basement and was dying to play a little (I knew my niece's husband had a bar table in his man cave), so after everyone had eaten I brought him and a few other relatives down to play. All any of them knew how to play is 8-ball, so we got to playing that. I did very well - even taking it easy on them - and I basked in all the praise. "Uncle Dan! You're really, really good!", and similar comments that I decided to believe (at least for the day).

Then my nephew Brian drifted in and asked if he could play the winner. He held the table for the rest of the night.

I'd never seen him play before, never knew he could even hit the end rail with a shotgun, but he was getting out from everywhere! He has a big looping Buddy Hall type of stoke - straight, smooth, and powerful, with a distinct pause at the end of the backstroke. I commented that he looked like Buddy Hall.

"Who?"

"Your stroke, Bri. Your stroke looks just like Buddy Hall's. He was a great pool champion at one time."

"What do you mean, stroke?"

Here this young man comes out of nowhere, destroys me and everybody else, and he doesn't even know what a stroke means. In fact, he didn't know almost any pool terms. He made several dead-on kicks and called them banks (which he also rifled in when he didn't have a clear shot). He stopped the ball on a dime, drew it the length of the table and put it pretty close to where he wanted it after pocketing the balls... all without knowing the meaning of the words "shape" or "position".

Turns out he had a spell several years ago where he lived at a house that had a nice table and that's basically all he did for a couple years was work and play pool. All my books, lessons, stroke drills, watching the pros, reading AZ (Brian, naturally, never heard of this place), etc. were no match for his million balls and his God-given arm.
 
Why is it that so many always leave out one of the most important parts of lessons or drills? That is, they are knowledge on what to work on. They are NOT a substitute for doing the work. They will shorten the learning curve dramatically, but you still have to put in the work! No one ever got better just on knowledge. It's knowledge and work combined that make one better. YOU CAN'T LEAVE OUT THE WORK!
 
BasementDweller said:
Execution trumps knowledge more often than people like to admit.
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Yes! It takes both natural talent and then WORK to reach the top.

I started the game too late, and with no natural talent. Thus my "recreational banger" self given title. It's all about fun for me. If it stop being fun, I'll stop playing...

Hey, just running a rack of 8 ball is a LOT of fun for me. I feel sorry for those who aren't delighted when they do the same.
 
pwd72s said:
Yes! It takes both natural talent and then WORK to reach the top.

I started the game too late, and with no natural talent. Thus my "recreational banger" self given title. It's all about fun for me. If it stop being fun, I'll stop playing...

Hey, just running a rack of 8 ball is a LOT of fun for me. I feel sorry for those who aren't delighted when they do the same.
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I believe that hard work and dedication towards any sport will always over come natural talent in the long run. I don't agree when people say that a player is only so good cuz he / she got more natural talent than any body i have ever seen. This (http://www.amazon.com/Talent-Overrated-Separates-World-Class-Performers/dp/1591842948) is a good read about the topic.

I think in mediocre level (not being a pro) at any sport natural talent is much more apparent which may misguide people to think that they do need have that talent to excel in it.
 
****Execution trumps knowledge more often than people like to admit.****


I agree partly, but you have to know what to execute!

James
 
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I think you're overthinking. Just relax and play. I think most players over think. I play naturally. Most of the time I don't even look at the pocket I'm shooting at. I prefer to play off of feel. I know how to play. But if I start thinking about it too much I start missing. When I relax the balls just fly in with precision and position. Most lil kids that can do amazing things can do it because nobody ever told them they can't. Chill out and play.
 
The part you seem to be glossing over is that you lost to a better player >_<

He's run multiple 100's and you've run 30% fewer balls just once in your life.
That puts him several speeds above you by any definition. You're supposed to lose.
In fact you're supposed to get a 30 ball spot from him, and THEN lose.

One common theme on the forum is that sometimes 'specialized knowledge'
in games like straight pool and 1-pocket may be overrated.
Witness Scott Frost vs. Alex Pagulayan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fgz_py5nhaE

I can't speak for 1-pocket, knowing the right moves in that game is clearly important.
But 14.1 is a game where the better player pretty much always wins, making it one of the best
tests of general pool skill.

Your inside knowledge on 14.1 patterns and such might improve your chances a few percentage points
but generally the better player should win. You were probably a 4-1 underdog from the outset.
I wouldn't read too much into it.

Keep drilling and when you lose, take note of how it happened.
If you miss balls (something this guy refuses to do) then figure out why your technically correct
stroke is not as consistent as his lightsaber waving. Ever video yourself? You might be surprised.
 
Straightpool_99 said:
I agree. Thinking and practising the game the wrong way has ruined the game for me. I'm glad I don't have to spend the rest of my poolplaying years practising stupid stuff that does not matter. Maybe I'll get better and maybe I won't, but at least I'm giving myself a chance.
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Trust me. Get an adult beverage of your choice or whatever else may help you calm down a bit, and just play. Don't think too much. Just walk up, look at the table, know what you want to do and do it. It's really that simple. You've already played every scenario in your head a million times. No need to do it when you're on the shot. Free your mind and the cue will follow.
 
Straightpool_99 said:
I agree. Thinking and practising the game the wrong way has ruined the game for me. I'm glad I don't have to spend the rest of my poolplaying years practising stupid stuff that does not matter. Maybe I'll get better and maybe I won't, but at least I'm giving myself a chance.
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What's the stupid stuff that you now think doesn't matter??
 
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