Well, I just got over whatever bug that's been going around and found myself in the midst of a nice little slump in my pool game. Nothing too dramatic. I just couldn't get out when I normally would and could tell I was already changing everything about my game.
It's funny because when you're playing well, going to the poolroom is easy. You do when you want to and you don't when you don't want to and you do all this believing that you'll play something approaching your speed when you return. However, running into a nasty cold virus can easily sap you of the motivation necessary to even shower, let alone to trek to the poolroom. It wasn't long before the missing became evident and my yearning to spend every waking moment at the room began to overflow.
It's what got me thinking about every other thread I've ever seen about trying to be more consistent. I mean, it sounds good right? If you're more consistent, the balls go in more often, right? Well, "consistency" is kinda relative. We ALL want to be more consistent. Every one of us has a 'best game" we look for, no matter how good we get. To fill out the spectrum, this also means we have a bad game and an inbetween but is this a bad thing?
I would joke around that if you wanted to be more consistent, you should miss every single shot. Ironically, this is true but you can also simply be satisfied with playing poorly all the time. It's very easy to be consistently bad but not necessarily good for the psyche and it's the psyche that makes us inconsistent.
As I slowly returned from my cold and started to get back into my pool routines, my psyche had only begun to take its beating and it's that beating that makes me want to be in the room every possible moment. It's not the first time this has happened, either and sometimes, it's not even time away from pool that can be the cause. In fact, I think most can easily cite a time right after a lesson where their game took a dip. Something in their game changed and because of this, time to incorporate the new information was needed and the slump provided motivation to get that time in as soon as possible.
No matter what the cause, I think it can easily be said that inconsistency is motivating. Slumps are motivating. When a player recognizes they're not playing well, they are immediately faced with a choice to do something about it. If you've gotten this far, it's obvious you've always chosen to take action and it's that action that creates success.
Also, having to relearn your way of playing pool can be an enlightening experience. It gives you a moment to re-evaluate things that may not be necessary and to re-enforce things that are. So I have to ask those that are always seeking consistency - How bad do you want it now?
It's funny because when you're playing well, going to the poolroom is easy. You do when you want to and you don't when you don't want to and you do all this believing that you'll play something approaching your speed when you return. However, running into a nasty cold virus can easily sap you of the motivation necessary to even shower, let alone to trek to the poolroom. It wasn't long before the missing became evident and my yearning to spend every waking moment at the room began to overflow.
It's what got me thinking about every other thread I've ever seen about trying to be more consistent. I mean, it sounds good right? If you're more consistent, the balls go in more often, right? Well, "consistency" is kinda relative. We ALL want to be more consistent. Every one of us has a 'best game" we look for, no matter how good we get. To fill out the spectrum, this also means we have a bad game and an inbetween but is this a bad thing?
I would joke around that if you wanted to be more consistent, you should miss every single shot. Ironically, this is true but you can also simply be satisfied with playing poorly all the time. It's very easy to be consistently bad but not necessarily good for the psyche and it's the psyche that makes us inconsistent.
As I slowly returned from my cold and started to get back into my pool routines, my psyche had only begun to take its beating and it's that beating that makes me want to be in the room every possible moment. It's not the first time this has happened, either and sometimes, it's not even time away from pool that can be the cause. In fact, I think most can easily cite a time right after a lesson where their game took a dip. Something in their game changed and because of this, time to incorporate the new information was needed and the slump provided motivation to get that time in as soon as possible.
No matter what the cause, I think it can easily be said that inconsistency is motivating. Slumps are motivating. When a player recognizes they're not playing well, they are immediately faced with a choice to do something about it. If you've gotten this far, it's obvious you've always chosen to take action and it's that action that creates success.
Also, having to relearn your way of playing pool can be an enlightening experience. It gives you a moment to re-evaluate things that may not be necessary and to re-enforce things that are. So I have to ask those that are always seeking consistency - How bad do you want it now?
). He did not look happy at all, but I would dount if that level of inconsistency followed him for more than a day or two.