Maybe you've been through it

C

CantEverWin

"The One"
Silver Member
I may be too new on this board to rant a little, but I am going to nonetheless.
A situation came up in my league match Wednesday night that has left me upset with myself.
I won an APA match 15-5 over a girl that had beaten me up pretty badly a couple weeks before. (IM an SL7, she's a decent SL4) During that match a shot came up where my coach had called a time out. (He's a SL9) Before he was going to call the time out I was going to make a 5 ball and shoot a safety on the 6. He instead told me to shoot an offensive shot that would put me on the 6. I believe the shot to be above my ability. I'd had never tried a shot like it before.

I concede that he was correct; However I shot my choice instead. I believe that should never be done.
However I still don't see why I was wrong. I don't comprehend that. In conceding I know that he was right just don't understand why I can't see why.

I play this game to get good. I am considered to be young, and know that "I have a lot of time to learn," but get tired of waiting. I have put more time in learning this game than anything I have ever done before.

That Wednesday night was an icing on the cake. Ifeel as if I really don't want to even play the game anymore. I'm sick of all the time spent in this game without "seeing" things the right way. I watch matches. I read every book I get my hands on. I shoot shots. Drills. Listen to every better player I can get to talk.

Does everyone get tired and frustrated with the game at one point in time, or am I just one of the people who just don't have it in them?

As of right now I don't have much interest in playing.

Anyone have any thoughts about my entirely to long rant?

Mike
 
You might be putting too much pressure on yourself. Try relaxing more and seeing the balls as they lay, play with more natural patterns while not forcing the cue ball for position. If you become too confused, often times you become irritated and this results in discouragement.

The next time it is your turn to shoot; Stop, Check if any of the balls are tied up. Can you break them with an easy stroke and playing what ball would be best to break them up and be sure you have an easy open shot after so you do not get tied up. This should be handled very early in the game if possible (unless you are a very strong player), otherwise plan an early safe so your opponent will either give you ball in hand so you can now break them up or they might they cause the breakout with their kick because of were you left them. ( Depending who I am playing I will sometimes call a safe leaving the cueball on the rail and an open shot for my opponent to shoot that I know will cause my ball to breakout and leave them with no chance for position on their next shot) Next, look at the last ball on the table you need to make, were would you like to be with the cue ball, what previous 2 balls would be ideal to play to make a simple out. Now pattern your start by playing 3 ball position at a time.

Do this enough times and you will train your mind, believe me a good trained mind can go through this exercise and more within 30 to 60 seconds.
 
CantEverWin said:
I concede that he was correct; However I shot my choice instead. I believe that should never be done.
However I still don't see why I was wrong. I don't comprehend that. In conceding I know that he was right just don't understand why I can't see why.
Click to expand...

diagram the shot on the wei table. a lot of times what the right shot is depends on who you're playing
 
The shot really didn't have much to do with my post. It was just the situation that brought on the realization of lack of progress. I shouldn't have even brought it up. I'm sorry.
The post was really just to see how many people have just wanted to sell there cues and not play the game again. It's the first time I have felt this way. Learning the game for 6 years at the age of 22.
Just trying to see if it's a phase.

Mike
 
The situation

This was the situation. The cue ball and 5 are about two inches from each other slightly off angle. I just shot the 5 in and played safe behind the 7 ball. banking the 6 towards the center of the table.
My coach suggested that I jack up and use right english. pocketing the 5 and sending the cue ball up table to the 6. I may be wrong on the placement of the 8 and nine but I believe thats where they were.


START(
%A\1\5%B\1\3%C\1\2%D\0\4%Er6H1%FD0Q0%GJ7X1%HL7T8%Ih7X5%J[9\4
%K\2[7%L[9[8%M[9\9%N[2\2%O[2[8%Pr0F2
)END

Whether anyone agrees with either shot or not is beside the point. The game just gets frustrating.
 
CantEverWin said:
Whether anyone agrees with either shot or not is beside the point. The game just gets frustrating.
Click to expand...

I know your post was about fustration, I think I posted accordingly above.

However, the shot is an easy middle cue ball on the five ball to drift down table for the 6. Even if you screw up a little on the 6, the 7 has lots of options. This is a run out with all non-power shots. Just let the cue ball take you to your next shot. Lots of open pockets. Set it up and practice sometime, just make sure you have a relaxed stroke.
 
I think you were right

Personally I think you were right. I try to always avoid shooting a shot I don't know or can't see. You simply will not execute it with confidence, and that is usually fatal to good shotmaking. A lot of games are lost by players trying something new and aggressive when they should have played a safer shot. How many times have you missed and realized you had not the first clue how you were supposed to shoot the shot?

The thing to do to improve is to setup the shot and work on it in a practice session. The same thing applies to any shot you miss. Sometimes you'll miss because of bad execution so it requires repetative practice to iron out your stroke, and sometimes because you had no realistic idea how the shot needed to be hit so you need to learn it.

Pool is a game of infinite variety and you should not beat yourself up for not knowing every shot on the table. Sure there are some great players who can work out and excecute a difficult shot for the first time under pressure, but the majority of us can't or we'd all be playing Pro.
 
Lack of progress?

I don’t post here that often but when something is posted that stirs my heart I speak up.

Just because you didn’t see what the other guy was seeing doesn’t make him right and you wrong. We all see things differently. I don’t care how much training you get in this game, how much time you spend practicing, or how many lessons you receive from top-notch players, you can’t learn heart from another person. Very few people follow their heart, in life AND in pool.

I play with a young guy who, when he follows his heart, plays the most brilliant pool you’ll ever see. He sees things differently than those who play by “staying inside the lines.” When he’s playing, I can’t tell you how often I hear “what was he thinking?” from the rail. These comments are only heard when he misses, though (and one never misses from the rail, right?). When he’s trusting himself and what he sees, however, it’s nothing short of poetry in motion.

You’re so young. Don’t be so concerned about getting the approval of others. Seeking this will only bring you heartbreak, again not only in pool but in life. You can’t DO what you can’t SEE (or feel) yourself doing. We can be taught a lot of things, but we can’t be taught how to see or what to feel.
 
Yes, many times I have wanted to quit playing. It was about the time that I had been playing in the span of the 6-8 year mark. It is during this time, you really start putting somethings together, but so many times it all just doesn't line up. So many times during that time, I would sit there and ask myself, "This is what I spend hours upon hours doing, and I can't see/shoot/make this shot? What have I been dedicating the last 8 years of my life to?" Why do I even do this? And that is why. We do this because it is difficult, because it challenges us on most every level. Knowledge? That comes with more time than 6 years will accumulate. You have to understand that. I am on 13 years now and that is what will keep me playing another 40. Attaining knowledge, and then implementing that when gets me just a bit further than before is exciting.

Seeing the shot after that other person showed you needs to be looked at positively, not negatively. So you didnt see that shot that time. You will next time. That is what it is about. I know that 6 years seems like a long time playing this game when you are 22 years old, but the real fun stuff only comes after that. Stick with it, because you are in a dare to be great situation. I can guarantee you that the bulk of people you will meet in life can maybe say they are mediocre at something, most nothing. But you, you can be great at this thing, and from that, gain all the rewards from practicing this art - understanding it. You can never appreciate the really great things without feeling like you are right now.
 
I went and watched a bunch of pros play a 9-ball tournament recently. And I noticed one thing they did differently from everyone I play with.

That was if they did not have a shot they were sure to make, they would always play a safety. ALWAYS!

I learned something from this...
 
I played in a tournament last night...and just played embarrassingly horrible. I wanted to quit pool...felt like I was wasting my time trying to get good at a game I have no talent for.

A lot of people will disagree with this, but *my* honest opinion is that if you can't run some racks after a 6 months - 1 year of serious playing, you should rethink the way you're approaching the game, or re-evaluate whether you have the talent to go as far as you hope to...don't delude yourself. Getting frustrated is part of improving, but at the same time, have realistic goals and expectations...or you'll just find yourself constantly frustrated, like I am.

Based on the kind of advice you're getting (coaching based on your diagram), maybe you're not in the right environment to get where you want to go.

CantEverWin said:
This was the situation. The cue ball and 5 are about two inches from each other slightly off angle. I just shot the 5 in and played safe behind the 7 ball. banking the 6 towards the center of the table.
My coach suggested that I jack up and use right english. pocketing the 5 and sending the cue ball up table to the 6. I may be wrong on the placement of the 8 and nine but I believe thats where they were.


START(
%A\1\5%B\1\3%C\1\2%D\0\4%Er6H1%FD0Q0%GJ7X1%HL7T8%Ih7X5%J[9\4
%K\2[7%L[9[8%M[9\9%N[2\2%O[2[8%Pr0F2
)END

Whether anyone agrees with either shot or not is beside the point. The game just gets frustrating.
Click to expand...
 
If I had a $1 for everytime someone got frustrated and said that they did not want to play anymore I would be stinking rich.

If theres a person on this board that has not been frustrated I would be surprised. It comes with getting better.

This case could not be icing on the cake. The shot was not one to be frustrated over. Besides sometimes shots for one reason or another dont pop
into one persons head but do pop into others heads.

I was there and witnessed the layout. It was the 6 ball with the 7-8-9 left after making the ball.

It was not a simple middle ball angle but a rather difficult shot to make and go down table for shape.
What was brought up was an alternative to a shot that he was going to take.
He played his which was fine. The offensive shot would not be the shot of choice had there not been a big lead.
I was the coach. Had the score been closer I would not have ever even suggested it but would have shown it to him later.
I difference with the two shots was that if I had been the one he hooked or another stronger player I feel the player would have had the chance to
kick safe or make the ball. Thats the chance I would have taken in a close match I believe but in a league match for fun the other would have been
my choice.
CantEverWin and I play on the same APA team. IMO its hard to see progress
when you are getting better sometimes. He has definitely gotten better and its noticeable even just looking at APA rating increases and winning percentages. Hes is one of the few APAP members here that trys to learn good stuff and knows the importance of safety play. During our matches I
will call a timeout on myself to get his opinion to make sure I have not overlooked something. Often after shooting the shot and both of us looking i think of another option. Sometimes the shots sit right to your eyes or something and its easier to see after shooting.

I know exactly where he is coming from on this and its not really with this shot. Its an overall issue that he and I have talked about a few times.
Its just one of those phases IMO. We all have had them.

Theres a billion things to learn from basic fundamentals to learning different shots for different tables. On a tight diamond I might have to revamp and learn different patterns. On a bar table theres defintely different play than
a 9 footer or even an 8 footer. The cue balls and object balls make a difference. If I am in the desert or in the south with all the humidity. Maybe theres one spot that breaks well or one pocket that spits the balls back out.
IMO its constant change. PROs IMO adjust quicker than others.

CantEverWin - Dont sell the cue just yet unless your getting a new one ;)
but I think this is just the begginning of these feelings. Wait until you dont get any better no matter how hard you practice. Then all of a sudden out of nowhere you go up a level. Even then it might not be a huge jump but it will be noticeable.
IMO The better you get the harder it is to move up and theres more things to learn to enable you to go up. When a person is just starting a small tip can lead to big improvement.
Its almost like fine tuning from here on out.

BTW-- if your on here-- I am going to be through with work in a while.
Lets play some. :D
 
Playing safe was perfectly reasonable here. You have to play within yourself, and what happens to be in the comfort zone of an APA9 is not necessarily relevant to what you should select. I admire you for playing within yourself when you were being tempted by someone else to go for more than your skills called for.

The game is frustrating at times, as there are significant ebbs and flows in both perfromance and luck, but if you learn to accept those ebbs and flows as natural occurrences within the game, pool will keep you entertained for a lifetime.

Play for the love of the game, and let the chips fall where they may.
 
sjm said:
Play for the love of the game, and let the chips fall where they may.
Click to expand...

I think that's the best advice you can get about playing. Try to enjoy every game, every shot opportunity you have. Relish the challenge of making the shot and getting position. If you see every inning at the table as an opportunity to have fun rather than a test of your pool knowledge or playing abillity, I think you'll start to get back some of your desire for playing.
 
Mike,

Ok, no offense but if your a APA 7 in your 9ball league, i find it weird that you should have trouble making a shot like this and getting around for a shot on the 6. Now obviously i wasnt there plus i dont know the lay out of the other balls 7-9.

Now i read your first post several times expecially the part about how you knew your coach/ teammate pointed out the proper shot that should have been taken, yet you took the shot you originally would have done.

Its a common thing that is done in pool. Its like when you look at a shot on the table and know your percentage for a scratch on the shot is very likely, and you still take the shot and scratch. I have done it many times and still do it. And you say to yourself, i knew it was going to scratch, yet i still took the shot.

As for seeing the shot or a table pattern, some people catch on quicker. For me i honestly wouldnt think beyond the shot at hand and how i was to get position on the next ball. Untill someone told me that if your looking at the table, you should be thinking 3 or 4 shots or more ahead.

So you can look at the table and know that you need to be at point A on the table to be able to make the 5 ball so you have a shot on the OB for the run out of the table.


Dave
 
CantEverWin said:
(snip)
I play this game to get good. (snip)

Anyone have any thoughts about my entirely to long rant?

Mike
Click to expand...

Why do you want to get good? I ask, because therein lies your answer to your problem. Go revisit your ultimate reason for playing and think about that for a while. I bet when you analyze it that you'll see that the process of pool improvement is filled with many shots that frustrate the hell out of you, yet your big goal is still there. If not, then maybe quitting is the correct move....at least for a while anyway.

The big picture has a way of smoothing out the little ripples we all encounter. Loretta said it quite well, re. following your heart.

Imho,

Jeff Livingston
 
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