A killer instinct has nothing to do with a low key or aggressive personality. Personality has nothing to do with it.
Need to find my killer instinct
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A killer instinct has nothing to do with a low key or aggressive personality. Personality has nothing to do with it.
I tend to agree with Bank it, here. It's in the old Levi's (genes).
It's almost impossible to turn yourself into bad-ass killing machine when, for most of your life, you've been a good natured, live and let live, regular Joe.
But, then why would you want to be something you're not?
In addition, if you don't gamble you'll be money ahead. :smile:
If you truly don't care about winning, why compete? You obviously care about it because you're posting saying you need help. The first step is probably admitting to yourself that you DO care about winning, and make a plan to deal with that fact when you're in competition.
Carolina_Giant's post is spot on for people that aren't motivated just by smashing people into the ground or winning a bet, but are motivated by the game itself and achieving excellence at it. This might be you.
Carolina_Giant's post is spot on for people that aren't motivated just by smashing people into the ground or winning a bet, but are motivated by the game itself and achieving excellence at it. This might be you.
Legend has it that Fats was walking by a table at Johnston City one year and one of the players kvetched to him, "The pockets on this table are too loose!" And Fats, without losing stride, said in that W.C. Fields carny drawl of his, "Raise the bet, they'll tighten up."
I would say the same to you: Raise the bet, you'll care if you win.
Lou Figueroa
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That is a great story. The article was pretty good too but I disagree with the authors take on NEEDING to win being stronger than WANTING to win. Like with all things in life balance is the key.
Wanting to win is definitely stronger because it comes from a place of security. Needing to win comes from a place of insecurity. I don't have time to explain what I mean but I'll just say that in pool there are many things out of your control and you could play perfect but be down 6 games in a race to 11 due to bad rolls. That is when you see the difference between want and need. The needy guy loses his cool when the man with the right desire plays as tough as ever. That desire is so strong though that it is understandable for the author to mistake it for need but it's not a need and there is a difference in where it comes from.
Find a REALLY good player, and play against him as much as possible. Use your other time working on your weaknesses, which, believe me, you will discover quickly in that scenario.. If sitting in your chair for most of your playing time doesn't motivate you, I don't know what will.
You don't have to lose money to get better. All you need is a real desire to get better and time spent on focused practice. Don't ever bang balls around. It does you little good, and might hurt you in the long run.
edited: Boring rant removed.
You don't have to lose money to get better. All you need is a real desire to get better and time spent on focused practice. Don't ever bang balls around. It does you little good, and might hurt you in the long run.
edited: Boring rant removed.
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Lots of good advice, here, t-bone. I like the one about focus and the one about playing a really good player. You should play tuna some 2-3$/game 9ball and get spanked and keep coming back. Keep trying to win. It hurts, but, you will find your drive to win by getting beat over and over. You will also learn more about the weaknesses in your game, because he will punish you for your mistakes. It will hurt, but it will make it easier to see what you need to work on. (What shots and positions and speeds etc.)
It's a very tricky thing, winning and losing. We can't really choose to win, because we aren't the only actors in the game. Sometimes you play perfect and still lose. Sometimes you play poorly even though you have the fire in your guts to win. So even with the best intentions, we have to lose sometimes. And of course the reverse is true, we win out of pure luck sometimes.
I think maybe the will to win is just the fuel for playing our best and expanding what our best can be. It's the fuel for the vehicle but not necessarily the destination. Without the fuel we can't get anywhere, so we need it to move forward. At the same time we don't always know what's at the end of the road.
It's a very tricky thing, winning and losing. We can't really choose to win, because we aren't the only actors in the game. Sometimes you play perfect and still lose. Sometimes you play poorly even though you have the fire in your guts to win. So even with the best intentions, we have to lose sometimes. And of course the reverse is true, we win out of pure luck sometimes.
I think maybe the will to win is just the fuel for playing our best and expanding what our best can be. It's the fuel for the vehicle but not necessarily the destination. Without the fuel we can't get anywhere, so we need it to move forward. At the same time we don't always know what's at the end of the road.
I believe the advice on finding a really good player to play is only good if you yourself are a really good player. I think it does little to no good getting your brains beat out... especially in developing that killer instinct.
The ideal competition level when trying to improve imo is someone who is slightly better than you. Your goal is to go from beating him some of the time to beating him most of the time, then move up and test yourself with someone better. Keep on putting targets on people's backs and progressing until you are at that high level that you seek.
The ideal competition level when trying to improve imo is someone who is slightly better than you. Your goal is to go from beating him some of the time to beating him most of the time, then move up and test yourself with someone better. Keep on putting targets on people's backs and progressing until you are at that high level that you seek.
Good points.
The reason to play well is subjective for any given player. Finding that personal reason is the key to putting one's best into each shot and that is the key to more winning.
Some players don't seem to want to go there but instead just want the secret stroke or aiming system. It can take a lot of time to find one's true motivation.
Take that time to find it and then put that ingredient into each and every shot's recipe.
I'm right there with the OP in my game now. I've just re-started my prime motivation thinking, as I've kinda lost my mojo, too, lately, even as I'm playing my best pool ever.
Jeff Livingston
Nicely said.
I would add that by playing a really good player you get to observe their technique up close -- what shots they choose to play, the paths they use for position, how they cue and stroke the ball. But the really good part is that, usually, when a better player can see that the contest is disproportionately to their advantage, they will be happy to answer questions and even provide unsolicited advice.
When I was learning 1pocket I had several guys point out things to help my play. And nowadays, if I'm playing a guy who I can see is playing me just for the experience. I usually try and provide some guidance on shot selection or technique. In fact, I always find it so refreshing that someone is willing to go "old school" and pay for their lessons at the school of hard knocks, I go out of my way to help that player.
Lou Figueroa
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Just to be clear I see nothing wrong with having a strong desire to win or to be the best. I think it's a natural part of being a man. I do believe that strong desire needs to be built on a foundation of high self-esteem though. It's one thing to want to win for the achievement and the spirit of competition but when that desire is based on approval seeking and validation of a man's worth then that leaves the man vulnerable with a suspect mental game.
Think Fast Eddie in his first match with Fats. His motivation was to be the best but when Burt refused to validate him and told Fats right in front of Eddie that he was a born loser that messed Eddie up. Messed him up so bad he was asking his girlfriend months later if she thought he was a loser. I know that was a movie but it's not far from many people's reality.
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Only half the players can be winners.
I won you.
Perhaps you're at a crossroads and you might begin to consider just why you play at all,
or maybe you just haven't played anyone you really just don't like.
Competition against someone you think is an asshole can provide plenty of motivation.
