Pool goals?

mthornto

mthornto

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
This has probably been discussed a thousand times, so I apologize ahead of time.


I think the vast majority of posters do not aspire to play professionally. I know I certainly do not. Lately, I have been thinking about what I do want to do with the game. If the goal is not to play professionally, then what do I want from the game?

This may seem like a silly question. However, I have accomplished several big things in my life. In each case where I was successful in something big and long term I had a clear goal. To get to that long term goal I set achievable short term goals and pushed towards them.

With pool, I don’t have a goal. There is nothing wrong with not having a goal if you do not want to go anyplace particular. I could go on without a goal and play simply to enjoy the game. But, I think I need to set a goal and build a plan to meet it.

What about everybody else here? Do you have a goal in pool, and if so, what is it?
 
Pool Goals

Based on your avitar, the answer should be clear.

Run more balls in a row in 14.1, leaving better break shots, better key balls, break open more racks, less bank shots, etc. Play the layout of the table making correct shot selections that professionals playing 14.1 all the time would have made. Mistakes will eventually catch up with you. Play better and more consistently through proper practice.
 
mthornto said:
This has probably been discussed a thousand times, so I apologize ahead of time.


I think the vast majority of posters do not aspire to play professionally. I know I certainly do not. Lately, I have been thinking about what I do want to do with the game. If the goal is not to play professionally, then what do I want from the game?

This may seem like a silly question. However, I have accomplished several big things in my life. In each case where I was successful in something big and long term I had a clear goal. To get to that long term goal I set achievable short term goals and pushed towards them.

With pool, I don’t have a goal. There is nothing wrong with not having a goal if you do not want to go anyplace particular. I could go on without a goal and play simply to enjoy the game. But, I think I need to set a goal and build a plan to meet it.

What about everybody else here? Do you have a goal in pool, and if so, what is it?
Click to expand...

Great thread, imho.

I wish it were discussed more often here, but it rarely is, in my observations. The goal is the most important ingredient in one's shot. Without a goal, why shoot the shot in the first place? Why not, say, go bowling?

My goal has never been to become a pro, either. That, to me, requires too big of a trade-off. I'm not willing to put in the time and effort and eliminate most of my life so I can MAYBE become one of the best. But, that is MY choice, not others.

With that said, one of the problems I see in league players (my main peer group) is they either don't have a goal or have unrealistic goals or they grab onto someone else's goal. Each of these creates problems in these players' shots. The main problem then becomes disappointment and frustration as the "goal" can never be realized as it does not integrate with that particular player's life. It takes many months/years to mix one's pool shot with one's happiness process, but is essential if one wants to enjoy this game to its fullest. It is more important than stroke, aiming, stance, or results. Without a goal, the rest is just hot air.

So, my main pool goal is to use this pool shot (the ONLY shot that exist in reality) to become happier. That's right. My pool shot goal is to use this shot to add to my happiness. If it won't, I do something else.

Jeff Livingston
 
robertno1pool said:
Based on your avitar, the answer should be clear.

Run more balls in a row in 14.1, leaving better break shots, better key balls, break open more racks, less bank shots, etc. Play the layout of the table making correct shot selections that professionals playing 14.1 all the time would have made. Mistakes will eventually catch up with you. Play better and more consistently through proper practice.
Click to expand...

Yes, I am leaning towards setting a goal related to straight pool. My high run is only 36, but that was in practice. In an actual match, my high is only 23. I have ran in the 20-23 range many times in matches. I am thinking a good goal is to run more than 36 in an actual match in the Winter half of my straight pool league. To do this I will need to get more consistent and play more. As it is, I am lucky to play one real match a week.

That all said, I am really interested in hearing what the goals are of other posters.
 
As a player, the only real goal is continuous improvement. None of us has reached perfection, and never will. That's what is so great about this game...there is always something new to be learned, or a skill that can be more highly developed. Your goal shouldn't necessarily be to beat a particular player, but rather to continue to improve your personal game.

As an instructor, I would like nothing better than to see one of my students win the US Open!

Steve
 
pooltchr said:
As a player, the only real goal is continuous improvement. None of us has reached perfection, and never will. That's what is so great about this game...there is always something new to be learned, or a skill that can be more highly developed. Your goal shouldn't necessarily be to beat a particular player, but rather to continue to improve your personal game.

As an instructor, I would like nothing better than to see one of my students win the US Open!

Steve
Click to expand...

Goals should be a concrete and achievable. The teaching goal of having a student win the US Open I love. This is a goal that would push you to become a better instructor, hence benefit all your students UP Open bound or not.
 
pooltchr said:
As an instructor, I would like nothing better than to see one of my students win the US Open!

Steve
Click to expand...

And that I'm sure is a goal your students will want you to achieve.
Good luck!

Steve
 
Good post

mthornto said:
This has probably been discussed a thousand times, so I apologize ahead of time.


I think the vast majority of posters do not aspire to play professionally. I know I certainly do not. Lately, I have been thinking about what I do want to do with the game. If the goal is not to play professionally, then what do I want from the game?

This may seem like a silly question. However, I have accomplished several big things in my life. In each case where I was successful in something big and long term I had a clear goal. To get to that long term goal I set achievable short term goals and pushed towards them.

With pool, I don’t have a goal. There is nothing wrong with not having a goal if you do not want to go anyplace particular. I could go on without a goal and play simply to enjoy the game. But, I think I need to set a goal and build a plan to meet it.

What about everybody else here? Do you have a goal in pool, and if so, what is it?
Click to expand...

Thanks for this post. I've often wondered what some other league player goals were. Here it goes for me (in no particular order):

1) Win two or more MVPs in a single session.
(I play leagues 3 nights a week, so I'd like to win two in a session. In my area that means consistently winning against the better league players.)

2) Play and place in amature events.
(I've played and been whooped on 9fts, but I think I can compete better, so I devote some of my practice time to this format).

Those are the main goals. The sub-goals (if you will) include improving specific playing areas (escapes, jumps, last three balls, etc.)

Pool is my main hobby, but I don't have more than 10-12 hours a week to dedicate to playing. Leagues chew up 4-5 hours of playing time, so I get about 5 hours of practice a week. I find that dedicating an hour's practice to two specific skills helps my development. I also keep a match and practice log to measure my results.
 
Since I play in a city where most 'players' know each other, there is a definate pecking order. My goals are always focused on these fish, er, players. There are many around here who can beat me regularly, and my goals are to improve to a point where I can beat so-and-so more regularly. When I surpass one or two guys that I have been targeting, then I pick one or two more. Normally these guys are a little ahead of me in the pecking order, I try not to bite off more that I can chew. The unfortunate part is that I have achieved most of my goals within the league I currently play in (over the last 3 or 4 years), and so after Christmas I may have to move up to the big boys. That means I will no longer profit from high finishes in the B league, but I wish to improve more than I wish to win money, so it's gonna be OK.

Dave
 
mthornto said:
This has probably been discussed a thousand times, so I apologize ahead of time.


I think the vast majority of posters do not aspire to play professionally. I know I certainly do not. Lately, I have been thinking about what I do want to do with the game. If the goal is not to play professionally, then what do I want from the game?

This may seem like a silly question. However, I have accomplished several big things in my life. In each case where I was successful in something big and long term I had a clear goal. To get to that long term goal I set achievable short term goals and pushed towards them.

With pool, I don’t have a goal. There is nothing wrong with not having a goal if you do not want to go anyplace particular. I could go on without a goal and play simply to enjoy the game. But, I think I need to set a goal and build a plan to meet it.

What about everybody else here? Do you have a goal in pool, and if so, what is it?
Click to expand...
Be the #1 player on a real tour. Beat the 15-ball ghost. Beat TheOne at snooker, weak handed. I only try for easy goals that are clearly within reach, that's my style.

unknownpro
 
I know of two people that had clear goals in pool. Both were long term difficult goals that required significant dedication (one to win a state championship the other to win a specific annual tournament).

After each reached their goals they quit pool for good.
 
breakup said:
I know of two people that had clear goals in pool. Both were long term difficult goals that required significant dedication (one to win a state championship the other to win a specific annual tournament).

After each reached their goals they quit pool for good.
Click to expand...
I"m sort of like this, but not to either extreme. I had goals growing up. Realistic goals. I put in the time, and reached and exceeded those goals. Getting a certain skill rating, going undefeated, having sex on a table, winning best of the best tournaments, winning the singles event to win a to the nationals, cashing high in the nationals, ...

Since then, I don't put any time into my game for improvement, and I've been rewarded with steadily decreasing skill. Or something like that.

Fred
 
I use to think about playing professionally. Of course over the years that dream dies more and more.

Now I just want to be a well rounded player. I'd like to be able to string 5-6 racks consistantly and run 50-60s in 14.1 consistantly. I dont need to win tournaments or anything, just that would be enough to make me happy.
 
breakup said:
I know of two people that had clear goals in pool. Both were long term difficult goals that required significant dedication (one to win a state championship the other to win a specific annual tournament).

After each reached their goals they quit pool for good.
Click to expand...


I find that problem with people in business. They work like hell, pull it off, then become lost.

That's an essential part of the successful goal acheivement process: constantly setting newer goals as one comes near the first goal(s). It is very easy to piss away a year or two if additional goals are not set, so it becomes very important to keep ahead with the goal setting process.

Another thing about setting goals is that the setting of them is just one step; acheiving them requires more efforts and planning. Usually, when one sets a goal (or sees a vision), that person has little idea on how to actually acheive that goal. Yet, by simply holding that vision up to examine and feel everyday, the process of acheiving that goal can begin. Then comes the commitment and persistance to stick with it and be able to learn, change, and adapt while the process goes on. This fills in the gap between the way things are now (current reality) and the way one wants things to be (the vision). This gap one focuses on brings out the emotion of cognitive dissonance which is the drive to keep going to "correct" that bad feeling.

So, hold up the vision often and compare it emotionally to the current reality, and the gap between the two becomes the opportunity to grow. Then your mind will almost magically find the answers to getting to the vision, as it doesn't like dissonance and will do what is necessary to correct that yucky feeling.

Gee, this thread is almost to 200:( ...it might even make 300 views!:rolleyes:

Jeff Livingston
 
I have 2 goals.

1) Achieve the rank of Master in my state which is in Minnesota. We have 4 ranks: B, A, AA and Master. I'm currently ranked as AA, so I'm one step away from achieveing this goal. I may never achieve this as I'm now 41 years old and any improvement to my game seems insignificant. But I will keep pushing forward.

2) Run 100 in straight pool. My high run is 61. I ussually can run something in the 40's if I play for a couple hours or at least in the 30's. I think achieving this goal maybe possible, not likely, but possible. I havent spent too much time playing straight pool, so I think I have some room for improvement there, plus from what I've read, its a great game to improve your 8-ball game which is what I normally play. So I don't mind spending time on it.

My main problem is my one track mind. When I get into playing pool, that's all I want to do. But, when I start hunting, I will hardly touch a cue. I have several things that I enjoy so it's hard to stay focused on pool. I'm currently playing about 10 hours a week. Not sure if thats enough to meet my goals or not. Just before the big state tournament I will probably play every day for several weeks as much as I can (or wife will allow). Last year when I did that (played every day) I got my high run of 61.

Good post. I think its good for me to think about my goals. Someday I will reach one of them.
 
Achieve top dog in my little world of about 40 players.

As of Nov 1st I had achieved 2nd, we were sending a 10 man team out of state to play in a round robin tourney and I was edged out by .23 percent on the ranking for 1st.

I'll have to consider what my next goal will be, one step at a time.

BK
 
Goals...

Continuous improvement.

To go to Vegas at least once with the APA team we'll be forming soon.

Have sex on a pool table. :D
 
mthornto said:
This has probably been discussed a thousand times, so I apologize ahead of time.


I think the vast majority of posters do not aspire to play professionally. I know I certainly do not. Lately, I have been thinking about what I do want to do with the game. If the goal is not to play professionally, then what do I want from the game?

This may seem like a silly question. However, I have accomplished several big things in my life. In each case where I was successful in something big and long term I had a clear goal. To get to that long term goal I set achievable short term goals and pushed towards them.

With pool, I don’t have a goal. There is nothing wrong with not having a goal if you do not want to go anyplace particular. I could go on without a goal and play simply to enjoy the game. But, I think I need to set a goal and build a plan to meet it.

What about everybody else here? Do you have a goal in pool, and if so, what is it?
Click to expand...

Ask yourself, what is your feeling on your first break and runout?
When i got that after 10months of hard training on 9-ball, i am so happy that i nearly could not sleep for a night. I call that "My Achievement".
 
My team always wins a trip to vegas.but i think we just dont care when we get there,we do o.k. in vegas,but i think we could go far in vegas.last year we finished 9th out of 280 teams in the v.n.e.a. s ,but as soon as we get to vegas we just have to much fun and it seems we dont care.when you get to vegas you really have to decide if you are going there to party or focus on pool and i think our team chooses to party.but i know we could do well if we tried.
so my goal is to one day do well in vegas,after all its the big show.its the show most players play for all year.to get to vegas.
top 10 in teams would be my goal in vegas.
 
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