Pool Players: The Disdain for Losing

Montana Mike

Montana Mike

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
It doesn't matter how much you practice or how good you are feeling about your pool game, it only takes one crappy session to get your head spinning. Not sure if it is a characteristic of pool players but when I play a session filled with mistakes, unforced errors, and weak mentally I literally get deeply disgusted.

It was one of those days where everything seemed tough for me and easy for the other guy. He shit out 7 or 8 games and seemed to hook me every time he missed a shot. For me, 3 or 4 times today I couldn't get out with 3 balls on the table with ball-in-hand. Just seemed like balls were laying so unnatural and like I had to work for everything. Makes me want to practice for 100 hours straight or play this guy until I absolutely torture him. One of the old guys said I am spotting him too much but I know I am not because he has never beat me at that game before. I know that I just played bad and need to have a better approach and manage my end of the game better.

Curious how many others have such disdain for losing what it leads to with you. Not talking *****ing or throwing stuff but internally hating it so deeply that you would do whatever it takes to make sure it doesn't happen like it did again. Even though, of course, we will always lose at times.

It's not like I am completely helpless. I tried using the webcam from my laptop yesterday and even though the quality is horrible enough can be seen. In the clip I wasn't really warmed up but I started out running the first couple so hit record to see how I looked at the table. I think that had something to do with losing all day today. I have been pretty confident lately and think I took mistakes lightly thinking I would put some kind of package together. Those never came so I know I got what I deserved by playing like an idiot. If you feel like watching the clip and can handle the tough lighting feel free. If anyone is interested in the break cue I am using I think I am going to sell it since I lost my spending money today, lol. It is a Predator BK butt custom converted into a break/jump, shaft is original but thinner than normal and has a stiffer ferrule to allow it to jump consistently. Just the conversion cost almost $150 a few months ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZUu0Cy1WH4&feature=share
 
Socopool79 said:
Show me a good loser and ill so you a loser.
Click to expand...

You should never like to lose BUT until you accept that no matter how hard you work sometimes your gonna miss....sometimes your gonna blow position... Sometimes your gonna lose.. You'll never be able to relax and realize your true potential.
 
Ok, here we go, this could be all hogwash, but I'll throw it out here. I watched the video, and I seen a guy going through the motions of playing pool. Nice shooting though, but is that enough?. I believe pool is a touch, feel game, and that's how you get good rolls. I like to pull myself in to my shots, I like to touch the table while I walk around it, and listen to the chalk tap the table. It tells me I'm playing a game that I love, and helps me stay focused and locked in to the game. If I get beat, either I'm going through the motions, and deserve to lose, or if I'm locked in and get beat, I was out manned. You might lock in, Mike, and not think about it sometimes, and win at that time, just a thought. Here is a poor quality video I made a while back, playing the Hopkins Challenge. Rod.
http://youtu.be/70RjpgpAWoY
 
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Montana Mike..........

"have such disdain for losing what it leads to with you. Not talking *****ing or throwing stuff "

Sounds like Johnny Archer to me.
 
Montana Mike said:
It doesn't matter how much you practice or how good you are feeling about your pool game, it only takes one crappy session to get your head spinning. Not sure if it is a characteristic of pool players but when I play a session filled with mistakes, unforced errors, and weak mentally I literally get deeply disgusted.

It was one of those days where everything seemed tough for me and easy for the other guy. He shit out 7 or 8 games and seemed to hook me every time he missed a shot. For me, 3 or 4 times today I couldn't get out with 3 balls on the table with ball-in-hand. Just seemed like balls were laying so unnatural and like I had to work for everything. Makes me want to practice for 100 hours straight or play this guy until I absolutely torture him. One of the old guys said I am spotting him too much but I know I am not because he has never beat me at that game before. I know that I just played bad and need to have a better approach and manage my end of the game better.

Curious how many others have such disdain for losing what it leads to with you. Not talking *****ing or throwing stuff but internally hating it so deeply that you would do whatever it takes to make sure it doesn't happen like it did again. Even though, of course, we will always lose at times.

It's not like I am completely helpless. I tried using the webcam from my laptop yesterday and even though the quality is horrible enough can be seen. In the clip I wasn't really warmed up but I started out running the first couple so hit record to see how I looked at the table. I think that had something to do with losing all day today. I have been pretty confident lately and think I took mistakes lightly thinking I would put some kind of package together. Those never came so I know I got what I deserved by playing like an idiot. If you feel like watching the clip and can handle the tough lighting feel free. If anyone is interested in the break cue I am using I think I am going to sell it since I lost my spending money today, lol. It is a Predator BK butt custom converted into a break/jump, shaft is original but thinner than normal and has a stiffer ferrule to allow it to jump consistently. Just the conversion cost almost $150 a few months ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZUu0Cy1WH4&feature=share
Click to expand...

After a bad night, or even one where I lost on a single shot or a bad roll, the first thought in the morning is full of dread. Wishing I could have done one more thing to change the outcome. If there is something you did to cause the loss, then identify it and work on the weaknesses until they become strengths.

Lately I don't mind losing to good play, but hate how much rolls and good misses help weaker players. I am going to start a pro 10 ball rules tournament home for bigger entry. If the weaker players don't like it fine...it really isn't about getting lucky.
 
Montana Mike said:
It doesn't matter how much you practice or how good you are feeling about your pool game, it only takes one crappy session to get your head spinning. Not sure if it is a characteristic of pool players but when I play a session filled with mistakes, unforced errors, and weak mentally I literally get deeply disgusted.

It was one of those days where everything seemed tough for me and easy for the other guy. He shit out 7 or 8 games and seemed to hook me every time he missed a shot. For me, 3 or 4 times today I couldn't get out with 3 balls on the table with ball-in-hand. Just seemed like balls were laying so unnatural and like I had to work for everything. Makes me want to practice for 100 hours straight or play this guy until I absolutely torture him. One of the old guys said I am spotting him too much but I know I am not because he has never beat me at that game before. I know that I just played bad and need to have a better approach and manage my end of the game better.

Curious how many others have such disdain for losing what it leads to with you. Not talking *****ing or throwing stuff but internally hating it so deeply that you would do whatever it takes to make sure it doesn't happen like it did again. Even though, of course, we will always lose at times.

It's not like I am completely helpless. I tried using the webcam from my laptop yesterday and even though the quality is horrible enough can be seen. In the clip I wasn't really warmed up but I started out running the first couple so hit record to see how I looked at the table. I think that had something to do with losing all day today. I have been pretty confident lately and think I took mistakes lightly thinking I would put some kind of package together. Those never came so I know I got what I deserved by playing like an idiot. If you feel like watching the clip and can handle the tough lighting feel free. If anyone is interested in the break cue I am using I think I am going to sell it since I lost my spending money today, lol. It is a Predator BK butt custom converted into a break/jump, shaft is original but thinner than normal and has a stiffer ferrule to allow it to jump consistently. Just the conversion cost almost $150 a few months ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZUu0Cy1WH4&feature=share
Click to expand...

In pool, if you shoot good in practice and suck in a match or under pressure, we try to correct for things that already correct; IMO the one single thing we have to correct for is aim, and the process of aiming-focus; what you are describing is classic example of aim inconsistency and lack of ability to focus at the normal rate you would normally do; maybe tired, lack of sleep, noise..etc, you need to slow down in these situations and take longer time to focus, until the cycle of bad focus passes say usually 5-10 min; taking break helps, but unfortunately, this cycle repeats more often when we are physically tired. It is all balance of chemicals in the body/brain receptors, the wining feeling sends proper chemicals in the body to make you rejuvenate a bit, and losing does the opposite. Snooker players often talk about the diet and food they eat for focus; i will try to find something, if anyone knows, please share, please don't say coke :groucho:!. Thanks.
 
I don't like losing, but I certainly don't have a coronary occlusion every time I do. What really grinds my grits, however, is the guy who doesn't care one way or the other as long as we have fun. It's the fellowship that counts.
Holy crap, that drives me nuts. :)
 
Tramp Steamer said:
I don't like losing, but I certainly don't have a coronary occlusion every time I do. What really grinds my grits, however, is the guy who doesn't care one way or the other as long as we have fun. It's the fellowship that counts.
Holy crap, that drives me nuts.
Click to expand...

The only time one "can" have fun is when he or she shoots good to their satisfaction, not necessarily winning, because that requires the added factor, luck. The better you shoot the lesser of luck needed. Who cares what the opponent does; sure you want them to miss!!! :smile:
 
If losing makes you go on tilt.....you become like a football player that hears foot steps.
Accept your loss, learn what you can, and get back on the horse.

If you!re going to be a good competitor, you must be stoic about losses.

My favorite action quote comes from Scotty Townsend.....
"I've never been beat, but I've run outta money a few times."
 
Losing because you got outplayed, or outmoved is one thing. Giving the game away due to poor execution and dumb decisions is another matter. One thing is for sure, pool players tend to remember losses a lot more than wins.
 
Not saying losing makes me go nuts or anything. I play all the time and lose plenty. It is days when you just can't get in the right mindset to play right. When you just give things away because you are taking things for granted, either the game or your opponent that is most frustrating. Losing when outplayed or missing key shots are different. At least you had a chance to make it or someone else controlled the game. Gyess I did a bad kob explaining in the post. Basically if I take things for granted and don't try the whole time I deserve to lose. That is kind of what everyone needs is to be checked on occassion.
 
When I was younger I would get much more upset about losing. At 45 and after a 10 year layoff, I find myself not making a big deal about it. I don't get upset if I get beat by a better player. I get pissed at myself for missing easy shots when I rush it or just don't follow my routine. I don't drink while playing except maybe 1 beer but I for sure notice those that drink while playing are the ones that get much more animated when they miss or lose.
 
It sounds like you're working on a mental trick to help you deal with a really bad day.
"I'm so disgusted with myself for losing that I'm gonna do whatever it takes to prevent it".

I think better is to just never have a really bad day. By which I mean don't allow yourself
to get into a negative mindset and start thinking of 'slumps' or whatever.

It comes across like you were at least tempted to blame it on the rolls,
like he's shitting out a lot, you got hooked, your layouts were tricky, and so on.
Maybe all of that was true and it's like the worst pool day of your life.

But after like 20+ racks that stuff usually evens out, and if you get an attitude about
the rolls, it will affect how you shoot and how much care you put into it.

Like the first bad roll isn't your fault, but thinking too much about it can cause
you to hit the balls in sort of an angry, halfassed, almost passive aggressive way.
You blow some runouts afterwards. That would be your fault but it's tempting to say
"man, I'm getting crap rolls. I'm just gonna have one of those days today."
 
Everyone goes through a series of energy cycles. These all tend to even out into a sine wave. When you are at the top of the cycle, you play like a god ;)

When you are on the bottom of the curve, that is when everything goes bad. Every possible error that you could make is clumped together into a single match. And, of course, when that happens, you put a great amount of energy into grumpiness.

There is a kind of a solution - that depends on actually recognizing this. The tactic is to cut back your expectations. i.e., if usually competent on a 5 foot straight in shot, treat that shot as very tough and only be confident with 2 foot shots. Then apply a LOT of defense.

By purposely reducing your comfort zone and playing a lot of safeties, you might still lose - but the guy is going to have to work twice as hard.
 
CreeDo said:
It sounds like you're working on a mental trick to help you deal with a really bad day.
"I'm so disgusted with myself for losing that I'm gonna do whatever it takes to prevent it".

I think better is to just never have a really bad day. By which I mean don't allow yourself
to get into a negative mindset and start thinking of 'slumps' or whatever.

It comes across like you were at least tempted to blame it on the rolls,
like he's shitting out a lot, you got hooked, your layouts were tricky, and so on.
Maybe all of that was true and it's like the worst pool day of your life.

But after like 20+ racks that stuff usually evens out, and if you get an attitude about
the rolls, it will affect how you shoot and how much care you put into it.

Like the first bad roll isn't your fault, but thinking too much about it can cause
you to hit the balls in sort of an angry, halfassed, almost passive aggressive way.
You blow some runouts afterwards. That would be your fault but it's tempting to say
"man, I'm getting crap rolls. I'm just gonna have one of those days today."
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, the rolls were one-sided and after 9 hours they didn't even out or even stop. The heart of the issue was that I never got my head right for the match. I let a few distractions like the insanely humid, really warm part of the poolroom get to me. All I had to do was make the right choices and concentrate on executing but I kept swinging. I know better but ignored reason and got what I deserved. I didn't respect him as a player and I definitely didn't treat the game right by taking everything for granted and assuming things would "magically" come together:smile:

I wasn't trying to complain or play the got screwed card when I posted. I was thinking about how my brain works and how I view losing. I don't say anything negative while playing or even move when my opponent is shooting but inside is a different story. During a match I don't dwell on things and just try to stay in the game because it is tricky enough without adding things outside of your immdediate control. Afterwards, win or lose I usually break things down. It is just kind of a natural thing for me to figure out why I won or lost or what I can do better. Identifying issues and trying to isolate them in practice so I can eliminate them is just how I do things everywhere not just pool.

Regarding reigning things in and playing ultra conservative.... I just can't do that. A really good player and exceptional gambler gave some advice some time back that really stuck with me. He said that somehow, someway you have to be able to beat the champions to win anything. After thinking about it I decided that I needed to be able to make the tough shot or bank and get out. I play safeties like anyone but sometimes you have to go for the shot in pool and you have to have the confidence to make it. Sometimes consciously pulling back can undermine your strengths if you aren't careful.

I think that everyone who plays a certain amount develops their own style and philosophy that fits them. My strengths are accuracy, banking, and my stroke so in most cases I will accept the percentages and take the shot. If I let my brain tell me that it doesn't trust me making shots then that conflict might start presenting itself and the results will probably be very bad. I just like to let myself play the game that I see is right for me. Whether it is playing safe, setting something up, running out, or going for a shot, I like to stay in the range of what I do best and what I am most comfortable with. If I micromanage my game for how I feel at that moment I will probably never stay comfortable or give myself the opportunity to really play into a good gear.

I really think that a lot of players who appear gracious in defeat feel the same way inside. There has to be a drive in every player that keeps them improving. It is obnoxious when players use their disdain for losing during a match with sharking or intimidation but it is the same afterwards because they are belitting their opponents victory. For me, I hate losing more than I like winning. Kind of like you always expect to win so when you do, it isn't out of the ordinary. When I lose, I want to come up with some reasons why and then try to make adjustments so I won't lose the next time.

I think that most of this comes from when I played a lot of people when I was younger. Back then, you knew most of the people you played so it was tough to make money money off them playing the same speed. The way to make money then was to outpace their improvement. For example, two players one a C- loses to a C player. A year later they play again but now the C- improved to a B- and the C improved to a C+. The original C- player is now in a really good spot especially if the bet is raised considerably. Well, for me the best way to improve, outpace the other players in my class, and to catch players above my class has been to identify reasons of failure and to isolate them and remove them from my game. It is not looking for excuses to why I lost but a natural internal thought process to rationalize things. Not sure if anything makes sense to you guys or if it is of any value to others but it might.
 
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I'm not a sore loser when I lose I look in there eyes smile shake there hand and say maybe next ill get you.

I have more important things in life to stress about then to get butt hurt over the way I played like take care of my prego wife or mess with my other two kids.

But back to pool I come across players that make crazy shots and leave me hooked and nothing to shoot then I look at all the times when I shitted in balls and hooked people and think yup it's karma or how can I get pissed if if the person I lost to out played me me by five of more balls.

I just think more times needs to be spent on the practice table then bickering lucky shot at your opponent.



Reading my posts means you consent to my incorrect spelling and poor typing skills.
 
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