Shooting pool at college

BWTadpole

BWTadpole

The Nitcracker
Silver Member
Well, this is going to be my second collegiate year shooting pool, and a second summer full of playing 5+ times a week. The only real concern I have with going back to school is that I will most likely have to practice less for money and time reasons. I didn't worry about this last year, because I had just started playing that summer, but now that I'm a bit more rooted in the game, I feel concerned about its effects on my skill level.

Does anyone have any suggestions or words of advice for playing during a school year?
 
BWTadpole said:
Well, this is going to be my second collegiate year shooting pool, and a second summer full of playing 5+ times a week. The only real concern I have with going back to school is that I will most likely have to practice less for money and time reasons. I didn't worry about this last year, because I had just started playing that summer, but now that I'm a bit more rooted in the game, I feel concerned about its effects on my skill level.

Does anyone have any suggestions or words of advice for playing during a school year?
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My Advice is......
Wait until school is over. Your education is what is going to pay your bills down the road. Not pool. Don't have to quit altogether but don't have to worry if you don't play as much as you used to. JMHO

BVal
 
Ditto what Bval said. Pool has been around for a long time and will be around after you get out of school. Work your ass off in college so you can get a great job that will enable to buy a nice house or apt that has room enough for your own table.

gh8st
 
BWTadpole said:
Well, this is going to be my second collegiate year shooting pool, and a second summer full of playing 5+ times a week. The only real concern I have with going back to school is that I will most likely have to practice less for money and time reasons. I didn't worry about this last year, because I had just started playing that summer, but now that I'm a bit more rooted in the game, I feel concerned about its effects on my skill level.

Does anyone have any suggestions or words of advice for playing during a school year?
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I'm sure you realize that pool is much more enjoyable than attending class, studying for tests, etc. But if you manage your time right, you'll have plenty of time to practice and study. Just make sure your head and priorities are in the right place - school first, pool second.

Around here, there is $5 flat rate pool all day from 11 AM - 7 PM. If you have something like that, you could try to work your schedule to get more "cheap" time. Also, does your college have a student center? Cheap/Free pool there. What about pool as a PE class?

Lastly, try to find some other college-student-pool-players to hang around, and consider limiting your pool-hall-bound-pool-players-friends. Not because they're bad people, but because they may be bad influences on your schooling efforts. It's a judgment call on your part.

Good luck! Get that degree ;)

-td
 
BWTadpole said:
Well, this is going to be my second collegiate year shooting pool, and a second summer full of playing 5+ times a week. The only real concern I have with going back to school is that I will most likely have to practice less for money and time reasons. I didn't worry about this last year, because I had just started playing that summer, but now that I'm a bit more rooted in the game, I feel concerned about its effects on my skill level.

Does anyone have any suggestions or words of advice for playing during a school year?
Click to expand...

Sometimes a break is the best thing for your game. I'm going to into my senior year as an undergraduate, and I'm in the same boat as you are. I started playing just before college started, where I would play 5 to 10 hours a day, 5 days a week. Once school starts, though, I probably play once a week for 3 or 4 hours. During the last 6 weeks of the semester I usually don't play at all. But this situation hasn't hurt my game in the least bit. I don't know how much better I would be had I spent all of my time playing pool rather than learning, but I can say that my game hasn't declined at all. I think all the time you spend with school and homework makes your pool sessions that much sweeter.

You really just have to pick your priorities. I love pool to death, but I'll be going to law school next year which will pretty much stifle my pool playing days for at least another 3 years. :( And who knows what will happen after that? I guess when one is not very good at pool, like me, it makes decisions a lot easier to make. :)

I really don't have any advice to offer other than that it is almost a certainty that unless you become a big time money player or a top professional, a college education will give you more financial security than pool will. And that's not to mention the wealth of knowledge you gain...

Good luck with everything.

-Shane
 
College

Take advantage of the time and hobby...pool may turn out to be a great stress reliever during the school year. At least is was for me. It was a great way to spend a Friday afternoon preparing for the weekend...
 
BWTadpole said:
... Does anyone have any suggestions or words of advice for playing during a school year?
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You should schedule your time to avoid flunking out of school, as others have mentioned.

Pick out one shot to work on at a time. Soft draw shot. Follow two rails with english. Nearly full stun shot. Do it for two or three practice sessions. If you can't work out the shot on your own, see if you can find an instructor or book that can help. It might be very important at the start to get someone to look at your fundamentals. If you have no problem, great, but if you do, it will be a lot easier if you fix it early.

Try to work in some amount of competition even if the other players are quite a bit better than you are. In two years they won't be, and you will have important experience. UIUC must have some kind of intramural or intercollegiate competition.
 
Dont Procrastinate

The best advice I can offer is to not procrastinate. Start on paper writing, reports, all of your work as soon as possible. I was guilty of procrastination in college, as was many other people, but once I figured it out and kicked it in high gear with studying and finishing assignments ahead of time, my ability to play/practice pool drastically increased, along with my grades.

Don't waste time and don't feel guilty about taking an hour or so every couple days to go play pool. That is as long as the studying and workload is up to date.

Best wishes on college by the way.
 
Set out time to play, maybe 2 hours a day, three days a week, and 4 or 5 of saturday or sunday. You can do it w/ a full load. Get the most out of your practice time by setting a training schedule and sticking to it.
for example keep a log of what you need to work on and know exactly what you are going to work on for the next three sessions. Stick to it.
 
pay to get your grades, and just play pool...........:eek:

honestly, i wouldnt worry too much about the GPA. as long as its tolerable, spend as much time at the table as you can. but be sure that GPA stays good enough!

DCP
 
Buddy, getting a real internship is worth more to you in the long run than playing good pool during the summer. During the semesters, keep your eye on that GPA and let it hit the roof, not your pool game.

If you happen to just be a super genius, try Jillians of Champaign and get like a "mentor" / guy who's better than you to shoot with constantly. Boyd and Mikey would be great people to shoot with. If not, I hear the Illini Billiards Club in UIUC is decent.

I hope you find what you're looking for in college pool....I know I'm done with mine. Best of luck, cos you've got great potential and you are a lot better than I was FR year.
 
BWTadpole said:
Well, this is going to be my second collegiate year shooting pool, and a second summer full of playing 5+ times a week. The only real concern I have with going back to school is that I will most likely have to practice less for money and time reasons. I didn't worry about this last year, because I had just started playing that summer, but now that I'm a bit more rooted in the game, I feel concerned about its effects on my skill level.

Does anyone have any suggestions or words of advice for playing during a school year?
Click to expand...

Read one of my threads that I posted before. http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=52460 I am taking advantage for just playing once a week only. Studies are a priority. "Education is not only a preparation for life... education is life!"
 
I played plenty of pool during high school, during college and after college. More so after college, but still found time after the college HW was done to play. Just looked at that time as more valuable and played smarter, better pool. I also did alot of homework in the pool hall sitting next to the money table at the front. Manager got to know me very well and made sure no one hassled me or took my table when I came in at the same times each day. If I finished HW early, or just needed a 30 minute break, I would hit some balls around. Just the fact of being around the game-while doing HW was enough to keep my head in the game-even though I wasn't.


ez
 
raemondo said:
Buddy, getting a real internship is worth more to you in the long run than playing good pool during the summer. During the semesters, keep your eye on that GPA and let it hit the roof, not your pool game.

If you happen to just be a super genius, try Jillians of Champaign and get like a "mentor" / guy who's better than you to shoot with constantly. Boyd and Mikey would be great people to shoot with. If not, I hear the Illini Billiards Club in UIUC is decent.

I hope you find what you're looking for in college pool....I know I'm done with mine. Best of luck, cos you've got great potential and you are a lot better than I was FR year.
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I will be leaving town soon, but there is a crowd of 4 or 5 pretty good players (including Mikey) who play there often and don't need to gamble to play hard. I think that if your time is short, it pays to spend it playing the best players you can find.

I'll be down there early this afternoon, if you happen to see this and want to come down and play a little.
 
I don't know what your schedule or your campus is like, but the way I did it was I got a job working in the poolhall in the student union. I worked a few hours a week and I got to shoot all the free pool I wanted. Also, I maintain that shooting a lot of pool and getting good grades are not mutually exclusive. I probably shot more pool than I ever have when I was in college and graduated magna cum laude. College students have an insane amount of free time. Shoot pool between classes at the union. Shoot pool now while you're in college because you won't have nearly as much time when you're working in the real world. IMHO
 
StraightPoolIU said:
I don't know what your schedule or your campus is like, but the way I did it was I got a job working in the poolhall in the student union. I worked a few hours a week and I got to shoot all the free pool I wanted. IMHO
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Damn, I wish that I had thought of that!!!

I didn't study at all during my 1st year and almost flunked out in engineering school. Played a lot of pool then as it was my 1st year in pool also, and drank beer and played poker. Fasinating.

When I had to study, I learned how to study smart: Read all the material before you go into class!!!!!!!!! I started making b+ in math and physics coming from a D- average my 1st year, and this was with a lot of students who had much higher college boards than me. Guidance consular said I had a 99% chance of flunking out. I remember telling myself "FU", I am going to show you.

To make a long story short, I had an excellent GPA my final 3 years and played lots of pool (1.5 hours a day).

Time management is the key. You need the relaxation and you DO NOT NEED to lay off pool, as you will probably end up never playing any at all during the rest of your life. You are young and now is the time to play. Don't let these 'pool years' pass you by!

Good luck, WW
 
Thanks plenty, everyone!

I'll be back to Champaign on the 15th, so I'll be around Jillian's if I'm settled before the youth restriction kicks in. Sucks to be 19... But I don't drink, it's just sickening to be booted from a pool hall after 9. I mean, come on, 9 at night used to be my waking hour!

Anywho, I owe longhair a few one-poquito games once I get there, and I'd like to shoot with raemondo before moving day.
 
BWTadpole said:
Well, this is going to be my second collegiate year shooting pool, and a second summer full of playing 5+ times a week. The only real concern I have with going back to school is that I will most likely have to practice less for money and time reasons. I didn't worry about this last year, because I had just started playing that summer, but now that I'm a bit more rooted in the game, I feel concerned about its effects on my skill level.

Does anyone have any suggestions or words of advice for playing during a school year?
Click to expand...

Concentrate on college and play pool when you have your work done.
 
Don't be a fool, stay in pool. Any idiot can graduate from college.

But seriously, to repeat above, with good time management you'd be surprised how much free time you have. Not that I'm any good at it.
 
StraightPoolIU said:
I don't know what your schedule or your campus is like, but the way I did it was I got a job working in the poolhall in the student union. I worked a few hours a week and I got to shoot all the free pool I wanted. Also, I maintain that shooting a lot of pool and getting good grades are not mutually exclusive. I probably shot more pool than I ever have when I was in college and graduated magna cum laude. College students have an insane amount of free time. Shoot pool between classes at the union. Shoot pool now while you're in college because you won't have nearly as much time when you're working in the real world. IMHO
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Thats the same thing I'm doing at Clemson. You just get the 'employee discount' and play for about $.25 per hour. Not a bad deal.

I've decided I'm going to minimize my table time throughout the week and practice mostly on Saturday and Sunday (in order to concentrate on my classes). See if your university offers any discounts to frequent customers that might help offset the cost. I know Clemson offers an 'Introduction to Billiards' course and have pool intramurals that students participate in.
 
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