I rushed through my post yesterday and compared my time at the table to eating my favorite meal. I guess that wasn't the best answer to the question proposed.
What am I thinking about?
I'm not really thinking about any one thing in particular. I'm focusing on the task at hand and trying to run out and win the game.
I've developed a certain regiment on every shot I play. I do it because it works not because it takes more time to play this way.
Most of the time I'm competing, I'm playing high caliber pool players. Any error I make could result in my sitting down for long periods at a time. I don't like sitting down for long periods of time, just like the people that complain about people that play slow.
I gave up playing pool at the height of my playing years. I was nineteen years old and I couldn't run around the table fast enough to shoot my next shot. Several years later I returned to the game. I wasn't the same player, in the beginning. I played in tournaments and didn't do well in the beginning. I missed quite frequently. Then I started playing better. I started running out. People started to complain I was playing slow. It didn't matter when I missed every third shot.
It wasn't that I was playing slower. I had learned more about the game and developed my regiment for every shot.
There are also other factors that have slowed the game down. It takes to long to rack balls. Then the person your playing has to inspect the rack.
I also try to be courteous. I don't want to barge in next to a person ready to shoot and cause them to miss a shot.
People have mentioned age. I wish I could still run around the table. I can honestly say, I have never played slow intentionally. I just enjoy playing and I'm willing to take the time to try to make the right decision in the situation I'm facing. I can make enough excuses for losing. I'm facing killers out there. I have to be careful.
What am I thinking about?
I'm not really thinking about any one thing in particular. I'm focusing on the task at hand and trying to run out and win the game.
I've developed a certain regiment on every shot I play. I do it because it works not because it takes more time to play this way.
Most of the time I'm competing, I'm playing high caliber pool players. Any error I make could result in my sitting down for long periods at a time. I don't like sitting down for long periods of time, just like the people that complain about people that play slow.
I gave up playing pool at the height of my playing years. I was nineteen years old and I couldn't run around the table fast enough to shoot my next shot. Several years later I returned to the game. I wasn't the same player, in the beginning. I played in tournaments and didn't do well in the beginning. I missed quite frequently. Then I started playing better. I started running out. People started to complain I was playing slow. It didn't matter when I missed every third shot.
It wasn't that I was playing slower. I had learned more about the game and developed my regiment for every shot.
There are also other factors that have slowed the game down. It takes to long to rack balls. Then the person your playing has to inspect the rack.
I also try to be courteous. I don't want to barge in next to a person ready to shoot and cause them to miss a shot.
People have mentioned age. I wish I could still run around the table. I can honestly say, I have never played slow intentionally. I just enjoy playing and I'm willing to take the time to try to make the right decision in the situation I'm facing. I can make enough excuses for losing. I'm facing killers out there. I have to be careful.