So our team got smoked in the city pool tourney...

M

mrpool06

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
4 of us from our bca league team decided to play in a players open 8-ball tourney this weekend. 3 and out....we were sent home packing by Sat. afternoon. We were way out of our league though....most teams were stacked with "A" & "B" players (I guess I would classify us as "C" players at best?). I think I won a total of 2 matches all weekend, lost 7....it wasn't very uplifting. Our team should have known better, I guess we just had some blind hope we'd do good.

Now I'm frustrated at pool again. Will I ever be a top local player?? I don't have a table at home, so I hit the pool halls when I can (3-5 hrs a week if I'm lucky)....have wife, kids, home, job, so I just don't have the time to break away to practice. I truly love pool & desire to be good....but I missed shots I shouldn't have....played sloppy position at times.

I've heard alot of these top players have tables at home....play 1-2 hrs a day...play in all or most of these tourneys.

Maybe I should just accept I'll never be more than average....I guess I'm supposed to just be happy with that, but I'm not. :(
 
Well ...

Read again what you wrote, then I would say 'You reap what you sow' as far as Pool goes. Your desire is there, but you have other more important priorities than Pool, like home, family, and work.

Contrary to the most logical conclusion, most top players do not have tables at home. Most top players are usually money players that spent their youth gambling, and can withstand the pressures of the game better than just a league player. It shows up every year in Vegas.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't strive to improve, but count your blessings along the way.
 
mrpool06 said:
4 of us from our bca league team decided to play in a players open 8-ball tourney this weekend. 3 and out....we were sent home packing by Sat. afternoon. We were way out of our league though....most teams were stacked with "A" & "B" players (I guess I would classify us as "C" players at best?). I think I won a total of 2 matches all weekend, lost 7....it wasn't very uplifting. Our team should have known better, I guess we just had some blind hope we'd do good.

Now I'm frustrated at pool again. Will I ever be a top local player?? I don't have a table at home, so I hit the pool halls when I can (3-5 hrs a week if I'm lucky)....have wife, kids, home, job, so I just don't have the time to break away to practice. I truly love pool & desire to be good....but I missed shots I shouldn't have....played sloppy position at times.

I've heard alot of these top players have tables at home....play 1-2 hrs a day...play in all or most of these tourneys.

Maybe I should just accept I'll never be more than average....I guess I'm supposed to just be happy with that, but I'm not. :(
Click to expand...

Snap out of it!! There's a lot of us in the same boat who have family and work etc who only get to play maybe once a week and who truly love this game.
But when you sort it all out you are better off. You want to be as good as the top players who don't have anything to show for their sacrifices. Pool is a tough career with few rewards. I'll take the love of my family over it anyday. That being said, I need to get a table for home so I can compete with these fulltime players. Philw
 
My thoughts

mrpool06 said:
4 of us from our bca league team decided to play in a players open 8-ball tourney this weekend. 3 and out....we were sent home packing by Sat. afternoon. We were way out of our league though....most teams were stacked with "A" & "B" players (I guess I would classify us as "C" players at best?). I think I won a total of 2 matches all weekend, lost 7....it wasn't very uplifting. Our team should have known better, I guess we just had some blind hope we'd do good.

Now I'm frustrated at pool again. Will I ever be a top local player?? I don't have a table at home, so I hit the pool halls when I can (3-5 hrs a week if I'm lucky)....have wife, kids, home, job, so I just don't have the time to break away to practice. I truly love pool & desire to be good....but I missed shots I shouldn't have....played sloppy position at times.

I've heard alot of these top players have tables at home....play 1-2 hrs a day...play in all or most of these tourneys.

Maybe I should just accept I'll never be more than average....I guess I'm supposed to just be happy with that, but I'm not. :(
Click to expand...

All of us love this game in our own way. For some, it's about becoming the best in our league, our circle of friends, our city, our state etc. For others, it's simply to see a constant improvement in our game.

If you want to be happy, I suggest you take a hard look at your current level and the level you wish to achieve. Then, determine how much time/effort/money it's going to take to get from one to the other. At that point, you may understand what kind of sacrifice this will entail. You are then at a position to decide effectively which way to go.

My current stance is to work to see constant improvement in my own game. I measure it in the 8 ball league that I run and compete in. I occasionally enter some local events, too. Now that I've gotten a table in my home and make time to practice every day (or nearly so) I've seen what kind of improvements I can make with the time available. Am I going to be a giant killer in the local scene? Not likely. That's okay with me though because for me it's about the journey to get better and I'm seeing progress. I don't have the time to completely devote myself to my game. When I retire maybe but I've got kids, a wonderful wife, a great career, friends and other hobbies, too. I have to balance things and pool can only get it's share, not more.

Enjoy it for what it is for now or change your priorities and discipline yourself to change. Life is too short to be hating any part of it!:D

Brian in VA
 
I have a table at home, but usually only get to play a 1/2 hour to an hour a day because of family and work. To get really good takes a lot of time. I would rather see my children grow up well than be pool orphans. I hope to get better and better, but not at the cost of family and job. I guess it is just reality.
 
I can understand your frustration. Since time is a premuim for you, my suggestion is to really work on your quality of practice. Many players learn the game by hitting balls for hours upon hours. Eventually, they will get better by the sheer number of hours playing. But, if you take a more disciplined approach to practicing it can pay dividends in improved play. Allow yourself an hour or two per week to work on the areas of your game that needs improvement i.e. fundamentals, shotmaking, speed control, breaking. Use drills that target these areas and overall your game will improve. They key is to make the most of your time and enjoy the ride!

Darryl
 
I agree with others here as well. Family comes first before the hobbies. Also, if you didn't play in tourney's that didn't give you a bit of a reality check once in awhile, you might not raise your level of play/expectations. I used to play in a strong B-C 9 ball tourny, but always enjoyed playing in the once a month A tourny just to see how I would rate. Of course it put my ego/game in check, but I learned alot and it pushed me to the next level. The game takes lots of practice and many people have tables at home that can't play good and many people don't have tables at home and play very well. Don't let the thought of not having a table cripple you. Make the most of your time on the table, get with some people that have the same goals/desires as you and with time, you will get more wins and appreciate the game along with your efforts.

ez
 
I feel & understand your pain, Mrpool. Last Thursday I played a few games with my buddy before entering our weekly 9 ball tourney. I'd had a splitting headache since the previous night & honestly didn't feel like playing, but I thought this is my one night out this week, I'll do the old mind over matter trick & go for it.

Bad idea. I played some of the worst pool of my life. I lost a few games to my bud (which doesn't happen too often) then got dumped out of the tourney 4-1 & 3-0! I went home early & felt pretty damned depressed about it. I kept replaying the games in my head & wondering how the hell I lost. 2 of the racks in the second match I lost by scratching on the 9! Really stupid errors. To be honest I felt like taking a break from pool for awhile.

Now, 3 days later I'm still analysing where I went wrong but the low feeling has gone. I'm eager to play again! If I feel as rough as I did last week I will take the night off, but if I'm OK (as I'm sure I will be) then I know I won't make the same mistakes again. The thing with me is, if someone beats me through my own poor play, it makes me doubly determined to go back & tear them apart! I don't stay down for long. God help 'em when I get back up!

My point is, don't dwell on your loss. Think about it. Learn from it. Then come back stronger. If you believe you can do that then the chances are you will do that.

I wish you well.

Ade.
 
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