In 1971, when I was 11, my aunt, Sister Norma passed away. Being a nun, she didn't have a whole lot, but my mom and her three siblings inherited what she did have.
I remember my dad, a few times, broaching the subject of putting that money to what he thought would be fine use. I remember my mom, when the subject was broached, not being all that responsive.
My dad believed Sister Norma would be thrilled up in heaven watching our family and relatives and friends enjoying ourselves and themselves playing on a spanking, brand - new pool table.
My mom wasn't so sure.
Off we were one summer day to a pool table dealership however. I recall my dad and mom and myself standing over a pool table. I remember my dad talking to two guys. I think one was a salesman and the other guy was the owner who just meandered over. I recall my mom was silent. All she did in fact was stare at the green cloth and blink a thousand times a minute. When she used to blink like that it always coincided with trembling lips and shaking hands.
Anyhow; after my dad had all the info he could pull from these guys, he looked at my mom and and said, "What do you think?"
My mom, while still not looking up from the cloth, said, "It's a lot of money."
My dad looked at the salesman and the owner and said, "I want it!"
My mom kept looking at the cloth.*
My dad wrote out a check for $550 1971 dollars. The owner promised a prompt delivery.
The table arrived and was installed a few days later.
Up until that point, I had never played any type of pool but the "bumper" variety. My dad gave away that table before the new table arrived.
So the installation was in the morning. I remember the workers left us a fully installed table around noon - time. There was no one home but my mom and I. She had no interest in cueing up. ( It probably had something to with the fact that as a kid she learned how to ride a bicycle straight; but, never figured out how to make it turn!)
I had the table to myself that afternoon......It was fun for sure. The bumper pool experience was definitely helpful. I played for a few hours that day and for a few hours on proceeding days. Something disturbing started to occur though after oh...fifteen hours of playing. When I started out, there were certain shots that I found difficult. After fifteen hours, I was able to make many of these shots about half the time.
I figured with another fifteen hours I'd be able to make them ALL the time! At twenty hours though, I was still only making them half the time....same thing at twenty five hours. At thirty hours I was STILL making these shots only half the time. I was not a happy eleven year old. I told myself, "Hey! You obviously know how to make the shot! You make it half the time! After you make it, it always seems like it was simple! SO YOU KNOW HOW TO MAKE THE SHOT! START MAKING IT!".
......After forty hours of practice and still making those shots only half the time, I decided that while the pool table was a wonderful addition to the basement and a GREAT game to play with friends, IT WAS NO FUN TO PRACTICE POOL! After those first forty hours of practice, I pretty much stuck to only playing when friends were around.
I beat them most the time. None of them had pool tables in their basement or had ever practiced the requisite 15 hours alone. (I say I beat them MOST the time. It was kinda startling how good a few kids were who I'm pretty sure had never practiced alone or been in a pool room)
Anyhow; I started practicing alone again when I was nineteen. Why? I don't know! I'm fifty six now and I'll estimate I've practiced my shot - making for eleven or twelve thousand hours. I don't really know if I should call myself a "Pool player." I've spent a total of two hours of my life in a pool room. I've never *in my life played a competitive game of pool with anyone other than friends who are not serious players.......I'll call myself a shot - maker.
So why am I boring anyone with this story? As someone who ONLY concerned with shot - making and nothing else, (at this time) I have an observation I'd like to share with others who are struggling in their quest for shot - making perfection: THE POOL TABLE IS THE DEVIL'S FINEST CREATION!
......Why is this some readers may ask?.......Oh.....where to start? Firstly: Pocketing pool balls is so darn easy. ("Huh...a show and tell session is in order, dude!) What I mean is.....when I was eleven and I made those shots half the time, after I made them, it felt like it was such a simple task.
This being the case, after pocketing a ball and feeling the satisfaction of success, I naturally wanted to continue pocketing balls. I was pocketing the same types of shots required of professionals. I was making them 50 % of the time. Pro's make them 95% of the time. As I already wrote, it seemed like such a simple task.
After fifteen hours of playing I was absolutely convinced that it would only take fifteen more hours of practicing before I would be making those shots 95 % of the time and playing on the pro tour!.....I was already practicing signing autographs..........my dreams came alive during those first fifteen hours.....They were then CRUSHED in the proceeding twenty five hours!......I was only eleven! Who but the devil would crush an eleven year old's dreams like that?
I mean......It's just so damn easy making pool balls. All players know what I mean. I guess that's why I started playing again at 19. It's just so easy! I figured with eight years of wisdom under my belt "I'll figure it out this time!" So when I started playing again at nineteen. I 'd makes a certain shot 50% of the time. On the 50% that I missed, I was just a "Little bit" off. Really.....just a "Little bit!" I said to myself, " I'll have this fixed in no time!"
.....at twenty three I was still just a "Little bit" off - 48.5 % of the time! But really - I was only a "Little bit" off. *I said to myself, "I'll have this worked out shortly....no problem!
Thirty three years later I've come to a revelation: It's been the devil who has convinced me for forty five years that I was just a "Little bit" off and a cure was just around the corner!......In fact; it takes tremendous skill to stop being just a "Little bit" off!
Sister Norma left my mom $550 that she earned working for God!
MY DAD STOLE IT AND HANDED IT TO THE DEVIL!
I remember my dad, a few times, broaching the subject of putting that money to what he thought would be fine use. I remember my mom, when the subject was broached, not being all that responsive.
My dad believed Sister Norma would be thrilled up in heaven watching our family and relatives and friends enjoying ourselves and themselves playing on a spanking, brand - new pool table.
My mom wasn't so sure.
Off we were one summer day to a pool table dealership however. I recall my dad and mom and myself standing over a pool table. I remember my dad talking to two guys. I think one was a salesman and the other guy was the owner who just meandered over. I recall my mom was silent. All she did in fact was stare at the green cloth and blink a thousand times a minute. When she used to blink like that it always coincided with trembling lips and shaking hands.
Anyhow; after my dad had all the info he could pull from these guys, he looked at my mom and and said, "What do you think?"
My mom, while still not looking up from the cloth, said, "It's a lot of money."
My dad looked at the salesman and the owner and said, "I want it!"
My mom kept looking at the cloth.*
My dad wrote out a check for $550 1971 dollars. The owner promised a prompt delivery.
The table arrived and was installed a few days later.
Up until that point, I had never played any type of pool but the "bumper" variety. My dad gave away that table before the new table arrived.
So the installation was in the morning. I remember the workers left us a fully installed table around noon - time. There was no one home but my mom and I. She had no interest in cueing up. ( It probably had something to with the fact that as a kid she learned how to ride a bicycle straight; but, never figured out how to make it turn!)
I had the table to myself that afternoon......It was fun for sure. The bumper pool experience was definitely helpful. I played for a few hours that day and for a few hours on proceeding days. Something disturbing started to occur though after oh...fifteen hours of playing. When I started out, there were certain shots that I found difficult. After fifteen hours, I was able to make many of these shots about half the time.
I figured with another fifteen hours I'd be able to make them ALL the time! At twenty hours though, I was still only making them half the time....same thing at twenty five hours. At thirty hours I was STILL making these shots only half the time. I was not a happy eleven year old. I told myself, "Hey! You obviously know how to make the shot! You make it half the time! After you make it, it always seems like it was simple! SO YOU KNOW HOW TO MAKE THE SHOT! START MAKING IT!".
......After forty hours of practice and still making those shots only half the time, I decided that while the pool table was a wonderful addition to the basement and a GREAT game to play with friends, IT WAS NO FUN TO PRACTICE POOL! After those first forty hours of practice, I pretty much stuck to only playing when friends were around.
I beat them most the time. None of them had pool tables in their basement or had ever practiced the requisite 15 hours alone. (I say I beat them MOST the time. It was kinda startling how good a few kids were who I'm pretty sure had never practiced alone or been in a pool room)
Anyhow; I started practicing alone again when I was nineteen. Why? I don't know! I'm fifty six now and I'll estimate I've practiced my shot - making for eleven or twelve thousand hours. I don't really know if I should call myself a "Pool player." I've spent a total of two hours of my life in a pool room. I've never *in my life played a competitive game of pool with anyone other than friends who are not serious players.......I'll call myself a shot - maker.
So why am I boring anyone with this story? As someone who ONLY concerned with shot - making and nothing else, (at this time) I have an observation I'd like to share with others who are struggling in their quest for shot - making perfection: THE POOL TABLE IS THE DEVIL'S FINEST CREATION!
......Why is this some readers may ask?.......Oh.....where to start? Firstly: Pocketing pool balls is so darn easy. ("Huh...a show and tell session is in order, dude!) What I mean is.....when I was eleven and I made those shots half the time, after I made them, it felt like it was such a simple task.
This being the case, after pocketing a ball and feeling the satisfaction of success, I naturally wanted to continue pocketing balls. I was pocketing the same types of shots required of professionals. I was making them 50 % of the time. Pro's make them 95% of the time. As I already wrote, it seemed like such a simple task.
After fifteen hours of playing I was absolutely convinced that it would only take fifteen more hours of practicing before I would be making those shots 95 % of the time and playing on the pro tour!.....I was already practicing signing autographs..........my dreams came alive during those first fifteen hours.....They were then CRUSHED in the proceeding twenty five hours!......I was only eleven! Who but the devil would crush an eleven year old's dreams like that?
I mean......It's just so damn easy making pool balls. All players know what I mean. I guess that's why I started playing again at 19. It's just so easy! I figured with eight years of wisdom under my belt "I'll figure it out this time!" So when I started playing again at nineteen. I 'd makes a certain shot 50% of the time. On the 50% that I missed, I was just a "Little bit" off. Really.....just a "Little bit!" I said to myself, " I'll have this fixed in no time!"
.....at twenty three I was still just a "Little bit" off - 48.5 % of the time! But really - I was only a "Little bit" off. *I said to myself, "I'll have this worked out shortly....no problem!
Thirty three years later I've come to a revelation: It's been the devil who has convinced me for forty five years that I was just a "Little bit" off and a cure was just around the corner!......In fact; it takes tremendous skill to stop being just a "Little bit" off!
Sister Norma left my mom $550 that she earned working for God!
MY DAD STOLE IT AND HANDED IT TO THE DEVIL!
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