What inspires you and what doesn't to continue to play ?

P

poolmaster

Devilish
Silver Member
I don't know about everybody else but I have a goal that I try to achieve.
I want to play an open or pro speed level. Am I there yet? No, so what
keeps me going all these years? For me the answer is simple, I've seen my
best and I've liked what I saw.

I have played open/pro speed players and won (even up) and turn around
and lose to a C or B player. How sad is that? Many times I wanted to break
down and cry and just quit. What kept me going all these years is that I
knew what kind of play I was capable of. No matter how many times I was
down, I always got up and tried it again.

The game is just like life, full of ups and downs, mostly downs:(but you
have to keep on going, don't you? All I'm trying to say is that when you
down and want to quit, don't do it, push yourself harder and keep on
kicking. Don't give up no matter how bad it seems.

I don't mind trying and failing. The worst thing is not to try cause that
way you'll never know what you could have done.

Poolmaster
 
Whenever you lost your inspiration cause you played bad or whatever go and read this
article about Scott Simonetti. Go to nycgrind.com and check it out.
 
what inspires me too keep playin i love the game so much i wanna improve i know what kinda game i got an what i can do an i know in my heart i can hang with alot of them i have the desire an the wants an alot of people have faith in me like i do an hopefully my game comes out sooner then later lol

but what keeps me going is pool is an Addiction an i love the game an it inspires me to keep going to improve my self to see if i can be the best that i can be

an i know i can be way better i.m not a League player i am way better then that but i do play League to stay in Stroke an its practice for me to play matchs with other people

u just gotta have the Drive an Desire an inspiration to want to get better its alot of hard work this is not an Eazy game by far but once u get to learn the Fundamentals an mental game an Angles its a really fun game an thats what u like about it it keeps u wanting to learn more an keeps u playing what keeps the fire lit inside of me is i have alot of motivation an Desire Drive i have alot of Heart ani want too get better

i been playin for 13 years on an off so thats another reason i don.t quit playin i love it tomuch i.ll never quit pool

i allso have Goals an 1 of them was Achieved AZB an people of AZB has helped me get to that Goalin New orleans at Big Easy great people great tournament an i got 1 match away from top 16 out of 62 players

my next goal is to place in White diamonds tournament an play in DCC Music city classic an other pro tournaments u only get better if u play players way better then u so do asmuch as u can an Achieve ur Goals Good luck to u my friend my heart is out to u an i hope ur goals an dreams do come true as mine will

Robley AKA *AZB Horse 2009*
 
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I feel kinda funny writing this but I have been practicing lately to the point where I have issues getting up and going to work in the AM!...I told myself that by the new year I needed to have my game above and beyond where I have been in the past.

My back is killing me getting outta bed.....my wrists are aching.....and I wish I had the magic potion to let me keep on hitting balls!

Don't get me wrong....I'm playing GREAT!.....I just wish I had the resources to do this 15 years ago! :)


G.
 
robleyf7 said:
what inspires me too keep playin i love the game so much i wanna improve i know what kinda game i got an what i can do an i know in my heart i can hang with alot of them i have the desire an the wants an alot of people have faith in me like i do an hopefully my game comes out sooner then later lol

but what keeps me going is pool is an Addiction an i love the game an it inspires me to keep going to improve my self to see if i can be the best that i can be

an i know i can be way better i.m not a League player i am way better then that but i do play League to stay in Stroke an its practice for me to play matchs with other people

u just gotta have the Drive an Desire an inspiration to want to get better its alot of hard work this is not an Eazy game by far but once u get to learn the Fundamentals an mental game an Angles its a really fun game an thats what u like about it it keeps u wanting to learn more an keeps u playing what keeps the fire lit inside of me is i have alot of motivation an Desire Drive i have alot of Heart ani want too get better

i been playin for 13 years on an off so thats another reason i don.t quit playin i love it tomuch i.ll never quit pool

i allso have Goals an 1 of them was Achieved AZB an people of AZB has helped me get to that Goalin New orleans at Big Easy great people great tournament an i got 1 match away from top 16 out of 62 players

my next goal is to place in White diamonds tournament an play in DCC Music city classic an other pro tournaments u only get better if u play players way better then u so do asmuch as u can an Achieve ur Goals Good luck to u my friend my heart is out to u an i hope ur goals an dreams do come true as mine will

Robley AKA *AZB Horse 2009*
Click to expand...
Well said buddy. Keep up the good work
 
Looking forward to the responses in this thread, I was going to post a very similar question.
 
what inspires me to play

Playing pool nearly my whole life on some sort of table wether it has been a 4ft, 9ft or any size table has inspired me to seek out a real game. By a real game i am refering to playing someone who doesnt come to have "fun" or to "try" but comes to be the best and to win. This is usually the case in either amateur or professional tournament play but is rarely the case in a wager match. I believe that the wager match is much more a test of ones ability than a tournament play. As a tournament play requires besting many different types of opponents who do greatly vary in difficulty while the set wager match is strictly a one vs. one game. Think of a wager match as the side pockets while tournament play refers to the corner pockets. Which pockets are considered more difficult to pocket balls? One pocket on each side of the table or two pockets on each side of the table? The answer may be suprising. :grin-square:
 
robleyf7 said:
what inspires me too keep playin i love the game so much i wanna improve i know what kinda game i got an what i can do an i know in my heart i can hang with alot of them i have the desire an the wants an alot of people have faith in me like i do an hopefully my game comes out sooner then later lol

but what keeps me going is pool is an Addiction an i love the game an it inspires me to keep going to improve my self to see if i can be the best that i can be

an i know i can be way better i.m not a League player i am way better then that but i do play League to stay in Stroke an its practice for me to play matchs with other people

u just gotta have the Drive an Desire an inspiration to want to get better its alot of hard work this is not an Eazy game by far but once u get to learn the Fundamentals an mental game an Angles its a really fun game an thats what u like about it it keeps u wanting to learn more an keeps u playing what keeps the fire lit inside of me is i have alot of motivation an Desire Drive i have alot of Heart ani want too get better

i been playin for 13 years on an off so thats another reason i don.t quit playin i love it tomuch i.ll never quit pool

i allso have Goals an 1 of them was Achieved AZB an people of AZB has helped me get to that Goalin New orleans at Big Easy great people great tournament an i got 1 match away from top 16 out of 62 players

my next goal is to place in White diamonds tournament an play in DCC Music city classic an other pro tournaments u only get better if u play players way better then u so do asmuch as u can an Achieve ur Goals Good luck to u my friend my heart is out to u an i hope ur goals an dreams do come true as mine will

Robley AKA *AZB Horse 2009*
Click to expand...

commas damnit
 
I just enjoy playing. On top of that I'm always improving. In the 5 years I've been playing I've never hit a plateau. So the promise of next year is always there.
 
straight pool inspires me. Creating and achieving goals in high runs is very satisfying. It translates to great play in all the games.

Beating or losing to great players does not mean much to me....just my performance at the table.
 
Salamander said:
straight pool inspires me. Creating and achieving goals in high runs is very satisfying. It translates to great play in all the games.

Beating or losing to great players does not mean much to me....just my performance at the table.
Click to expand...
There were many times where I did good in the tourny(money wise) but was't happy
with my performance and vice versa. Weird, isn't?
 
poolmaster said:
There were many times where I did good in the tourny(money wise) but was't happy
with my performance and vice versa. Weird, isn't?
Click to expand...

True. However, I find that as my performance becomes better and more consistant, by inspiration to play the game increases. What is trying are those periods where you enter a "slump". Finding enjoyment and inspiration are tough, because you are not playing to your potential (past or present).
 
Salamander said:
True. However, I find that as my performance becomes better and more consistant, by inspiration to play the game increases. What is trying are those periods where you enter a "slump". Finding enjoyment and inspiration are tough, because you are not playing to your potential (past or present).
Click to expand...
Oh, the magical slump. I tried to reason this thing, use logic and try to understand
why the hell it happens. My conclusion is that I just don't know. I've learned to accept
it. Sometimes it's not meant to be.
 
poolmaster said:
Oh, the magical slump. I tried to reason this thing, use logic and try to understand
why the hell it happens. My conclusion is that I just don't know. I've learned to accept
it. Sometimes it's not meant to be.
Click to expand...

Slumps are a result of mechanical or mental flaws in your game becoming more pronounced, due to whatever reason (often laziness I think). You can either take time off and you will play no worse than you used to or you can identify the problem, fix it and improve your game.

That said, I wouldn't be surprised if most slumps are result of an overestimation of ones game. I've definitely been guilty of that on occassion (re:this summer).:o
 
poolmaster said:
There were many times where I did good in the tourny(money wise) but was't happy
with my performance and vice versa. Weird, isn't?
Click to expand...

Good point.
Playing my best inspires me
Playing less than my best motivates me

Steve
 
scottyj said:
Playing pool nearly my whole life on some sort of table wether it has been a 4ft, 9ft or any size table has inspired me to seek out a real game. By a real game i am refering to playing someone who doesnt come to have "fun" or to "try" but comes to be the best and to win. This is usually the case in either amateur or professional tournament play but is rarely the case in a wager match. I believe that the wager match is much more a test of ones ability than a tournament play. As a tournament play requires besting many different types of opponents who do greatly vary in difficulty while the set wager match is strictly a one vs. one game. Think of a wager match as the side pockets while tournament play refers to the corner pockets. Which pockets are considered more difficult to pocket balls? One pocket on each side of the table or two pockets on each side of the table? The answer may be suprising. :grin-square:
Click to expand...


In all fairness both games are the same. There is no opponent other than yourself. It doesn't matter if Efren Reyes and Earl Strickland are both sitting across the table from you waiting to shoot. As long as they are in their chair they can't do anything to you. When they are at the table you are helpless to do anything for yourself. Your only true opponent is you. I don't go for the thought that gambling is tougher than tournaments or vice versa. Pool is pool. You gotta play your best game regardless of the situation.....if you want to win that is.

As for your comparison, think about it, one person gambling, learning their strengths and weaknesses or multiple partners not having a clue as to what is coming up next. The tournament sounds like a tougher engagement to me.
MULLY
 
Interesting moment for this topic to come up.

ATM I am having a somewhat hard time trying to figure out a reason to keep trying to improve or put effort into this game. I play well, I have an extremely high top gear close to pro when I am practicing and focusing on winning but lately I have been fairly apathetic towards the game and neither winning or losing gives me an emotional reponse one way or the other and this is making it very hard to get the fire going and put the effort in to hit the top gear.

The city I live in atm has no real pool scene to speak of, the tournament scene is basically down to a single 35-40 man bar box 9-ball tournament that I split close to 80% of the time in the final 3 with other top players for about $80, which is about a $40 profit after the entry, the gas it takes to drive there, and my tab. I am at the point that I almost expect to get to the stage of chopping the tournament, and I get nowhere near the satisfaction out of it I once did. I WISH I lived in a city like LA where I could play in a Hard Times tournament and play a step above my current competition and aim to climb that ladder and start beating all of those guys, unfortunately there is no opportunity here for that. There are some opportunities for cash matches, but alot of the players who I could compete with are friends and I would feel almost as apathetic in winning cash matches with them as winning the cash in the tournaments.

I basically play this game atm for 3 weeks of competition in Vegas during the BCA and VNEA. There I hit the cash tables, I get into action, I get interested in winning the events in the tournaments. I hit 9-12th in singles in the VNEA last year and got intermediate status and have ZERO interest in playing in the intermediate event so I am actually going to play in the masters event and that has me excited. I am also planning on going to the US Bar Box Championships this year and that definately has me yearning to put my full effort into the game. But beyond that I am kind of bored and do not know how to change things. I began playing the 10-ball ghost with ball in hand thinking that would be something to aspire to, but I beat it in a race to 9 first try which screwed that thought up.

I guess what inspires me to keep playing is the thought of playing people who are flat out better then me that I cannot beat and using that as a thing to fire me up and get that next level and start drilling them.

The thing that does not inspire me to keep playing? The lack of a pool scene and ability to do the above. I am starting to think I need to seek out the few players who are better then me in this city and start playing them cheap sets if they will play cheap enough. I am a university student and cannot afford to play a player with an edge in multiple big sets atm although I sometimes wish I was graduated already and working so I could afford to put $200 into action each night and start the climb to the top.
 
For me competition is a necessary requirement to keep me playing and wanting to improve.

I played in high school at the local bowling alley/pool room, then gave up the game until I bought a house and got a table of my own. That was almost 30 years ago. When I got the table I told myself "Now I'm really going to get good at this game." But I learned that playing and practicing by yourself gets boring pretty quickly, and most years the table sat idle.

It wasn't until I joined the two Chicago straight pool leagues that the desire really came back. That was about a year ago. It's much easier to practice now that I have an incentive.

Gambling on pool is a good incentive also, but I was never a gambler at pool - I don't have the nerves for it. (Neither here nor there, but I used to be a gambler in the biggest casino of them all - commodity futures. You can lose big money there, but not because your hand moves a millimeter off course).
 
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