What's The Point Of It? Seriously . . . Brutal Honesty Required . . .

I've posted this story before, but I always come back to it when someone ask the question:
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I think I was 9 or 10. I went with my Dad to pick up my sister at the
Masonic Temple. She was waiting at the Temple in a rec. room playing 8-ball on this 9' table. I'd never really played before but was fascinated by the click of the balls. Neither my sister nor her friend had a clue as to what they were doing, but occasionally, one of them would catch a ball just right. The ball would hit the leather pocket with that wonderful *thwap* sound.

My sister let my father and me play a bit before we went home. For a guy who never plays, my dad has some obvious natural talent. My father only knew one game: rotation (we are Filipino after all). So that was the first game that I knew as far as rules go.


In that first magical rack, I couldn't make a straight shot to save my life. I was able to make all of two balls: a bank on the 5, and a kick on the 13. My father apparently feeling no need to praise his young son on these accomplishments rewarded me with "lucky shot" on each.


And such was the spark that lit my burning desire. I never wanted to hear him tell me "lucky shot" again. Gee, dad. Thanks.
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And now you newbies now the rest of the story (of why I'm such a bitter prune)

Freddie <~~~ vengeful bastard
 
Here it goes. You want honesty.........you got it.

Back in 1963 at the age of 15 I wondered into Willis's Pool Hall at Grand and Victor in St. Louis.

I was looking for a job doing anything I could to make some money. I had never played on a table in my life.

Mr. Willis hired me to keep ther place clean and when busy to be "the rack boy". He paid me $1.00 an hour.

After working for 4 or 5 hours one day and watching the guys shoot pool, I noticed they had a certain kind of presence about them. Cant explain it, but I liked it.

I walked up to the counter and asked Mr. Willis if I could practice for a while, he agreed and gave me a rack of balls. I started heading for a pool table when he stopped me and said, practice on the snooker table.So, here I am using 2 1/4 balls and trying to pocket them.
The very minute I hit the first ball I was hooked, man watching those balls roll around did something to me.

From then on, when I would get off work I would get a rack of balls and head for the snooker table. Other players would look at me like I was a crazy kid.

A few years later Mr. Willis retired and the place was closed.

The game of pool for me is all about myself. Its the only thing in life for me where my performance is not influenced by others. When I'm at the table, its just me and the balls.

I am the type of person that will not accept anything less than perfect. Thats why I practice 5 days a week for 6 tro 9 hours a day. Thats why I am always looking for material that will help me improve. I'll never give up wanting to be better than I am.

I am running out of years though. At 66 I still cant wait to get on my table every morning because I know that I'm going to learn something today. :smile:

Keep Strok'in

John
 
I love the nuances of the game and the fact that no two games are ever the same. The game requires finesse, power, calculating, planning, vision, and adaptation. Another positive aspect of the game is that it relatively cheap to just play. I also love the fact that you can match up against the best in the world on a regular basis. I've played 30-40 racks of 10 ball with SVB. I can't even imagine a scenario where I could even be on the same golf course as Tiger woods.
 
The Reason I play Pool

JoeW said:
There is an element of self-mastery. I am in complete control of my destiny and the amount of concentration required eliminates all other worldly problems. For me playing pool is a way to relax as I get lost in the game. It is a fascinating study in self-control and mental development.

But then I also enjoy other solitary pursuits such as painting, sculpture, and writing. Playing pool is the only one that, for me, has more of a social element.

I used to enjoy the intense concentration required to write computer software. Over time, and many software packages later, I have lost interest in this area. Playing pool and software development are very similar activities. But I suppose that unless you have taken up computer programing as a tool for creating new things you would not know that.
Click to expand...

A lot of what I do resides in JoeW's post above. I simply love the game because I find it hypnotic and when I started my book quest I wanted to write things down the way that it could be said to be a pathway to Instintual skill in pool. Then there was the task of book writing, entertainment, packaging, marketing but the thing that really interests me is the path.

I find the pathway all encompassing and it takes me out of my life and puts my mind on the table where I seek to solve the riddles of position work, stroke pressure and English and after a few hours I feel cleansed of the daily grind and can go a rest my mind. I have a very active mind and this is the only thing so far that has me in its grasp.

It has always been my belief that there are things about the game that can be made extremely complicated, but in a laymans terms are also pretty easy to understand with the proper explanation. This fact enables it to be enjoyed across every socio-economic backgrounds.

So my goal for my material is to make it very simple in context so understanding can be imparted so as to make people understand "feel" in their play.

Only when this "feel" is attained can you hit your zone and escape the world and all of its problems and roll from shot to shot, rack to rack mastering your mind and your acquired physical abilities.

Perhaps this is the "Zen" that many speak of an write about.

What I fully believe is that the path to that can be long or short and its lenght is measured in a few key decisions on can make on the table the first of which is learning how to aim the shots with a Natural Visual Method and after you have learned that my finding is that in order to get your game where you want it to be...you will Naturally seek and try to learn the rest.

If it takes a life time then it becomes fun and......so mote it be.
 
I started working on my game because there was someone I wanted to beat on a regular basis. Now I don't work on my game because I'm comfortable where I'm at. I'll go out to the tournaments just to get out most of the time. Other times I'm trying to make money
That's as honest as it gets
 
Why I Play

When I was a young man, all I ever wanted to be was a pool player. I was a good one but learned early on it could not support me and a family and went to work.

I still played pool and was considered one of the best players in Southern California for years who was a working man.

I am 73 years old and still play whenever I can and consider myself in the top few percent of older players in the country. I still play in tournaments and gamble.

I enjoy all the different games in pool and love being in the pool room. This all started in 1954 and I enjoy it just as much today.
 
I cant tell you how many times I have asked myself this same question...it has caused a divorce for me (even though we met at a pool room!!). Pool is an escape from the day to day grind for me. I tried to quit before and its like a drug....I cant quit. Not to mention that I also make cues as well!!! I love the game and the enviroment and hate it all at the same time. My daughters want to play and go to the pool room and I tell them no. The only time I let them go is when the owner opens it up for me early so no one is in there but us. Its bad but I dont want them around the atmosphere but its where I love to be. And as I write this I feel like I need a psychiatrist for the internal conflict!!! Lord help us all
 
I like problem solving, and to me that is a big part of the game. I like the feeling I get from controlling the balls, getting whitey to do exactly what I want him to do and at the same time I like that anything can happen and realizing that control is just an illusion.
There are so many facets to this game that make it worthwhile.
 
When I was a little kid, probably 5-7 years old, my father used to go to one of his friends house and they would sometimes play pool on the pool table in the basement. I was immediately fascinated with the game but they wouldn't let me near the table for fear I would tear the cloth or something. Growing up, I didn't think much else about the game as I wasn't really exposed to it after we moved around a bit, however, when I graduated high school I started going to some bars in the small town I lived in and learning to play pool. A couple of good players showed me a few things and I was hooked. During my early and mid-twenties were spent 5-6 hours, minimum, per day at the pool hall and read books and watched videos to try and get better. To this day, when I'm focused on the game, especially if I am playing well, I don't think of anything else. The feeling of striking the cueball with a nice fluid stroke and having it do exactly what you want it to do as if the cue was part of your arm and the cueball on a string is the best feeling in the world to me. Not to mention the fact that if it weren't for pool I'd have no friends...lol.
 
I'm gonna tell ya, as bad as I play, I oughta quit. But, I'm retired and need something to do while my wife's away at work all day. With a home table, it gives me something to do during slow periods of my day (which are many) and during times of inclement weather (I'm for the most part an outdoorsman). I only started becoming more than just a "banger" about 7 years ago (at the age of 53). I had been retired for several years already and had started playing pool with a few other guys on our wive's Keno Night once a month. Up until that point I maybe shot an hour or so of pool a couple times a year. I was always a decent shotmaker (had a cheapo garage table during my teenage years) and I noticed real quick that I was a few balls better than these "Keno" husbands I was playing against. So, I began watching pool on TV, followed by joining an APA league. Then I began to watch video, read books, found AZBilliards, took a lesson from RandyG, etc. Pretty soon I couldn't get enough of it. Then in 2007 we got our home table. Pretty soon I was spending my evenings (the ones when I wasn't shooting league/local tournaments) away from the TV and on the home table.

Fast forward to today and here I am, a semi-diehard. I can/could live without pool. It's not what "drives" me in life. I get just as much or more enjoyment out of my outdoor activities (fishing, hunting, target shooting, and ATV'ing). It's just that I love the idea of the "problem-solving" aspects of the game and the fact that you can seek, but never have, perfection. That keeps me trying to improve. I like to see the improvement in my game (which has begun to level out). I also like the fact that young or old, skinny or fat, short or tall, any race, relegion, ethnicity and creed can play and enjoy the game. It's as universal a game as it can be.

Pool: Good for you, good for me!!! :thumbup:

Maniac
 
Here's how I look at it. I've had many hobbies, this is a borderline obsession.
I can make a few bucks and feel good about myself or just play to be better for myself and own satisfaction.

Would you rather do jigsaw puzzles and wait to die?

Ya, me either!
 
Moving Meditation

For me, pool is a moving meditation. It helps me let go of the stresses of life and forget about work for awhile. I don't always need to play against someone as I enjoy the process of playing and practicing. I play in the occasional tournament just to see how I am progressing and how I play under some pressure.
 
I asked myself this question. When I got the answer, my game started to improve and is still is.

The point of it to me is I like it. I'm good at it and I find great pleasure in shot making. Im one of those that walks quiety but carries a big stick.

The money is of no value or motivation to me. I dont play for what maybe, I play for now.

Unlike most on here, I do believe my skills are equal or better than some pros. I love giving a thrashing to players with egos.

I love to hear " how the hell you do that shot" , "you are the bank master" and this coming from 3 cushions players.

I love safety battles. I get great joy by fustrating my oppoenent by replying with a better safe than they played on me.

Pool is a great equilizer. Ive beat people twice my size yet had a 80 year kick my ass.

I dont play in hopes of winning anything. I play because Im good at it and welcome anyone to challenge me, even any of the top players, I dont sweat them, cause my skills are just as good as theirs.

Just ask me to play and youll see.
 
So as sad as it may seem, I simply play pool to escape the everyday happenings of life. None of my real world problems exist while I am at the pool hall and it gives my brain just long enough to shut down and stop worrying about everything else. This is only sad because many have told me that if I simply cared enough about pool that I could be real good. I just have very little motivation to actually play pool because i don't have anything to prove to anyone else.
 
Excellent question, Brian.
I don't love pool, either. I doubt if I ever did. But, I like it well enough to keep going to the pool room, three or four times a week, I know that.
I do, however, like you say, wonder if there is something better. Something more worthwhile. Something with a purpose higher than mere entertainment. Something that will let me finish out my life in a blaze of glory, if you will.
I have found it, Brian. I have discovered a revolutionary new technique that will take me from the pool room to immortality. I have recently perfected a process, after endless hours of experimentation, that will put the garment industry on its heels.
I am now able, Brian...hold on to your ass for this one...to get snot out of corduroy.
I'll tell you more about it later. :)
 
At 70 I am playing the best pool of my life, still a long way from being
a "shortstop" but really enjoying the game. The feeling after running a table is hard to top, granted it might only happen once a day or so but it really makes you feel like you have accomplished something. Down side I'm not able to play as long as I like with consistency, start fading out, probably more mental than physical.

I watch pool, buy ppv's, read books and just flat love the game.
 
duckie said:
I asked myself this question. When I got the answer, my game started to improve and is still is.

The point of it to me is I like it. I'm good at it and I find great pleasure in shot making. Im one of those that walks quiety but carries a big stick.

The money is of no value or motivation to me. I dont play for what maybe, I play for now.

Unlike most on here, I do believe my skills are equal or better than some pros. I love giving a thrashing to players with egos.

I love to hear " how the hell you do that shot" , "you are the bank master" and this coming from 3 cushions players.

I love safety battles. I get great joy by fustrating my oppoenent by replying with a better safe than they played on me.

Pool is a great equilizer. Ive beat people twice my size yet had a 80 year kick my ass.

I dont play in hopes of winning anything. I play because Im good at it and welcome anyone to challenge me, even any of the top players, I dont sweat them, cause my skills are just as good as theirs.

Just ask me to play and youll see.
Click to expand...

I do think your full of sh1t
 
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