Why Do You Miss the Simple Shots?
- Thread starter lfigueroa
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Sure, Bill, but IMO what adds a level of difficulty, even to the hangers, is making the cue ball move the way you want.
Lou Figueroa
Good thought on the trying to do too much with the CB thing. Johnny, one of the things I'm learning along the way is that there are often positional extensions that will get your cue ball where you want it and allow you to do less with the cue ball. By that I mean, going another rail back and forth, or perhaps letting the CB roll further to get a shot, not on the obvious pocket but to a side pocket or even a pocket in another direction. Looking for them often makes the shot easier.
Lou Figueroa
yup, I can completely identify with all that, Sean. I had an 80-something run going the other day, got the next rack *wide open* and missed a short little straight in. Just lost focus on that shot.
Lou Figueroa
Maniac, as the years go by I am learning that maintaing focus AND PSR discipline are two essential elements of playing good pool.
Lou Figueroa
I used to think I'm suffering from over-confidence in this situation, but am now wondering if it's really mental and/or physical exhaustion - admittedly exaggerating a bit: what I really mean is, there never seems to be any time to relax, and I sometimes feel something in me is trying to find a way to be economical with my resources. It's a paradox, because I'd be the first to tell e.g. my students one shouldn't take shots for granted, and indeed, I'm playing my best when I'm respectful of and paying attention to everything. But doing so may take its toll, and there are days when I may be forcing myself to concentrate rather than be alert, curious and observant, which is what it feels like on good days. Observing what's going on shouldn't be a matter of conscious effort - that's akin to judging (= whether I'm doing what I have in mind), in itself a waste of energy. My subconscious knows full well I'm not there to miss, that billiards is by definition about perfection. No use stressing the point. But there are days when it seems as if my subconscious wants (my body, my mind - both?) to relax, be somewhere else, do its own thing. Bad horse…
Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________
„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti
David, I'm the same way and agree it's tough. It's very much, as you say, like hard work, which for those of us that play pool for fun, is a paradox. Nowadays, I will stop practicing when I'm not fully focused. It can be something else on my mind, or even something else going on in the pool room. The other day the old John Wayne movie "Fort Apache" was playing on a TV in the pool room. I was the only one in there and it was so quiet, and the movie is so dialogue intensive, that it was too distracting so I gave it up for the day.
Lou Figueroa
Duke fan
Hector, it could be that your high percentage shots are not as high percentage as you think
Lou Figueroa
That's pretty Zen-like thought, Dave. Maybe he was saying that if you wanted it, you'd fight more for it. I danna know. Interesting thought though.
Lou Figueroa
I agree, dr. But I also think it's because we sometimes change something mechanically and aren't aware of the change.
Lou Figueroa
The one about not deserving to win is another bit of Zen worth examining and getting to the core of.
Lou Figueroa
I think to a certain extent at almost every level of play this is so, SP. Sometimes on the tough ones you just have to focus on getting the ball into the hole and taking what the table gives you.
Lou Figueroa
Most of the time it's a matter of not doing all the things that we do to make the other (less easy) shots. It's why PSR is so important. We half-a$$ it on the easy ones, mayber we're not lined up exactly right or we pull the trigger too soon (one stroke it), whatever...usually we get away with it, but not always...it's different so we miss.
I also like the "don't deserve to win" comment someone made earlier...ever get away with some uncalled slop or fouling on a ball or something, then miss the very next easy shot? You basically tell yourself you got away with something and therefore don't deserve to win, so you don't. It's pool Karma.
I also like the "don't deserve to win" comment someone made earlier...ever get away with some uncalled slop or fouling on a ball or something, then miss the very next easy shot? You basically tell yourself you got away with something and therefore don't deserve to win, so you don't. It's pool Karma.
Your so right, there are two parts to every shot, make/shape.
That goes back to preshot routine, even the easiest looking shots one still has to implement all the PSR mannerisms. By doing the Same thing over and over again its easier to figure out your error. Often its just your approach. It's much easier to correct a flaw in someones game when they do it the same way wrong every time.
This really strikes a chord with me, Lou. One thing I've noticed in my own (admittedly low-level) game is that I always get perfect shape on the next ball when I miss something really easy.
I've obviously taken the shot for granted, and focused only on cueball position.
We joke about it, but I think there's a lot of truth in it. For example, if I'm "in the zone" I can keep it up much longer when I'm practicing alone than when I'm playing against somebody. You might think that's because of the distraction of competition, but I've noticed that I actually feel guilty about beating somebody when I'm playing "over my head" - like it's an artificial advantage or something.
pj
chgo
Yeah, how many times have we made an incredible/amazing shot (especially if you "called" it beforehand) and blew the very next one, which was an easy one? Or, how about when you slop in a ball and then miss the next one, which is an easy shot?
The first scenario IMO is due to an adrenalin rush. I think my second scenario is due to the "guilt" factor.
Maniac