Why I Moan & A Death

DCP.. life is too short to do something that pisses you off so much. As with anything you could ever have a chance of being great at in life, you have to LOVE the challenge. You don't love the game, from what I've read of your posts, so there is no foundation on which to develop a mastery.

You will be old and frail one day, and reflect on your accomplishments in life.. In the grand scheme of things, life is too short for hobbies that don't yield a return on your investment of time. Fortunately for you it seems you have a lengthy list of alternatives in which to seek happiness.. I'd cut my losses and go find something that makes you smile.
 
txplshrk said:
I just got 3rd in a local tournament against the best players in my town. Many of them have placed in the money at Fast Eddie's around the state. I have only played in this tourny twice and I got 3rd! Most people in this town were amazed that I did that!

What I don't get from you is this: If other have told you to play safe, or told you a different way to get shape; you get mad and argue.

These people are trying to help you get the mindset you need for this game.
If you don't listen to them, or maybe you can't listen to them; then you won't have the mindset.
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placing 3rd in that tournament is very good, my compliments! you must be a fairly accomplished player.

but, excuse me, when they told me to play safe instead of trying to break up the 4-3 cluster, I DIDNT GET MAD AND I DIDNT ARGUE!!! all i did was explain the rationale behind my thinking. what is a simple explanation to one is an argument to another, i guess.

and i keep writing and writing and writing this, but i guess nobody listens: I DO LISTEN AND APPLY WHAT PEOPLE SAY ON HERE!!! i've got some material of Blackjack's sitting here on my desk, and going to check it out during lunch.

going to the table when i get home tonight, going to run through the mother drills, work on a couple of position shots, then break some racks and see how the balls roll tonight. this all occurs from around 4:30 to 6:00 cst. from 6:00 to 8:00 its supper time, grilled new york strip steak with green beans out of the garden. chocolate ice cream for dessert, then a cigar while i watch the Strickland/Bustamante 2002 world championship match. then around 8:00 back to the table for a couple more hours.

DCP
 
DrCue'sProtege said:
placing 3rd in that tournament is very good, my compliments! you must be a fairly accomplished player.

but, excuse me, when they told me to play safe instead of trying to break up the 4-3 cluster, I DIDNT GET MAD AND I DIDNT ARGUE!!! all i did was explain the rationale behind my thinking. what is a simple explanation to one is an argument to another, i guess.

and i keep writing and writing and writing this, but i guess nobody listens: I DO LISTEN AND APPLY WHAT PEOPLE SAY ON HERE!!! i've got some material of Blackjack's sitting here on my desk, and going to check it out during lunch.

going to the table when i get home tonight, going to run through the mother drills, work on a couple of position shots, then break some racks and see how the balls roll tonight. this all occurs from around 4:30 to 6:00 cst. from 6:00 to 8:00 its supper time, grilled new york strip steak with green beans out of the garden. chocolate ice cream for dessert, then a cigar while i watch the Strickland/Bustamante 2002 world championship match. then around 8:00 back to the table for a couple more hours.

DCP
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The first thing you should do is RELAX! Dont let it become more than a game to you. Everyone on here has a very high level of competetiveness or we wouldnt love this sport so much. Setting goals for accomplishments is great, but start with smaller ones and work your way up to the big ones. Also, every match you play whether its league, tourney or gambling, watch your opponent and try to find something they do that you too can learn from. This will help your focus as well. JMO.

Southpaw
 
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Catahula said:
​
If you don't enjoy the journey don't take the trip.
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Great Analogy!!!!!

Because all we here from DCP is:

"Are we there yet?"
"How much longer?"
"I have to go to the bathroom"
"Are we there yet?"
 
DrCue'sProtege said:
perhaps this might clarify things for my detractors.

first, Elvicash, i dont think i am going to be able to meet up with you this weekend. as some might know i work at a naval installation, and one of our ex-chiefs was killed in a tractor accident last night. our building is very quiet so far today. plans are already underway for events, and as a result i will probably be on base this weekend. i was planning on being off tuesday and wednesday next week (5 day weekend), so i was probably going to work at least one day this coming weekend anyway. if nobody wants to believe this i am sure i will be able to provide a link.

second, regarding my moaning. of all the sports i have ever tackled this game of pocket billiards has been the toughest. i have taken lessons from Tom Rossman, Diana Minor, Mark Wilson, and now Scott Lee. i still listen to the audio/video tapes from Rossman, still at times review the material i received from Diana and Mark, and, yep, have watched the Scott Lee dvd twice and been through his notes.

i have bought four tables (7 foot Brunswick, 8 foot Steepleton, 9 foot E. A. Burgin, and the Gold Crown IV). i have bought all kinds of cues, i wont go into the makers. i have bought Kinister tapes, Bob Byrne tapes, have all kinds of teaching aids, such as the elephant balls, Rempe ball, pocket reducers, Buddy Hall cue guide, ghost ball trainer, Joe Tucker's third eye, been to professional tournaments at Vegas and Peoria. used to practice with the 1998 BCA 8-Ball champ (Dave) until he passed, bought all kinds of books from Phil Capelle and others, tape the ESPN shows and watch them constantly, bought all kinds of Accu-Stats tapes and watch them constantly, subscribe to Inside Pool, P&B Magazine, Billiards Digest, etc, etc, etc, etc. in short, i have been consumed with this sport/hobby for years now.

the point i am trying to make is that it frustrates me that i still struggle with consistently, and am not a world beater by now. i guess i expected more. normally when i tackle a sport (basketball, baseball, golf) it doesnt take me long to get pretty good. and please dont think i am being a pompous SOB in stating that. i am not Larry Bird, Don Mattingly, or Jack Nicklaus, never was close in any. my point, once again, is that pool has been the most difficult for me to somewhat master. and that does somewhat frustrate me. i realize there is no "Magic Bullit" out there, it takes TONs and TONS of effort to become an accomplished player. but after nearly 9 years of practicing/playing 2-4 hours a day i thought i would be better. and when those bad rolls start to happen it just compounds things, and gets me down mentally. i start to question if i am wasting my time. just dunno............:(

DCP
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I feel you DCP. I find your constant posts where you cry over spilt milk quite annoying - but I can feel you on this one.

Here is the thing. Can you *feel* pool? What I mean is - have you ever been in the zone? I'm no champion - but sometimes I can hit the zone where I see every shot, make every ball, and put the cue ball on a dime. It is the greatest feeling in the world and I wish I could find that...ability more consistently as well - but when I do, it is one (I hesitate to say best) of the best feelings in the world, and the reason I keep coming back to this game. If you've never felt that - then I wouldn't stick with it. If you have, then you'll know instantly what I'm saying - and just keep that as your goal.

You have a job that is pretty decent (it sounds like).

Just play the game, do your best, and have fun. It sounds like you never have much fun at this. You don't have to do it for a living, and you don't gamble/compete in tournaments (from what I understand).....so if you're not doing it for the simple love of doing it...why do you practice so much? Stop taking it as serious as you do, and you might actually have fun and quit worrying about all of these miniscule little details/shots/etc that you constantly post about.

Good luck.
 
DCP

Along time ago I had someone tell me to strive for progrees, not perfection. When we strive for perfection, we set unrealistic goals for ourselves and we usually end up miserable.

I play the game well, and I teach others how to play the game. However, I don't run out every rack. Neither does anybody else. Not even Efren. Not even Earl. Not even SVB. We all make mistakes. We all miss shots. Some of us miss more shots than others, but that just life.

In 1995, frustrated and tired with dealing with this very same issue, I wrote a book called The Growling Point. It tells the tales of my frustration playing the greatest players in the world. I tried desperately to be one of them, but in the end, my skills and abilities would only take me so far up the ladder. I realized that even though I might not be the #1 player in the world, I have other skills and abilities that I can use within the game of pool that will be 1000 times more useful and effective to others than my playing ability.

That is when the pool player known as "Blackjack", put his cue aside, stopped gambling on pool and on life. I went on to further my education. I became a police officer. I was room owner for while. After a while, all the hard work that I thought was a waste of time that led to frustration - started turning into the lessons that I share in this forum.

It's not what I would have hoped for 15 years ago, but I still play the game at an above average level - and I still believe in myself enough to think I can win out there. Life's about having dreams. Life's about chasing those dreams. My advice is to pick one person that you get your pool advice from. Asking questions and getting 50 different answers will only confuse you. Pick one person - and listen to their every word and every instruction - and ignore the rest - at least for the time being.

Best of luck to you... my prayers go out to the family of your lost comrade.
 
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I feel you DCP. I find your constant posts where you cry over spilt milk quite annoying - but I can feel you on this one.

Here is the thing. Can you *feel* pool? What I mean is - have you ever been in the zone? I'm no champion - but sometimes I can hit the zone where I see every shot, make every ball, and put the cue ball on a dime. It is the greatest feeling in the world and I wish I could find that...ability more consistently as well - but when I do, it is one (I hesitate to say best) of the best feelings in the world, and the reason I keep coming back to this game. If you've never felt that - then I wouldn't stick with it. If you have, then you'll know instantly what I'm saying - and just keep that as your goal.
Click to expand...

very good post. and there's been quite a few others too.

do you really 'love' the game? i ask this because i'm thinking maybe you're just trying to conquer, or master pool. after you've mastered quite a few other sports. this approach will only get you so far. you need to have a deep love for the game i think.

and the post i quoted above also is key, and related to your love for the game. getting into the zone sometimes and really feeling the game is what makes us believe that maybe we could be the best. it fuels our dreams. my best friend who i play with regularly just plays with me for the competition. and as another sport to try his hand at. he is a solid-ish player, but will never ever find the zone. he doesn't feel the game. i do however. thats the difference between us. but he still beats me half the time and thats because of my mental game and my head. and the fact that i WANT it so much puts more pressure on me too.

i've never seen you play so i don'tknow how good you are. but lets go out on a limb and say you are good enough, and it's just your mental game holding you back. invest some time in that side of the game.

just some thoughts, hope they can help
 
DrCue'sProtege said:
perhaps this might clarify things for my detractors.

first, Elvicash, i dont think i am going to be able to meet up with you this weekend. as some might know i work at a naval installation, and one of our ex-chiefs was killed in a tractor accident last night. our building is very quiet so far today. plans are already underway for events, and as a result i will probably be on base this weekend. i was planning on being off tuesday and wednesday next week (5 day weekend), so i was probably going to work at least one day this coming weekend anyway. if nobody wants to believe this i am sure i will be able to provide a link.

second, regarding my moaning. of all the sports i have ever tackled this game of pocket billiards has been the toughest. i have taken lessons from Tom Rossman, Diana Minor, Mark Wilson, and now Scott Lee. i still listen to the audio/video tapes from Rossman, still at times review the material i received from Diana and Mark, and, yep, have watched the Scott Lee dvd twice and been through his notes.

i have bought four tables (7 foot Brunswick, 8 foot Steepleton, 9 foot E. A. Burgin, and the Gold Crown IV). i have bought all kinds of cues, i wont go into the makers. i have bought Kinister tapes, Bob Byrne tapes, have all kinds of teaching aids, such as the elephant balls, Rempe ball, pocket reducers, Buddy Hall cue guide, ghost ball trainer, Joe Tucker's third eye, been to professional tournaments at Vegas and Peoria. used to practice with the 1998 BCA 8-Ball champ (Dave) until he passed, bought all kinds of books from Phil Capelle and others, tape the ESPN shows and watch them constantly, bought all kinds of Accu-Stats tapes and watch them constantly, subscribe to Inside Pool, P&B Magazine, Billiards Digest, etc, etc, etc, etc. in short, i have been consumed with this sport/hobby for years now.

the point i am trying to make is that it frustrates me that i still struggle with consistently, and am not a world beater by now. i guess i expected more. normally when i tackle a sport (basketball, baseball, golf) it doesnt take me long to get pretty good. and please dont think i am being a pompous SOB in stating that. i am not Larry Bird, Don Mattingly, or Jack Nicklaus, never was close in any. my point, once again, is that pool has been the most difficult for me to somewhat master. and that does somewhat frustrate me. i realize there is no "Magic Bullit" out there, it takes TONs and TONS of effort to become an accomplished player. but after nearly 9 years of practicing/playing 2-4 hours a day i thought i would be better. and when those bad rolls start to happen it just compounds things, and gets me down mentally. i start to question if i am wasting my time. just dunno............:(

DCP
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Was it Ben Hogan who said "Golf is played on a 4 inch course... the one between your ears?"

It wasn't until I realized this game is 90% mental before I began making balls. You're constantly focusing on the physical, grasshopper.

Yoda had a better quote yet.... "Don't try; do."

Your negative attitude and whining definitely reflects on your game. If I'm in a bad mood for whatever reason, I can't make a ball. If I'm pumped up for whatever reason, I feel like a juggernaut. Try to play in the subconscious and stop thinking so much.
 
SpiderWebComm said:
Try to play in the subconscious and stop thinking so much.
Click to expand...

This is excellent advice.. DCP, if you glean one piece of advice from this entire board, I suggest you focus real hard on this one.. it is, in my opinion, everything that is wrong with your game.

And your safety play.. lol.
 
I already gave this thread the 6 out on page 1. ha. I already mentioned the mental aspect. I tried to post early enough to save all the extra pages since it's obvious from my other threads people skip to the end :D

And people are still skipping to the end.. and posting what's already been posted. that's awesome.
 
They aren't just skipping to the end, they are telling him the same thing he's been told again and again, it seems pointless to even bother. But there has to be a shortage of entertaining posts to get most into these 'why is this game so mean to me' threads.
 
DrCue'sProtege said:
perhaps this might clarify things for my detractors.

first, Elvicash, i dont think i am going to be able to meet up with you this weekend. as some might know i work at a naval installation, and one of our ex-chiefs was killed in a tractor accident last night. our building is very quiet so far today. plans are already underway for events, and as a result i will probably be on base this weekend. i was planning on being off tuesday and wednesday next week (5 day weekend), so i was probably going to work at least one day this coming weekend anyway. if nobody wants to believe this i am sure i will be able to provide a link.

second, regarding my moaning. of all the sports i have ever tackled this game of pocket billiards has been the toughest. i have taken lessons from Tom Rossman, Diana Minor, Mark Wilson, and now Scott Lee. i still listen to the audio/video tapes from Rossman, still at times review the material i received from Diana and Mark, and, yep, have watched the Scott Lee dvd twice and been through his notes.

i have bought four tables (7 foot Brunswick, 8 foot Steepleton, 9 foot E. A. Burgin, and the Gold Crown IV). i have bought all kinds of cues, i wont go into the makers. i have bought Kinister tapes, Bob Byrne tapes, have all kinds of teaching aids, such as the elephant balls, Rempe ball, pocket reducers, Buddy Hall cue guide, ghost ball trainer, Joe Tucker's third eye, been to professional tournaments at Vegas and Peoria. used to practice with the 1998 BCA 8-Ball champ (Dave) until he passed, bought all kinds of books from Phil Capelle and others, tape the ESPN shows and watch them constantly, bought all kinds of Accu-Stats tapes and watch them constantly, subscribe to Inside Pool, P&B Magazine, Billiards Digest, etc, etc, etc, etc. in short, i have been consumed with this sport/hobby for years now.

the point i am trying to make is that it frustrates me that i still struggle with consistently, and am not a world beater by now. i guess i expected more. normally when i tackle a sport (basketball, baseball, golf) it doesnt take me long to get pretty good. and please dont think i am being a pompous SOB in stating that. i am not Larry Bird, Don Mattingly, or Jack Nicklaus, never was close in any. my point, once again, is that pool has been the most difficult for me to somewhat master. and that does somewhat frustrate me. i realize there is no "Magic Bullit" out there, it takes TONs and TONS of effort to become an accomplished player. but after nearly 9 years of practicing/playing 2-4 hours a day i thought i would be better. and when those bad rolls start to happen it just compounds things, and gets me down mentally. i start to question if i am wasting my time. just dunno............:(

DCP
Click to expand...

Most successful and happy people focus on when things go right instead of dwelling on when things go wrong. Focus on the next shot, not the last one.
 
DrCue'sProtege said:
placing 3rd in that tournament is very good, my compliments! you must be a fairly accomplished player.

but, excuse me, when they told me to play safe instead of trying to break up the 4-3 cluster, I DIDNT GET MAD AND I DIDNT ARGUE!!! all i did was explain the rationale behind my thinking. what is a simple explanation to one is an argument to another, i guess.

and i keep writing and writing and writing this, but i guess nobody listens: I DO LISTEN AND APPLY WHAT PEOPLE SAY ON HERE!!! i've got some material of Blackjack's sitting here on my desk, and going to check it out during lunch.

going to the table when i get home tonight, going to run through the mother drills, work on a couple of position shots, then break some racks and see how the balls roll tonight. this all occurs from around 4:30 to 6:00 cst. from 6:00 to 8:00 its supper time, grilled new york strip steak with green beans out of the garden. chocolate ice cream for dessert, then a cigar while i watch the Strickland/Bustamante 2002 world championship match. then around 8:00 back to the table for a couple more hours.

DCP
Click to expand...
Practice all you want. But, until you have someone firing back at you, it'll be just that. Practice. Match up and play, then play some more. Playing under pressure is what matters. Like Mike Tyson says about pressure and competing "They all have a plan until I hit'em in the face." Go out and hit someone. Conquer. Your confidence will go up, also.
 
Basketball

To tell you the truth DCP I am not all that accomplished, yet! I have some goals, but I have realistic goals. My main goal is when I reach retirement age is to play on the senior pro tours. I have about 35 years to accomplish that! My goal right now is to win one round at a fast eddie's tourny. My goal before that was to win one round at the local tourny. I have done that already and my goal after winning one round was to place in the money. Just so happens I did both on the same day. Placed in the money and won a round. Now my next goal locally is to win the local tourny. It might take me a while to accomplish it, but I am going to keep trying and keep working on it. Stepping stones are a must! A big goal is great, but without the proper stepping stones you will never achieve it.


Oh by the way I played basketball from the age of 6 to about 25, and I was a great point guard.

You can't really compare the two sports. No where in basketball did I have to worry about where the basketball went after it went through the hoop.

In other words there weren't as many variables to worry about in basketball. You had one objective which was to score, and keep the other team from scoring.

In pool you are only against yourself and you are only playing the table. It just so happens that someone else is doing the same thing, but you aren't actually playing them. You are playing the table, and if you play it right then you win most of the time.

The only other real sport that I know of that you do this in is golf! I think that is why many pool players enjoy golf. I personally hate golf, but I can see why so many pool players like it. There are a lot of similarities with golf. However in golf you don't really ever play defense.

So pool is an original sport with an original concept, and in order to learn that concept you have to learn pool. Learn everything you can, and learn how to apply it. You might be learning a lot, but I don't feel you actually apply it most of the time.
 
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crawfish said:
Practice all you want. But, until you have someone firing back at you, it'll be just that. Practice. Match up and play, then play some more. Playing under pressure is what matters. Like Mike Tyson says about pressure and competing "They all have a plan until I hit'em in the face." Go out and hit someone. Conquer. Your confidence will go up, also.
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That might very well be why I was at a stale point a few months back. I got into some pretty high caliber competition lately and all of a sudden it seemed like my game has excellated. It also gave me the confidence to keep practicing, and my practices have been more substansal lately too!
 
This guy is sliiiicckkkk, everyone... After everyone starts posting that they are through with him, he comes on here with a post that is just contrite enough to get some people feeling sorry for him again (along with the death story that I think is total BS, btw. YES, DCP.. Post the article, please.. I think you are just manipulating people into responding positively to your threads again..), but he STILL puts that ONE LAST NEGATIVE in the last sentence (when those bad rolls start to happen ) to fuel a little lambasting.

He is playing everyone like a fiddle. All his threads are engineered to get the most responses possible, because he likes the attention, so he puts some stuff in there for you to feel sorry for him, but he also puts some negativity in there to make some people pissed off at him.

Then, the "feel sorry" crowd starts arguing with the "ban DCP" crowd, and he then just sits backs and watches, and it is an extremely cheap entertainment for him.

Russ
 
I have to chime in just long enough so I don't throw up.........then it's back to IGNORE for DCP!!!!

There is GREAT ADVICE given here, the problem is that all this GREAT ADVICE had been given to DCP many, many, many times before and he just doesn't seem to get it.

All he likes to do is give his NEVER ENDING excuses............

Done..........

The "other" Russ............

ps. I'm gonna go puke now.......
 
Cheap

Well I know I am cheap, but I don't like being cheap entertainment unless I get some gradification out of it!!! LOL

I know what you are saying though Russ, and you are right.

Even one of his instructors says he is looking for a magic pill, or something to that effect, and to tell you the truth I would take his instructors word over DCP's any day!

Good point you made Short Bus! LOL :eek:
 
I have a suggestion... I know a lot of people respond to DCP's nonsense in order to help others, who may not be so negative..

Here's what we do.. Any time DCP starts a new thread with a table diagram, we copy the diagram into a new thread, and edit his negative-thought filled tripe down to a serious, well thought out question, while ignoring the original post. If we do this consistently, and put a second post in the original thread directing everyone to the new thread, then even forum NEWBIES won't be encouraging DCP!

This is an awesome idea. Yet, I get the snealing suspicion that DCP would increase his post count to offset any attempts to contain him..

Russ
 
Russ Chewning said:
I have a suggestion... I know a lot of people respond to DCP's nonsense in order to help others, who may not be so negative..

Here's what we do.. Any time DCP starts a new thread with a table diagram, we copy the diagram into a new thread, and edit his negative-thought filled tripe down to a serious, well thought out question, while ignoring the original post. If we do this consistently, and put a second post in the original thread directing everyone to the new thread, then even forum NEWBIES won't be encouraging DCP!

This is an awesome idea. Yet, I get the snealing suspicion that DCP would increase his post count to offset any attempts to contain him..

Russ
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Excellant idea Batman, but are you sure it will foil the Riddler?:confused:
 
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