Will you, Have you, achieved your Pool potential?

reALLY???

michael4 said:
1) started too late in life to reach my full potential

2) don't have as much "natural talent" as I thought I did when I was younger (and didn't have a clue back then)

3) sadly, will never reach my full potential (which isn't that high anyway) because I know I cant dedicate that much time......



Still love the game, but life gets in the way......
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How late in life did you start???

I hear people say that you have to start no later than your teens to REALLY get there and I know someone who didn't start till their 20's who is there...so I'd really like to know about this TOO late in life to really get there...

Jaden
 
I didn't start playing regularly until I was about your age, Colin, and I'll never be a world beater, but I've continued to improve every day since then, and that's my goal. When I stop improving I'll probably lose interest.

pj <- playing the best pool of my life every day
chgo
 
When I was younger I held the belief that if there was a day that I was not practicing or playing, that was a day that I was not getting any better.

Today, I don't put in the time practicing or playing like I used to, that has directly influenced my physical play. I like to think I am a smarter player now, then I ever was.

The biggest problem I have now are the health issues that have come up in my life, that really mess with my game. I am hopeful they will get resolved, and when I finally move and get my table out of storage I can get myself back into daily play/practice.
 
Will you, Have you, achieved your Pool potential?.......
No...In my dreams. I only have so much ability and my eyes are not exactly razor sharp. My glasses are starting to look like the Hubble.
I am getting better. I do have very good days and some very pathetic. I have no
un-realistic expectations. But I do feel the best is yet to come.
 
336Robin said:
Colin,
When I was younger I fell into pool by accident and not in the perfect setting yet these I would term as my glory days because I played for money and won a lot of games against people who probably played worse or just didn't have the natural talent I did.So there is the glory days part.

As for how I play I\m sure I play better now that I've ever played but as life would have it I enjoy an vocation and that puts me working some in retirement so I have things to do that keeps me away from the pool room. I do intend to remedy that with a homeroom at some point but not in the immediate future. I am paying tuition. I do love One Pocket and like the options you have that promote perfect cue ball control.

I have decided its more about helping other people reach their potential than anything else I can personally do. I do love to play and want to keep doing that but unless you create a player to take your place in the whole scheme of things then really what have you accomplished? I would like to look back on my life and see thousands of people who seem pleased with something I helped them with. I think those days are coming as I continue to experiment with new mediums and refine my methods.
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I'm pretty sure your enthusiasm will inspire more than a few Robin :)
 
Tramp Steamer said:
To each his own. I never wanted to to be a tournament champion, nor a big time gambler, but I have accomplished my goals.
I have built and repaired cues and people still remember me for that.
I have achieved a level of play in One Pocket that has earned me a modicum of respect.
Along with that I have made many, many, friends and few if any enemies, and have been able to show off here on AZ for quite sometime.
My sainted Grandmother used to say: "Count your blessings, son." Well, I always have, and still do.
I don't know if this has answered your question, but it's really early in the morning here and I need some coffee. :smile:
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Answered it in spades... a life enjoyed, playing and being part of the pool scene. That kind of success compares very well to tourney wins and audience applause imho.
 
midnightpulp said:
See how Ernesto Dominguez posted his highest finish ever in a major tournament at the age of 63!
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Must be referring to somebody else. Ernesto just turned 60. He also has posted many high finishes!!

By the way, I agree you can play great pool well into your 60's and 70's if the desire, talent and health is there. Stay in shape!
 
Patrick Johnson said:
I didn't start playing regularly until I was about your age, Colin, and I'll never be a world beater, but I've continued to improve every day since then, and that's my goal. When I stop improving I'll probably lose interest.

pj <- playing the best pool of my life every day
chgo
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That's great PJ! Watching Dr. Dave's improvement over the years, as a somewhat late starter, and having seen other dedicated thinkers develop their capabilities in various fields, I imagine a lot of progress lies ahead.

Though I've had patches away from a table, I can barely recall not playing since I had a 6 foot table in my bedroom at age 7 and a 12 foot snooker table installed in my house the next year. Pretty sure I had a 2 foot toy table before that.

But whatever one's experience or knowledge, without time at the table, the best of us can look quite ordinary at times. For most of my life, I've felt I'm about a month of hard practice away from matching it with the best in the state or country. Unfortunately, I've only applied myself to that hard month a few times. Life gets in the way, but still, when time allows, pool provides a lot of enjoyment, either alone or with friends who share the passion.

Colin
 
Considering my personal limitations of talent, time and instruction, I am happy that I play at the level I do. I probably play better than I should considering that I didn't start taking pool seriously until I was 30 years old.

I probably put in more time after that than most 30 year olds and while now it seems to be more difficult to make any jumps in my game, I squeeze enough enjoyment out of learning, teaching and competing to keep me loving the game and "I think", improving slightly. So for what I've put into the game and what I've gotten from it, you could say I've had fair dinkum. :p

"I coulda been a contenda!", if I didn't have a career and a family but I wouldn't have wanted it any other way and wouldn't do it any differently if I did have it to do all over again. Don't get me wrong, I sincerely wish I was a contender.

There's some truth in what you said about some of those who have had more success than you did. At first, I laughed because your last statement initially sounded like sour grapes but the more I thought about some of those who have gone on to have more success than myself, often suffer from those things you mentioned and more. Others simply have more talent.

Cheers!
JoeyA
 
JoeyA said:
C So for what I've put into the game and what I've gotten from it, you could say I've had fair dinkum. :p
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Oh, that's so bad Joey! Comparatively, a US tourist shouting Good Day, instead of G'day appears Crocodile Dundeeish!


There's some truth in what you said about some of those who have had more success than you did. At first, I laughed because your last statement initially sounded like sour grapes but the more I thought about some of those who have gone on to have more success than myself, often suffer from those things you mentioned and more. Others simply have more talent.

Cheers!
JoeyA
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It didn't occur to me that it might seem sour grapish. It's just an observation I'm comfortable with. That said, some sour grapish moments do taint my sanguineness.

An 8-0 drubbing by Karl Boyes where I had 4 dry breaks, versus his 4 wet ones, and about 2 hits total, from the danger zone, come to mind... but those times are long forgotten, until I stagger into bed each night. :p

Colin
 
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I will definitely achieve my pool potential. I put in the time and energy it takes to get better and I've far surpassed many of the players who I used to play with in the APA just a year and half ago.

Plus, I'm still very young and have a long future of playing this game ahead of me. I don't see myself ever quitting this game, and I don't see myself slowing up a bit.

I WILL ACHIEVE AND SURPASS MY POTENTIAL.

:dance: :joyful:
 
I have achieved my pool potential.

1. I still enjoy playing and don't really get upset even when my stroke is in the tank and i can't catch a roll to save my life.
2. Potential? Hell, i'm a C or C+ player, life and deployments have pulled me away for years at a time, I would likely peak at B+ or A-, and it would be cool to get there someday, but i'll have fun regardless. See #1.
3. No real regrets, I'm pretty happy with where my life is. I almost feel like regrets at this point would be like sitting perfect on the 9 ball and thinking "Man, i should have played 2 rail position on that 2 ball instead of 1 rail" Who knows how the rolls would have gone if i chose differently, i could be dead in a ditch from matching up with the wrong person, in jail, or living in a van down by the river.

Lance
 
I'm an optimist so, no I haven't.
And yes I will! Timeframe questionable lol
 
Many veteran players have told me I have a lot of potential and it should take me about 2 years to be AA speed, and another 4-5 to be a Master. I'm confident I will get there because my goal is be even better than that. I'm aiming for ULAS-J0744+25 (most distant known star in the Milky Way Galaxy) so even if I miss I still end up amongst the best.
 
Have I? Most certainly not. Will I? Hopefully not, because while trying I will always want to keep improving. If I think I have reached my potential, I will lose my motivation and it will be all downhill from there. So actually if I think I've reached my true potential, it will become reality and stop my progress. And to be honest, who wants to stop improving?
 
Colin Colenso said:
That's great PJ! Watching Dr. Dave's improvement over the years, as a somewhat late starter, and having seen other dedicated thinkers develop their capabilities in various fields, I imagine a lot of progress lies ahead.

Though I've had patches away from a table, I can barely recall not playing since I had a 6 foot table in my bedroom at age 7 and a 12 foot snooker table installed in my house the next year. Pretty sure I had a 2 foot toy table before that.

But whatever one's experience or knowledge, without time at the table, the best of us can look quite ordinary at times. For most of my life, I've felt I'm about a month of hard practice away from matching it with the best in the state or country. Unfortunately, I've only applied myself to that hard month a few times. Life gets in the way, but still, when time allows, pool provides a lot of enjoyment, either alone or with friends who share the passion.

Colin
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This is the number one reason, I think, why it's hard to improve at something later in life, and not because older people "can't" learn but because they are unable to since they can't commit the necessary time like a 15 year old who lives in a pool hall or gets 3 hours of instruction every day.

I've talked about the brain's plasticity earlier, and while it's true that younger brains are more plastic, older brains are still very plastic can learn new skills nearly as well as younger people:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/iage/201304/brain-plasticity-in-older-adults

Sure, I think you have to be born with something innate, like good hand-eye coordination and spatial ability to become a good pool player, which I think all of us seem to have on this site, so the only barrier to improvement is time, money, and health.

I'm sure if you had the resources (maybe you do?) and desire to move to the Philippines for a year and played money games for 8 hours per day, you'd well exceed your previous plateau (I'm guessing you were playing your best during the IPT days?)
 
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I am also a late starter, I think I was at least 20 when I drove myself to the pool room for the first time.

Took me decades to win my first kinda-big win...and now, I have won a total of...1.

And to the 'life gets in the way' 'problem': a wise glen once said to me: when you are on your deathbed, you think you are gonna wish you played more pool, or that you spent more time with your family?
 
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midnightpulp said:
I'm sure if you had the resources (maybe you do?) and desire to move to the Philippines for a year and played money games for 8 hours per day, you'd well exceed your previous plateau (I'm guessing you were playing your best during the IPT days?)
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Yeap, that would do the trick, but there's just not enough money in the sport to make it a sensible bet.

I felt my best was about 12 years before the IPT, when I had a good run of 2nd, 4th, 3rd and 5th in 200+ player big tournaments in 2 Shot pool. I probably averaged 6 hours per day practice for about a year preceding that, and played in competitions pretty regularly in the years leading up.

The IPT was an attempt at a come back, and I felt like I was just getting a grasp of the big ball game by the World Champs where I broke and ran 5 of 15 breaks. Unfortunately, that didn't get me through the first round, losing a close one to Jayson Shaw, where they actually upped the score from 4-5 to 5-6 due to, believe it or not, slow play... a couple of games had nasty clusters that neither of us wanted to touch. An 8-0 smashing by Karl Boyes finished me off.... would have been nice to have gotten a decent shot once :wink:

Well, back to the point, I felt I needed a couple of months at least, playing good players regularly in match type conditions to get into that 'give me a chance and I'll take it zone', rather than, 'I should win from here, but hope I don't fudge it.'

I'm hoping to play some streamed challenge matches, as way of inspiration to get myself back to my best, and hopefully beyond, using some of what I've learned over the last 10 years. It will likely be a multi-rail format, which suits my skill set.

Billiard players probably thought 3 cushion an odd experiment, but it's the only form of the carom games with a heart beat now. When games become too easy, they need to evolve I think. 8 and 9 ball are all but dead imho and big tables with tight pockets ain't gonna save them. 10 ball is on life support. Chuck 14.1 in the coffin too while we're at it. These games present far too many easy shots. Who would want to watch the world's best sprinters have jogging competitions, patiently awaiting the odd burst of speed?

Colin
 
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