I just might quit...

povpool · Aug 2, 2018

I watched my match the other day against Lee Wallick and honestly, I think I just might quit pool. After all this time, you'd think I know what I'm doing.

What a joke!!!
:frus:frus:frus:frus:frus:frus:frus:frus:frus

Tobermory · Aug 2, 2018

now now now Daniel...chin up!...we've all been there...always darkest before the dawn...this too shall pass...

LSJohn · Aug 2, 2018

povpool said:
I watched my match the other day against Lee Wallick and honestly, I think I just might quit pool. After all this time, you'd think I know what I'm doing.

What a joke!!!
:frus:frus:frus:frus:frus:frus:frus:frus:frus

It doesn't help. I quit 17 times last year and I still suck. :heh

Mkbtank · Aug 2, 2018

I just might quit...

povpool said:
I watched my match the other day against Lee Wallick and honestly, I think I just might quit pool. After all this time, you'd think I know what I'm doing.

What a joke!!!

:frus:frus:frus:frus:frus:frus:frus:frus:frus

Now you feel me!!! Haha. I understand completely. (Referring to my own game, not yours lol).

NH Steve · Aug 2, 2018

Daniel I think your "problem" is that you get to watch too many great players and that skews your perspective and expectations for your own game. Those great players are truly rare talents -- even shooting a million balls will not necessarily get you there or even close to there -- those players are special talents!

I had an epiphany about 5-10 years ago or so when I realized and accepted I was the player I was -- limited talent and plenty of misses and mistakes in my game every day and those were never going to go away. It stripped my motivation to play pool down to the basic fact that I love the game and enjoy the challenge of trying my best, even though my best is going to be far from perfect. Man what a relief that was!! Now when I come home from pool what sticks in my head are those couple of shots or runs when I did perform great pool -- rather than beating myself up for the shots I messed up.

There is a book called something like Golf is not a Game of Perfect that I think promotes the same sort of philosophy.

Bottom line is, if you enjoy the game then by all means stay with it, but quit beating yourself up just because you don't think you are playing as well as you should. Savor the good shots!!!!

12squared · Aug 2, 2018

povpool said:
I watched my match the other day against Lee Wallick and honestly, I think I just might quit pool. After all this time, you'd think I know what I'm doing.

What a joke!!!
:frus:frus:frus:frus:frus:frus:frus:frus:frus

I thought you played well most of the time and was pretty creative. If it makes you feel any better, other than my first streamed match against Jerry, I cringed watching myself play as I continually gave up position when I didn't have to. And, I have to smooth out my stroke! It's been a long time since I've seen me play, I think the commentary was helpful to me. Can't wait to watch it again.

Thanks for the stream my friend. Please let us know when they are all uploaded to YouTube.

Dave

jtompilot · Aug 2, 2018

povpool said:
I watched my match the other day against Lee Wallick and honestly, I think I just might quit pool. After all this time, you'd think I know what I'm doing.

What a joke!!!
:frus:frus:frus:frus:frus:frus:frus:frus:frus

I’m feeling the same way. I’m on one hell of a loosing streak since California. I don’t know how I won that tournament with all the stupid shots I shot:frus
You’d think I know how to play 1P but sometimes I wonder, WTF.

The good news I’ve been riding my bike over 100 miles a week and feel like selling all my cues. LOL

gulfportdoc · Aug 2, 2018

NH Steve said:
Daniel I think your "problem" is that you get to watch too many great players and that skews your perspective and expectations for your own game. Those great players are truly rare talents -- even shooting a million balls will not necessarily get you there or even close to there -- those players are special talents!

I had an epiphany about 5-10 years ago or so when I realized and accepted I was the player I was -- limited talent and plenty of misses and mistakes in my game every day and those were never going to go away. It stripped my motivation to play pool down to the basic fact that I love the game and enjoy the challenge of trying my best, even though my best is going to be far from perfect. Man what a relief that was!! Now when I come home from pool what sticks in my head are those couple of shots or runs when I did perform great pool -- rather than beating myself up for the shots I messed up.

There is a book called something like Golf is not a Game of Perfect that I think promotes the same sort of philosophy.

Bottom line is, if you enjoy the game then by all means stay with it, but quit beating yourself up just because you don't think you are playing as well as you should. Savor the good shots!!!!

That's a great post. The situation you describe probably affects many of us. I'm in the process of trying to accept my declining game for what it is, and to learn to just enjoy playing pool. But so far........

~Doc

One pocket Smitty · Aug 2, 2018

I too, at 75 yrs. young, realize that my game will never be better than it is. What I can do is work on not giving up the game on a crazy shot, although Tyler Bob says just because its crazy that has never stopped me from shooting them. What I don't do now is gamble on games, I know some of you are going to say, why even play, but I love the game. I love every once in a while to be able to shoot a shot that the other guy never saw coming. Thankfully Tyler Bob will play me for nothing.--Smitty

jrhendy · Aug 2, 2018

I can tell you just from doing commentary with you and listening to you these past few years, your understanding and joy for the game have grown immensely in the last year or so.

The biggest problem I see in all of us is we see all those great shots by the top players and try to incorporate them into our game. Basically, we don’t play within ourself often enough.

You are coming along fine and will get there.

hankh · Aug 2, 2018

POV Pool, Howdy;

Best help I've found with the "Mental" game is "Pleasures of Small Motions" by
Bob Fancher, Ph.D. I keep my copy in the truck so when I go to an appointment
I can take it with me to re-read, still finding nuggets in there.
I've gone from :frus to

to

, hope to get to :heh in another
decade or 2.

hank

Henry · Aug 2, 2018

If you haven't been discouraged to the point of wanting to quit you don't have enough desire. I am 65 and sometime I wonder what am I doing running around playing this game. Then I see guys like John Henderson and Frank the Barber and I remember why I started playing pool in the first place and it was because I loved to compete and could not imagine a life without competition and pool offered me the opportunity to compete all or most of my life. Not everyone can be a champion all any of us can do is reach to fulfill our potential.

HowardK · Aug 2, 2018

Hindsight 20:20

Hindsight 20:20

Don't feel bad about your game Dan. Just like a golf swing, you don't really know how well you're doing until you see yourself play. The good thing is that you can recognize your mistakes and work on improving your play. It's amazing that you don't see shots when you're playing, but when you watch it on video you can't believe how you could not have seen them. One pocket is like life. You learn from your mistakes. Just watching yourself on video and catching those mistakes shows your improving.

12squared · Aug 2, 2018

HowardK said:
Don't feel bad about your game Dan.

He prefers Daniel, Howard

keoneyo · Aug 2, 2018

I think Steve has a good point.
When you came in the other day and played at the HOB in Santa Monica, I remarked to a friend, that your game has gone up a notch.
But I also said youve been hanging around too many Orcullo's and Pagulayan's and your shot selection was very aggressive and complex. Which is fine to EXPERIMENT with but you should practice a lot of these shots excessively before you include them in your repetoire. These champions play these shots with PRECISION and unless you can do that I would not rely on them as the basis of my game.

Also we all come to this point to want to give it up. But its at this point you should grind through and work harder. Coming to this point means that you have improved but reached a plateau. Its here that you seem to be stuck. Its here you must be more specific about your physical game and most of all your mental game i.e. strategy, understanding theoretics, your goals, shot selection, etc.

I been through this in other realms and seen many quit and go back to reverting to the comfortable life. But I dont think thats you. Just keep on keeping on and have specific goals in mind. You are a much better player than you were a year ago and so it will be next year.

chicagomike · Aug 2, 2018

I know the concept of stepping away from the game is very real, but have known very few pool pool players who could step away for good. When I start playing at less then my personal expectations I usually quit playing people and resort to practicing fundamentals. These short practice sessions fulfill my need/want to play and give me something I can control,focus on, and be successful at for the time being. Then after a few weeks I'm ready to get back into competition and excited to do so because I feel like some aspect of my game was worked on.

povpool · Aug 2, 2018

Thank you all for your points of view. It's refreshing to know that I'm not the only one who goes through this mental process. All in all, since Kenny Hoshide passed away and the Golden Cue closed 2 1/2 years ago, I stopped being a daily player; reduced to something like once or twice a month with, no time or money to invest in further practice and, far too much going on in the periphery. Sure, I might have the odd, flashback now and again which are few and far between. I guess, I just miss being a shortstop and I don't see any light at the end of the tunnel. After all is said and done, maybe it's best to stop thinking of myself as a pool player until I have the time and space to commit to the game again. I'm happy to bang balls around once in awhile but to think of myself as a 'player' these days is a bit delusional.

Mike · Aug 2, 2018

LSJohn said:
It doesn't help. I quit 17 times last year and I still suck. :heh

Quitting pool is like a guy said about quitting smoking. "It's easy to quit smoking I've done it a thousand times."

povpool · Aug 2, 2018

Mike said:
Quitting pool is like a guy said about quitting smoking. "It's easy to quit smoking I've done it a thousand times."

That said, Geraldine and I are 2 weeks off smoking / Cold Turkey with no substitutes.

crabbcatjohn · Aug 2, 2018

povpool said:
That said, Geraldine and I are 2 weeks off smoking / Cold Turkey with no substitutes.

Every time you get the itch, say the words to yourself "I don't smoke" and after a while you will believe it...

I just might quit...

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