And on the subject of how good you are?

Question

Would you say that you are as good as your very best, or your average? How often do you find yourself saying, "I was off today," or "I just didn't play my game?" (How was the punctuation supposed to work there?) I often agonize over shots I missed, but then I think that if I'd made all of those shots, well...I'd be a pro. What about you guys?

Answer 1

I will be the first to admit that my game has dropped a notch or two the last three years. On a scale of 1-10 I was hitting a pretty good '7' at one time. Now I'm in as a '6'.

What turned me around when I was coming up in the leagues was some good sound advice from a pretty well-known player from the St. Louis area, Ardell "Blackie" LeSieur. Blackie was 8-time Missouri 8-ball and 9-ball champion.

I was doing then what you are doing now, agonizing over every missed shot and opportunity to get out. I'd be driving home after the matches and replaying every mistake I made. If only I'd of done this and only if I'd done that. It really got to me because I am a team player. I really wanted to do good for the team and I was blowing it.

And then Blackie told me something. He said, don't dwell on a missed shot. Don't think about a lost game. There's nothing you can do about it. Relax and go on to the next shot. Don't ever let losing a game or a match bring you down. It was good advice. His encouraging words and a lot of practice brought my game up from a '3' to a '7'. Not a world-beater, but respectable enough to where I've won a few tournaments over the years.

All you can do Lea is"play within yourself." And don't get discourged. All the best. Good luck.

Answer 2

One thing that I like to tell my students is that their "best" game is already good enough.  We've all won matches before.  We've all made difficult shots before.  At some point, most of us have broke and run a rack.  The difference between amateurs and pros is that the pros play at or near their "best" game most of the time.  The reason why amateurs will play poorly one night and can't miss the next, has to do with consistency and having a firm understanding of their own game.  The amateur often can't tell you "why" they're playing the way they are.  I'm not saying that I play my top game all of the time, but when I'm a little off, I can usually look at myself objectively and pick out just what I'm doing wrong.  I understand what is it that I'm supposed to be doing at the table.  The way to improve at pool is to work on improving your worst game.  When you are practicing, it makes no sense to devote a large amount of time to things you're already good at.  Your best game is already good enough.  Additionally, there's no point in dwelling on missed shots.  You don't want to be creating a mental link with a missed shot.  You don't want to hold on to that bad feeling when you make a mistake.  I understand that we aren't pool robots and we have feelings and get frustrated like everyone else.  Still, a good player will quickly move past a bad shot and drop it from their memory.  To answer your question, I think that my average is pretty close to my very best.  There are those moments where I truly shine, but even when I don't, I'm still playing pretty darn good.  M.D.-BCA Instructor/Referee.

Good for you, Lea.  I always like to point out that teaching and playing are two completely different skill sets.  That's why professional players don't always make the best teachers and vice versa.

Answer 3

play like they are corn dogs

take the bread off its just a weinnie with a stick

play your game not theirs.

dont get in a hurry plan your shots all the way to the money

have fun

Answer 4

Kinda like Nolan Ryan throwing balls at a carnival looks pretty good at it but something is missing.Ive banged around this bar for so long im not sure what my game is anymore,Guess I still can but would have to build up steam first

I set Donald down once in a while but a real player might take the first set or 2

Here I go Chattin again but Buttwiper sticks are only bout $20 if you really want one

Answer 5

I play league in Virginia and how they judge how good you are (level of handicap) is a formula based on your last 10 games. Even pros have bad games. But consistency is a sign of a better pool player. If you have some good days and some bad you're probably an average player. If you play good most of the time then your probably above average. Hope this helped.