10th grade rolled around. I had moved to a new school. No friends. Except... the JV boys soccer coach lived across the street. Mr. Manny. And he thought the best way to make new friends was to stay after school with him and help him coach. 2nd day in? Two hot shot boys went up to head a ball... one came down with a broken nose. Blood EVERYWHERE. Everyone was racing around like chickens with their heads cut off. I just went right up to the kid, grabbed his nose, and ran my thumb and side of my finger straight down from the bridge to the tip. He freaked. He threw a punch. I tripped over, I don't know what, trying to dodge the punch and landed on my ass, crab crawling away from him. He was the most popular kid in my grade. Who knew?? Once he realized I had just set his nose saving him from the ER rebreaking and setting it (it was waaaaay crooked when it broke) he mellowed a bit. Four hours later he was at my doorstep with his Mom gushing thank yous... apparently the doc at the ER said he couldn't have set it better. And apparently Mr. Manny was correct.
I hung out and did statistics for the team. I noted every shot on goal, where it happened from, and what the results were. For both ends of the field. It was cool to see the data shape the coach. And the coach shape the kids. And the kids improve. What appeared at first to be random became this really cool pattern. To this day I can't watch soccer casually... I get intense and start seeing the patterns.
What does this have to do with pool? EVERYTHING. One... being able to set a broken nose on the fly makes you invaluable going on the road hustling. HA! Totally kidding. Pattern play is what I believe to be the most difficult thing to teach someone regarding pool. I think this has something to do with the fact that in most cases there just isn't only one way to run. There might be a 'better' way to run most of the time. However, depending on an individuals strengths and weaknesses.. your run might and most likely WILL be different from my run, on occasion.
Sooooo.... how do you teach someone how to run then? I don't. And I never will. Totally not kidding. Once the basics are learned, I start playing straight pool with a student. I show them typical break shots. I show them the back and forth runs at the foot end of the table that are so common in straight. I give them the concept of an 'out ball.' And then we play. I talk the whole time. (shhhh... shut up peanut gallery - no comments!) I tell them what shot I'm taking and why. I never correct them with their shot selection. If they ask, I tell them what I would do in a given situation.
After a few weeks of this... I stop talking. We just play. I know, I know... still not at the statistical point yet... I know. Here it comes.... then I get them to play someone else while I watch. Although, I'm not just watching. I'm keeping track in a notebook as to which shots were missed. THIS is probably the most valuable thing I do for my students. Not only does this give ME a list of shots to work on... it can illuminate pattern problems for the student. If you do this in a race in 9 ball... it can even show breaking problems and strategy mistakes.
It does NOT need to be a struggle to learn how to play pool. In the old days I couldn't BEG help from the local pool guru's... now? Totally different... EVEN at the Golden Cue. Players are more willing to help other players. I guess they are even learning that unless new blood comes into this sport.. it won't BE a sport.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Seriously.... there is such a thing as ediquette...
There is. Etiquette. And there is a line. Do you know the line? You should. Because if you don't know the line, you'll only be guessing if you are right... or wrong. Pool hall etiquette. Sounds like an oxymoron. Or just plain moronic. Take your pick. Here's a quick run down:
Never place the chalk upside down on the rails.
Never chalk your cue when it isn't your turn.
Don't break down your cue until it's over.
Don't talk, move, sneeze, wiggle, jump, tweak, breathe or blink in the line of your opponents shot.
Tip the house man when you win a bet of significant amount if you are new to the room.
Shake your opponents hand when you are done.
Don't pick up someones cue unless you've asked first.
If you are a rail bird... don't talk loud enough to bother the players.
Oh and that's just the start of the list. I could go on... but really... why bother? I mean, when you are loosing... we don't follow them right? We wig out and don't follow all the rules. Or do we? I know lots of people that do. I know people that are so nice, that during a major tournament a player was down on a shot, another player next to them got down on their own shot practically bumping into the 1st person... the 1st person in an attempt of not getting knocked over, hit the cue ball with their stick. Oh screw it. It was Tauss playing Val. And Val hit the cue ball. Tauss didn't take ball in hand. He let Val continue to shoot. I get it.. the rules are the rules... but some things that happen are just accidents. In a wonderful world that player that almost bumped Val would have not been so selfish and would have looked around him before he bumped into Val. As far as I'm concerned... the opponent of the player that almost bumped Val should have gotten ball in hand due to the fact that he was playing an obnoxious son of a B***H that only thinks about himself.
And here we go... a player was shooting the best pool of his LIFE. His opponent was mumbling 'under' his breath that he wasn't a '5'. Rocky... oh... DAMN... did I just say that???? YES Rocky... who pulls NO PUNCHES... stopped shooting and said to the guy "F**K you, you F**KIN son of a B***H." And finishes his run out. Does anyone run up to Ed and Angela at Diamond Eight to complain about Rocky? Nope. Why would they? One, Rocky OWNES his own pool room and two, Ed and Angela aren't running the tournament... the APA League Operator Matt MacPhail is.
Can you feel the point getting close??? lol... it is ... trust me... wait for it....
I get DESTROYED by this 6 in 9 ball. I mean this kid is OUT OF CONTROL!!!!! The BEST shooters in the local rooms don't give me a run like this kid. After two racks I start playing this kid as tight as I know how. I mean I moved to the 90% rule. Ok... for those that don't understand that... I wouldn't take a shot unless I was 90% sure it would go... if I wasn't? I'd play safe. Trust me when I say that I have a tight safe game. Didn't matter, this kid was kicking in everything, banking everything, I don't think I've EVER been actually shooting GREAT and gotten whacked like that. Kid could have been a nine for all I cared, he still would have housed me. And that isn't the point... I really didn't care that he was underrated, and never even said a word to the league op. about this kid. I shook his hand and guess what I did? I told him we should get together and play sometime. He said "all the girls say that.." to which I said "no, no sweetie... I'm married.. I just want to get you on a pool table." Everyone standing around laughed. I just want to see what this kid can do on a 9 footer... I mean... I might be able to make this silly league player a GREAT player.
The last thing on earth I am is a sore looser. Geeezzz.. I mean... after shooting for 20 years, if I was a sore loser... I would have given up a long time ago. I mean think about it. It's getting close... can you feel it????? lol
So. Down 2-0 in the match, 1-1 in the game spotting a kid 3 games in a race to 5. Seriously... what are our chances? Not good... in fact, so not good, the rest of my team is watching 9 ball, in which we still do have a chance. I never give up. EVER. This kid has ball in hand and is being coached to put the cue ball down to shoot his ball that is tied up on mine. The space between the two balls is smaller than a ball. My ball overlaps his by at least 5mm. sighting it into the EDGE of the corner pocket. A good hit means my ball doesn't move. A good hit means his ball misses the pocket. HOWEVER... he could play safe and play a good hit putting his ball in FRONT of the pocket off the short rail. A bad hit means... my ball moves. The only way to make his ball is to carom off of mine. This isn't a SPLIT HIT because there isn't a balls width between the balls. But this is the type of hit that you have to sight at table level and know about pool. I try to tell them before they take the hit, that he can't make it because it'll be a bad hit. I tell them more than once. Then I call a ref.
The ref. never gets down to LOOK at the shot at table level, as a matter of fact he came over and never looked at the shot in LINE. He just stood by the side pocket and called the hit a tie hit because my ball and his ball moved. Ummmmm... really? My ball is BEFORE his ball... HOW on EARTH does my ball MOVE and it be a good hit???? See.. most people try to judge this by actually watching the HIT. That is the biggest mistake you can make. Sometimes it's obvious that a ball moves first. MOST of the time you actually have to know enough about pool to judge the hit by what happens to the balls AFTER THE HIT.
The ref. called it... I didn't say a word. But how disappointing. Am I supposed to tell a ref. before the shot how to watch a hit? Geee... that would make me a bitch. I loose that game, which ends it. I shake the kids hand. I'm steamed about the hit. Could care less about the loss. The hit is driving me mad. I'm soooooo over the top fair. I call bad hits on myself. I'm over the top fair... and this coach just straight up ignores me, doesn't even want to listen.
I still have 9 ball going on at the next table... I can't think of anything but the hit. The coach who set up the bad shot is standing over me wanting me to shake his hand and 'CONGRATULATE' him. How obnoxious is that anyway??? Go up to the player and be like.. "oooohhhh... nice try... now shake my hand and tell me how great we are..." Really??? I mean Really??? Ok. I shook the PLAYERS hand. Freaking SUE ME that I don't feel like shaking the whole freaking teams hands!!!!! I just put my hands up, shook my head and turned around. Later (5 min. or so) as he's walking by, he says "It was a good hit." Oh. And that's ok to say and get me going right?? I should know better not to bite, but I did. I told him I know enough about pool that it was a bad hit. He tells me that obviously I don't know enough about pool. Huh. REEEEEEallY?????
10 min. later? I see him talking to Ed and Angela. Why? Because I work at Diamond Eight. What does Ed and Angela have to do with anything? What? Go complain to Matt. I'm not working, and compared to what I saw going on, I sure as shit didn't do anything wrong.
We loose 9 ball. Oh well... that sucks. But it was a great match and they played Norm which I thought was AWSOME... hugs all around.
I go to work and get Angela in my face telling me I was acting 'pissy'... blah, blah, blah. What??? Are you kidding??? I've gotten in 4 altercations in the 10 plus years I've been in league. And I don't even COUNT not shaking Scott's hand as one of them. He wasn't the player... he could tell I'm hot... for god's sake give me a freaking minute to cool down. So. Why do I have this bad rep? Because I tell people how it is. Straight up. I don't ever make a big thing about small shit. Ever. But when someone gets in my face I'm not one to back down either. Ever. And because 'nice' people tweak on me... it's MY fault. I've never once gotten in any ones face first. They may not like what I'm telling them, but I do it in a calm way. If they get snotty? Their bad. They get the sarcastic bitch I can be... and I'll win.
So... Angela doesn't get the whole story then straight up lies about my team going up to her and telling her it was a good hit... BAAAAAAHAHAhahahaha... my team wasn't even WATCHING my match!! ANNNNND... they would never call a hit that they didn't go look at. E.V.E.R. Buuuttt... it does make Angela look good in public to say that my team is saying that it was a good hit... it makes me look bad. Like an idiot really. Those around might just believe her. And what in GODS name did I do wrong anyway??? And why is she involved???? What she DOESN'T know.. is that the whole conversation was overheard by several people. And they can't believe I worked for someone like that for so long. Huh.
So. Learn the etiquette. And if you break it? You deserve what you get. Full force. I'll never back a player that is doing something wrong. As a matter of fact I've made my own player stop playing if they can't win fairly. Just who I am. Love me or hate me... just don't go complaining to people about me. Grow up.
Never place the chalk upside down on the rails.
Never chalk your cue when it isn't your turn.
Don't break down your cue until it's over.
Don't talk, move, sneeze, wiggle, jump, tweak, breathe or blink in the line of your opponents shot.
Tip the house man when you win a bet of significant amount if you are new to the room.
Shake your opponents hand when you are done.
Don't pick up someones cue unless you've asked first.
If you are a rail bird... don't talk loud enough to bother the players.
Oh and that's just the start of the list. I could go on... but really... why bother? I mean, when you are loosing... we don't follow them right? We wig out and don't follow all the rules. Or do we? I know lots of people that do. I know people that are so nice, that during a major tournament a player was down on a shot, another player next to them got down on their own shot practically bumping into the 1st person... the 1st person in an attempt of not getting knocked over, hit the cue ball with their stick. Oh screw it. It was Tauss playing Val. And Val hit the cue ball. Tauss didn't take ball in hand. He let Val continue to shoot. I get it.. the rules are the rules... but some things that happen are just accidents. In a wonderful world that player that almost bumped Val would have not been so selfish and would have looked around him before he bumped into Val. As far as I'm concerned... the opponent of the player that almost bumped Val should have gotten ball in hand due to the fact that he was playing an obnoxious son of a B***H that only thinks about himself.
And here we go... a player was shooting the best pool of his LIFE. His opponent was mumbling 'under' his breath that he wasn't a '5'. Rocky... oh... DAMN... did I just say that???? YES Rocky... who pulls NO PUNCHES... stopped shooting and said to the guy "F**K you, you F**KIN son of a B***H." And finishes his run out. Does anyone run up to Ed and Angela at Diamond Eight to complain about Rocky? Nope. Why would they? One, Rocky OWNES his own pool room and two, Ed and Angela aren't running the tournament... the APA League Operator Matt MacPhail is.
Can you feel the point getting close??? lol... it is ... trust me... wait for it....
I get DESTROYED by this 6 in 9 ball. I mean this kid is OUT OF CONTROL!!!!! The BEST shooters in the local rooms don't give me a run like this kid. After two racks I start playing this kid as tight as I know how. I mean I moved to the 90% rule. Ok... for those that don't understand that... I wouldn't take a shot unless I was 90% sure it would go... if I wasn't? I'd play safe. Trust me when I say that I have a tight safe game. Didn't matter, this kid was kicking in everything, banking everything, I don't think I've EVER been actually shooting GREAT and gotten whacked like that. Kid could have been a nine for all I cared, he still would have housed me. And that isn't the point... I really didn't care that he was underrated, and never even said a word to the league op. about this kid. I shook his hand and guess what I did? I told him we should get together and play sometime. He said "all the girls say that.." to which I said "no, no sweetie... I'm married.. I just want to get you on a pool table." Everyone standing around laughed. I just want to see what this kid can do on a 9 footer... I mean... I might be able to make this silly league player a GREAT player.
The last thing on earth I am is a sore looser. Geeezzz.. I mean... after shooting for 20 years, if I was a sore loser... I would have given up a long time ago. I mean think about it. It's getting close... can you feel it????? lol
So. Down 2-0 in the match, 1-1 in the game spotting a kid 3 games in a race to 5. Seriously... what are our chances? Not good... in fact, so not good, the rest of my team is watching 9 ball, in which we still do have a chance. I never give up. EVER. This kid has ball in hand and is being coached to put the cue ball down to shoot his ball that is tied up on mine. The space between the two balls is smaller than a ball. My ball overlaps his by at least 5mm. sighting it into the EDGE of the corner pocket. A good hit means my ball doesn't move. A good hit means his ball misses the pocket. HOWEVER... he could play safe and play a good hit putting his ball in FRONT of the pocket off the short rail. A bad hit means... my ball moves. The only way to make his ball is to carom off of mine. This isn't a SPLIT HIT because there isn't a balls width between the balls. But this is the type of hit that you have to sight at table level and know about pool. I try to tell them before they take the hit, that he can't make it because it'll be a bad hit. I tell them more than once. Then I call a ref.
The ref. never gets down to LOOK at the shot at table level, as a matter of fact he came over and never looked at the shot in LINE. He just stood by the side pocket and called the hit a tie hit because my ball and his ball moved. Ummmmm... really? My ball is BEFORE his ball... HOW on EARTH does my ball MOVE and it be a good hit???? See.. most people try to judge this by actually watching the HIT. That is the biggest mistake you can make. Sometimes it's obvious that a ball moves first. MOST of the time you actually have to know enough about pool to judge the hit by what happens to the balls AFTER THE HIT.
The ref. called it... I didn't say a word. But how disappointing. Am I supposed to tell a ref. before the shot how to watch a hit? Geee... that would make me a bitch. I loose that game, which ends it. I shake the kids hand. I'm steamed about the hit. Could care less about the loss. The hit is driving me mad. I'm soooooo over the top fair. I call bad hits on myself. I'm over the top fair... and this coach just straight up ignores me, doesn't even want to listen.
I still have 9 ball going on at the next table... I can't think of anything but the hit. The coach who set up the bad shot is standing over me wanting me to shake his hand and 'CONGRATULATE' him. How obnoxious is that anyway??? Go up to the player and be like.. "oooohhhh... nice try... now shake my hand and tell me how great we are..." Really??? I mean Really??? Ok. I shook the PLAYERS hand. Freaking SUE ME that I don't feel like shaking the whole freaking teams hands!!!!! I just put my hands up, shook my head and turned around. Later (5 min. or so) as he's walking by, he says "It was a good hit." Oh. And that's ok to say and get me going right?? I should know better not to bite, but I did. I told him I know enough about pool that it was a bad hit. He tells me that obviously I don't know enough about pool. Huh. REEEEEEallY?????
10 min. later? I see him talking to Ed and Angela. Why? Because I work at Diamond Eight. What does Ed and Angela have to do with anything? What? Go complain to Matt. I'm not working, and compared to what I saw going on, I sure as shit didn't do anything wrong.
We loose 9 ball. Oh well... that sucks. But it was a great match and they played Norm which I thought was AWSOME... hugs all around.
I go to work and get Angela in my face telling me I was acting 'pissy'... blah, blah, blah. What??? Are you kidding??? I've gotten in 4 altercations in the 10 plus years I've been in league. And I don't even COUNT not shaking Scott's hand as one of them. He wasn't the player... he could tell I'm hot... for god's sake give me a freaking minute to cool down. So. Why do I have this bad rep? Because I tell people how it is. Straight up. I don't ever make a big thing about small shit. Ever. But when someone gets in my face I'm not one to back down either. Ever. And because 'nice' people tweak on me... it's MY fault. I've never once gotten in any ones face first. They may not like what I'm telling them, but I do it in a calm way. If they get snotty? Their bad. They get the sarcastic bitch I can be... and I'll win.
So... Angela doesn't get the whole story then straight up lies about my team going up to her and telling her it was a good hit... BAAAAAAHAHAhahahaha... my team wasn't even WATCHING my match!! ANNNNND... they would never call a hit that they didn't go look at. E.V.E.R. Buuuttt... it does make Angela look good in public to say that my team is saying that it was a good hit... it makes me look bad. Like an idiot really. Those around might just believe her. And what in GODS name did I do wrong anyway??? And why is she involved???? What she DOESN'T know.. is that the whole conversation was overheard by several people. And they can't believe I worked for someone like that for so long. Huh.
So. Learn the etiquette. And if you break it? You deserve what you get. Full force. I'll never back a player that is doing something wrong. As a matter of fact I've made my own player stop playing if they can't win fairly. Just who I am. Love me or hate me... just don't go complaining to people about me. Grow up.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Jumping
Hold the cue like this. Keep your head down. Put your head up. Hold your hand this way... hold your hand that way. No wait... the BEST thing I've ever heard??? This 'drill Sargent' talking to a crowd of people at the Expo... shocking that he didn't recognize me (baaaaaahahahaha).... says to this glued crowd "Whatever you do, don't watch the trick shot artists. They all do it the wrong way." Swear. That's exactly what he said. I've left the 'political' arena of pool so now I can say... ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME????????? Seriously???? I'm gonna take the advice of some wacko in fatigues over the guys (and girl ;) who can not only jump a ball, but can jump a ball one handed, jump two balls AT ONCE... no WAIT... JUMP 3,4 and sometimes 5 balls at ONCE (that would be the most awesome Dave 'Triple Jump' Nangle.) And when I say at once I mean holding 2,3,4... etc... jump cues AT ONCE. But yeah. We don't know how to jump.
Know what a Delta 13 rack is??? Well (shhhhh... see Abram... I didn't even mention you....) the current World Champion Jamey Gray can jump a cue ball out of the center of 3 of them stacked high. With balls between the racks. And make a ball in the side pocket. Like it was cool.
My friends Nick and Andy??? Mmmmm... well I really, really love how they jump 6 balls out of a rack into the side pocket. One handed. And they can do it fast. I don't know what it is about them and that shot, but when they shoot it, it's like butter.
Oh. And then there's the very first time I saw Massey and Dr. Cue playing each other and they were doing a double jump over... I think domino's... and putting both balls into the side pocket. I turned to my mentor and said... pfffftttt.... I can do that... watch.... and guess what? I did. LOL!!! I was just totally bluffing... AND IT WENT!!!! It was crazy. It was exactly a day before I left for my first tournament. Oh... I DESERVE to shoot with them.
Then of course there's The Dragon. Ok... so it wasn't REALLY a jump shot... but he did shoot the Over, Around, and Under with a Railroad... one handed... bridged off his foot... yappin' on the phone. Classic.
Wanna talk fast??? Well this kid Moody out of Texas jumps balls into the side pocket faster than you can even imagine. Don't believe me? I was watching when this video was made:
Go ahead... try it... lol
Did someone say railroad? Huh... well there's this kid... Michigan Kid to be exact.. who takes the railroad, puts the cue ball outside the cues, then jump masses it up onto the cues making the shot.
Oh, and there's jumping balls out of a rack TOWARD yourself into the side pocket. Jumping half the table to hit a carom/combo. And really... who can leave out the 'Most Dangerous Jump Shot EVER'... those of you that were in KY know what I'm talking about there.
And there's Gabi. One handed Jump On It And Beat It. Must I say more???
But yeah... whatever you do, don't let the artistic pool players teach you to jump. They only do it for a living. And they only put more english on jump shots than anyone in the business. So you wanna learn to jump draw? Go to the geek in the fatigues... he makes me quiver. Or throw up. One of the two.
Psssst... by the way.... if you have a steady high bridge, I can get you jumping a full ball in less than 5 min. Even if you've never tried before. Full cue, not even cheating with one of the little ones. But yeah... you don't want to learn from me. I know nothing. ;)
Buuuuttttt... if you feel daring... come in to Diamond Eight... I'll 'try' to teach you. For free. Why? Cause I'm just a typical Artistic Pool player that loves to help people learn. I love my boys. And I guess I am just like the typical 'mom'... I'll defend them till it hurts! :)
Know what a Delta 13 rack is??? Well (shhhhh... see Abram... I didn't even mention you....) the current World Champion Jamey Gray can jump a cue ball out of the center of 3 of them stacked high. With balls between the racks. And make a ball in the side pocket. Like it was cool.
My friends Nick and Andy??? Mmmmm... well I really, really love how they jump 6 balls out of a rack into the side pocket. One handed. And they can do it fast. I don't know what it is about them and that shot, but when they shoot it, it's like butter.
Oh. And then there's the very first time I saw Massey and Dr. Cue playing each other and they were doing a double jump over... I think domino's... and putting both balls into the side pocket. I turned to my mentor and said... pfffftttt.... I can do that... watch.... and guess what? I did. LOL!!! I was just totally bluffing... AND IT WENT!!!! It was crazy. It was exactly a day before I left for my first tournament. Oh... I DESERVE to shoot with them.
Then of course there's The Dragon. Ok... so it wasn't REALLY a jump shot... but he did shoot the Over, Around, and Under with a Railroad... one handed... bridged off his foot... yappin' on the phone. Classic.
Wanna talk fast??? Well this kid Moody out of Texas jumps balls into the side pocket faster than you can even imagine. Don't believe me? I was watching when this video was made:
Go ahead... try it... lol
Did someone say railroad? Huh... well there's this kid... Michigan Kid to be exact.. who takes the railroad, puts the cue ball outside the cues, then jump masses it up onto the cues making the shot.
Oh, and there's jumping balls out of a rack TOWARD yourself into the side pocket. Jumping half the table to hit a carom/combo. And really... who can leave out the 'Most Dangerous Jump Shot EVER'... those of you that were in KY know what I'm talking about there.
And there's Gabi. One handed Jump On It And Beat It. Must I say more???
But yeah... whatever you do, don't let the artistic pool players teach you to jump. They only do it for a living. And they only put more english on jump shots than anyone in the business. So you wanna learn to jump draw? Go to the geek in the fatigues... he makes me quiver. Or throw up. One of the two.
Psssst... by the way.... if you have a steady high bridge, I can get you jumping a full ball in less than 5 min. Even if you've never tried before. Full cue, not even cheating with one of the little ones. But yeah... you don't want to learn from me. I know nothing. ;)
Buuuuttttt... if you feel daring... come in to Diamond Eight... I'll 'try' to teach you. For free. Why? Cause I'm just a typical Artistic Pool player that loves to help people learn. I love my boys. And I guess I am just like the typical 'mom'... I'll defend them till it hurts! :)
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Please, please... get angry...
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it when people get angry when they are playing me. Love. It. Why? I've never lost to them. N.E.V.E.R. No kidding. Those of you out there that get pissed? Yeah... come my way. LOL Oh.. and those that show frustration? Come my way too. I love you guys! Sooooo easy to beat.
It's like I'm beating my head against a wall. Seriously... you almost can never win if you are outwardly showing anger, frustration and especially defeat. I shot this poor kid once that just all of a sudden got angry with himself.. I tested it.. took a crazy shot, made it... and sent him seriously over the edge. Mostly I just smile and sit back and enjoy the show, but that one concerned me - he got really mad. Hit a wall afterward I think. Bloody knuckles... I'm just connecting the dots. Exactly HOW many times do I have to tell you that you can not shoot well while showing so much emotion? Really, tell me. Lets get this over with so you will listen. How many times?
I know you've all heard it before. So why don't you listen? I know. List the things that you do WELL in when you're angry. Go ahead. Oh? Boxing? Mmmmm... don't think so, get angry and you'll drop your hands. What's that? MMA? Ahhhhh NO. Can you say ARM BAR?? Wait, I got one... COP, especially if you're a Troy, NY Cop living down the road from me... oh... did I say that out loud? Bet in the long run it won't work for him either.
So. Now that it's clear that showing emotion isn't good, can you tell me why I say 'showing' and not feeling? Any clue? Well... see, I'm pretty damn smart but not smart enough to figure out how to 'not feel'. But I do know the first step to 'not feeling'. Come on, 3 guesses.. and the first two don't count. Yep. Don't SHOW the emotion. If anger, frustration, defeat, and overall general pissyness don't have a way to express themselves... they will go away. These particular emotions need an outlet to survive. Lock it down. Trust me, it'll go away and shockingly enough you'll find yourself shooting again.
And there it is in a nut shell. Trust. Me. Hard for people to do. I know. But really what on earth do you have to lose? You already ARE losing. To me. And I'm laughing the whole time. No, but in all seriousness, find someone close to you and have them watch you. If they see the anger... try harder. This won't be fixed overnight. But it can be fixed. And do you know what? This will help in all areas of your life. Soon, you won't be flying off the handle and you'll be calm and running racks. Ok, maybe not racks, but you won't be losing to the likes of me anymore and that counts for something, right? Good luck.
It's like I'm beating my head against a wall. Seriously... you almost can never win if you are outwardly showing anger, frustration and especially defeat. I shot this poor kid once that just all of a sudden got angry with himself.. I tested it.. took a crazy shot, made it... and sent him seriously over the edge. Mostly I just smile and sit back and enjoy the show, but that one concerned me - he got really mad. Hit a wall afterward I think. Bloody knuckles... I'm just connecting the dots. Exactly HOW many times do I have to tell you that you can not shoot well while showing so much emotion? Really, tell me. Lets get this over with so you will listen. How many times?
I know you've all heard it before. So why don't you listen? I know. List the things that you do WELL in when you're angry. Go ahead. Oh? Boxing? Mmmmm... don't think so, get angry and you'll drop your hands. What's that? MMA? Ahhhhh NO. Can you say ARM BAR?? Wait, I got one... COP, especially if you're a Troy, NY Cop living down the road from me... oh... did I say that out loud? Bet in the long run it won't work for him either.
So. Now that it's clear that showing emotion isn't good, can you tell me why I say 'showing' and not feeling? Any clue? Well... see, I'm pretty damn smart but not smart enough to figure out how to 'not feel'. But I do know the first step to 'not feeling'. Come on, 3 guesses.. and the first two don't count. Yep. Don't SHOW the emotion. If anger, frustration, defeat, and overall general pissyness don't have a way to express themselves... they will go away. These particular emotions need an outlet to survive. Lock it down. Trust me, it'll go away and shockingly enough you'll find yourself shooting again.
And there it is in a nut shell. Trust. Me. Hard for people to do. I know. But really what on earth do you have to lose? You already ARE losing. To me. And I'm laughing the whole time. No, but in all seriousness, find someone close to you and have them watch you. If they see the anger... try harder. This won't be fixed overnight. But it can be fixed. And do you know what? This will help in all areas of your life. Soon, you won't be flying off the handle and you'll be calm and running racks. Ok, maybe not racks, but you won't be losing to the likes of me anymore and that counts for something, right? Good luck.
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