Sorry for the lack of posts. I just feel burned out and tired from all the drama and b.s. that seems to surround pool. Due to this I have zero motivation to write about pool or anything else. I’m actually in the middle of a little break from competitive pool, no leagues and no tournaments for a while, and I’m using the time off to work on my game and trying to find the “fun” again. Pool is suppose to be fun right?
(Okay, I’m still playing APA but, c’mon, it’s the APA. It doesn’t really count.)
The time away from leagues is allowing me to go back to my other favorite hobby: Hurting myself. (Otherwise known as training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, BJJ for short.)
It’s funny because the only reason I got back into playing pool was because I sustained an injury from BJJ and had to take a break from training. While I was on a break recovering a coworker invited me out to play pool with a group of his friends.
I thought to myself “I like pool. I use to play a lot with my brothers. Plus it’s a nice safe activity where I can’t injure myself. Ok.”
Well one thing leads to another…I met some cool people who became my really good friends, I joined a couple of pool leagues, I met a girl who fell for my fat guy moves …and, well, here I am, 4 years later.
Time really does fly when you're having fun.
It’s been really nice “hurting myself”* again. I've forgotten how much I enjoyed it and how much fun it is.
(*So the first week back, 3rd class I’ve taken since being back, I strained or hyper-extended my big toe on my left foot. Now it hurts when I flex it and I can't really push off it. Joy!)
Besides the minor injuries and bumps and bruises - I do feel better. I feel more energized and my head seems to be clearer – more focused, less stressed and less bothered by the little things. I guess it’s because there really isn’t any time to think or over-think things as all these young “Next Ultimate Fighter” kids are trying to tap you out.
And, believe it or not, BJJ is actually helping my pool game. As strange as it may seem pool and BJJ share a lot of similarities. I now find myself thinking about pool differently, from a BJJ perspective I guess, and I find myself applying things I learned from BJJ to my pool game.
For instance, one of the things that BJJ has me thinking about recently is how important proper execution of a technique is. There’s steps to properly execution a technique in BJJ, like an arm bar, and the difference between a black belt and a novice would be in how well they execute the technique. A novice would perform the technique sloppy and loose, a black belt would do it clean and tight. Same technique, no tricks, just done “better”.
Which brings me to pool.
One of the most controversial topics in pool is aiming systems. People love to argue about it ad naseum. I find the argument silly due to the fact that aiming doesn’t matter if you can’t hit what you’re aiming at. It's funny how many "experts" there are on aiming methods yet only a few of them seem to play at a high level. While they may have the knowledge they seem to lack the ability to execute the technique of shot making properly.
I know when I miss a shot, and I miss A LOT, it's not usually because I aimed incorrect . It's usually a failure in my execution. I poked or jab stroked it, I tightened up my grip at the last minute, I didn't line up right but I shot from there anyway, and a host of other execution issues.
So recently I've been playing more attention to all the steps required to make a shot, the little details, and trying to execute them "better". I've been playing more attention to how I'm addressing the shot, how tight or loose my grip is on the cue, how much tension there is in my arm as I shoot, how much did the cue follow through during my stroke...and it's helping. I feel like I'm pocketing the balls more consistently, running out more, getting better shape...all while actually practicing and playing less. I'm actually hitting what I'm aiming at now!
Okay, not all the time. I mean you still got to factor in dominant eye and throw and deflection and...oh just forget it.
Quit pool, do zoo zhitzoo.
It may hurt more but it's less complicated.
(Okay, I’m still playing APA but, c’mon, it’s the APA. It doesn’t really count.)
The time away from leagues is allowing me to go back to my other favorite hobby: Hurting myself. (Otherwise known as training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, BJJ for short.)
It’s funny because the only reason I got back into playing pool was because I sustained an injury from BJJ and had to take a break from training. While I was on a break recovering a coworker invited me out to play pool with a group of his friends.
I thought to myself “I like pool. I use to play a lot with my brothers. Plus it’s a nice safe activity where I can’t injure myself. Ok.”
Well one thing leads to another…I met some cool people who became my really good friends, I joined a couple of pool leagues, I met a girl who fell for my fat guy moves …and, well, here I am, 4 years later.
Time really does fly when you're having fun.
It’s been really nice “hurting myself”* again. I've forgotten how much I enjoyed it and how much fun it is.
(*So the first week back, 3rd class I’ve taken since being back, I strained or hyper-extended my big toe on my left foot. Now it hurts when I flex it and I can't really push off it. Joy!)
Besides the minor injuries and bumps and bruises - I do feel better. I feel more energized and my head seems to be clearer – more focused, less stressed and less bothered by the little things. I guess it’s because there really isn’t any time to think or over-think things as all these young “Next Ultimate Fighter” kids are trying to tap you out.
And, believe it or not, BJJ is actually helping my pool game. As strange as it may seem pool and BJJ share a lot of similarities. I now find myself thinking about pool differently, from a BJJ perspective I guess, and I find myself applying things I learned from BJJ to my pool game.
For instance, one of the things that BJJ has me thinking about recently is how important proper execution of a technique is. There’s steps to properly execution a technique in BJJ, like an arm bar, and the difference between a black belt and a novice would be in how well they execute the technique. A novice would perform the technique sloppy and loose, a black belt would do it clean and tight. Same technique, no tricks, just done “better”.
Which brings me to pool.
One of the most controversial topics in pool is aiming systems. People love to argue about it ad naseum. I find the argument silly due to the fact that aiming doesn’t matter if you can’t hit what you’re aiming at. It's funny how many "experts" there are on aiming methods yet only a few of them seem to play at a high level. While they may have the knowledge they seem to lack the ability to execute the technique of shot making properly.
I know when I miss a shot, and I miss A LOT, it's not usually because I aimed incorrect . It's usually a failure in my execution. I poked or jab stroked it, I tightened up my grip at the last minute, I didn't line up right but I shot from there anyway, and a host of other execution issues.
So recently I've been playing more attention to all the steps required to make a shot, the little details, and trying to execute them "better". I've been playing more attention to how I'm addressing the shot, how tight or loose my grip is on the cue, how much tension there is in my arm as I shoot, how much did the cue follow through during my stroke...and it's helping. I feel like I'm pocketing the balls more consistently, running out more, getting better shape...all while actually practicing and playing less. I'm actually hitting what I'm aiming at now!
Okay, not all the time. I mean you still got to factor in dominant eye and throw and deflection and...oh just forget it.
Quit pool, do zoo zhitzoo.
It may hurt more but it's less complicated.
