League night: Back in Boise
Upon arriving back in Boise, I went upstairs and started playing around on my seven-foot pool table. It looks so small and the size was concerning. It felt like I would have trouble getting to the level of skill that I was hoping for without the size of that larger table. Every shot seemed much easier; every shot seemed to rattle in. It was concerning, and I took a mental note of where I would need to be.
I decided I still had a lot of work to do on position play and making the five basic shots. (Stun, follow, draw, punch follow, and punch draw) I would focus my first few months on focusing on that and would worry about the larger table as my game improved.
The next day was league night, and after not being able to play pool at all, suddenly I was getting more opportunities to play. I was ready. My first APA match was a nine-ball match at a local bar. It was nothing like Minnesota. There were no rows of Diamond pool tables. There were only two tables in this bar and one of my new teammates brought three birds into the bar. The birds were making noise and pooping on everything. There was drinking, laughing and it was difficult to give the game it’s seriousness and concentration. Distractions were everywhere, and I was immediately put up first. I was not ready to play, and I was not in the right mindset. That was entirely my own fault.
APA nine ball is an interesting game, and I really enjoy the scoring system. It’s quite similar to straight pool and every pocketed ball is worth a point. The nine ball is worth two points. There is some strategy to it in that sometimes it is better to get a lot of balls in a run that to put the nine in and win the game right away.
I lost 23-38. I couldn’t hit anything. I tried to give up worrying about the score and consider it a success if I kept my stroke and PSR up. I missed ball in hand with a hanging ball even. The mental game is tough. At one point, I’m certain my opponent hit the wrong ball slightly first and left me snookered. I didn’t call him out on it because I didn’t want to look like a douche. I ended up giving him ball in hand and regretted it. After the game I texted Demetrius about my results, and he was quite kind. He mentioned that the path is not easy and that there will be challenges in the road ahead. He reminded me that the challenges were what made it fun.
My team didn’t have enough players, so they played me last also. In Idaho, I guess there isn’t a ton of people that play, so if people don’t show up and you’re under the skill cap you can play the same person again. My nerves were gone in the later match. The fears of expectations were reduced. I made it to 31 points and won my match. My opponent only made 11 balls. The win was a success, but I totally lost my stroke at the end. I was way ahead and I caught myself several times hitting too hard and forgetting my PSR. I didn’t think that would happen when I was way ahead. My opponent kept getting pissed, as I had good safes and I think I just wanted it over before he started feeling better and rushed it.
Lessons learned: Relax. Realize there will be challenges. Don’t be afraid to call a foul when it happens, and to be careful of rushing shots even when I’m leading.
I decided I still had a lot of work to do on position play and making the five basic shots. (Stun, follow, draw, punch follow, and punch draw) I would focus my first few months on focusing on that and would worry about the larger table as my game improved.
The next day was league night, and after not being able to play pool at all, suddenly I was getting more opportunities to play. I was ready. My first APA match was a nine-ball match at a local bar. It was nothing like Minnesota. There were no rows of Diamond pool tables. There were only two tables in this bar and one of my new teammates brought three birds into the bar. The birds were making noise and pooping on everything. There was drinking, laughing and it was difficult to give the game it’s seriousness and concentration. Distractions were everywhere, and I was immediately put up first. I was not ready to play, and I was not in the right mindset. That was entirely my own fault.
APA nine ball is an interesting game, and I really enjoy the scoring system. It’s quite similar to straight pool and every pocketed ball is worth a point. The nine ball is worth two points. There is some strategy to it in that sometimes it is better to get a lot of balls in a run that to put the nine in and win the game right away.
I lost 23-38. I couldn’t hit anything. I tried to give up worrying about the score and consider it a success if I kept my stroke and PSR up. I missed ball in hand with a hanging ball even. The mental game is tough. At one point, I’m certain my opponent hit the wrong ball slightly first and left me snookered. I didn’t call him out on it because I didn’t want to look like a douche. I ended up giving him ball in hand and regretted it. After the game I texted Demetrius about my results, and he was quite kind. He mentioned that the path is not easy and that there will be challenges in the road ahead. He reminded me that the challenges were what made it fun.
My team didn’t have enough players, so they played me last also. In Idaho, I guess there isn’t a ton of people that play, so if people don’t show up and you’re under the skill cap you can play the same person again. My nerves were gone in the later match. The fears of expectations were reduced. I made it to 31 points and won my match. My opponent only made 11 balls. The win was a success, but I totally lost my stroke at the end. I was way ahead and I caught myself several times hitting too hard and forgetting my PSR. I didn’t think that would happen when I was way ahead. My opponent kept getting pissed, as I had good safes and I think I just wanted it over before he started feeling better and rushed it.
Lessons learned: Relax. Realize there will be challenges. Don’t be afraid to call a foul when it happens, and to be careful of rushing shots even when I’m leading.
Comments
Post a Comment