Dear Gentle Readers,
I was initially thinking about one-pocket, but I suppose this query could apply to any contest involving felt, slate, cushions and circular rolling objects. Pockets may well be involved, but not necessarily.
Do you boys -- those of you who have thousands (tens of thousands?) of hours on the tables -- ever react to a situation with a ‘whoa, I’ve never seen that one before!’?
Let’s segregate this particular coroner’s inquiry into three specific categories:
1) a table layout you haven’t encountered in the past.
2) a specific shot you’ve never seen executed.
3) an opponent’s response that still catches you by surprise.
Or, for you table-vets, is it all a sort of weary deja vu … a been-there, done-that?
On reflection … perhaps I should rephrase the query to eliminate number 3 -- the ‘opponent’s response’ segment. My own shot selections would almost certainly startle and dismay many senior devotees of the game. Yet, as my heartthrob, Efran, purportedly observed, ‘I like watching amateurs … I occasionally learn a new shot.’
(Isn’t the word ‘amateur’ such a kind designation? It implies innocence as opposed to incompetence.)
Having clocked relatively few hours watching, and even fewer playing, I’m often clueless (cue the blonde jokes!) as to how I should respond as the balls roll to a stop. My lack of talent doesn’t bother me so much as does my not knowing what a knowledgeable player would do next.
Confession is my life,
Sunny
P. S. Turning to a pool forum for answers is sort of like leaving the menu selections up to the chef in an omakase-type restaurant. One never knows what will be served up, do one?
I was initially thinking about one-pocket, but I suppose this query could apply to any contest involving felt, slate, cushions and circular rolling objects. Pockets may well be involved, but not necessarily.
Do you boys -- those of you who have thousands (tens of thousands?) of hours on the tables -- ever react to a situation with a ‘whoa, I’ve never seen that one before!’?
Let’s segregate this particular coroner’s inquiry into three specific categories:
1) a table layout you haven’t encountered in the past.
2) a specific shot you’ve never seen executed.
3) an opponent’s response that still catches you by surprise.
Or, for you table-vets, is it all a sort of weary deja vu … a been-there, done-that?
On reflection … perhaps I should rephrase the query to eliminate number 3 -- the ‘opponent’s response’ segment. My own shot selections would almost certainly startle and dismay many senior devotees of the game. Yet, as my heartthrob, Efran, purportedly observed, ‘I like watching amateurs … I occasionally learn a new shot.’
(Isn’t the word ‘amateur’ such a kind designation? It implies innocence as opposed to incompetence.)
Having clocked relatively few hours watching, and even fewer playing, I’m often clueless (cue the blonde jokes!) as to how I should respond as the balls roll to a stop. My lack of talent doesn’t bother me so much as does my not knowing what a knowledgeable player would do next.
Confession is my life,
Sunny
P. S. Turning to a pool forum for answers is sort of like leaving the menu selections up to the chef in an omakase-type restaurant. One never knows what will be served up, do one?
