Tom Wirth
Verified Member
What are your thoughts on bad rolls?
I'm not taking about what your opponent may do or how lucky he may get on any given shot. None of us has any control over what they may do on their shots. I"m talking about what we do on our shots.
Do you ever feel you got unlucky when you've just shot a great shot but the cue ball rolled maybe one inch too far or not far enough to give you the shape you need to run out on your opponent, and as a result you're now in a dogfight to win the game?
Well, Was that a bad roll or was it that you just failed to execute the shot as precisely as was needed. Maybe, just maybe you just chose position on a ball that required too much expertise for your current abilities. Who is ultimately responsible for the outcome of any shot we chose to shoot?
I've thought about this from time to time and I can truly state that I have gotten only one bad roll in my entire career of playing pool when I was the shooter. The ball I was shooting at moved just as I struck the cue ball. It turned over as though it had been balanced on a piece of chalk. The chalk gave way and over the ball turned at just at the wrong moment.
That was it! The only bad roll I ever got while shooting. Now am I being too harsh on myself? Am I asking too much of myself? I don't think so. Not if I want to excel. The only way to achieve the maximum out of our natural ability is to raise our level of consciousness and strive for ever more precise targets. This takes immense dedication, concentration, and hours upon hours of intense practice.
The question is; how dedicated are we to the work needed to obtain that goal?
I"m past my prime and don't have the will or inclination to strive for that degree of precision. At one time I did but not now. That's my excuse, what's yours, if you have one?
Tom
I'm not taking about what your opponent may do or how lucky he may get on any given shot. None of us has any control over what they may do on their shots. I"m talking about what we do on our shots.
Do you ever feel you got unlucky when you've just shot a great shot but the cue ball rolled maybe one inch too far or not far enough to give you the shape you need to run out on your opponent, and as a result you're now in a dogfight to win the game?
Well, Was that a bad roll or was it that you just failed to execute the shot as precisely as was needed. Maybe, just maybe you just chose position on a ball that required too much expertise for your current abilities. Who is ultimately responsible for the outcome of any shot we chose to shoot?
I've thought about this from time to time and I can truly state that I have gotten only one bad roll in my entire career of playing pool when I was the shooter. The ball I was shooting at moved just as I struck the cue ball. It turned over as though it had been balanced on a piece of chalk. The chalk gave way and over the ball turned at just at the wrong moment.
That was it! The only bad roll I ever got while shooting. Now am I being too harsh on myself? Am I asking too much of myself? I don't think so. Not if I want to excel. The only way to achieve the maximum out of our natural ability is to raise our level of consciousness and strive for ever more precise targets. This takes immense dedication, concentration, and hours upon hours of intense practice.
The question is; how dedicated are we to the work needed to obtain that goal?
I"m past my prime and don't have the will or inclination to strive for that degree of precision. At one time I did but not now. That's my excuse, what's yours, if you have one?
Tom