Devastation and loss...

[rackmup]

It began with somewhat difficult shots first...long, rail-to-rail type shots. They were missing their intended pockets by greater margins each time. My pool skills were not destroyed because of lack of practice, however. In fact, I've been practicing more than ever since moving to Texas and the sessions were going well.

After the difficulty with the long shots, my short shots began to falter...then my draw quit drawing, my stop shots kept going and the only banking I could do was at The Dallas Savings and Loan. My jump shots looked like Knievel at Caesar's Palace. Without the knowledge of what has happened to my game, I am now lost and without confidence.

Annihilation of my game occurred yesterday, when I lost 6 out of 8 matches. Poor shots and ill-fated safties spewed out like pyroclastic surges and pyroclastic flows from a volcano.

I cannot explain it. I have somehow angered the Pool Gods. Perhaps an anonymous evil soul has cast a hex upon my game. I am simply without answers.

Help me CCB'ers. Someone call Scott Lee and get him over here to exorcise the pool demons that have devoured my soul.

Regards,

Ken (oh hell...I just yacked pea soup all over the Gold Crown)

[Sid_Vicious]

Hey rackmup, you aver watch the movie about the premier golfer from Odessa, movie name of Tin Cup? There's a part in it where the star is told to put on rediculous things, a hat sideways and a tee stuck behind his left ear amongst other things...well he hits his drives great then. Problem was, his brain was gettin' in the way. Think about that...sid~~~highly recommends this movie to pool players, that one and For Love Of the Game(GREAT pool inspirationals-imo)

[jjinfla]

Sounds like you are torn between becoming a pool player or a writer. Jake

[Doctor_D]

Good afternoon Pookie:

Hang in there kid, better days are comming. However; if you would like for me to stop sticking pins into the Voodoo doll I had made of your likeness with cue stick in hand, you better catch up on all those years of missed alimony payments.

/ccboard/images/icons/wink.gif

Dr. D.

Jesus Christ Ken, just pay her already!!! (she promised me a new jump cue when you do!)
Don't worry about your game Ken. Whenever that happens to me I now recognize it as the learning curve. It just means that, whether conciously or not, something new has been introduced to your game and your facile mind is absorbing it and restructuring the circuitry. This used to panic me too, until I learned to recognize what it was. The faster you learn to relax and let it go, the faster it will be over with. :-)

[TomBrooklyn]

Do you usually play better after that phase is over, Lorri?

Oh Yeah, every single time!!! It's truly amazing! I have to admit, I haven't quite gotten to the point where I hope for a slump, but when I identified the cause of the problem, they started lasting for shorter and shorter amounts of time. Probaly something about fighting myself, who knows? The really nice thing about learning to embrace these things is that it actually boosts your self-confidence. Sounds weird, right? What I mean is, once I realized that playing matches was going to be a nightmare in that condition, I switched over to doing drills and shooting random balls just for the pleasure of it. Every other day or so, I'd play a match to see if I was 'out of it' yet. When I came out of it, I felt like a Goddess! I felt like I couldn't miss ANYTHING I shot at! (Of course I still did, I'm no superstar) And the fact was, I WAS missing less. Not my imagination, the people around me have noticed the jumps I've made over the last couple of years too.
So the lesson is Kiddies, don't worry, be happy. Your game, much like Bo Peep's sheep, will come home and be better than ever!

[Rod]

Ken, I don't know about all that volcano stuff, the deamons, or the savings and loan. But the pea soup should blend in with the Simonis!

~~~ hope this helps