07-17-2002, 09:42 AM
This was written by one of the instructors at my site, I asked him for permission to add it to the ccb since most people here don't visit the site. If you want to check out his practice drills go to <a target="_blank" href=http://www.tableskills.com>tableskills.com</a>
enjoy...
Why do I enjoy the game so much...
That is the question that my 7 year old son asked me just the other day. I was able to give him 2 different answers, the first answer was a split second after he asked. Without even having to think too long I replied to him with the first thing that came in to my head. "Because it challenges me." I think it took a little while for Ricky to understand the concept of challenging.
Later that night, after my practice session I went up to his room to elaborate on just what I meant that evening. I figured that it would be a good time to give my son a motivational speech about life at this time also. Mixing pool and life as a bedtime story seemed like the perfect combination.
When I was 12 years old my father took me to his favorite hang out. It was a pub with a bar room pool table in the middle. My father wasn't anything special at the table, but he knew how to line up a shot pretty well. Charlie was the bartender. He didn't mind my father bringing me into the place as long as I stayed away from the bar. That was probably the major reason why we stayed at the pool table for most of the time at the pub.
Charlie's pub was where a lot of the men from the neighborhood would gather after work from Wednesday thru Friday. Most of the guys stayed there for a few hours until their wifes came to pick their drunken ass's up. My mom had us walk home after the pub because of one time when my father threw up in the back seat of the car and it took her all week to get the smells out.
We would usually arrive at Charlie's pub around 7:15pm, dinner was always finished at 6:45pm even if you didn't get to finish everything. Since the table didn't get busy until everyone had a few drinks in them, I was able to practice for a good hour before the competition arrived. For twelve years old, and only playing for about 6 months, 3 times a week on a bar room table I was pretty good. Winner always stayed on the table, and after 6 months of practice I was on the table 80% of the time. When I wasn't playing, I was finishing up my homework with some help from Charlie.
When I turned 13, my parents gave me more freedom to do what I wanted. So I rarely came straight home after school. Instead I would visit Charlie and Kelly, Kelly was the name I gave to the bar table after our one year relationship. Since I was there so early, and the bar was mostly empty, Charlie gave me some lessons to help me improve my pool game. He said I had natural talent, and I should really work on it to bring out my true potential. I looked up to Charlie and took the words coming out of his mouth seriously. When he setup a drill and told me to keep trying until I got 5 out of 5, I did it. Sometimes it took until 7:15pm when my dad walked in before I got 5 out of 5 on the first drill Charlie showed me that day.
Every day it was a brand new drill or drills. It was like Charlie had a play book behind the counter that had an unlimited amount of ways to setup the balls. Some days I would get through 4 or 5 drills, and other days I failed to complete 1. Don't forget I had about 3 hours by myself on the table and I was setting up for the same exact shot each time. Charlie would keep reminding me whenever I would look frustrated that practice and patience will pay off. He would explain to me at an early age the importance of being able to stick with practicing the same exact shot until I was able to make it. It was the only way I would truly understand why the balls and rails react the way they do.
After a while I started to enjoy the drills that would take me a week to complete more then the drills I breezed through in 10 minutes. Kelly, the table, was my main competitor, and I was determined to learn all her secrets and to dominate her.
It took a little while, but by the age of 15 I really understood the importance of self discipline, patience and the importance of conquering the things that challenge you. I'm always giving myself new drills on the table, as well as in life to keep me challenged. Some take 10min, and others I know I'll be working on for a lifetime.
Being your father, Ricky, has been the most enjoyable challenge of my life.
enjoy...
Why do I enjoy the game so much...
That is the question that my 7 year old son asked me just the other day. I was able to give him 2 different answers, the first answer was a split second after he asked. Without even having to think too long I replied to him with the first thing that came in to my head. "Because it challenges me." I think it took a little while for Ricky to understand the concept of challenging.
Later that night, after my practice session I went up to his room to elaborate on just what I meant that evening. I figured that it would be a good time to give my son a motivational speech about life at this time also. Mixing pool and life as a bedtime story seemed like the perfect combination.
When I was 12 years old my father took me to his favorite hang out. It was a pub with a bar room pool table in the middle. My father wasn't anything special at the table, but he knew how to line up a shot pretty well. Charlie was the bartender. He didn't mind my father bringing me into the place as long as I stayed away from the bar. That was probably the major reason why we stayed at the pool table for most of the time at the pub.
Charlie's pub was where a lot of the men from the neighborhood would gather after work from Wednesday thru Friday. Most of the guys stayed there for a few hours until their wifes came to pick their drunken ass's up. My mom had us walk home after the pub because of one time when my father threw up in the back seat of the car and it took her all week to get the smells out.
We would usually arrive at Charlie's pub around 7:15pm, dinner was always finished at 6:45pm even if you didn't get to finish everything. Since the table didn't get busy until everyone had a few drinks in them, I was able to practice for a good hour before the competition arrived. For twelve years old, and only playing for about 6 months, 3 times a week on a bar room table I was pretty good. Winner always stayed on the table, and after 6 months of practice I was on the table 80% of the time. When I wasn't playing, I was finishing up my homework with some help from Charlie.
When I turned 13, my parents gave me more freedom to do what I wanted. So I rarely came straight home after school. Instead I would visit Charlie and Kelly, Kelly was the name I gave to the bar table after our one year relationship. Since I was there so early, and the bar was mostly empty, Charlie gave me some lessons to help me improve my pool game. He said I had natural talent, and I should really work on it to bring out my true potential. I looked up to Charlie and took the words coming out of his mouth seriously. When he setup a drill and told me to keep trying until I got 5 out of 5, I did it. Sometimes it took until 7:15pm when my dad walked in before I got 5 out of 5 on the first drill Charlie showed me that day.
Every day it was a brand new drill or drills. It was like Charlie had a play book behind the counter that had an unlimited amount of ways to setup the balls. Some days I would get through 4 or 5 drills, and other days I failed to complete 1. Don't forget I had about 3 hours by myself on the table and I was setting up for the same exact shot each time. Charlie would keep reminding me whenever I would look frustrated that practice and patience will pay off. He would explain to me at an early age the importance of being able to stick with practicing the same exact shot until I was able to make it. It was the only way I would truly understand why the balls and rails react the way they do.
After a while I started to enjoy the drills that would take me a week to complete more then the drills I breezed through in 10 minutes. Kelly, the table, was my main competitor, and I was determined to learn all her secrets and to dominate her.
It took a little while, but by the age of 15 I really understood the importance of self discipline, patience and the importance of conquering the things that challenge you. I'm always giving myself new drills on the table, as well as in life to keep me challenged. Some take 10min, and others I know I'll be working on for a lifetime.
Being your father, Ricky, has been the most enjoyable challenge of my life.