Pool practise and weekend challenges at The Three Owls

Photo: "Skills Definition Magnifier" by Stuart Miles courtesy of www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The only way to develop skills in anything, from potter to pianist to pool player, is to practise.  Stephen King, whose work I admire greatly, memorably said: "Talent is cheaper than table salt.  What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work."

 Okay, so I'm not sure how to quantify talent, and I'm not sure if as I've grown older I can regain that youthful confidence in my own talent I once had, but since pool is something I enjoy playing so much, I'm more than happy to put in the practise.  I've yet to take that quantum leap from practise matches to hard work, but as I reorganise my life - and we can't get away from the fact that if you are committed to something you have to make your life work round that thing and not the other way around - I am beginning to make time for more practise.  This week I played in the rankings on Wednesday evening.  Then at the weekend, where I normally do as little as possible in the post-work haze of exhaustion, I played in an open tournament.
Kyle Dixon, in action at The Three Owls.  Photo published with kind permission of Kyle Dixon.

Held at The Three Owls and organised by Val Jarvis, the tournament just added to the opportunities to play competitively, which is one of the best ways to prepare for a competition.  My game started at 5pm, and although I was knocked out losing 3-2 to Kyle Dixon, I really enjoyed myelf.  I played better than I have for a while, and Kyle pushed me into tapping into skills which sometimes I don't have to use - and if you don't regularly use your skills, they rust up.  You need to play good players, better players, to push yourself into improving.  Kyle is a young player and has a bright future ahead of him, and I enjoyed the chance to play him.  
Karina Flood in action during the World Championship in Perth, 2015.  Photo courtesy of 8Ball Army, with kind permission from Karina Flood.

 I stayed on to watch the rest of the evening's playing and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Notable moments that I witnessed included Karina Flood's beating of Dominic Savage (sorry Dom but it was a really good match and she deserved to win).  She went on to beat Justin Collado, drawing on her experience of safety play which carried her to the next round, and well done Kat for applying a good strategy.  Val Jarvis herself also played well, and I watched her win her first two matches, beating Gerry Brunt in an interesting clash of seriously senior players (in terms of experience, guys, not age!).

 The main benefit for me was the chance to practise the game, and while I was not particularly successful, I aslo benefited from taking part, socialising with fellow-enthusiasts of the game, watching how other people use their skills, and always learning more about how to play better.  It was fun and I am looking forward to the next tournament. Since I can't get much worse scores than I had yesterday, as the song says "Things can only get better"!  Practise, after all, tons of it, is supposed to make perfect.

 And coming back to Stephen King: "Talent is a wonderful thing, but it won't carry a quitter."
Photo: "Improve Blocks showing Growth" by Stuart Miles, courtesy of www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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