I’ve been gone for far too long. Mostly because I’ve been heavily involved in several other ventures that just take up all of my time. Plus, my day job keeps me quite busy these days. But, last week I had something happen that just kickstarted my drive again.
I’ve been playing about once or twice a week for the last 6 months or so, and while I’m not playing horribly, I’m not playing as well as I was a year ago. It’s pretty obvious why, but I’ve been letting it slide. Over the holiday weekend I was feeling a little froggy and got into an action match with a player that I used to give weight to. I lost 2 sets off the bat and I quit. I know why I lost, but it’s still frustrating. So, I decided simply: No More.
I played a league match the following day and after falling behind badly, early I was nearly ready to unscrew; but I stuck it out and grinded through and ended up winning the set. That felt great. It was a great glimpse of what I’m capable of doing. Then last night, I met up with a practice partner and we played a race to 21 on the barbox. Full disclosure: he played horribly; like, missing ball in hand multiple times kind of horribly. But I was still focusing on my own game; trying to play smooth, with a good rhythm, work on my position routes and decision making. I still have plenty of work to do there, but I also managed to stay focused a little better. I didn’t sweat missing position as much and just concentrated on making the ball. After all, this is a barbox – there’s not really any long shots in that arena, so I don’t need to get dead perfect on every ball; as long as I get on the right side the ball. I won the set 21-13, with a couple of break and runs tossed in.
I like that I’ve played 4 of the last 5 days, and will play tonight, tomorrow (league) and Friday for sure. There’s a tournament on Saturday I will play in as well. I’m actually excited to be back at the table again. I’m excited to watch my progress, and excited by its promise.
In other news, the 2 side projects are going very well. StlPool.Net is still the source of tournament information I wished it to be, and I still get complemented on it often. The Players Club is still coming along, with amazing things in the works for the near future that I’m extremely excited about, but can’t say any more at this time.