As you know from my last post, my neck issues have prevented me from playing much over the last week. I’m happy to report that I’ve gotten about 90% of my range of motion back, but now my back is so sore I can’t bend over to shoot. Getting old I guess! I got to the CBC around 7 PM with a heating pad around my midsection and popped several Motrin with the intent of warming up so I could play in the Saturday night tournament. Didn’t work.
So here I am, my butt glued to a wooden chair while the Saturday night 9ball tournament rages around me. On the bright side, this is a great opportunity for me to watch other players and analyze their games. How do they form a bridge, how loosely do they hold the cue, how do they address the cue ball, what routes do they select to get from ball A to ball B, how low do they get over the cue, what is their prestroke routine, how smooth is their stroke. A great learning experience.
I’ve also come to a realization. There are some players who, a year ago, would routinely beat the living snot out of me. Now we play even. Additionally, there is one particular Filipino player whom I used to believe shot like a God. Now I can see chinks in his armor. He gets a little sloppy against inferior players, but tends to pick his game up against stronger opponents. I’m pretty sure if I had been able to play tonight, I could have taken him. Arrogance you say? No, I just know that I’ve been shooting really good lately, and tonight his game is off…. he’s committed several errors already that normally would cost a player the match.
Well, as I was typing this, he ended up winning the match, then shot lights out to plaster his next two opponents and clinch the tournament. Oh well, so much for my theory.
Angle of Reflection 