punkncat
06-26-2006, 06:26 PM
I came to a point several years ago, but I suppose its taken me this long to realize what was really bothering me about my "game". I am an exceptional open play baller, but what I would consider a mediocre "tourney level" player. This puts me in a funny position. There are VERY few people that truly offer me a challenge when I play a walk on game. When I get in a scrimmage(on team practice days) though, my rough edges are my downfall. I enjoy the attitude and fun factor in the open play, but need a level of play that exceeds that. I am not saying I am superman or anything. All players can be hit, but if you have played for many years against good ballers, well a certain amount of it rubs off so to speak.
Here is where the problem comes in. Any players that show promise in open play are almost immediatly recruited by a number of teams that play out of the local fields. So anyone that could offer me some game is picked up and before long surpasses my ability.
I have been and continue to be a part in several of the teams here in the area. They all enjoy playing with or against me in scrimmages and I have been invited to join a few of them full time or even as part of an event. I am commonly invited to team practice just because I offer good resistance to play against. But as I continue to play against teams that are becoming well oiled machines and I am just picking up players and getting stomped on...well its gets disheartening. Makes me think that my skill level is deteriorating. In actuality the teams I am playing are continuing to get better working together while my skills and the players I can pick up remain rough and unpolished.
So what ends up happening is that all the good players get picked up, move on, and generally most drop out rather than falling back into open play. And I seem to be stuck either killing noobs all day, which is very unsatisfying, or being cannon fodder to teams which is both good and bad.
The reason I will not go full out is that for one I am not so willing to work the way its required to actually compete at that higher level. It takes a good deal of time and money to gain the skills needed, and much of it doesn't involve actually playing, but running drills and shooting paint at nothing. I am almost middle aged, have a family and other responsibilies that require more of me and just can't devote that to the sport.
The other aspect is more a question of ethics. I decided long ago that I would rather lose with honor than to win by bending rules or playing a grey area. There are very few quality players that can actually maintain that level of integrity, train that hard, just to lose to cheaters time after time.
So here I find myself slowly spiraling out of intrest for a game that I love so much. Caught between the lack of challenge in the common player, and getting beaten again and again by more refined ones.
sigh
[/end rant]
Here is where the problem comes in. Any players that show promise in open play are almost immediatly recruited by a number of teams that play out of the local fields. So anyone that could offer me some game is picked up and before long surpasses my ability.
I have been and continue to be a part in several of the teams here in the area. They all enjoy playing with or against me in scrimmages and I have been invited to join a few of them full time or even as part of an event. I am commonly invited to team practice just because I offer good resistance to play against. But as I continue to play against teams that are becoming well oiled machines and I am just picking up players and getting stomped on...well its gets disheartening. Makes me think that my skill level is deteriorating. In actuality the teams I am playing are continuing to get better working together while my skills and the players I can pick up remain rough and unpolished.
So what ends up happening is that all the good players get picked up, move on, and generally most drop out rather than falling back into open play. And I seem to be stuck either killing noobs all day, which is very unsatisfying, or being cannon fodder to teams which is both good and bad.
The reason I will not go full out is that for one I am not so willing to work the way its required to actually compete at that higher level. It takes a good deal of time and money to gain the skills needed, and much of it doesn't involve actually playing, but running drills and shooting paint at nothing. I am almost middle aged, have a family and other responsibilies that require more of me and just can't devote that to the sport.
The other aspect is more a question of ethics. I decided long ago that I would rather lose with honor than to win by bending rules or playing a grey area. There are very few quality players that can actually maintain that level of integrity, train that hard, just to lose to cheaters time after time.
So here I find myself slowly spiraling out of intrest for a game that I love so much. Caught between the lack of challenge in the common player, and getting beaten again and again by more refined ones.
sigh
[/end rant]