Sunday, February 24, 2013

I Got Lucky

It really gets to me when I dog a shot that then allows my opponent to run out, and then after they win, they say out loud and declare they got lucky.

It's happened to me several times, and it gets to me every time.

It's not illegal or against the rules to say that, and I wonder sometimes what if I was to announce to my opponents, after they give me an opportunity, "Wow, I got lucky," how they would feel?

Would it sting as much as it stings me?

I think it depends on the player (obviously);  the person and the situation.

If I miss a crucial shot at the end of a game that lets my opponent get ahead in a short race, it will affect me more when they boast to me they got lucky. 

I already feel embarrassed enough to miss a shot that cost me a game, and to hear them tell me, it gets to me.

I know I need to not let their words affect me.  But if I'm not in the right frame of mind, I sometimes take it as them rubbing it in that I missed.  Instead, they are just prolly extroverts expressing out loud that they are relieved to have won that game when they thought they were going to lose.

But my miss combined with their words just exacerbates my unforced error and the fact I'm losing now in the match because of my mistake.

Obviously, I can choose to ignore their words, not let their words affect me, or accept they did get lucky, or accept I didn't play my best and that's why I missed a key shot.  It would be wise to figure out why I missed the shot, so I can recover.  However, I admit sometimes certain people's boasts can be distracting. 

It's weird, because not everyone says this. 

Only a few select people say it. 

I sometimes wonder if they *know* it can be sharking, and therefore deliberately say that out loud.  Because, it can be very distracting.

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