How long have you been playing and..

Started going to pool rooms at 14 taking public transportation in Philly and sold my stick at 20 when I went to collage. I was a pretty good player back then. Family and work ensued. Got back in the game one year ago. I am 63 now. You do the math. I am lucky enough to have found a poolroom 20 minutes from my home with a great owner and terrific equipment. My game has steadily progressed and I am back where I was before. I am hell bent on practicing and playing the best players I can find. Have been playing tournaments and conservative money matches for the past four months specifically gearing up for the Expo. Obviously I am bitten as hard by pool as I was when I was younger. I have said it before and I'll say it again, I feel more comfortable in a poolroom than anywhere else. There is something about the fraternity that can be found in a poolroom that just appeals to me..

been playing 55years
reached my potential in the first year or so
aside from picking up some moves in one pocket

just never got any better,i have no idea why

my belief is that if someone doesn't get good quick,he never will

of course this doesn;t mean he won't gain in knowledge and shot selection
it just means if he can not make 19 out of 20 spot shots by the time he played a year,he never will


unless of course there is some trick to it

all the good players i met,got good quick,in first year or so

i have never seen a guy play for 2 years and suddenly improve enough to give himself the 6 ball

deanoc said:

i have never seen a guy play for 2 years and suddenly improve enough to give himself the 6 ball

Click to expand...

You need to get out more. It happens often.

Banks said:

Due to the topic being taken up in another thread, i thought I'd start one solely for that purpose..

How long have you been playing and about how long has your game been relatively the same?

Have you tried anything to pass that point? (Now or in the past)

Is there anything you plan on or want to try to pass that hump?

At what point do you feel you stopped progressing?

If you feel that you're still improving, is there anything in particular that you would attribute to that?

Click to expand...

Been playing for over 45 years. My game has been pretty much the same for the last few years. I've tried everything, though I still try to improve. I guess I'll just keep on trying, though... I'm probably a ball or two weaker than I was the same time last year. Pretty helpless, really.

Lou Figueroa
just sittin' here
on the Group W bench

Playing This Time

Banks said:

Due to the topic being taken up in another thread, i thought I'd start one solely for that purpose..

How long have you been playing and about how long has your game been relatively the same?

Have you tried anything to pass that point? (Now or in the past)

Is there anything you plan on or want to try to pass that hump?

At what point do you feel you stopped progressing?

If you feel that you're still improving, is there anything in particular that you would attribute to that?

Click to expand...

Ive been playing this time since 2005 so 10yrs and mostly part time as I was working for 9.5yrs of the last 10.

My game is better than its ever been partly because I practice new things constantly looking for new book material. I look for major things that make an impact on a persons game for the most part.

I make shots good, I bank very well including the Mysterious Pass Over Bank where a lot of the problem is beating the kiss off of the bottom rail.

I also am spinning the ball much better than ever.

Right now I feel like my biggest hurdle will be perfecting my position patterns and mastering the different games but there is a problem with that.

Its hard to find a good social game. Pool Players are becoming scarce in my area.

macguy said:

A little surprising when I think about it, about 55 years. Could play right away but got serious though when I was maybe 15. At 16 dropped out of high school, (Got a GED though) and all I did was play pool.

Actually made money. Over the years owned pool rooms, built cues had a billiard supply, so pool has always been a part of my life. I at one point played very good but I doubt as good as I could have been.

It came to easy to me and I guess I was content, maybe even lazy, with the way I played and didn't do the extra work it would have taken to get to the next level. It was there for me, I hung around with top players but my time always seemed divided. I had other business interests.

It's funny, after not having played seriously in maybe a decade and a half, I just ordered a new pair of glasses to play and I want to play again. I get on the table and feel like I can play, whether that translates into being able to beat anyone is another story though.

Maybe just try a few tournaments and see what happens after some practice. Pool is something you can play into later years.

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I've been at it for about 50 years. The first 25 just having fun as a pretty good banger, the past 25 as a student of the game.

I'm still improving and plan to do so until my body gives out. The percentage of improvement naturally becomes less and less as the curve flattens out, but I continue on. For example, in the past few years, I've competed and placed in state tourneys in the Senior division (filled, it seems with old Master players) and just reached a disappointing 4th place in senior 8-ball. My goal is first.

The reason I still improve is how I integrate the information into my shot, imho, and because I integrate fun into it all.

I foresee a good jump coming up when I will have to have cataract surgery and I figure that will give me another good 5 years or more.

You can have my pool cue when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.

Jeff Livingston

Banks said:

Due to the topic being taken up in another thread, i thought I'd start one solely for that purpose..

How long have you been playing and about how long has your game been relatively the same?

Have you tried anything to pass that point? (Now or in the past)

Is there anything you plan on or want to try to pass that hump?

At what point do you feel you stopped progressing?

If you feel that you're still improving, is there anything in particular that you would attribute to that?

Click to expand...

I've been playin 14 years.

I feel like I'm playing the best I ever have.

When I plateau I usually find out why I'm missing balls or position and figure out other ways to make it work and then drill that.

I feel like I will always be progressing.

I feel like I'm still improving due to consistancy getting better in small doses. Yes I can think back at times that I have played very well but I think those times I was shooting over what my level really is. I feel that for my current level I am playing consistantly better then I ever have.

3 years

I've been playing since senior year in high school when I was 18, and I'm now 21 so only 3 years under my belt. I'm totally obsessed and sometimes it's all I can even think about. I've been at a plateau for a while but recently I've been gambling alot with better players and entering more tournaments and I think something has clicked and I'm now playing better than ever. Ran my first ever 2 pack in 9 ball last week without ball in hand so I think that's a pretty good accomplishment so far, but I'm still going to practice and try to improve, sucks that school and work gets in the way.

stuff

Banks said:

Due to the topic being taken up in another thread, i thought I'd start one solely for that purpose..

How long have you been playing and about how long has your game been relatively the same?

I've been playing for over sixty years, and my game improved rather steadily over that time, till age and health slowed me down. But I continue to increase my knowledge of the game.

Have you tried anything to pass that point? (Now or in the past)

I kept an open mind, realized how much there is to learn, took lessons, observed great players in person and on the Internet, practiced, and tried to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Is there anything you plan on or want to try to pass that hump?

When I got in a slump, and either worked my way through it (sometimes with help) or took a break.

At what point do you feel you stopped progressing?

Answered above.

If you feel that you're still improving, is there anything in particular that you would attribute to that?

Click to expand...

Answered above.

Kris_b1104 said:

I've been playing since senior year in high school when I was 18, and I'm now 21 so only 3 years under my belt. I'm totally obsessed and sometimes it's all I can even think about. I've been at a plateau for a while but recently I've been gambling alot with better players and entering more tournaments and I think something has clicked and I'm now playing better than ever. Ran my first ever 2 pack in 9 ball last week without ball in hand so I think that's a pretty good accomplishment so far, but I'm still going to practice and try to improve, sucks that school and work gets in the way.

Click to expand...

If you have the drive, persistence to work through it, and positive attitude, I think that you'll find that you come through the plateau a notch or two better. That's how it is with me. I am obsessed too. I have pool dreams every night.

336Robin said:

Its hard to find a good social game. Pool Players are becoming scarce in my area.

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Robin….I’ve gotta tell you, this quote has me scratching my head. We both go to the same poolroom and there are social games to get into. Friday afternoons has the same group of regulars, the free pool on Monday and Tuesday evenings bring in players. I’ve always found a game if I show up on those days, and then there is the in-house 9-ball league on Wednesday and in-house 8-ball league on Thursday which both total 60-70 players. There are quite a few players at BT who can give you a good game. I’m not saying the place is always packed with pool players because it’s not, and we both know things could be better, but “scarce”??? Why don’t you start a “ladder” there? I’m certain you can get 15+ players to immediately sign....David B.

I have been playing on and off for about 15 years. and i feel that i have not peaked yet.

the thing that i feel has helped me most lately, is working with others to help them improve their games. I feel that this has opened my eyes and brain back up to things that i have maybe already forgotten or just pay attention more to now.

-Steve

started playing

My grand father bought me a pool table when I was second or third grade.
That would of been right around 1964

My game changes allot, hot to cold or cold to hot.
Even from practice to playing with friends or league ..........

I have had back surgery, gone blind in both eyes to 20/20 vision and have spent and shot pool from a wheel chair for a few years on and off.

Probably been about 50+ years or so, pretty much on and off until I started to winter in AZ. While there I play everyday and while it seems to be tougher to get better, play what I think is my best ever. Hope to keep play for many more years.

Banks said:

Due to the topic being taken up in another thread, i thought I'd start one solely for that purpose..

How long have you been playing and about how long has your game been relatively the same? 1

Have you tried anything to pass that point? (Now or in the past) 2

Is there anything you plan on or want to try to pass that hump? 3

At what point do you feel you stopped progressing? 4

If you feel that you're still improving, is there anything in particular that you would 5attribute to that? 5

Click to expand...

for me

15 years playing

last 3 have been rough due to not being able to compete consistently.

taking time to travel and play more. hard to do with work.

started working a real job.

yes still improving. Have a table in the house now and hit balls at least 20 minutes a day. that has made the biggest difference in the past couple of months.

additionally turning 31 next week and still convinced I played my best pool at 17-20.

I go back to about 14 years old in 1961:

Just starting high school. Stayed my first year in a dormitory with four very old 10 foot tables in the basement rec room. No one knew anything about the game so I quickly became the best of the worst bunch of pool players ever. My Father traded for a professional quality slate top coin operated bumper pool table that year. My Sister and I got so good at the banks that it was boring, so I worked at mastering a masse stroke to avoid the side rail and often make the shot from end pocket to end pocket. With the bumper on either side of the hole it had to be rather precise. By 15 years old we were hanging out at the basement pool room in Kansas City. There was always a snooker game where the winners did not pay the 15 cents and the losers paid 30 cents. It was incentive to quickly improve against very old players compared to me. Within a year I rarely lost to them. We were bangers who thought they were shooters when at about 16 I was taken under the wing of an amazing road player who helped me turn the corner. He had settled in Kansas City and became a fireman. He saw my potential and I will forever be grateful. His stroke was as effective as Earl but looked effortless. That became my strongest point at an early age.
I flew under the radar for years and unfortunately spent hundreds of hours practicing how to win and leave the impression I was lucky. Most players were not to impressed with my game so winning the cash was usually in my favor. I had no nickname but was called lucky so many times and usually the opponent had no clue my breakouts and position were planned.
By 18 years old I played often 8-ball on bar tables and mostly for cash or pitchers. Waiting in line for your turn at the table was such an incentive that I held the table often all night. When the better players got a turn I could usually break and run and if for some reason I had a low percentage shot the luck was with me and they had no shot. It was such a mental game I burned out by about 25 years old.
I learned to enjoy the game in my mid 30's after a few years away and rarely gambled. Having to learn to play seriously was difficult, especially in tournament play. If you train your mind to hustle it is a hard habit to break. Played serious for about eight years till about 1991. Have dabbled since and still have the urge to compete. Most my favorite experiences involve gambling.

Grandparents bought a pool table when I was 10... I spent summers and weekends there until I was 15..... The pool table always got a good bit of my attention when I was there....

When I was maybe 13 Gordon's pool hall was across from my dad's garage and for 5 bucks a week they opened a table up for me every day after to school until mom picked me up after work.....

When I got my wheels they were always parked in fron of family gameland which was an arcade/valley pool room....

At 18 I graduated from high school and moved into the basement of my grandparents while I went to college... I had the pool table there but even better yet I got a job in a pool room with 9ft tables... I learned quickly that barbox 8ball was not 9ball on the 9ft and with some help from some of the older patrons I started on my real journey to learn the game....

I am 46 now.... When I was mid 20s I was probably an A+... I cashed in several regional events my high package in 9ball on a 9ft was during that time which was 7racks... I may have strung more but I never counted combos or the 9 on the break... We had a weekly tournament that was handicapped and I won it enough times that only 1 person had a higher handicap..... It was during this time that I learned what the zone truly was... I went a month without missing a single ball I shot at... Yes I had to play safe from bad position and I missed some banks but I did not miss an open shot for a month.... Then I graduated college....

Played less and less for a few years and then went on the road for work... Cues came out of the closet and off I went... Played all over the south east for a good 5 years.. Always cheap action for the most part... Donated about 2k one weekend to Reid Pierce in Jackson was the worst beating I took but I learned alot and it took awhile for the wheels to come off... I have a break I refer to as my $2000 break since I learned it from Reid... Miss going thru there and playing him...

Got married.. Got divorced... Worked more... Played less... Figured at 40 I was never going to see the zone more than passing thru it a night here or there... Had a bad break up but her kid was mine at that point and I started taking on the task of getting him from daycare each evening.... Would play 4-6 every day. and more on the weekends.. 4 months of that and I hit the zone and stayed there for 6weeks.... Took 2 weeks off and it was gone...

Stopped playing again shortly after that and I am playing maybe 4-5 hours a week now... Mainly testing Outsville stuff... Starting to think I won't see that zone again as this time I am 46 and the eyes are not what they were and my cueing power is way less than it was 6 years ago... I almost died from a blood infection 3 years ago and lost 40 pounds... I put it back on but I lost muscle and figure everything I gained is fat LOL

Either I stick to making things or I need to get into the gym and look into that laser eye surgery stuff.... I would say right now I am a good solid C on the 9ft... On a 7ft Diamond I can still run racks... Played in the Music City the last time in 2011... I opened with a 6 pack and had practiced a whole 2 weeks... Max Eberle beat me 11-6 and Robb Saez beat me 11-6 and I was 5-5 in both matches when I choked my guts out....

short version I'm 46... been hitting balls for 36 of them and been on a plateau or losing ground for the last 20 of them and the losing ground is picking up speed...

Chris

Banks said:

Due to the topic being taken up in another thread, i thought I'd start one solely for that purpose..

How long have you been playing and about how long has your game been relatively the same?

Hit my first ball 36 years ago. Got serious about the game 29 years
ago, right when 'The Color of Money' came out. From 15-18 my game
took a big jump. Played the same from the late 80's to the early 2000's,
which was B+ to A- speed IMO. Got a 9' Diamond for my basement in
August of 2000 and by 2005 I was a solid A player. I think I'm about the
same these days as far as the solid A goes. There are times I play pro
or double A speed in spurts. There are also times when I'm a C or a B
in spurts(lulls...lol). Even though I'm probably a bit better than I was in
2005, my game is relatively the same as it was 10 years ago.

Have you tried anything to pass that point? (Now or in the past)

Work gets in the way. I work 50 to 70 hours a week for the most part. I
don't get out to the poolroom very often to match up with the best players.
I don't get to play in very many tournaments with strong fields either. This
is 2 things that I try to do, but it just doesn't happen often enough to help
get past the point I'm at now.

Is there anything you plan on or want to try to pass that hump?

If I could increase the 2 things above it would help or let's just say that it
couldn't hurt. Matching up with the areas best players and playing pros
or Double A's in a tournament are what's needed to compete at a higher
level. Let's face it, playing for play is one thing, but competing is something
a person's game needs if they're going to move to the next level.

At what point do you feel you stopped progressing?

10 years ago(see above).

If you feel that you're still improving, is there anything in particular that you would attribute to that?

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Answers are above, I put them within your post like some of the others did.

I just try to stay sharp and play about everyday. I miss a day here or there,
but I hit balls 25 to 28 days a month. I try to put in an hour or 2 a day, but
even if I only have 15 minutes to spare, I'll try to knock a few balls around
just so I got to play that day. This helps me to stay sharp, but I don't really
feel there's any improvement being made at this time.

Good thread Banks.

Been playing 25 years.Italian tables (small holes) and 3 cushions.
First 10 clueless, just banging balls and discovering I had a bit of natural attitude for it.
Than 5 years stop.
Than came across pool, fell in love and discovered the competition world.
Than found out that I s*ck!!
Than started to train with drills, instructors, dvds etc etc
Now I train twice a week, I play 2 national championships.....and I still s*ck!!
But now I'm AWARE of that!!
I'm still improving.

Bottom line: the hardest is not the technique! In max 2 years you'll master all you need to compete at a decent level!
The hard is to have "heart" and determination in competition! That's personal, it's hard to change your mind, and sometimes you need help (coach,friends,wife,......) keeping up your motivation.

To be focus to run few tables with friends is one thing, but to stay focused for 15 or more hours in a row is a big mountain!!

Still trying, still training, still competing, and STILL LEARNING!
In fact, I think you never stop learning! And if so, you're stepping backward!!

My 2 cents!

Happy shooting !