single best thing i can do to improve my game (C+)

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Over the long run, I think the single best thing that you can do to improve your game is maintaining your strong will and desire to improve. Even if you practice 24/7 and you are coached by instructors, if you don't keep the fire burning and if you aren't having fun, you will likely not improve. I'm not just saying this. The longer and better you play, the harder it is to improve and I have seen this put a damper on many good player's progress.

As for something you can physically do right now...I haven't seen your game, but most likely, at the C+ level your shape is the biggest element of your game that can improve so work on that. Get used to playing for better angles and fine tune your speed control as much as possible.
 
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The first thing you should know is your probably better than 75-80% of the people that ever picked up a cue, in their lives. The way to get better at the game is practice the things that give you the most trouble. Try to improve them to a point where your comfortable shooting these shots. Pick out someone you feel is a little better than you, be honest, and make it your goal to beat, him or her, consistently. Then pick out someone else. When your sitting down, watch your opponent. Ask yourself what you would do in their situation and see what they do. You may learn something. A lot of of pool is common sense. Don't make the game harder than it is.
 
In my 40+ years around pool, I've noticed that the biggest difference between the C player and the B player is that "B level" is the first level at which players tend to play with the full range of strokes.

The C players I've watched over the years tend to stick to draw and follow, and also tend to restrict themselves to center and outside english. In other words, they rarely use stun strokes and rarely use inside english, and that's because they have no command of inside english and because stun draw, stun, and stun follow are outside their comfort zones. Lots of C players think they play with a full range of storkes, but few actually do.

Study 90 degree rule, and learn how to produce every angle off of the object ball. Learn draw, stun draw, stun, stun follow, and follow. Then learn to produce each of these strokes wit left english, center english and right english at the various speeds of stroke.

If you are a C+, I'll bet the house you are not playing with a complete stroke set. Do something about it. An instructor may ease your path, but I've seen many learn this on their own.
 
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I once asked Ray Martin what I could do to improve my game. He told me after watching me shoot for a bit, that I should probably take some time off and then come back and just quit for good.
 
Find someone you look up to in the pool hall that will truly take an interest in helping you. You need someone who you admire to 'tell you' what you need to do.

A straight stroke and basic fundamentals are a must. Incredibly accurate delivery is a must. There is no other way than to put hours of table time in every day.

I did it for 8 straight months and went up two speeds. Of course, I had Buddy Hall and another great player, Brian Jones behind me telling me over and over what I needed to do, and I did it.

If you are looking for an overnight secret, there is none. You cannot be impatient when it comes to skill. You must put your time in and follow a strict plan and over the course of time, nature will take it's course. It is not about winning. It's about overcoming the fears that strangle your potential to discover true skill within yourself. Anyone can be an A player. Including you. Don't take short cuts. Be willing to put your sweat and intensity into it and you will get there. Good Luck.
 
To the OP:

While I believe there are some several "good things" that can be done to improve - you have done the most important and that is set a goal and committed yourself to it (by posting it on here). As with any goals the next most important thing you can do is develop a plan. Do NOT put a timeline, because there are so many variables. There was a thread a while back that Tigerseye started about getting to the next level that can be read here:
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=126329

There is helpful advice here as well in the thread you have created.

Good luck! I am striving to get to A level too, but currently a "B" player :)
 
Bandanna Joe said:
This and what the other gentleman said about mechanics. The stroke comes naturally if your stance is correct. It also allows you to shoot straight. If you are missing or inconsistent, you are probably not standing correctly. Go back to the basics always. Know how to find the line from the object ball to the point of contact & be able to line up straight on it with a good stance. Look for pros that have a similar build to you & watch what they do.

People have all of these training methods for teaching someone to stroke straight such as stroking the cue into a bottle. If you line up correctly stance-wise, this will happen without having to manipulate your arm uncomfortably.

Good luck!
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I've been looking into that for a while now but I don't really follow the pros as much as I would like to. Anyone know of some notable (i.e. there's lots of footage of them out there) male pros who are built like linebackers? (wide shoulders, ribs, hips, everything...lol). I often find that when I'm not stroking correctly after a long layoff it's because my body is getting in its own way.

Any names would be nice as I'm getting back to the tables soon (about a 1 month layoff do to school/extra-curriculars :()
 
If I were forced to single out just one thing, I would probably have to say it would be having 100% focus and concentration on 100% of your shots. In the short term it will have an immediate positive impact on your success rate, and in the long term it will significantly shorten your learning curve as you put newly acquired skills into practice. Focusing on a having a good repeatable stroke with good follow through is also right up there. The truth of the matter is that it is hard to single out just one thing when there are a number of things (many already mentioned in this thread) that are all absolutely vital for significant improvement.
 
Here are some other things that should help you improve.

1 Put in a lot of time playing and/or practicing. There is simply no substitute for putting your time in on the table hitting balls.

2 Always give 100% of your focus and concentration to each and every shot, whether you are playing an opponent, or just practicing alone.

3 Concentrate on good fundamentals, and especially on staying down on the shot, and having a straight repeatable stroke with good follow through. You may also want to video tape yourself playing from time to time, because sometimes you can develope a problem in your stroke that you can't even tell is there.

4 Play with players that are better than yourself.

5 Put yourself in situations where you have to play under pressure. Some people feel more pressure while gambling, some feel more pressure in tournaments.

6 Watch great players. Watch them in person when you can, and when you can't, watch videos such as Accu-stats and TAR.

7 Ask great players how they made a certain shot if you aren't sure how, or why they played a shot a certain way if it was different from what your choice would have been.

8 See an instructor for lessons, or at least get some good instructional material to read or watch. Here are some great instructional sites:
http://www.engr.colostate.edu/~dga/pool/
http://www.onthebreaknews.com/JewettIndex.htm
http://www.sfbilliards.com/misc.htm

9 Put in even more time playing and/or practicing. Practice makes perfect.
 
chin0 said:
The single best thing to improve your game? If it has to be one single thing, I'd say "Practice!"

Other alternatives. My pool room owner told me this, there is nothing that cannot be cured with a 1000 hours. Play until you don't want to play anymore and play some more.

Read books, watch and immitate how good players play. Get lessons by qualified instructors, buy DVD lessons. There are all those aids to help you become a better player. Have a sparring partner watch you play or record how you play and try to better your form by their critique or critique your own videos to se what you are doing wrong. There is also the mirror method to see whether or not you are positioning your self correctly and if your form is good. I mean the list can go on forever, but in the end, it take practice and play to become better. You can memorize every word the instructor, dvd or book tells you, but when the green light drops, it is whether or not you have the ability to execute what you have learned. In order for you to xecute what you have learned as if it was second nature, it would take countless hours of practice and perfection to do, and even with the countless hours of practice to become an A+ player, you would still have to practice to keep the shape. You can never know everything with this sport, that's what make it so interesting and addicting. This is just MHO, there are much more qualified people that can tell you better, I just felt like giving some opinions and advice I have learned and see if it would help.

Happy shooting! :)

Chino
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it takes more than just practice
 
basic tools

Consistent routine, stay down, eyes on where you are going to make contact with object ball. If you have to ask the question that you ask , then you need to practice these. If you be come consistent with these ,I guarantee that your game will grow. Nothing tricky or mysterious.
 
Just one thing? Keep your head still when you stroke. Lots of people say stay down or don't jump up, but simplify all that by just keeping your head perfectly, absolutely still when you shoot, at least through contact with the ob.
:p
 
Brian in VA said:
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4. Expect plateaus and set backs. No one constantly improves so you have to be ready to wait out those sudden stops where your game seems to go away. My wife asked me why I kept practicing a few months ago when I clearly wasn't enjoying what I was doing. I told her I needed to play my way out of missing because most opponents won't let you stop a match to fix your game! Be comforted in the knowledge that it will come back.
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This is a great post. I started playing again a year ago, and had never really taken it seriously before. This time I'm treating it much more seriously. What I've noticed is that there has been a series of setbacks where I think "oh my god I'm no good at this, I should just give up". The first time this happened I was lucky to keep playing. I really thought I should give up. However, shortly after that it was like a light turned on and I shot way better than I was before the slump. I believe this happens in every sport.

The difference between the guys who are "just ok", and the guys who are really good is that the really good ones play through this period, learn from it, and move on with their game. The "just ok" guys let it beat them down.

Other than that - stroke, including everything affecting the stroke, like shot selection and preshot routine, consistency is the key.
 
BryanBpool said:
M.T.F.B.

Make the (insert expletive) Ball. Well said.

If I am pocketing well, all the other stuff can be fixed.

Another suggestion is to play to win all the time. Goofing around is fun, but I try to be in "game mode" whenever Im playing and/or practicing.

It may sound silly, but most of the balls I miss are due to me not really trying to make it. Rushing the shot, not giving the shot the respect it deserves, etc.

Don't play Lazy!




The next time Mr Lee is in the Tampa Bay Area, I plan on getting some lessons. I am very much looking forward to it.
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1. An extension of making the ball. Make the ___. If you are making the kick..hit the kick..making the bank..make the bank..make the shot..make the safety. MAKE SURE you make the ___. Good players make sure they make the ____ more often then not. When I won my first tournament I made sure I made my shots and when I got nervous I drank water.

2. Play what you know and write down what you don't. You can't expect to do a table long draw if you have never tried. Practice it then do it. Ask how to do it if you can't figure it out.

3. Watch good player's lines and techniques in hitting the ball. Ask if you don't understand how they did it. I used to think I know what I was doing until I got smoked over and over again because I kept playing the wrong lines and got out of shape or hit balls. There are so many ways to hit a ball.
Efren's drag stroke consists of hitting center then dragging the cue down while he hits it. Mike Massey drops his elbow when he does his power draw. Just so many ways to hit a ball for different shots.

The difference between a C+ and B is consistency which comes with practice and knowledge. Knowledge from watching players and experimentation. Knowledge of the rules of pool like the 90 degree rule, squirt, 30 degree rule, half ball hits rule, throw, etc.
 
am gonna go back through here tomorrow night and rep everyone bc I do appreciate all the input. I think I really just want to get some instruction from a BCA Qualified instructor. He will be able to tell me exactly what i need to do. I think i might be better at things i may not think I am, and worse at things that I think I have under control. So I do not want to have impaired judgement. I know I am between C and C+ and lean towards C+. but taht really means nothing to me. ty for all of the input again and Still looking for an instructor. PM me with all info. I am in NW GA(Rome to be exact)
 
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