A lazy pool player

peteypooldude

peteypooldude

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I don't know a different way to word this.I just want to share my thoughts on this and get some input.Over the last 6 months or so I really hit a gear.One I have never been able to catch in over 20 years of playing.I was getting out from everywhere and winning tournaments only dropping one or two games the entire tournament.All of the sudden ,I am missing balls again.All I can attribute it to is not practicing.I have noticed how much Shane puts in to his game,and in Vegas I noticed the same thing with Mika and John Shmidt.They were constantly shooting balls at their booths.Unless I am working on something specific or playing someone I can not seem to stay interested or focused enough to practice more than a few minutes.And I have no excuses,my table is in my house and I have plenty of time.Do they enjoy playing that much or do you think its their drive to win that keeps them at the table.
 
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It's likely their drive, which you apparantly lack.

And it's further evidenced by a lack of your hitting the space bar after each period you type.
 
Enough of the esoteric crapola. They practice and play because they have to put beans on the table. Do you think it's just shits and grins with these guys?
 
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As in all things, you have to want it. You obviously want it to some extent, or you wouldn't have posted this. Maybe it's just a matter of perpsective. Are you doing the right drills? By right, I mean drills that clearly target a part of your game that you want to improve. Are they sufficiently challenging, but not too much too soon? Getting down on the same shot again and again is a lot of work, so you need to understand specifically how that work will pay off.
 
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Could also be mental. If you have just realized how well you have been hitting the ball sometimes you will have a tendency to try and do what you have been doing. Unfortunately, simply thinking about what you have been doing can throw you off and the more you consciously try to replicate it the worse it gets. Just a thought.
 
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Petey,

If you don't have a desired endstate when practicing, it is very easy for it to become monotonous. Even for someone who is particularly driven, monotony can be the death of enthusiasm and desire.

Make goals for yourself when you practice. I can be as simple as "I'm going to make this shot and put the cue ball in this region 10 times in a row, or 9 of 10 times.", "I'm going to run this table out without touching another object ball.", or "I'm going to use only top/bottom/center to run this table out." Vary the drill, try to reach your goals, and take short breaks every 45 minutes to keep you fresh, and also to keep from getting frustrated.

If you feel like you're not getting anywhere with your drills, change it up and do a different drill. Once you feel that you are just hitting balls and not concentrating on exactly what is going on, there is no point to the drill anymore. That's when it's time to play a rack or three, then return to the drill and re-focus. JMHO.

On a separate note, and not to hijack the thread, I want to appologize for the little spat we had on the other thread. I was out of line, and though the initial post with the picture was only done in good humor, not maliciously, it came off totally wrong, as was me getting defensing/offensive in my replies. It's not like me and aside from stating something that I really didnt' agree with, you didn't do anything to deserve it. Hopefully I'll see you on the tournament trail when I get back stateside and we can laugh about it over a beer.

Josh
 
One thing I've found out about my pocketing since watching videos of pre-shot routines and such in the last year or so, is that I can no longer just get down on the shot and fire. I have to make sure I do a check list in my head for everything. I can't say that I'm shooting any better than I did 20 years ago, but it has slowed my game down and I'm getting better position most of the time. Johnnyt
 
Neil said:
Petey: There are a number of things that can cause this. Some were mentioned above. I'll make a list of some of them, see if any apply.

1. With your alignment, you do not naturally have a straight stroke. Constant practice 'grooves' your stroke. Meaning, your subconscious knows just what to do to get the stroke straight. Without that constant practice, your stroke starts going a little haywire, and you start missing.

2. You had the drive to practice a lot to improve. And, you payed attention to every little detail. Once it started paying off, you felt like you had finally arrived. That thought alone can make you get just a little bit lazy, and you actually start expecting the balls to fall just because you are shooting at them. You don't feel like you are letting up at all, but you actually are. You aren't focusing quite as much as you were previously. That little lack of focus can cause to you miss. Once you start missing, you start doubting, and it escalates to a slump.

3. Something in your alignment or stroke has changed just enough to make you miss.

4. You have gotten lazy, and think that because you finally have arrived, you don't need to keep doing what it was that got you to where you are.

5. Your goal was to play as good as you finally achieved. Once you achieved your goal, you had nothing to shoot for anymore. Time to make a new goal.

6. You know what effort it took to get you there, and what reward you have received for it. Inside, you may think it wasn't worth all the extra work.

7. You aren't taking the same amount of time on each shot. You have thereby lost the consistency to your game.
Click to expand...

Neil 1 through 4 hit the nail on the head,especially 2 and 4
 
Junkyarddog said:
Could also be mental. If you have just realized how well you have been hitting the ball sometimes you will have a tendency to try and do what you have been doing. Unfortunately, simply thinking about what you have been doing can throw you off and the more you consciously try to replicate it the worse it gets. Just a thought.
Click to expand...

This also hits close home
Thanks for the input
 
Dagwoodz said:
Petey,

If you don't have a desired endstate when practicing, it is very easy for it to become monotonous. Even for someone who is particularly driven, monotony can be the death of enthusiasm and desire.

Make goals for yourself when you practice. I can be as simple as "I'm going to make this shot and put the cue ball in this region 10 times in a row, or 9 of 10 times.", "I'm going to run this table out without touching another object ball.", or "I'm going to use only top/bottom/center to run this table out." Vary the drill, try to reach your goals, and take short breaks every 45 minutes to keep you fresh, and also to keep from getting frustrated.

If you feel like you're not getting anywhere with your drills, change it up and do a different drill. Once you feel that you are just hitting balls and not concentrating on exactly what is going on, there is no point to the drill anymore. That's when it's time to play a rack or three, then return to the drill and re-focus. JMHO.

On a separate note, and not to hijack the thread, I want to appologize for the little spat we had on the other thread. I was out of line, and though the initial post with the picture was only done in good humor, not maliciously, it came off totally wrong, as was me getting defensing/offensive in my replies. It's not like me and aside from stating something that I really didnt' agree with, you didn't do anything to deserve it. Hopefully I'll see you on the tournament trail when I get back stateside and we can laugh about it over a beer.

Josh
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input ,See you on the trail. And we will laugh about it. Good luck in Afghanistan
 
I like to demonstrat things to my students. When they ask me about this, I simply, go over to the switch that turn the lights off and on over my table. "I tell them pool isn't played this way. You don't have a switch. The lighs have to be on all the time. It's the best way to continue to play at your highest level."
 
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