What Made Your Game Go From Good to Great?

Mikey Town

Mikey Town

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
There are many excellent, accomplished players on this forum... I am definitely not one of them!

I have played other sports at a high level, though. A lot of the time all it takes is one tip, trick, thought or drill... then something clicks, and you feel like you step up a couple levels in a short amount of time. Your game has suddenly gone from good to great.

What was that something for you? To all of the better players out there: What was the main thing (as simple or complex as it may have been) that made your game go from good to great?

Many of us could benefit by seeing what has worked for others in the past and trying to apply it to our own game. I've gotten some great stories and one-liners out of people when asking them this question too :D


Mike
 
Good to great??? You're kidding, right? Hell, I'm still trying to get to good from sh*tty :embarrassed2:!!!

Maniac
 
Stance

Once I dropped down a little in my stance I could see the balls and shot patterns a lot better. Taken my game in no time from miserable to barely acceptable :o
 
I'm not saying i'm a great player by any means, but i'm not a bad player either.

I struggled for years playing by feel on cut shots with english and there was no positive feeling that i'd make all of my cut shots if I had to use english to get position down or up table. I had trouble allowing for deflection when I hit the cue ball off center for side spin and it was a guessing game on how much to allow for deflection.

The biggest improvement for me was when I started using a low deflection shaft (predator 314-2 works well for me). Once I got the hang of playing with the LD shaft my game jumped and so did my confidence. I also started using a simple aiming system instead of aiming by feel which combined with my LD shaft together helped me more than anything i've tried in the past.

James
 
SCCues said:
I'm not saying i'm a great player by any means, but i'm not a bad player either.

I struggled for years playing by feel on cut shots with english and there was no positive feeling that i'd make all of my cut shots if I had to use english to get position down or up table. I had trouble allowing for deflection when I hit the cue ball off center for side spin and it was a guessing game on how much to allow for deflection.

The biggest improvement for me was when I started using a low deflection shaft (predator 314-2 works well for me). Once I got the hang of playing with the LD shaft my game jumped and so did my confidence. I also started using a simple aiming system instead of aiming by feel which combined with my LD shaft together helped me more than anything i've tried in the past.

James
Click to expand...

Thanks James! I'm in a very similar situation.

I felt the same way on those types of cut shots and just got an OB-1 for Christmas. I'm still getting used to it, but it's great so far.

Care to share your simple aiming system with us? I'd love to try it out!
 
Playing a lot of 9 ball and straight pool with a New Jersey legend "Neptune" Joe Frady moved my game up.
 
measureman said:
Playing a lot of 9 ball and straight pool with a New Jersey legend "Neptune" Joe Frady moved my game up.
Click to expand...

I think playing better players is the best way to improve the mental part of the game but as far as to go from a good to a great player u dont see that a whole lot with players that have played a long time ,

At the end of the day every one has a cap limit otherwise we would all play like ER



9
 
For me it was playing with guys that are "MUCH" better than me...it made me realize I was lucky if "THEY" thought I was a ball banger instead if the pro "I" thought I was...:embarrassed2:
 
PROPER AND TRUE ALIGNMENT with the shot............it was probably oh i'd say 2003/4 that i worked out that problem.

That and a burning desire to perform as best as I can at all times......as time goes on I get better and better at that........

IMOP once you got your alignment right, and own your stroke then great play is all in your head after that.

I know guys/gals with great alignment and great cueing but they don't play so hot always.....come and go players because they won't pay attention.

Notice I said WONT pay attention......b/c if someone says they can't that is slang for they wont........there is no excuse for lack of concentration its just plain laziness.......

And the idea that your going to shoot better b/c of a LD shaft.......its half true half Bull $hit.

As a novice or learning player you have to learn your cue and how it makes the CB squirt for a given tip offset.......this comes with repetition, practice, and time.

A new player doesn't know his cue (average and learned players that don't practice or are lazy don't know their cues either). Now its true that an LD shaft will AIM straighter on a shot with english so you don't have to adjust the aim b/c there is less CB squirt for "X" tip offset.

The problem is that the LD SHAFT bumped your game, you didn't do anything to your game to make it better..........you didn't take the time to learn your cue properly so you took a short cut thats known to work. But I'd be willing to bet you still don't know your cue very well because of this..........how do you feel about shooting 3tips of side english at a straight in shot 5ft away from the CB and another 3ft to the pocket at slow, med and high speed?


I'm 100% not trying to bash at all, just want to put it out there that a different shaft wasn't the answer to your ills..........I have been using a characteristically low squirt shaft for closing in on a decade and I shot just fine without it as I knew my cue......(I've never owned an aftermarket LD shaft from any maker, only low squirt solid maple shafts for me)

The biggest problem that causes all the issues with not knowing your cue is the fact that every beginner out there is looking to use 12 tips of english on every shot......i'd swear many don't even know how their shafts action shooting center ball lol.

I know theres a little grey area here in regards to performance and learning curve but........

POINT IS ITS ALWAYS US NOT OUR EQUIPMENT!

-Grey Ghost-
 
two things... and I am still working on them... (trying to get to good and stay there)

pre-shot routine

Adjusting to deflection when going left or right of center cue ball.
 
Biggest thing that made a difference in my game:
-Playing competitively in a league (APA) with a good (7 handicap) coach providing advice.

Biggest thing my buddy said made a difference in his game:
-Playing Bank Pool. He said after getting good at bank pool, he really began to see all the angles well.
 
greyghost said:
But I'd be willing to bet you still don't know your cue very well because of this..........how do you feel about shooting 3tips of side english at a straight in shot 5ft away from the CB and another 3ft to the pocket at slow, med and high speed?

-Grey Ghost-
Click to expand...

1st - You would absolutely win that bet
2nd - I feel terrible with that shot at all speeds!

I've recently made the move to big tables from bar boxes, so the "5ft away with 3ft to go" shot is tough for me at center ball right now :eek: Since I'm so used to patterns and angles on the 7 footer, I find myself using WAY to much English most of the time on the big table. It's a far more difficult transition than I anticipated. I feel like I'm having a really hard time learning the angles because I'm so busy just trying to pocket the ball.

That's why we keep at it though, right? There is always room to improve.
 
Learning this.

Being able to control draw. It did wonders for my game. IMHO :smile:
 
Mikey:

I'm an Open-level player (not yet a pro), so I'm not sure if by "great" you mean the pro-level. But the main thing that got me there was something that GreyGhost touched on -- proper setup and alignment to the shot. For me, that was the snooker style.

For many years prior to that point, I had probably a classic Lance Perkins pool stance (and I mention Lance Perkins' name, because I studied this style specifically). For me, I couldn't get my head/eyes into proper alignment on the shot where the shot "was comfortable from the get-go." Some shots I felt good. Yet other versions of that same shot, same angle, same distance from the pocket, made me uncomfortable. I couldn't figure this out. I would practice that "version" of the shot that made me uncomfortable, on the exact same side / position on the table, only to discover that for some reason, "now" I felt comfortable with it. What the ...?

Then, I discovered Richard Kranicki's great work, Answers to a Pool Player's Prayers. I discovered that my problem was inconsistent head/eye alignment to the shot. The pool stance wasn't working for me, because although it's more comfortable than the snooker stance, it was "loosey-goosey on top." There was no consistent placement, other than "place your head over the cue."

After digesting this book and experimenting with my stance, I made a small jump that lasted for quite a while. But then I plateaued again.

After watching a certain snooker pro practicing on the big 12'x6' table, I was enthralled with this guy's accuracy, hitting the back of those small pockets at any angle, any speed, any distance. Previously, when I was using the Lance Perkins pool style, I thought the snooker stance "looked pansy" or made the shooter look like a fairy -- derriere sticking/jutting out like that. But that day, watching the snooker pro in action, my mind was forever changed.

I gobbled up whatever snooker fundamentals information I could find (which in the dawn of the Internet -- early 1990s, wasn't easy). I couldn't get my feet place properly, and when I did, the back of my calves ached like a son-of-a-gun. Then one day, it just clicked. I wrote a post about that experience here. From that time on, I was easily ANOTHER LEVEL of player. For the first time in a long time, every shot looked RIGHT. Although I could always see the ghostball, I couldn't correctly deliver the cue to that place every time. Sometimes, I'd be down on the shot, "see" the ghostball and know exactly where to aim at it, only to deliver the cue and watch as I missed that spot by a good margin (and of course, exude a stream of expletives along with "how in the world could I miss the ghostball by that much??)" Now I could consistently see the line correctly and deliver the cue down it!

I wish I had more time these days to play. I'm hoping the pipeline for my information security company levels-off, and I can enjoy some regularly-scheduled personal time more often. You can bet I'll be hitting more tourneys more often. Can't make it to DCC yet, but hopefully this is the last year that will be the case. I will be at SBE, though. Color me there, for sure!

Hope this helps,
-Sean
 
Center Ball

Mikey Town said:
There are many excellent, accomplished players on this forum... I am definitely not one of them!

I have played other sports at a high level, though. A lot of the time all it takes is one tip, trick, thought or drill... then something clicks, and you feel like you step up a couple levels in a short amount of time. Your game has suddenly gone from good to great.

What was that something for you? To all of the better players out there: What was the main thing (as simple or complex as it may have been) that made your game go from good to great?

Many of us could benefit by seeing what has worked for others in the past and trying to apply it to our own game. I've gotten some great stories and one-liners out of people when asking them this question too :D


Mike
Click to expand...
 
sfleinen said:
Mikey:

I'm an Open-level player (not yet a pro), so I'm not sure if by "great" you mean the pro-level. But the main thing that got me there was something that GreyGhost touched on -- proper setup and alignment to the shot. For me, that was the snooker style.

For many years prior to that point, I had probably a classic Lance Perkins pool stance (and I mention Lance Perkins' name, because I studied this style specifically). For me, I couldn't get my head/eyes into proper alignment on the shot where the shot "was comfortable from the get-go." Some shots I felt good. Yet other versions of that same shot, same angle, same distance from the pocket, made me uncomfortable. I couldn't figure this out. I would practice that "version" of the shot that made me uncomfortable, on the exact same side / position on the table, only to discover that for some reason, "now" I felt comfortable with it. What the ...?

Then, I discovered Richard Kranicki's great work, Answers to a Pool Player's Prayers. I discovered that my problem was inconsistent head/eye alignment to the shot. The pool stance wasn't working for me, because although it's more comfortable than the snooker stance, it was "loosey-goosey on top." There was no consistent placement, other than "place your head over the cue."

After digesting this book and experimenting with my stance, I made a small jump that lasted for quite a while. But then I plateaued again.

After watching a certain snooker pro practicing on the big 12'x6' table, I was enthralled with this guy's accuracy, hitting the back of those small pockets at any angle, any speed, any distance. Previously, when I was using the Lance Perkins pool style, I thought the snooker stance "looked pansy" or made the shooter look like a fairy -- derriere sticking/jutting out like that. But that day, watching the snooker pro in action, my mind was forever changed.

I gobbled up whatever snooker fundamentals information I could find (which in the dawn of the Internet -- early 1990s, wasn't easy). I couldn't get my feet place properly, and when I did, the back of my calves ached like a son-of-a-gun. Then one day, it just clicked. I wrote a post about that experience here. From that time on, I was easily ANOTHER LEVEL of player. For the first time in a long time, every shot looked RIGHT. Although I could always see the ghostball, I couldn't correctly deliver the cue to that place every time. Sometimes, I'd be down on the shot, "see" the ghostball and know exactly where to aim at it, only to deliver the cue and watch as I missed that spot by a good margin (and of course, exude a stream of expletives along with "how in the world could I miss the ghostball by that much??)" Now I could consistently see the line correctly and deliver the cue down it!

I wish I had more time these days to play. I'm hoping the pipeline for my information security company levels-off, and I can enjoy some regularly-scheduled personal time more often. You can bet I'll be hitting more tourneys more often. Can't make it to DCC yet, but hopefully this is the last year that will be the case. I will be at SBE, though. Color me there, for sure!

Hope this helps,
-Sean
Click to expand...

Sean,

I used the term "great" to mean a lot better than average (you are definitely included in the group)... not necessarily addressing this post to "the greats of billiards." I'm sure Efren, Earl, Mika and SVB are busy doing things other than surfing the forums :D

This helps a lot. I will be looking into snooker fundamentals soon. The stance does look odd (compared to what we are used to), but those guys can really tattoo the back of the pocket!

I guess it makes sense... you can always fall back on a solid foundation and fundamentals when things go sideways.


Thanks a ton!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top