What "one" thing improved your game the most?

Pangit

Pangit

Banned
For me it was learning how to use side, throw a big wide curve ball, and control the white. Eye opening. Just make a table length straight in shot and need to work the cue ball off 2-3 rails for position. That separates the men from the boys. "Shape" is where it's at. Leave yourself a not so easy shot, time after time, and pretty soon anyone is bound to miss one, and lose the game.
 
Playing better players has always been most helpful to improvement. You cannot learn anything playing people your own speed.
 
Pangit said:
For me it was learning how to use side, throw a big wide curve ball, and control the white. Eye opening. Just make a table length straight in shot and need to work the cue ball off 2-3 rails for position. That separates the men from the boys. "Shape" is where it's at. Leave yourself a not so easy shot, time after time, and pretty soon anyone is bound to miss one, and lose the game.
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I believe what you learned is pretty basic in pool. You can't play pool without playing position or knowing how to. Before reading your post I thought you were talking about something more like a type of grip, or stance, or aiming system ( OPS!).
 
Personally the biggest thing that changed my approach to pool was coming in a ball away from the money at the National Singles. I have never been so determined in my life for anything.

I have stepped up my level of practice to the point of mundane. If I miss a shot I will shoot that shot 100 times immediately until I can make it 10 out of 10 times.

I have literally spent 3 hours a day for a week shooting rack after rack of straight shots into the corner pocket in order to develop a consistent preshot routine and form.

I have also recently changed my grip so that instead of sliding around the butt of the cue I hold it in the same place each time. This has helped immensely with my speed control and I am finding that I can position the cue within 1/2 an inch of my intended target using draw, english, or several rails.
 
Pangit said:
"Shape" is where it's at.

Leave yourself a not so easy shot, time after time, and pretty soon anyone is bound to miss one, and lose the game.
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Pretty profound stuff there... sounds so good, I think I will incorporate into my game. Only thing is... wish I would have read this decades ago.
 
The realization that I miss too many f'ing balls..... See Stan "The Man" Shuffett for the cure.
 
I found the right cue, stance, stroke, and break for my taste by experimentation... And most def stay out of the " Aiming Conversation." Part of the forums :thumbup:

You will most likely spend more time giving yourself a head ache then helping your game at all. Of course this is just my opinion on the matter.
 
Playing in tournaments regularly. Playing good is one thing, being able to bring it is another. The more regularly I play tournaments, the better I perform in them.
 
TATE said:
Playing in tournaments regularly. Playing good is one thing, being able to bring it is another. The more regularly I play tournaments, the better I perform in them.
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I have found this to be true for me as well.
Social league pool can snuff out the killer instinct in some people.
But for some, there is no detriment. For some the best thing they can do is quit league play and play in tournaments or match up for stakes. For others, league pool may be what they need to play better.

I believe that some play best in a team environment and are able to play with more focus and drive to win for the team. Others are distracted by being on the team and their game suffers, yet they excell in tournament play or matching up.

Perhaps it boils down to finding the venue where you place the most value on playing well / winning. For some, it may be every game, for others they need a reason to play at their best and that motivator may vary from person to person or even day to day.
 
pre shot routine. standing a foot or so back from where i will be placing my feet. seems i make way more shots and know im correctly set. still working on getting up when i know i messed up the routine.
 
To crush your enemies -- See them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women! :p
 
This question is hard to quantify, but ...
Recently, the biggest improvement I have enjoyed in the shortest amount of time is working hard to straighten my stroke.
You don't need a camera (you won't have one during a game). You just need a laser focus on the pre-stroke and on the follow-through. This also helps me to focus on spin, draw, follow, and speed, so I make the ball AND (sometimes) get the position I seek. (Still working on speed.)

Yes, yes, this means I am not looking at the OB at the moment I hit the cue ball. I know that, for some of you, I speak (whispering) blasphemy!!

(That's ok. I have never seen the OB spontaneously move after I lock down my aiming line. ............. Have you?)

Put another way, my sloppy stroke errors were bigger than my aiming errors.
 
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