Soooooo, I'm a slow player.........
- Thread starter fathomblue
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Shoebat
It's been a slow morning and there have been a whole bunch of follow up posts made since I started writing the following. But this may be helpful, maybe not- I don't know.
First, the analogy on a micro level. About a week or so ago there was a quiet eye discussion and I shared a previous AZBer's very lengthy, detailed scientific study that was pretty hard to read, but which supported some of your guys' findings about lengths of time spent on shots. It goes something like this:
When measuring good players' eye focus times, they were more economical than poorer players (although they did spend a bit more time on difficult shots than they did on easier shots). The better players were able to immediately identify the key places to look, and then they stared at those places, while weaker players moved back and forth between points much more quickly (although they were probably spending more time doing this).
Now, to your point, it is possible that while you are trying to be deliberate, you may also be trying to look at everything. You could be examining and considering every possibility, every angle, every possible shot and outcome.
When you watch a slow pro on video, he is not necessarily looking at 50 options. He is likely weighing the probablilities of one or two options, considering the humidity, speed, stroke, cloth, cueball, etc. Watch his eyes- he's usually moving fairly slowly, and is thinking very hard about only one, or maybe two, shot possibilities- but not all shots and all possibilities.
I've noticed that some of the most frustratingly slow players are actually moving very quickly- running around the table, chalking, walking around to look at various areas and then getting up and down off the shot many times to look at other options. They take a really, really long time to shoot for as seriously fast as they're moving around.
What you're doing could be a trap, if you never let yourself relax and trust yourself so that you can quickly make decisions about what, where, and how to shoot. Much of what you are doing and looking at on your shots may actually be completely irrelevant and should be trimmed out. (Bruce Lee said that you study and learn a lot- and then you work to cut out the unnecessary motions- that so much of it is really trimming out the excess).
Ultimately, you must be able to immediately identify the best pattern possibilities and to make those trustworthy decisions so that your real shot time is spent breathing, concentrating, and making sure you're actually doing what you want to do.
I'm not a teacher, or even a good player or anything, but I respectfully and humbly offer these ideas that I think could help with your game psychologically.
Try these two little drills as part of your practice routine to make sure that you're not picking up some seriously bad habits from that methodical thing you're trying. Both are important.
1. Set up easy little dog leg corner shots- some stop shots, some with angles, moving up to side pockets and table length shots. Get down on the ball, aim. When you are at the point where you know you are going to make the ball, stop; close your eyes, breathe deeply, and shoot with your eyes closed. This will teach you to be steady, to listen to yourself, and to trust yourself.
2. Play a version of speed pool. You can play 8ball with a friend or on your own (pretending to be stripes until you miss, then being solids). You ONLY get 20 seconds from the time the last moving ball comes to rest before you have to make contact with the cueball on the next shot. Count aloud and don't cheat. Ball in hand to incoming player if you miss the 20 second mark, and their 20 secs starts when incoming player touches the cb. If you don't find yourself running to get to where the cueball will land, trim it to 10 seconds. You should soon start looking for your next two shots at all times- even when your friend is shooting. Lesson learned: how to make and go with decisions quickly, trusting the first or second shot and pattern you see, AND to make do with the rolls you get as best you can.
My reasoning is this: being a slow and deliberate player looking at everything can turn into something like a psychological set of training wheels on your bike. If you never let yourself remove those training wheels, you're never going to trust yourself or get out there and burn some rubber. Try the drills. Don't create or solidify bad habits, and don't turn yourself into "that guy" at the poolroom.
First, the analogy on a micro level. About a week or so ago there was a quiet eye discussion and I shared a previous AZBer's very lengthy, detailed scientific study that was pretty hard to read, but which supported some of your guys' findings about lengths of time spent on shots. It goes something like this:
When measuring good players' eye focus times, they were more economical than poorer players (although they did spend a bit more time on difficult shots than they did on easier shots). The better players were able to immediately identify the key places to look, and then they stared at those places, while weaker players moved back and forth between points much more quickly (although they were probably spending more time doing this).
Now, to your point, it is possible that while you are trying to be deliberate, you may also be trying to look at everything. You could be examining and considering every possibility, every angle, every possible shot and outcome.
When you watch a slow pro on video, he is not necessarily looking at 50 options. He is likely weighing the probablilities of one or two options, considering the humidity, speed, stroke, cloth, cueball, etc. Watch his eyes- he's usually moving fairly slowly, and is thinking very hard about only one, or maybe two, shot possibilities- but not all shots and all possibilities.
I've noticed that some of the most frustratingly slow players are actually moving very quickly- running around the table, chalking, walking around to look at various areas and then getting up and down off the shot many times to look at other options. They take a really, really long time to shoot for as seriously fast as they're moving around.
What you're doing could be a trap, if you never let yourself relax and trust yourself so that you can quickly make decisions about what, where, and how to shoot. Much of what you are doing and looking at on your shots may actually be completely irrelevant and should be trimmed out. (Bruce Lee said that you study and learn a lot- and then you work to cut out the unnecessary motions- that so much of it is really trimming out the excess).
Ultimately, you must be able to immediately identify the best pattern possibilities and to make those trustworthy decisions so that your real shot time is spent breathing, concentrating, and making sure you're actually doing what you want to do.
I'm not a teacher, or even a good player or anything, but I respectfully and humbly offer these ideas that I think could help with your game psychologically.
Try these two little drills as part of your practice routine to make sure that you're not picking up some seriously bad habits from that methodical thing you're trying. Both are important.
1. Set up easy little dog leg corner shots- some stop shots, some with angles, moving up to side pockets and table length shots. Get down on the ball, aim. When you are at the point where you know you are going to make the ball, stop; close your eyes, breathe deeply, and shoot with your eyes closed. This will teach you to be steady, to listen to yourself, and to trust yourself.
2. Play a version of speed pool. You can play 8ball with a friend or on your own (pretending to be stripes until you miss, then being solids). You ONLY get 20 seconds from the time the last moving ball comes to rest before you have to make contact with the cueball on the next shot. Count aloud and don't cheat. Ball in hand to incoming player if you miss the 20 second mark, and their 20 secs starts when incoming player touches the cb. If you don't find yourself running to get to where the cueball will land, trim it to 10 seconds. You should soon start looking for your next two shots at all times- even when your friend is shooting. Lesson learned: how to make and go with decisions quickly, trusting the first or second shot and pattern you see, AND to make do with the rolls you get as best you can.
My reasoning is this: being a slow and deliberate player looking at everything can turn into something like a psychological set of training wheels on your bike. If you never let yourself remove those training wheels, you're never going to trust yourself or get out there and burn some rubber. Try the drills. Don't create or solidify bad habits, and don't turn yourself into "that guy" at the poolroom.
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Yeah, my brain is pretty much on overload right now. I'm analyzing A LOT of things. I need to trim out the stuff that my brain is telling isn't a good idea at all and maybe weigh the 2 best options and go with one of them.
I guess in my quest to be a great player, I'm working hard, but not working smart.
I guess in my quest to be a great player, I'm working hard, but not working smart.
My comment to the topic creator is play your game and don't let other distract you. Pro events have a 30 second shot clock. You aren't much over that and also not a pro. So don't expect yourself to play at the speed a pro plays at.
It annoys me as much as the next guy playing against a slow player but that is not relevant here. You are trying to learn the game. Things like that absolutely cannot be rushed. Take time in practice on playing faster but in a match play at a speed where you are comfortable.
Best of luck!
It annoys me as much as the next guy playing against a slow player but that is not relevant here. You are trying to learn the game. Things like that absolutely cannot be rushed. Take time in practice on playing faster but in a match play at a speed where you are comfortable.
Best of luck!
I will say that the night that I was timed, was one of my worst nights of shooting pool. Played terribly. Things were running thru my head that were work-related, blah blah blah. I'm hoping that's what's caused some of this.
My best friend and I are going to shoot tonite on my home table and he's agreed to time me with a stopwatch app on his iPhone. I'm going to help him with some things he wants to work on.
My mind should be on nothing but pool tonite, so maybe I can get some concrete average times. If I had to guess my average times before this new "revelation", I would have thought they were in the 30 second range. Maybe 15 seconds on easy shots and 45 seconds on difficult ones. Apparently my internal clock is significantly off.
Again, thanks for all the suggestions and criticism.
My best friend and I are going to shoot tonite on my home table and he's agreed to time me with a stopwatch app on his iPhone. I'm going to help him with some things he wants to work on.
My mind should be on nothing but pool tonite, so maybe I can get some concrete average times. If I had to guess my average times before this new "revelation", I would have thought they were in the 30 second range. Maybe 15 seconds on easy shots and 45 seconds on difficult ones. Apparently my internal clock is significantly off.
Again, thanks for all the suggestions and criticism.
alstl...Since nobody else answered your question, I will. It's how you look, when you look, where you look, why you look, and how long you look, at both the CB and OB, as part of your PSR. There are certain eye patterns that, because of how the eyes and brain work best together, seem to work better for many players.
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
fathomblue:
If you don't mind my saying so, methinks the problem may be a couple things:
1. You're not aware (or have closed-off) things around you. This is both good and bad. Good, in that you're not letting menial/trivial things around you to bother you; bad, in that you're not aware of the time you're taking at the table.
2. As a couple posters have mentioned, your PEP (personal eye pattern) may be a bit askew. Your eye pattern is not locking you into the shot, and you may find yourself getting up, and resituating yourself because you're not comfortable that you're "locked in."
3. You're not processing things in the most efficient manner. You're taking far too much time to "take in" the shot, process it, turn the "computer" (your conscious mind) off, and letting your subconscious do what it does best -- shoot the shot.
4. You might, like many other slow/deliberate players, have a "control" issue. Meaning, you are of the thought that you must be in absolute control and lucidly aware of everything that has to go into playing pool. Meaning again, you think that you have to be consciously aware -- the conscious mind has to be firmly and undeniably in control -- of every minute detail in pool. You're not letting the parts of your mind which are tailored for repetitive motion do what they do best -- repeat something they already know how to do. When you have to consciously process such excruciating details, you will obviously take more time in doing so, rather than just "take the shot in," process it, switch-off that backseat driver (i.e. the conscious mind), and shoot the shot the way you already know how.
There's a reason why the higher skill-level players tend to be faster paced -- they trust their subconscious, they trust their stroke, and they "just do it" as the sports clothing company commercial says.
You *can* reverse the slow/deliberate trend, and the way to do that is to be aware of how much time you're spending at the table. Don't immerse yourself as deeply as you usually do; reserve a little bit of conscious time for how much time you're spending at the table, and learn to trust your stroke and your subconscious ability to aim more. Don't waste brain cycles on that crap. Just get down, and shoot.
If you're concerned about your ability to perform under these conditions -- i.e. you don't trust your subconscious -- get a table on your own. Practice just picking out the shot, don't waste too many brain cycles on this decision, get down, trust your subconscious, and shoot. If you miss, so what? Move on to the next shot. Repeat. After 10 or 15 minutes (maybe more -- just stay with it) of this, you'll notice something happening -- you're making the shots now, and you're feeling less "congested" thought-wise. You'll feel more free and easy at the table, rather than the pressure of having to parse all those silly details. After a while of practicing this way, you obviously have to come to a point where you trust this in a match -- that will be your biggest hurdle, but once done, you'll be a different player from that day forth.
Try it!
-Sean
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Two things to speed up.
When I was a lesser player and a ravenous student of the game, I was slow.
1) I couldn't read the table layout that well, hence I struggled determing what shots to play
2) I was trying new things
You can accelerate these 2 processes. Watch lots of videos/matches and predict shots. If they shoot differently, ask yourself why. You'll get more comfortable seeing the table and correct shots in due time.
Practice, practice, practice, and your mechanics and confidence will improve.
Good luck that guy.
When I was a lesser player and a ravenous student of the game, I was slow.
1) I couldn't read the table layout that well, hence I struggled determing what shots to play
2) I was trying new things
You can accelerate these 2 processes. Watch lots of videos/matches and predict shots. If they shoot differently, ask yourself why. You'll get more comfortable seeing the table and correct shots in due time.
Practice, practice, practice, and your mechanics and confidence will improve.
Good luck that guy.
I didn't see you mention it, maybe I missed it. How much of this time is spent analyzing the table (standing up) and how much is spent actually down on the shot?
The answer would go a long way in determining the problem.
The answer would go a long way in determining the problem.
Tom in Cincy, I have the "Inner Game of Tennis". Great book. I'm not yet where I trust myself with my new style of play. The grip, stroke, stance, etc. All the stuff that I've changed basically. I hope I'm on the way to that.
Atlstl, sorry I missed your question about the personal eye pattern. Yes, listen to Scott on this one. He's the instructor.
Also, I'm not the kind that lingers around the table after I shoot. If I miss, I walk away. The lingerers bother me too.
While I do stand up on a shot and start over occasionally, I don't do it much more than a normal player that has learned to do it. When I'm down on the shot, I'm usually about 1-2 "lubricating strokes", about 2 "real" strokes and then shoot. Not a great amount of time is spent down there. Not 1-strokin' it tho, either.
Where I "waste time" is when I get to the table and decide what the heck I'm going to do and how to do it.
It's funny, when I played this game 15 years ago, my pace was quicker and I did trust myself. This past 1+ year of coming back has been really tough and an eye-opener. I had forgotten how hard the game can be.
I'm just not trusting myself enough and I'm really analyzing every single thing that comes thru my head. I guess I DO think I have to be in control, as SF stated. Sometimes ya gotta let go and let the human computer do it's job, I guess.
Atlstl, sorry I missed your question about the personal eye pattern. Yes, listen to Scott on this one. He's the instructor.
Also, I'm not the kind that lingers around the table after I shoot. If I miss, I walk away. The lingerers bother me too.
While I do stand up on a shot and start over occasionally, I don't do it much more than a normal player that has learned to do it. When I'm down on the shot, I'm usually about 1-2 "lubricating strokes", about 2 "real" strokes and then shoot. Not a great amount of time is spent down there. Not 1-strokin' it tho, either.
Where I "waste time" is when I get to the table and decide what the heck I'm going to do and how to do it.
It's funny, when I played this game 15 years ago, my pace was quicker and I did trust myself. This past 1+ year of coming back has been really tough and an eye-opener. I had forgotten how hard the game can be.
I'm just not trusting myself enough and I'm really analyzing every single thing that comes thru my head. I guess I DO think I have to be in control, as SF stated. Sometimes ya gotta let go and let the human computer do it's job, I guess.
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Banks
Banned
I still don't understand how people can change so many things at once and hope to get them all figured out.
How do you ever know if you were doing something right or not? Things like a bad stance, im-very-ho, can have a huge affect on stroke and sighting. You could've simply needed a different stance, instead of messing with a stroke you already had or a grip that was fine. I'd be questioning my comfort at the table if I did that, too. :frown:
I teach, so you'll forgive me for repeating myself (even if said elsewhere):
I tend to teach students that rhythm is not so much a matter of (measurable) time, but a spectrum between indecision and indecision - meaning, at one end of the spectrum, to play before one has made up one's mind, or, at the other end of the spectrum, second-guessing after one has made up one's mind. Probably needless to point out, the former's too fast, the latter too slow - that's where the time aspect comes in.
What this means is that unless you're suffering from mental or physical exhaustion, or are up against the shot clock, it's your competition (or the tournament director) that has a problem, not you. Unless you consider it a problem if people won't play you unless they have to (= as in a tournament).
While it's true that playing slowly may take a lot of energy, it's even truer that one will never play one's best trying to please others - the point is to be oneself, and be the best one can be.
This may sound obvious, but it's not. Few people are they're own best judges as to what's good for them, at least not from the get-go. I know this sounds ironic, but try not to take it that way. Try counting instead. Count whether, on the above spectrum, you tend to err more often over- or underthinking. Don't just judge by feel, to literally count is more objective, apart from the fact that it helps being fair (indeed loving) with oneself. If it's roughly fifty-fifty, you've found your perfect pace (= everybody misses, at least once in a while!). And if/when you have, don't allow anyone (not by arguing, just don't listen) to patronize or look down on you.
One more tought: don't put pressure on yourself forcing yourself to be what you think you want to be, let alone what's "best" for you. There's no one specific way to do things, not even for the individual person. There's nothing wrong with giving in to whims. You won't feel free unless you let your inner child play, so to speak. Do as you feel is best at any given moment, and enjoy yourself. Not because pool is "just a game" (that is highly debatable, I happen to find it an analogy on life itself) - because it's you playing it.
Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________
„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti
I tend to teach students that rhythm is not so much a matter of (measurable) time, but a spectrum between indecision and indecision - meaning, at one end of the spectrum, to play before one has made up one's mind, or, at the other end of the spectrum, second-guessing after one has made up one's mind. Probably needless to point out, the former's too fast, the latter too slow - that's where the time aspect comes in.
What this means is that unless you're suffering from mental or physical exhaustion, or are up against the shot clock, it's your competition (or the tournament director) that has a problem, not you. Unless you consider it a problem if people won't play you unless they have to (= as in a tournament).
While it's true that playing slowly may take a lot of energy, it's even truer that one will never play one's best trying to please others - the point is to be oneself, and be the best one can be.
This may sound obvious, but it's not. Few people are they're own best judges as to what's good for them, at least not from the get-go. I know this sounds ironic, but try not to take it that way. Try counting instead. Count whether, on the above spectrum, you tend to err more often over- or underthinking. Don't just judge by feel, to literally count is more objective, apart from the fact that it helps being fair (indeed loving) with oneself. If it's roughly fifty-fifty, you've found your perfect pace (= everybody misses, at least once in a while!). And if/when you have, don't allow anyone (not by arguing, just don't listen) to patronize or look down on you.
One more tought: don't put pressure on yourself forcing yourself to be what you think you want to be, let alone what's "best" for you. There's no one specific way to do things, not even for the individual person. There's nothing wrong with giving in to whims. You won't feel free unless you let your inner child play, so to speak. Do as you feel is best at any given moment, and enjoy yourself. Not because pool is "just a game" (that is highly debatable, I happen to find it an analogy on life itself) - because it's you playing it.
Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________
„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti
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I still don't understand how people can change so many things at once and hope to get them all figured out.
I asked for some advice from a very reputable pro/instructor and he tweaked about 4 things on me. My grip, back hand position, bridge length and back leg. It really opened me up and I feel much better at the table. It's just that it's been only a couple of months of using it. Old habits die hard, so it's still a conscious decision to shoot that way at times.
I'm really hoping by the time I get to Tunica for the Southern Classic next year that the fundamentals will be rock solid and I'll be working on other things.
Slow play
I think you are slow playing your skill level more than the speed of your play. Judging from your equipment and that you plan on playing in Tunica, you either arent a mid level player or you like donating. Obviously, if you are deliberate but running racks, it is a lot harder for the opponent to say much. If you are a mid level snail playing run out players plan on sitting alot and getting saftied until you feel like all you did was kick and rack all weekend.
I think you are slow playing your skill level more than the speed of your play. Judging from your equipment and that you plan on playing in Tunica, you either arent a mid level player or you like donating. Obviously, if you are deliberate but running racks, it is a lot harder for the opponent to say much. If you are a mid level snail playing run out players plan on sitting alot and getting saftied until you feel like all you did was kick and rack all weekend.
Perhaps I should add this, the problem I'm having is playing 8-ball and the various patterns that are involved.
When I play a rotation game, it's not really an issue. I tend to play quicker when it's 9-ball or 10-ball, as the pattern is pretty much there in front of you. Just a matter of pocketing the ball and getting on the correct side of it to continue the run.
When I play a rotation game, it's not really an issue. I tend to play quicker when it's 9-ball or 10-ball, as the pattern is pretty much there in front of you. Just a matter of pocketing the ball and getting on the correct side of it to continue the run.
Now this is just a fact. In 8-Ball, it's the player who needs to make all the decisions - it's more rare that the pattern just speaks for itself.
Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________
„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti
RFranklin, can you explain the bolded sentence? I don't really get what you mean.
I honestly don't mind donating. I played in Tunica in July. I'm signed up for the White Diamonds 9-ball tourney in 2 weeks that is supposed to have the off-the-charts Calcutta (that will be a first for me). I'm going to TRY to hit the Derby in January and I'll definitely be heading back to Tunica next year. That's pretty much it for big tournaments. The rest of my playing time is in a state-wide league here in Arkansas. It's a singles league that basically uses BCA rules, but we're not affilitated with any nation-wide stuff.
Our league is handicapped and has players rated from level 3-10. I'm a level 5 that's probably a bit underrated, as it's only my 2nd season and we're slow to move people up till they've proven some consistency. I'm beating some 6-8's sporadically. I've even beaten a 10, due to the handicap. I defeated a level 8 head's up, in his own Master's tournament, since we can "play up". Occasionally I'll out-run the handicap and slide past a level 8 beating them 3-0 or 3-1....along those lines. But, I'll turn around and have a level 4 or 5 drill me. Even skunk me. I'm just inconsistent at times. Which, to me, is the mark of a player struggling with either fundamentals or perhaps in-game mental issues. I feel like mine is the latter.
As for running racks, it's pretty difficult, as we play on Olhausens with pretty worn cloth at my local pool hall. I think most of us know how tough those can be with the cut of the pockets. I RARELY run a rack, unless I get on a Diamond or other nice table. My game really does pick up when I get on nicer equipment (but I figure most people's do).
Slow Play
Believe me it was not personal but as you can see there were alot of instructors and advanced players that assumed you were a lower ranked player initially. Then you mentioned that you are a mid level player and now that you can run a rack or two if you are on good equipment. Most lower ranked players dont even notice anything but the speed. Now that we have a clearer picture we might be able to diagnose your issues more accurately. I like the fact that you sign up for these events knowing that you are probably going to have your head handed to you. That is the cheapest lessons that you can find short of getting busted up at home. Also, I would suggest trying to find the best player in your league that is willing to put up with 20 minute 8 ball games (most wont w/out action) and take notes. For 8 ball, watch the pros play on small tables to see how they take care of the problem balls. Like you said the rotation games make more sense because the shots/leaves are made for you. If you run racks, you know what I mean. Finally, if you ever get over to Austin, I give cheap "lessons" but I charge hourly.
Believe me it was not personal but as you can see there were alot of instructors and advanced players that assumed you were a lower ranked player initially. Then you mentioned that you are a mid level player and now that you can run a rack or two if you are on good equipment. Most lower ranked players dont even notice anything but the speed. Now that we have a clearer picture we might be able to diagnose your issues more accurately. I like the fact that you sign up for these events knowing that you are probably going to have your head handed to you. That is the cheapest lessons that you can find short of getting busted up at home. Also, I would suggest trying to find the best player in your league that is willing to put up with 20 minute 8 ball games (most wont w/out action) and take notes. For 8 ball, watch the pros play on small tables to see how they take care of the problem balls. Like you said the rotation games make more sense because the shots/leaves are made for you. If you run racks, you know what I mean. Finally, if you ever get over to Austin, I give cheap "lessons" but I charge hourly.
I'll admit it. I play slow. It's not a sharking or gamesmanship thing. I'm just trying to play the best that I can, every time that I go to the table.
Over the past few months I've completely changed my stance, grip, stroke, personal eye pattern, method of aiming, developed an honest-to-goodness pre-shot routine........you name it. I'm also consciously trying to pick out the best pattern to run the balls, instead of just shooting one ball to get on the next one with no regard to the overall table. I'm even weighing safety options.
So, needless to say, I've got a lot going on in my head. It's becoming more natural now, but I still have a long ways to go. It really started towards the end of the Tunica event in July, as I got some great advice from a couple of top-flight players. One player basically said (and I'm only slightly paraphrasing), "If you're going to be a great player, act like a great player. Watch what they do. Incorporate what works for you from what works for them. Study bridges, grips and strokes. Develop a professional-looking approach to the game. Amateurs don't study the pro's nearly enough.......". So, I'm doing my best to do that.
Here's the catch. I was already slower than almost everyone in my local pool room. Now I'm even slower. Or so they're starting to loudly hint. A few weeks ago, a friend/fellow player was studying everyone in the room and writing down how many seconds it took each player to shoot, whether they made it or not and if they got out of position. He wasn't pointing fingers at me, he did it for every player. It was more for his own personal study, but I noticed what he was doing and coaxed the info out of him.
The best players in the room were taking an average of 8-15 seconds to shoot the majority of their shots. The middle-of-the-road players were maybe twice that amount of time. The 2 lowest "rated" players in the room were the slowest. I'm one of them. I was taking about 45 seconds for most of my shots. Sometimes it was right at the minute mark. Altho, that was my outlier. Most of the other players had similar outlier times. It's just that their easy-to-average shots were coming much quicker. Each player definitely had their own rhythmn and pace of play.
The better players were tending to shoot quicker on average. However, on difficult shots, they did slow down quite a bit. With regards to MY play, I was much more consistent time-wise for each shot. Even my difficult shots didn't take THAT much longer than an average shot for me. I feel as tho it's because I'm trying hard to treat every shot with respect. The easiest of shots can be completely dogged or mis-played to get out of position.
I've been playing there for a year and a half and I honestly feel like I'm a much better player than when I started. I literally walked in the first day off of a 15 year hiatus from the game. I don't feel that most of the other players in the room have gotten that much better at all during that time.......and some are pretty stagnant in their game. A couple have picked up a bit. Then again, almost all of them are better than I am (or at least they win more often, I should say), so I've had more ground to make up. I'm starting to win more matches, but I'm still making crucial mistakes occasionally that are costing me games, as well. I suppose that's part of the learning curve and I try to identify those situations and work on them.
I'm just getting a lot of this off of my chest, so not sure if anyone here has any advice, constructive criticism, etc. I like every single one of the regular guys in our pool room and I hate to think that I'm "slowly" becoming the odd man out, because I'm holding up games. I don't want to stop playing there. No one has done more than joke at me about it in passing, but I think we all know that this is what happens at first, in the hopes that I'll get the hint.
I'm not comfortable playing quicker. I'm just not. And in my defense, what's the hurry? Really? Pool is a "hurry up and wait" kinda game anyway, in my opinion. And I don't have a problem with that. I'm there to compete, but I'm also there to relax. I've absolutely faced players slower than myself. I just zoned out and let them do their thing till it was my turn.
On a side note......I did a little study of my own last week. The other players tended to player quicker amongst themselves. When it came to playing me, THEY slowed down. Maybe it's my style of play that unconsiously does that to them. I was counting 30 seconds to a minute between shots for them on many, many occasions. I also don't have the skill to run out as often as they do, so I do play safes and 2-way shots at times that they wouldn't. Of course some of that happens because I'm not as good of a position player as they are. That increases overall game times. I don't think they realize how slow they CAN play at times compared to others.
Also, since Tunica, I've been buying quite a few Accu-Stats videos. Studyin' the pro's as I was advised. A lot of them really play pretty methodically, which is what I'm attempting to do.
Should I consciously try to speed up my play a bit and hope I can adjust to it? Should I put myself on an internal shot clock? Is this normal when an amateur changes so many things about their game? Should I keep on keepin' on and let my pace be what it is?
Or am I "that guy" that you all dread playing?
Any comments would be appreciated.
so what you're basically saying is that you literally take more time in between shots
...than it took for me to read all that^ stuff?
:grin:
:boring2: