What do you do ..when putting in the work doesnt work?

probably you cant do the simplest of shots and position. few can. and that translates into being able to improve.

take a yard stick and lay it on the table and put cue ball and an object ball along it. see if you can follow and draw and stop your cueball along all the different inches on the yard stick. if you can, move on as you can beat almost all others. if you cant you can not improve very much at any speed.

then take a simple straight in say 4 foot shot and be able to make it in all the spots within the pocket so you can fudge the pocket at all angles. that shows accuracy.

if you cant do those things reasonably well. how can you improve as all things father away will be magnified.
 
Are you incorporating any repetitive drills in your 9 ball practice? For example throwing 4 balls on the table, marking them with donuts, and practicing that single out for 20 or 30 minutes? (more balls if that's way too easy)

I've found for me, that was super helpful. My brain will automatically pick the best pattern/postion route to run the balls, after failing a certain pattern or 3. I had done it with a whole rack for a week at a time, then went to other racks for a week each.

The other thing about repetitive drills, is you will really remember the exact shot(s), and when it comes up in a real game 3 months later, you will instantly recognize it, and remember all of its pitfalls.

You are definitely practicing enough each week imo to make good improvements. How long have you been playing this much? 1 year? 5 years? You also need regular competition to keep you motivated and to learn from others in the heat of battle.
 
and i dont know of any great players or just really good players that got that way without gambling. gambling puts pressure on you and you get better.

and some dont have very good eye hand co ordination so never can improve much.
 
maha said:
and i dont know of any great players or just really good players that got that way without gambling. gambling puts pressure on you and you get better.

and some dont have very good eye hand co ordination so never can improve much.
Click to expand...
Gambling is the "to the death" version of a pool game. Still, besides doing pool doesn't have to involve beating anyone, most lower level noobs are just on incomplete; clueless as to the actual requirements of performing consistently never _mind_ winning.
 
Take notes on your practice drills. Also take notes on your league/tournament matches. You have structure in your practice, you will probably benefit mentally when you actually see results, after taking notes on your success. Unfortunately progress doesn’t mean the game starts feeling easier as it remains frustrating all the way to the top pros 😝 This means you can’t really measure progress with your gut feeling.
Edit: forgot the best advice: learn to play 14.1 🥰
 
406jwh said:
What do you do when you're not seeing results. I know for a fact that I put in more time than most on my fundamentals and practice and I'm frustrated that I'm not seeing quicker results. It often feels like the harder I go to work the worst my game suffers.

I keep telling myself that all the hard work is going to pay off only to find myself disappointed in my match or gameplay.

Others have told me that I'm getting a lot better however it's hard to see from this side of the fence I often feel like as a 490 500 Fargo that I'm underperforming the problem is that I'm capable of playing like a 300 and a 600 but the two make terrible Scotch doubles partners

Anyone else feel this way and what did you do to try alleviate the feeling of walking in place
Click to expand...
Take two weeks off and quit! That piece of advice is courtesy of my friend Danny Diliberto.
 
maha said:
probably you cant do the simplest of shots and position. few can. and that translates into being able to improve.

take a yard stick and lay it on the table and put cue ball and an object ball along it. see if you can follow and draw and stop your cueball along all the different inches on the yard stick. if you can, move on as you can beat almost all others. if you cant you can not improve very much at any speed.

then take a simple straight in say 4 foot shot and be able to make it in all the spots within the pocket so you can fudge the pocket at all angles. that shows accuracy.

if you cant do those things reasonably well. how can you improve as all things father away will be magnified.
Click to expand...
OP.... putting in the time, expecting quick results.... thinking that way, I Know is a problem.


When I work at my game I hope to improve.... I never expect it quickly.
Corey a couple yrs ago helped me with one thing, took me about 2 mths to correct and then become natural.

No shot is simple (thinking that was IS a problem).
All shots can and are missed, only shot that may be simple is when your 12'' from your target, and your target is hanging in the Outside of the pocket.
After all the yrs I've taught I've learned this. Takes only 1 thing to upset the apple cart.
Pool is toooooooooooo precise, too difficult as I've always said for the average mind.
Anyone that expects doing this gets you that I know, is a personal problem.
I was raised around professional athletes, Otto Graham was part of our family of friends.
Did he expect to be a HOF QB, winning 7 title games in ten tries, I think not.

I'd find an instructor that'll watch you play for awhile..... then from that he'll be able to notice what's wrong.
One flaw.... effects all shots.

Correcting that problem usually takes 1 to 2-3 mths to incorporate so you no longer think about it and it becomes natural.
Once that's corrected it effects your entire game.
I've come to realize this after many yrs of one on one teaching.
Knowing my student FIRST, how they think and process what's before them via their work and life, are Very important factors in helping me explain, and for you to understand how to correct your flaws, most always they are fundamentals.

In other words, when I teach I know each person processes info different. Realizing this helps us both to get your game in cue.

Find a good instructor, you'll save a lot of time in the long run.
I'm in CO.... I have my own out bldg and reupped my teaching that I did for ten yrs.
My last lesson since I began teaching again, helped my student ALLOT, but it helped me even more. I didn't expect that.

I see allot of, well if I do this.... then this should occur.... not in the real world.

bm



bm
 
Same as i approach golf: short practice sessions followed by playing the game. I get way more out of playing than beating balls. Might work on REAL basic fundamental shit(it all comes to basics) but the more one plays the game the better. Just my $.02, some people love to practice, do drills and all that stuff. TBH i'd rather mow the grass.
 
golf and pool are alike in that if you can not take the stick in your hand and hit the precise spot you are aiming for on the ball you are never ever going to get good.
 
More thoughts which may or may not apply. Be sure your mindset is correct. You play the game. A lot of people expect to just dominate the game after a certain point. Especially if said person is a quick learner, relatively disciplined, puts a lot of work in and is used to getting good at things. Take a video game for an example. You may be the type of person who can just start dominating an online game in 3 or 4 months. Pool can't be dominated in general. Even the pros miss. Pool will always put a guy in their place at some point if you try to win it by dominating the game. Pool is about playing the shot, not mentally dominating it or turning it into your whipping boy. Pool lets you play and enjoy the game, but it won't let you take it's lunch money.

If in your head you start believing you're good and should start beating everyone, just running out from nowhere, etc it's a recipe for disaster. A winning mindset or champion mindset isn't about domination, it's about playing the shot that is on the table as close to perfect as you can. This isn't to say you won't get good at the game, it's just that it's real easy to tell yourself that you're better than you are. Especially if you put serious work in and don't notice quick results. If you pander to the ego and then the results don't match up it creates cognitive dissonance. You get stressed. You perform worse. You feel miserable.

The book "The Pleasure of Small Motions" is a good one to see how to get enjoyment from the game (even when it's pissing you the F off). Enjoy the shot. I'm not saying to forget about winning, but don't let thinking about winning take away your chance of winning. Thinking/worrying about winning will cause you undue stress. If you get stressed you've put a big handicap on yourself. Your body makes a cocktail of chemicals when you get stressed. They hamper performance. Stress effects your muscles, your organs, and it isn't good. You would be much better served getting a good nights sleep before a tournament than trying to force yourself to win. Pool doesn't like to be dominated but it will let you play as many sweet shots as you let it.

Welcome to the twilight zone. ;)
 
I think this bears repeating.
couldnthinkof01 said:
How do you analyze your sessions?
Do you have drills that are progressive?
Are you keeping track of the percentages?
How are you tracking progress? ...
Click to expand...
Some other points:

I think measuring practice performance is important, but if you are interested in playing competitively you need to track your progress there as well. FargoRate is good for this if you are in an area where that is used. League standing is another way.

Record videos of both practice and competition. Look for things you don't like.

Consider finding another coach to check your fundamentals. Any problem there needs to be fixed as early as possible, and different coaches/instructors will tend to see different problems. You can do your own analysis of fundamentals using video, but the setup and what to look for are not obvious.
 
maha said:
golf and pool are alike in that if you can not take the stick in your hand and hit the precise spot you are aiming for on the ball you are never ever going to get good.
Click to expand...
Golf is more about path and face angle in determing where the ball goes.

To answer the OP's question.

Soak up all the knowledge about the game that you can possibly absorb.

1) keep plugging away doing what it takes to get better via lessons, playing with other more experienced players who are willing to share information etc etc. 2) Eventually accept the fact that your are at your ceiling & be happy with that. 3) Find another game / hobby to try.
 
Last edited:
I think about moving skills, shots, patterns etc. from impossible, to do-able, to automatic. Getting as many elements into the automatic zone is important to playing well. Our mental capacity is finite. If we are spending mental energy on simple fundamentals, or position, or patterns there is less available for truly hard situations or shots.

If back cuts give you a hard time and you move them from impossible to do-able, that's great! But, there is another step where those shots become automatic. Once you start making them, that feels like progress that should payoff, but the real payoff comes when you don't have to grind on them anymore. It is a kind of mental consolidation that comes little by little, then you'll level up.

Folks always say to practice your weaknesses, which is good advice. But don't stop because you consistently succeed at those skills. Keep practicing until those former weaknesses are effortless.
 
maha said:
no just like pool you have a precise spot on the ball to hit with a certain spot on your stick.
Click to expand...
You couldn’t be more wrong if u tried. Do just a bit of research on the subject before passing off horrible information twice.
 
I go out and play 2 and sometimes 3 times a week with the boys and Thursday when i play league i don't practice nothing at this stage in my life.
 
Last edited:
406jwh said:
What do you do when you're not seeing results. I know for a fact that I put in more time than most on my fundamentals and practice and I'm frustrated that I'm not seeing quicker results. It often feels like the harder I go to work the worst my game suffers.

I keep telling myself that all the hard work is going to pay off only to find myself disappointed in my match or gameplay.

Others have told me that I'm getting a lot better however it's hard to see from this side of the fence I often feel like as a 490 500 Fargo that I'm underperforming the problem is that I'm capable of playing like a 300 and a 600 but the two make terrible Scotch doubles partners

Anyone else feel this way and what did you do to try alleviate the feeling of walking in place
Click to expand...
Read my post on practice!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top