Master the art of aiming and never miss another ball.
Now that's a fireball sentence right there! Most would say it's an impossibility, a pipedream, nothing but words written for positive thinking suckers. Lol. But let's look at the potential of making this impossible dream a reality.
I don't know a single pool player that never misses a shot on occassion. But I and countless others have played entire matches or long gambling sessions where we never missed a ball we intended to make, which means for that brief time period we got a taste of mastering the art of aiming, of never missing a ball. I wish it occurred more often, as does every other pool player out there. And I believe it can occur more often if we invest in quality practice. A player can continue moving up in skill level and consistency by incorporating and maintaining good practice habits. That's the toughest part about developing consistent, excellent skills -- it takes practice, practice, and more practice.
Now consider this.... One of the most important keys to playing good pool is similar to playing good poker. You have to be able to recognize the difference between low percentage and high percentage opportunities, and be disciplined enough to avoid the low percentage stuff. If you continually play low percentage hands you will lose far more than you win. The same thing applies in pool. I watch players do it all the time, selling out games because they fire at too many low percentage shots.
In competition you should avoid shooting any shot that you don't know or don't believe you can make. This strategy alone will increase your shot making consistency. Over time, with practice and experience, you will acquire the skills and knowledge to turn a few low percentage shots into high percentage shots. Of course there will be times when you have no other option but to attempt a low percentage shot. This happens, and all you can do is give it your best effort.
Knowing your current limitations, as far as what a low or high percentage shot means to you, is part of mastering the art of aiming. It's like a dance, and it doesn't matter if you don't know a million steps/moves -- you can stick to the moves you know, and as long as there's music...you can dance!
This same strategy can work in your pool game. Stick to what you know 100%, adding to your knowledge base little by little through practice. Quit losing games by thinking you can make every shot you see. Eventually you might be that good, but until then play within your known limitations, shooting only the shots that you honestly believe you can make most every time. No guessing. Do this and I guarantee you'll find yourself having matches or entire nights where you never miss a ball. If you can do it once then you can do it again.
Now that's a fireball sentence right there! Most would say it's an impossibility, a pipedream, nothing but words written for positive thinking suckers. Lol. But let's look at the potential of making this impossible dream a reality.
I don't know a single pool player that never misses a shot on occassion. But I and countless others have played entire matches or long gambling sessions where we never missed a ball we intended to make, which means for that brief time period we got a taste of mastering the art of aiming, of never missing a ball. I wish it occurred more often, as does every other pool player out there. And I believe it can occur more often if we invest in quality practice. A player can continue moving up in skill level and consistency by incorporating and maintaining good practice habits. That's the toughest part about developing consistent, excellent skills -- it takes practice, practice, and more practice.
Now consider this.... One of the most important keys to playing good pool is similar to playing good poker. You have to be able to recognize the difference between low percentage and high percentage opportunities, and be disciplined enough to avoid the low percentage stuff. If you continually play low percentage hands you will lose far more than you win. The same thing applies in pool. I watch players do it all the time, selling out games because they fire at too many low percentage shots.
In competition you should avoid shooting any shot that you don't know or don't believe you can make. This strategy alone will increase your shot making consistency. Over time, with practice and experience, you will acquire the skills and knowledge to turn a few low percentage shots into high percentage shots. Of course there will be times when you have no other option but to attempt a low percentage shot. This happens, and all you can do is give it your best effort.
Knowing your current limitations, as far as what a low or high percentage shot means to you, is part of mastering the art of aiming. It's like a dance, and it doesn't matter if you don't know a million steps/moves -- you can stick to the moves you know, and as long as there's music...you can dance!
This same strategy can work in your pool game. Stick to what you know 100%, adding to your knowledge base little by little through practice. Quit losing games by thinking you can make every shot you see. Eventually you might be that good, but until then play within your known limitations, shooting only the shots that you honestly believe you can make most every time. No guessing. Do this and I guarantee you'll find yourself having matches or entire nights where you never miss a ball. If you can do it once then you can do it again.
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