How Often Has This Happened to You?

ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Is it just me, or has this happened before to those of you out there that like to practice 14.1 by yourself? I'll have a 2-3 hour solo practice session of 14.1, in which I rack the balls and set up various break shots, then shoot (going for a multiple rack high run) until I miss, then re-rack and start over.

As has happened to me many times before, I have a frustrating session (for a player who has run 50+ balls numerous times and approaching 100 for a high run) and seem to have trouble even getting through an entire rack let alone stringing any racks together.

Then, near the very end of my session I somehow manage to rip off a 3-4 rack run, and end the session on a high note, even though I've struggled mightily most of the session. It just seems strange why this has happened to me a number of times. Curious if others who practice 14.1 have had similar experiences?
 
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stevekur1

The "COMMISH"
Silver Member
Great Post.

I feel this could be for many reasons. Could be focus, limberness or just playing conditions changing through out the day such as humidity or dirty or clean balls which I know balls cut differently either way clean or dirty or just from the oils in your skin from touching them while racking.

To test your limberness, try playing 9 or 10 ball for like a half hour before jumping into 14.1, straight pool is already a tight game with many different types of strokes which may be more difficult if approached while your body is not loose.

Also maybe just like me, you put too much pressure on yourself.

Don’t worry about the numbers. Don’t think about them just play your patterns. The numbers will follow suit. Try just to maintain a good average inning.

Hope this helped
Steve
 

ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Great Post.

I feel this could be for many reasons. Could be focus, limberness or just playing conditions changing through out the day such as humidity or dirty or clean balls which I know balls cut differently either way clean or dirty or just from the oils in your skin from touching them while racking.

To test your limberness, try playing 9 or 10 ball for like a half hour before jumping into 14.1, straight pool is already a tight game with many different types of strokes which may be more difficult if approached while your body is not loose.

Also maybe just like me, you put too much pressure on yourself.

Don’t worry about the numbers. Don’t think about them just play your patterns. The numbers will follow suit. Try just to maintain a good average inning.

Hope this helped
Steve
I am very spoiled in that I generally do this practice in my poolroom late at night when we have slowed down, with few if any customer distractions, newly polished balls, on a table with cleanly kept Simonis. I didn't mention that my 14.1 practice is always done on two extremely tough tables - a 9-foot table with 4-1/8" pockets or our 10-foot table with 4-1/4" pockets, which I realize often is the reason for my frustration if I'm just slighly off my game, or carelessly take any single shot for granted. I could occasionally try these 14.1 practice sessions on the easier tables, but I don't want to get used to the margin of error the bigger pockets provide. I find that it demands 100% of my focus to play on the toughest tables, which I feel best mentally prepares me for tournament play or serious 1-on-1 match-ups, even though that's always 9-ball played on the more generous pocket tables, and not 14.1. Thanks for your insights.
 
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Mick

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Is it just me, or has this happened before to those of you out there that like to practice 14.1 by yourself? I'll have a 2-3 hour solo practice session of 14.1, in which I rack the balls and set up various break shots, then shoot (going for a multiple rack high run) until I miss, then re-rack and start over.

As has happened to me many times before, I have a frustrating session (for a player who has run 50+ balls numerous times and approaching 100 for a high run) and seem to have trouble even getting through an entire rack let alone stringing any racks together.

Then, near the very end of my session I somehow manage to rip off a 3-4 rack run, and end the session on a high note, even though I've struggled mightily most of the session. It just seems strange why this has happened to me a number of times. Curious if others who practice 14.1 have had similar experiences?

This could be me. I find that the longer I play, the easier it gets to flow. A session will go: Run 3 miss, miss break, run 4 miss, run 12 miss, run 4 miss, run 20... etc etc.

Very seldom will I have a well thought out run early. I TRY to focus from the start, it just seems to get easier the longer I play.
 

arcstats

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I am very spoiled in that I generally do this practice in my poolroom late at night when we have slowed down, with few if any customer distractions, newly polished balls, on a table with cleanly kept Simonis. I didn't mention that my 14.1 practice is always done on two extremely tough tables - a 9-foot table with 4-1/8" pockets or our 10-foot table with 4-1/4" pockets, which I realize often is the reason for my frustration if I'm just slighly off my game, or carelessly take any single shot for granted. I could occasionally try these 14.1 practice sessions on the easier tables, but I don't want to get used to the margin of error the bigger pockets provide. I find that it demands 100% of my focus to play on the toughest tables, which I feel best mentally prepares me for tournament play or serious 1-on-1 match-ups, even though that's always 9-ball played on the more generous pocket tables, and not 14.1. Thanks for your insights.

Maybe you should re-think the parameters of your practice, meaning the tables you are playing on. To my knowledge there are no 14.1 tournaments that play on the tables you describe. Many 14.1 players are hesitant to even play on a standard Diamond pro-am with 4.5" pockets because of the shelf. You may be beating yourself up for no reason. If you only play in 9-ball tournaments, practice 9-ball on the tight tables and see if your tourney results improve.

Confidence is a big part of successful 14.1 play. Cheating the pocket is an important tool of 14.1. Playing on a 10' table or 4 1/8 pockets is a formula for frustration in 14.1. Competitive swimmers do not train by constantly swimming against the tide. Seems to me that's what you may be attempting to do. Lighten up, practice on a typical 14.1 table for a month. Then compare your results.
 

ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Maybe you should re-think the parameters of your practice, meaning the tables you are playing on. To my knowledge there are no 14.1 tournaments that play on the tables you describe. Many 14.1 players are hesitant to even play on a standard Diamond pro-am with 4.5" pockets because of the shelf. You may be beating yourself up for no reason. If you only play in 9-ball tournaments, practice 9-ball on the tight tables and see if your tourney results improve.

Confidence is a big part of successful 14.1 play. Cheating the pocket is an important tool of 14.1. Playing on a 10' table or 4 1/8 pockets is a formula for frustration in 14.1. Competitive swimmers do not train by constantly swimming against the tide. Seems to me that's what you may be attempting to do. Lighten up, practice on a typical 14.1 table for a month. Then compare your results.
Yes, I appreciate your advice and I really should at least rotate my 14..1 practice sessions from the tight pocket tables to the more standard pocket tables, if for no other reason than helping my confidence. Problem is it just makes it so tough to transition from the bigger pockets back to the tighter pockets.

Strangely for some reason, I sometimes don't focus as well when playing on the bigger pockets. As hard as I try, I tend to take too many shots for granted and miss shots I shouldn't, whereas on the tighter pocket tables I know I must concentrate on pocketing every single shot center pocket.
 

wigglybridge

14.1 straight pool!
Silver Member
exactly the reverse for me, in general: for me, a good run is 30-something, and i'll often run that right out of the gate when practicing, and then not come close for the next couple of hours.

in both our cases, though, i think it's focus.
 
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