How long did it take you to become a good pool player?

Lock N Load

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
As asked in the subject! What helped you on the way to becoming a good player? Thanks for your input.
Many Regards,
Lock N Load.
 

dom_poppa

Banned
16 years and counting and I am still not that good...well, for my standards but have no problem beating 90 percent of those in a pool hall.

The 10 percent are tough as nails.
 

klockdoc

ughhhhhhhhhh
Silver Member
Six months and a commitment I made to myself to beat everyone that came in the pool hall regularly.

I did that. Just a straight shooter then.

Course, it was a long time ago. Got better over the years, but so did a lot of others. :smile:
 

Banks

Banned
What's the definition of good?

I thought I was good in my first year, being a strong APA 5 rating, then barely a 6 by the end of that year. Then my goal was to reach a 7. Did that, but realized there are wide ranges of 7s(APA's highest 8-ball rating). I thought I'd be something special when I reached their highest 9-ball rating. Again, I found I've got a lot more learning to do. My current goal is to move up the BCA ranks. Portland isn't exactly filled with top-tier players, so it is pretty difficult to gauge one's ability here. I can run out 5 once in a while playing short rack banks, but maybe that's common elsewhere. My highs for 8 and 9 are still my awe-inspiring :rolleyes: 3-packs. From how it sounds here sometimes, I'd have to think that unless I'm stringing 5 racks every time I go out, I'm just chopped liver. :eek:

I'm a strong bar player(for around here, I guess), a good league player, a decent banker and normally say that I play "okay" if anyone asks.

I figure by the time I'm actually "good", I'll have myself convinced that I'm still not good enough. ;)
 

dom_poppa

Banned
What's the definition of good?

I was told by APA guys that I am 8 or 9 easy. Don't know what that means but in my local tourney...they got me from 65-80 speed...but that's nothing when there are guys 120 speed, that shoots lights out.

I do know that when I play people at 100 speeds they don't want to give me games but director is always right...lol

So I don't really don't know what these numbers mean.

I judge my game on tournament wins which I haven't won lately as I am trying to phase pool out of my life and trying new things. Let's say I am past my peak at this point in my young life.

Now I just embarrass myself at tournaments and getting killed by guys that I have whooped in the past.
 
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mortuarymike-nv

mortuarymike-nv
Silver Member
Which time :killingme:
You didnt take in consideration of age, illness, car wreaks, plane crashes, flying golf clubs, gun shot wounds , a coma, motorcycle crashes, etc etc etc I Almosty for forgot EX Wifes . :banghead:
Or for the lady azers EX Husbands :angel:
O ya and kids :D

who open this can of worms ?

MMike
professional racker
 

Lock N Load

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Which time :killingme:
You didnt take in consideration of age, illness, car wreaks, plane crashes, flying golf clubs, gun shot wounds , a coma, motorcycle crashes, etc etc etc I Almosty for forgot EX Wifes . :banghead:
Or for the lady azers EX Husbands :angel:
O ya and kids :D

who open this can of worms ?

MMike
professional racker

None of that had anything to do with how long did it take for you to be a good pool player! The time is what matters. Not what made you take so long, if in fact it was a long time. Thanks for your input.
Many Regards,
Lock N load.
 

One Pocket John

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Just my 0.02.

I think that there are 3 levels.

Good

Better

Best

I am in the Good catagory. There was a time when I was scratching at the Better catagory. At this level pool really starts being a lot of fun.

It took many monster hours of practice to get to Better. At least 4 to 8 hours every single day for a year. Then I quit practicing and sank back down to the Good level.

Started playing back in '63 at 15 years old. I'm 65 now and still practice every day. I practice and play now for my own enjoyment. If I beat any player....thats great.....if I dont win....at least I had some fun and learned where my weakness is and practice those weaknesses.

The fire is not out yet but its starting to flicker a little.

John
 

ShootingArts

Smorg is giving St Peter the 7!
Gold Member
Silver Member
there was a gap in learning

As asked in the subject! What helped you on the way to becoming a good player? Thanks for your input.
Many Regards,
Lock N Load.

It took me several years of intense effort to become a fair pool player. I was maybe the world's worst when I started. Took me six months to start breaking even on beers in bars. Things progressed pretty steadily for the first couple of years. Then I kinda held where I was at for a few years. Then I put in another two to three years of intense effort to become a pretty good player. Took me another twenty years to become a bad player!

Main influences on my game: Willie Mosconi just watching him, Old Joe for teaching me patience in the chair the hard way, Bobby S just for trying to hold up my end of things on the road together, and Jessie M, the only person that actually showed me much of significance.

Hu
 

measureman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Back in the day for me straight pool was the main game.
I ran 101 balls when I was 16 years old. I guess that would have qualified as good. I had been playing 3 or so years.
But I lived in NJ and got to study most of the legends of the time (1960's). So we could say I did not go to pool school it was more like advanced pool college.
 

macguy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
As asked in the subject! What helped you on the way to becoming a good player? Thanks for your input.
Many Regards,
Lock N Load.
Depends on the player. Once they have some fundamentals to work with, that can take a few months to get down, they can progress pretty quickly to the level of competent status. I used to run a lot of amateur tournaments so I am not just guessing I have a pretty good sampling of players to judge from.

In one year a player can go from pretty much beginner to a fairly good player if they work at it and have the desire. If they have a talent they may in one year improve immensely. I saw Dennis Hatch go from an average player, to a super level local player in one year. In one more year he was just under top player level.
My answer is, once you have some solid fundamentals and if you have the desire, one year you could be a good or even very good player.
You would need to be doing some competing with better players also to develop some game knowledge as well. That also contributes to the status of good player. You have to be more then just technicality good, you have to be game tested as well.

Regarding me personally, The game has always seemed easy to me. I first played when I was maybe 9 or 10 and have never been without my own table my whole life, so I can't really remember not being a good player even as a young kid. I was running 40 and 50 balls or more when I was a young teenager.
 
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taojones

Registered
the never ending journey

good enough not good enough. my friend evian Johnson taught me "the question to ask is not how to pot the ball but why do we miss?"

i lost sight in one eye about 5 years ago and had to relearn the game with my non dominant eye .I have actually gotten better through a combination of memory and execution. at 61 i can't see as well as i used to and i find i have to imagine what the shot would be if i could see it . by the time i bend over i have already made the ball. i use every trick in the book to determine my aim point the reflection of the cue ball in the object ball (yes if you look carefully you will see the cue ball ) that shows the center ball hit and the shortest distance between the 2 balls you can shoot to either side of it to cut fine angles that are not the 1/2 ball or 1/3 ball, lining up the points where the balls contact the table is also a help it can keep your cue on the center of the ball (that shows the exact center axis of the ball ) i imagine a bb shot in the middle of the ball to find the true center ball i see most players lining up slightly high paying attention to stuff like that will really improve your accuracy . studying the wear lines on the table ( the ball rolling at the rail cuts the fibers at the center ball. the ball can't go past the line. those 2 faint grooves at the pocket are your real targets it is about 2 mm wide and shows also how much the ball sinks into the rubber it is an arrow showing your contact point on balls frozen to the rail. rubbing 2 balls together in your hand is a great lesson as to the amount of friction on the contact point and will help you understand throw. blending all this stuff is what keeps us coming back to the table and why we will never be perfect. there are infinite possibilities in this game and in 40 years i am still finding new ones. when i miss it is usually because i did not respect the shot and skipped one of these prep steps. someday i will get it right.
 
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bozak007

Registered
Lost a few years.

I started playing when I was 15 and by the time I was 18 I was able to hang with the big boys and give them a run for their money on a regular basis. Then came a woman (will save you from the horror story of her pawning my SE Falcon) Here I am 27 and just played my first year of league since I was 18 and MAN!!! I can run a few racks, but I do so many boneheaded things on the table. Missing easy combos or over running an easy positional shot. Its like I have it, but it disappears in an instant. My buddy got me into pool again after I moved on to greener pastures and the line he gave me was "It's like riding a bike" :rolleyes: I can say I am half the player I used to be and I hope it doesn't take 3 years to learn it all again. Anyone else have a layoff and got back on the tables and have the same problem?
 

measureman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I started playing when I was 15 and by the time I was 18 I was able to hang with the big boys and give them a run for their money on a regular basis. Then came a woman (will save you from the horror story of her pawning my SE Falcon) Here I am 27 and just played my first year of league since I was 18 and MAN!!! I can run a few racks, but I do so many boneheaded things on the table. Missing easy combos or over running an easy positional shot. Its like I have it, but it disappears in an instant. My buddy got me into pool again after I moved on to greener pastures and the line he gave me was "It's like riding a bike" :rolleyes: I can say I am half the player I used to be and I hope it doesn't take 3 years to learn it all again. Anyone else have a layoff and got back on the tables and have the same problem?


Been there done that. I could only play 1 or 2 days a week and it took a year to get back in good stroke.
 

3andstop

Focus
Silver Member
I say, forget all that 3 pack 4 pack stuff. Too much luck, too many random hanging balls to define a good player using 9 ball.

In my opinion, I consider the definition of a good player, plain and simple.... Someone who can consistently run 40's and 50's in straight pool. No fluff, no baloney, just focus, thinking, cue ball control and execution.

I've been playing for 50 years ... I'll let ya know how long it takes to get good when I get there. :speechless:
 

thommy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I laid off for about 30 years, life got in the way, playing again now with my own table for the first time:thumbup:
My mind is a solid 7, my game is a soft 3:grin:
 

madman1nonly

Fine Handmade Cue Tips
Silver Member
It took me several years of intense effort to become a fair pool player. I was maybe the world's worst when I started. Took me six months to start breaking even on beers in bars. Things progressed pretty steadily for the first couple of years. Then I kinda held where I was at for a few years. Then I put in another two to three years of intense effort to become a pretty good player. Took me another twenty years to become a bad player!

Main influences on my game: Willie Mosconi just watching him, Old Joe for teaching me patience in the chair the hard way, Bobby S just for trying to hold up my end of things on the road together, and Jessie M, the only person that actually showed me much of significance.

Hu

The same here I star a 7 years old, I'm 65 "Still learning I love the game..............Juan
 
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