Playing speed less than practice speed?

JeremiahGage

JeremiahGage

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
j_zippel said:
So, about an hour into a practice session at home let's say on average I can break and run 3 out of 10 nine ball racks and 4 out of 10 eight ball racks... When I head to league it gets cut in half on a good night and some nights not a single runout.

Wondering if any others seem to forget the little routine you develop when practicing when a match goes down? Note: I'm a 6/7 SL sometimes

Also - I do have nights maybe once a month I can put a two or a three pack together so it's not everytme
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There are many factors that can affect the difference you've noticed, such as equipment, environment, pressure level, rhythm, and pure chance. I want to elaborate on the rhythm piece because that is a major factor and something you can control to an extent.

When you're practicing by yourself, you can usually fall into a good rhythm at a fast tempo, which lets your mind and body use your automatic abilities better. During competition, you are typically shooting at a much slower tempo because you have to wait for your opponent. Also, there is more at stake, so you should be a little more careful than during practice, which can also slow your tempo down.

You have to get used to this slower tempo, so I recommend you take a break every 1-2 racks during practice. This will allow you to simulate being in competition a little bit better.
 
K

ktrepal85

Banned
j_zippel said:
Anything positive to contribute?
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Sure, I'll contribute something positive.

The answer to this question seems pretty obvious and has already been answered I'm sure but I'll recap...

The conditions of your practice table are very easy compared to your league tables. Let's compare:

Table Size: Practice table is smaller.
Pockets: Practice table has larger pockets.
Speed: Practice table is slower I believe? Regardless, I'm sure you have the speed control down perfect on your practice table because you use it the most.
Comfort: There is nobody watching you when you practice and you feel comfortable without any pressure to perform.
Constant: Your practice table is always the same. However, it most leagues the table changes every week from place to place. It takes time to adjust to new conditions.

This list can go on and on but mostly it's the first three items I listed effecting your play.

I still think that you are probably overestimating your ability, but I could be wrong. I recommend using a pencil and paper to keep track of exactly how many racks you run in an hour and see how they compare to your estimate.

Good luck!
 
j_zippel

j_zippel

Big Tuna
Silver Member
ktrepal85 said:
Sure, I'll contribute something positive.

The answer to this question seems pretty obvious and has already been answered I'm sure but I'll recap...

The conditions of your practice table are very easy compared to your league tables. Let's compare:

Table Size: Practice table is smaller.
Pockets: Practice table has larger pockets.
Speed: Practice table is slower I believe? Regardless, I'm sure you have the speed control down perfect on your practice table because you use it the most.
Comfort: There is nobody watching you when you practice and you feel comfortable without any pressure to perform.
Constant: Your practice table is always the same. However, it most leagues the table changes every week from place to place. It takes time to adjust to new conditions.

This list can go on and on but mostly it's the first three items I listed effecting your play.

I still think that you are probably overestimating your ability, but I could be wrong. I recommend using a pencil and paper to keep track of exactly how many racks you run in an hour and see how they compare to your estimate.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

there ya go! :) thanks.. Y'know I wouldn't be surprised, with accurate record keeping if the percentage at home was closer to 25%... it certainly wouldn't be under 20%.
I'm quite honest about ability, league night being half or less what I can do at home, say 15% isn't far fetched, For instance, last night I played a 7, he broke dry to start the match and I ran out, then broke and ran. The next break I ran down to an easy 8, lifted my head a touch and rattled an easy one to get to a 3-0 lead. I ended up losing 5-3.. I broke 3 racks and ran one.

But your right, everything needs to be documented in order to have an accurate figure.
 
fastone371

fastone371

Certifiable
Silver Member
(((Satori))) said:
I think the opposite is true. The competition gives you that extra something that brings focus to a level that is hard to maintain in practice.

If someone consistently practices better thwn they play then their mental game can use some work imo.
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^^^^^^ I agree with Satori, I shoot league better than I practice and I shoot tournaments way better than both practice and league. When I practice I usually run out in the first 1-3 racks, if it does not happen then it will not likely happen at all during the practice session playing the ghost. I also do not take BIH playing the ghost. I guess rather than playing the ghost I am shooting for myself and my opponent, I include safeties if that is the best shot at the time also.
 
Banks

Banks

Banned
j_zippel said:
there ya go! :) thanks.. Y'know I wouldn't be surprised, with accurate record keeping if the percentage at home was closer to 25%... it certainly wouldn't be under 20%.
I'm quite honest about ability, league night being half or less what I can do at home, say 15% isn't far fetched, For instance, last night I played a 7, he broke dry to start the match and I ran out, then broke and ran. The next break I ran down to an easy 8, lifted my head a touch and rattled an easy one to get to a 3-0 lead. I ended up losing 5-3.. I broke 3 racks and ran one.

But your right, everything needs to be documented in order to have an accurate figure.
Click to expand...

I agree that it may not be what you estimate it to be. As a midrange 7 in my area, i still don't get all that many bnr, but i also grind out my matches more often. Sometimes I'm on one and run like a champ, but there are a lot of times it just doesn't happen and there's some reevaluation to do. To keep that high of a percentage, not only do you need to make a ball, but you also need to follow it up with good shooting and in apa you don't have a choice off the break. Maybe you do shoot that well or close to it, but failing the near-outs could easily hold you back from staying a 7.
 
j_zippel

j_zippel

Big Tuna
Silver Member
Banks said:
I agree that it may not be what you estimate it to be. As a midrange 7 in my area, i still don't get all that many bnr, but i also grind out my matches more often. Sometimes I'm on one and run like a champ, but there are a lot of times it just doesn't happen and there's some reevaluation to do. To keep that high of a percentage, not only do you need to make a ball, but you also need to follow it up with good shooting and in apa you don't have a choice off the break. Maybe you do shoot that well or close to it, but failing the near-outs could easily hold you back from staying a 7.
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This is TAP that I was playing last night. After the break you can shoot whatever you please, not restricted to what you make like in APA. It makes running out easier without a doubt. When cash cups and regionals come along I play super conservative not wanting to sell out and the average of runouts definitely goes down.
 
Baxter

Baxter

Out To Win
Silver Member
In my opinion, your true skill level isn't a measure of how well you can play on the good days when everything is in sync. It's a measure of how well you can hold it together and play on the bad days when nothing seems to be going right.
 
B

bdorman

Dead money
Silver Member
ktrepal85 said:
Hahaha, you're kidding, right?!?
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I don't think so. I view playing 9-ball ghost the same way: if I miss, my run-out is over and my opponent is going to clear the last few balls I've left on the table.

I don't walk back to the chair and sit down...but I do something just as effective: racking the balls feels like I lost the game and I'm racking for my opponent. I also find that after/during racking the balls is a good time to practice putting the loss behind me and clearing my head.
 
Charlie Hustle

Charlie Hustle

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
JeremiahGage said:
There are many factors that can affect the difference you've noticed, such as equipment, environment, pressure level, rhythm, and pure chance. I want to elaborate on the rhythm piece because that is a major factor and something you can control to an extent.

When you're practicing by yourself, you can usually fall into a good rhythm at a fast tempo, which lets your mind and body use your automatic abilities better. During competition, you are typically shooting at a much slower tempo because you have to wait for your opponent. Also, there is more at stake, so you should be a little more careful than during practice, which can also slow your tempo down.

You have to get used to this slower tempo, so I recommend you take a break every 1-2 racks during practice. This will allow you to simulate being in competition a little bit better.
Click to expand...

Very good advice
 
Charlie Hustle

Charlie Hustle

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
My competitive game is much better than my practice game. One of the huge factors obviously is safety play. Like someone else already said, when you are practicing by yourself you have a tendency to go for the flyer. I hardly ever, if ever shoot a safe on myself while practicing. But you bet your ass when it comes to tourney play or gambling I will try to lock my opponent up if I'm left with a low percentage shot.
 
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